WHEATSHEAF Pub of Maidstone

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Maidstone, October, 2024.

Page Updated Maidstone:- Saturday, 19 October, 2024.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Paul Skelton

Earliest 1786

Wheatsheaf

Closed Oct 26 2019

301 Loose Road (Sutton Road 1900)

Maidstone

01622 752624

http://thewheatsheaf-maidstone.co.uk/

https://whatpub.com/wheatsheaf

Above photo circa 1880.

Above photo, date unknown, by Chris Lilley.

Above photo, circa 1904, showing Maidstone's Horse Bus that operated between Barming Asylum and the Cemetary.

Above photo, date unknown.

Above photo, date as yet unknown, showing the Style & Winch Foden, driven by Arthur McCaffrey, which hit a tram in Loose Road. It is said that the Foden was able to continue its journey but it took 2 days to get the tram put back on its rails. Mind you, the Foden did weigh 3 tons.

Above postcard, postmarked 22 May 1928. Showing Charles Joseph & Louisa Matilda Moss.

Above photo, circa 1928. Showing in the livery of Style & Winch's Medway Brewery, Maidstone, with licensees, Charles and Louisa Moss, standing in the doorway of their pub. To the left of the pub, a billboard advertises the 1928 film "A Bit of Fluff" which was the last production to star Sydney Chaplin, the elder half-brother of Charlie Chaplin. After this, Sydney spent many years acting as Charlie's business manager.

Above photo, September 1939, by Andrew Clark.

Above photo stating:- "The Wheatsheaf Inn, 1939, after the kerb and other obstacles had been painted with black and white stripes to help pedestrians and drivers negotiate the junction during the "black out". In the picture at the top of the page, taken in Sutton Road, a notice about "Lighting Restrictions" and a Maidstone & District bus timetable are on the wall beside the entrance to the Gents' lavatory." By Andrew Clark.

Above photo, circa 1950s.

Above photo, circa 1957, by Andrew Clark.

Above photo, which looks from the same source as the one above.

Delivery to the "Wheatsheaf," date unknown.

Above photo 2010 by Chris Whippet, Creative Commons Licence.

Above Google image, June 2017 showing the Wheatsheaf from the Loose Road.

Above Google image, June 2017 showing the Wheatsheaf from the Sutton Road.

Above photo, 2019.

Above sign 2019.

Above matchbox, circa 1980s, kindly sent by Debi Birkin.

It is said that a pub has been on this site since the 1600's but the one we see today was built in 1830.

However, the premises has been bought by Maidstone District Council who wish to demolish it for a roundabout to help traffic congestion.

Canterbury Weekly, 15 October, 1836.

Distressing and Fatal Accident.

An inquest was held at the "Wheatsheaf" public house, in the Loose Road, on Thursday morning last, before F. F. Dally Esq., and a respectable jury, on the body of a stranger, who came by his death in the following dreadful manner.

The deceased, who was a fine athletic young man, of about 20 years, had been hopping in the grounds of Mr. Bromley of Staplehurst, and on Tuesday last had left his employment, and was walking towards Maidstone, when he fell in with a waggon from Ticehurst, proceeding in the same direction, laden with hops, and the waggoner gave him permission to hang his kettle under the back part of the waggon, besides which he walked. On arriving at the "Wheatsheaf," the stranger call for a pint of beer, of which the driver partook. The latter then proceeded on his way, leaving the deceased, as he suppose, at the "Wheatsheaf." The latter, however, had unknown to the driver, got up on the shaft of the offside of the waggon, which was a double team. After they had proceeded some distance, a van, in passing, to avoid some women on the side of the road, drove so near to the offside of the waggon as to graze the legs of the deceased, who, probably in trying to shield himself from the van, fell from the shaft into the road. The fore wheel of the waggon came in contact with the unfortunate man's neck, which, in the words of one of the witnesses, "skidded the wheels for half a rod." It then passed over him, behind will also passing over his face - killing him on the spot. He had on his person to half sovereigns, a half-crown, and six pence half-penny, together with a bill of his work as hopper, made out in the name of "J. Edmunds." In his left hand waistcoat pocket was found a charm against the the agne, which was sealed with three seals, and which the Coroner had open to discover his place of abode. It was in the following terms:-

When Jesus bore the cross When He was crucified his bones did trimbled and shake. Peter asked him if he Was troubled with an agne or Fever. Jesus answered he was neither trouble with the fever or ague and he or she that keeps on these Words about them Shall Neither be troubled with ague Nor Fever. Good lord for thy Merry Sake good lord bless this my servant Mr. Edmonds aucterden.

The last word was no so illegibly written, that it gave no clue to the residence of the deceased, who was supposed to come from Hampshire.

The coroner strongly depresented the dangerous practise of riding on the shafts, by which it appeared this unfortunate man had been cut off in his prime, as he was perhaps returning to his family with the earnings of his labour, and remarked that it was surprising that the loss of so many lives as it had occasioned had not prevented the practice.

The Jury found a verdict of accidental death with deodands of 5 shillings each on both the van and the waggon. Some clue having been gained as to his place of abode, the money has been ordered to be returned, in order that, if they can be discovered, it may be transmitted to his family.

From the Kentish Gazette, 18 October 1836.

FATAL ACCIDENT.

Thursday week an inquest was held at the "Wheatcheaf," Loose road, Maidstone, on a stranger, who came by his death in the following dreadful manner. He was a fine athletic young man about 21, and had been hopping at Staplehurst. On Tuesday he left employment, and was walking towards Maidstone, when he fell in with a wagon from Ticehurst, laden with hops, and the wagoner gave him permission to hang his kettle under the back of the wagon, beside which he walked.

On arriving at the "Wheatsheaf" the stranger called for a pint of beer, of which the wagoner also partook. On leaving the "Wheatsheaf," the driver proceeded, leading deceased, as he supposed, behind. He had, however, unknown to him, got up on the shaft on the off-side of the wagon, which was a double team. After they had proceeded some distance, a van, in passing, to avoid some women on the other side of the road, drove so near the off-side as to graze the legs of deceased, who, probably, trying to shield himself from the van, fell into the road. The fore-wheel of the wagon came in contact with his neck, which, in the words of one of the witnesses, "skidded the wheel for half a rod." It then passed over him; the hind-wheel also passed over his face, killing him on the spot. He had on his person two half-sovereigns, a half-crown, and sixpence-halfpenny, with a bill of his work as hopper made out in the name of "J. Edmunds." In his left-hand waistcoat pocket was found a charm against the ague, which was sealed with three seals, and which the coroner had opened to discover his place of abode. It was in the following terms:—

"Whene Jesus bore the cross Whene He Was crucified His Bones did trimbled and shake. Peter asked him if he Was troubled with an ague or Fever. Jesus answered he Was Neither troubled With the Fever or ague, and he or she that Keepeth these Words about them Shall Nither Be troubled a With ague Nor Fever. Good lord for thy Mercy Sake good lord bless this thy serveant serveant Mr. Edmunds aucterden."

This last word was so illegibly written, that it gave no clue to the residence of the deceased, who was supposed to have come from Hampshire.

The Jury found a verdict of "Accidental Death"— with deodands of 5s. each on both the van and the wagon.

Maidstone Gazette.

From the Kentish Gazette, 11 June 1839.

An inquest was held on Monday at the "Wheatsheaf" public-house, Maidstone, before the borough coroner, on the body of a little boy named Alfred Fever, aped 7 years, who fell under the wheel of a wagon which passed over his head and caused immediate death.

Verdict "accidental death."

Above photo showing a party in 1953.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alan Smith, 24 October 2019.

Maidstone pub The Wheatsheaf on corner of Loose Road and Sutton Road to be demolished.

This Saturday sees the end of an era.

Rossa and Renee Kenny who have run The Wheatsheaf pub in Maidstone for more than 35 years are retiring.

Rossa and Renee Kenny.

Furthermore, the pub itself is closing, bringing to an end 170 years of history.

Mr and Mrs Kenny, who took on the pub in 1984, have held an old folks party every Christmas for those in need or on their own and they are well known in the community.

They have also continuously fundraised for local charities, including Heart Of Kent Hospice and the Alzheimers Society. They are presenting a final cheque to the Alzheimers Society on Saturday - their last night.

The pub has been purchased by KCC and will be demolished to make way for a new roundabout at the junction between Loose Road and Sutton Road (the A229 and A274).

The Wheatsheaf junction is a notorious traffic blackspot, but the demolition of the iconic pub raises an important question - what will the junction be called in the future?

The Wheatsheaf pub at the junction of the Loose Road and Sutton Road.

Traffic at The Wheatsheaf, Maidstone Picture: Matthew Walker.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alan Smith, 28 October 2019.

The Kennys call time at The Wheatsheaf in Maidstone.

Rossa and Renee Kenny have pulled their last pints at The Wheatsheaf pub in Maidstone.

The couple hosted a farewell party for their regulars at the pub on the corner of Loose Road and Sutton Road on Saturday, after 35 years behind the bar.

Renee and Rosa Kenny who are retiring as licensee's from The Wheatsheaf pub in Loose Road, Maidstone. Picture: Chris Davey.

Mr Kenny first started in the licensed trade 52 years ago, when as an 18-year-old he got a job as a barman in his native Ireland.

He then came to the UK, working in pubs in London, before returning to Ireland to manage his first pub. By the time he returned to London in 1979, he had married Renee, and the two bought the "Wheatsheaf" in 1984.

Mr Kenny said: "It was a very traditional male pub where women did not feel particularly comfortable. We set about changing that straight away."

The couple introduced a food menu, and over time they saw the nature of their clientele change.

Mr Kenny said: "At first, we had a lot of bank managers, police officers and firemen who would call in for a drink at lunchtime."

"But that lunchtime drinking culture while at work has ceased." So much so that the Kennys eventually decided not to open at lunchtime.

The introduction of the smoking ban also greatly affected the business, despite the construction of an outdoor shelter for smokers. Mr Kenny said: "The ban did keep a lot of people at home. Though it was a major benefit for people who work in the industry, as we no longer had customers sitting just across the bar puffing smoke in our faces."

Mr Kenny said some of the changes had been gradual, so that it was only now looking back that he noticed.

He said: "When we started, young people would come in for a pint with their fathers or uncles, and learned how to drink responsibly. You don't see much of that now.

"The drinking culture has changed with young people tending to go to town and binge drink."

They couple had also had to deal with an increased prevalence of drugs. He said; "We've not really had any problems at the "Wheatsheaf," but it's something you have to be aware of.

"You can generally contain someone whose had too much to drink, but if they've also taken drugs, you never know what might happen."

The couple have always tried to make their pub part of the community. They have helped numerous good causes over the years, raising money to buy equipment for Maidstone Hospital and for the Leonard Cheshire home for the disabled when it was at Mote House, as well as the Kent Association for the Blind and the Heart of Kent Hospice.

Indeed on Saturday, their last night, they presented a cheque for £2,000 to Denise Lintern, who was representing the Alzheimers Society.

For the last 34 years, they've also given a free Christmas dinner for between 30 and 40 old folk in the area, laying on a four-course meal and a drink on the house.

The pub, which has been a local landmark since 1830, is now set to disappear. The Kennys have sold the building to KCC who intend to demolish it to make room for a roundabout at the junction, a notorious congestion blackspot.

It is perhaps the couple's only regret. Mr Kenny said: "We've always taken a tremendous pride in the look of the pub, ensuring it is kept swept and clean and never going more than five years without repainting."

Mr Kenny, 70, and Mrs Kenny, 65, intend to retire to Folkestone.

The "Wheatsheaf" has given its name to the junction of the A229 and A274.

Kent Messenger Maidstone, 7 Nov 2019.

Time called, so get memories in order.

Whether you associate it with a cool beer or traffic gridlock, everyone knows the set to be demolished "Wheatsheaf" pub. We reflect on its long history...

One of the distinctive buildings of Maidstone’s architectural heritage is soon to be lost to us.

The pub that commands the "Wheatsheaf" junction of the A229 Loose Road and the A274 Sutton Road looks set to be demolished.

The inn, which has stood on the corner since 1830 - the last year of the reign of George IV, is to be pulled down to make way for a roundabout, in a £2.5m scheme designed by Kent County Council.

Landlords Rossa and Renee Kenny have already closed their doors and departed for the sunnier climes of Folkestone, but before they went they left behind a full history of the pub.

It turns out the building has existed since Charles II was on the throne, and there has been a drinking establishment on the site since 1786.

It was then that Samuel Coggins who lived there, described as a carpenter and furniture-maker, first applied for a licence to sell beer. He was given permission to sell ales and ciders, but not during the hours of divine service and not spirits.

Mr. Coggins only leased the property - the freehold was held by Thomas Hackwood of Boughton Monchelsea who had extensive land-holdings throughout Boughton and the Suttons. When Mr. Hackwood died in 1803, the freehold passed to his son Geoffrey and by that time the beer house was run by Joseph Hutchins, but was still limited to ales and cider.

Mr. Hutchins remained behind the bar until his death in 1821, when his widow Emily took over and stayed till 1828. Thomas Barrow then applied for the licence. Perhaps a little surprisingly, he was refused. The reason being that the building had fallen into disrepair and was considered structurally unsafe.

That led to the demolition of the first "Wheatsheaf" and in 1830 Maidstone builder Johnathan Tills constructed the pub we see today. The work was completed in March 1830. The property was bought by Walter Cemy of Maidstone and registered under the title of the "Wheatsheaf." A full liquor licence - as opposed to just for beers - was granted to his tenant Eli Twiddy.

He was succeeded in 1841 by Thomas Shodden, but it seems Mr. Shodden did not find tavern-keeping sufficient for his entrepreneurial instincts. He described himself as a "tavern keeper and corn merchant" and in 1845 he left the pub to open a corn and seed store in Gabriels Hill. Next to take up residence was George Demmett, who had previously run a pub in Ashford. He stayed 13 years, until 1858.

It was then that George Brown moved from running the "Kings Arms" at Boxley to take over the "Wheatsheaf." He too felt the need for an extra line of business and also ran a removals firm from the premises.

In 1875, he handed over to John Field, who stayed until 1881, when John Hickmott became the landlord.

His father, also called John, had taken over the "Kings Arms" in Boxley from George Brown, with the business was now run by his wife Harriet. From 1890 until 1907, the "Wheatsheaf" was run by William Isaac, who was also described a horse trader.

Then it was the turn of Arthur Perrin until 1913, when Harry King took over and ran the pub throughout the First World War.

Between the wars the landlords were Oliver Leigh (1918) and Charles Moss (1923). George Finch arrived in 1936 and was the landlord throughout the Second Word War, staying on till 1947 when Robert Shaw took over.

Carl Donavan (1964) and Arthur Fiddy (1966) followed until finally, in 1984, the Kennys purchased the pub. They were there 35 years. Rossa Kenny was the "Wheatsheaf’s" longest serving landlord, the 19th and last to run the pub.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alan Smith, 29 March 2021.

Plans submitted to demolish Wheatsheaf pub in Maidstone.

The death knell is tolling for one of Maidstone's most prominent pubs.

The Wheatsheaf, which presides over the junction of the A229 Loose Road and A274 Sutton Road in Maidstone, is to be pulled down.

A bird's eye view of the Wheatsheaf supplied by Hawkeye Aerial Media (45636021)

The pub has been closed since January 1 last year, after KCC purchased the property from the landlords Rossa and Renee Kenny, who had run the inn since 1984.

The highways authority intends to pull down the building to make room for a larger junction arrangement.

KCC has submitted a planning application to Maidstone council seeking permission for the demolition.

The plans says demolition is expected to take six weeks and will include the three-storey main building, three extensions and two outbuildings.

Work will be carried out between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or bank holidays.

Any slab waste will be broken up on site into manageable sizes and taken away in 20-tonne lorries.

KCC acknowledges there will be dust created, and with residential properties nearby, pledges to keep that to the minimum by frequent hosing down with water. Lorries will also be hosed down before leaving the site.

KCC has already encountered two problems.

A survey carried in January found evidence of a bat roost in a chimney on the first floor. Bats are a protected species. KCC will now have to carry out further surveys to determine whether the roost is in use and if so will need to obtain a special licence from Natural England.

Additionally, asbestos is present in part of the building which will require specialist handling to remove it safely.

The demolition will make way for a junction improvement as part of KCC's Delivering Growth Without Gridlock plan, 2016 - 2031.

It said the new junction would improve traffic flow and reduce air pollution.

The Wheatsheaf has been a local landmark since 1830.

The planning application can be viewed on the Maidstone council website. Planning application 21/501019 refers.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alan Smith, 12 September 2023.

Time ticks by and still no progress on Maidstone’s Wheatsheaf junction.

It is over four years since a popular landmark pub was closed to make way for a junction improvement.

Yet, as reporter Alan Smith finds out, The Wheatsheaf still stands proudly on the Loose Road in Maidstone at the convergence of the A229 to Hastings and the A249 to Headcorn, as it has since 1830, begging the question, will the new junction ever happen?

The last pint was pulled in January 2019 after KCC bought the building for a rumoured £500,000 so it could be pulled down to make way for an “extended signalised junction”.

Demolition was scheduled for July 2021, but still nothing has happened.

South ward councillor Brian Clark (Lib Dem) said: “It is looking increasingly unlikely that KCC will ever demolish the Wheatsheaf pub, on cost grounds, so the changes at the Wheatsheaf will likely bring even less capacity benefits than the design which went to public consultation in early 2020.”

Plans for the junction improvement then showed that traffic travelling south from Maidstone, towards the A274 Sutton Road, would be initially in two lanes, as now.

They would meet a set of traffic lights just before the Cranborne Avenue junction on the left.

The new junction - simples!

From there, the inside lane would remain a dedicated straight-on lane for Sutton Road, while the outside lane curved to the right for traffic intending to go up the A229, Loose Road, towards Maidstone Fire Station.

But first, such traffic would potentially be held at another set of traffic lights to allow northbound traffic coming from Sutton Road and heading for town to cross in front.

Traffic travelling north along the Sutton Road, away from the Kent Police building would have a choice of three lanes - which is one more lane than currently.

The left-hand lane would become for traffic turning left only, that is traffic wanting to sweep round what would have been the front of the Wheatsheaf pub and slip into the A229 Loose Road heading towards Linton and Hawkhurst.

The other two lanes would continue on to town, along what is confusingly also called the Loose Road.

For traffic travelling along the Loose Road, towards the town centre from the south, there would be two lanes as you approach the junction.

The inside of the left-hand lane would be straight on for Maidstone town centre only.

The outside lane would be for straight-on traffic and also for those wanting to turn right and go south along Sutton Road.

There would be a set of lights before the junction for both lanes, and another set for traffic turning right, where waiting vehicles would queue in a gap between two large islands.

There would also be two pedestrian-controlled crossings - one on the northward leg of the junction and one on the southward.

Residents with a petition against the closure of Cranborne Avenue - the photo was taken eight years ago - in 2015.

Unfortunately, the scheme only works if Cranborne Avenue is closed to traffic, which Cllr Clark says is “highly unpopular” and unacceptable.

Cllr Clark said: “It is astonishing. We are now six years on from the adoption of the borough council’s Local Plan in 2017 and, beyond closing Cranborne Avenue with plastic barriers and the still-to-be completed Armstrong Road junction, we seem to have a complete failure to deliver almost all of the identified junction improvements necessary as mitigation for the extra house-building.

“The administrations at both MBC and KCC should feel a deep sense of shame for such a tremendous failure to mitigate our chronic congestion, which is increasing on a daily basis given the backdrop of ever-increasing housing development.”

Planners were confident that closing the junction would save 17 seconds on the average journey time of vehicles progressing through the Wheatsheaf Junction – even without any further junction changes. The public has not yet seen any evidence of that claim.

But residents from Shepway were – and remain – furious because they say that any saving – even if it exists – is more than lost by the extra time it takes them to join the Loose Road at Plains Avenue.

There have also been safety issues raised, with motorists saying that the Plains Avenue junction, which doesn’t have the benefit of traffic lights – is dangerous to cross.

A recent accident there would seem to prove the case.

Marion Crescent resident Andrew Hammersley said: “It appears that KCC is not able to show that the closure of Cranborne Avenue has yielded the improvement in traffic flow that they were expecting.

“That is no surprise to residents. If only KCC had paid heed to the initial results of the public consultation (where a vast majority opposed the closure) we would not be in this mess now.

Happier time - inside the Wheatsheaf in days gone by.

“KCC needs to drop this inept plan and re-open Cranborne Avenue.”

Initially, KCC intended to close Cranborne Road only for six months while it assessed the knock-on effects – before making a decision. But the “experimental closure” is now nearly 18 months old – the maximum time permitted under the law.

We asked KCC whether the junction scheme would ever go ahead. It seems we will not know until KCC finally makes a decision on the Cranborne Avenue junction closure.

A spokesman said: “The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for the trial closure of Cranborne Avenue is still valid until the end of September.

“The order will remain in place while officers assess the results of this work and respond to all objections accordingly.”

“Traffic surveys were carried out prior to the closure and have continued while the closure is in place.

“We will present the results to the public when all necessary traffic surveys have been finalised and the analysis of the data is complete.

“KCC is continuing to monitor the impact to the A229, the A274 and the immediate road network in terms of safety and delay.”

When the junction scheme was first costed, the estimate was for £5.63m. Since then, we have had rampant inflation reaching a peak of 11.1% in October 2022.

Will KCC now have the money to fund the new junction in any case?

The junction is often referred to as “the Wheatsheaf roundabout” which may mystify some readers since there is no roundabout there.

The answer is that there was once.

Susan Black recently spent a “nightmare“ 45 minutes travelling from the town centre to her home in Lewis Court Drive, Boughton Monchelsea – a distance of 3.7 miles and an average speed of 4.9mph.

She said: “I remember the roundabout at the Wheatsheaf well. I used to live in (nearby) Marion Crescent then.

“Couldn’t we just have the roundabout back?”

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alan Smith, 6 January 2024.

Speculation The Wheatsheaf pub in Maidstone might reopen after five-year closure.

An estate agent’s For Sale board has prompted rumours a pub that closed five years ago for junction improvements is to re-open.

The sign next to to The Wheatsheaf on the Loose Road, in Maidstone, has led some passing motorists to believe that Kent County Council (KCC), which had previously purchased the pub, was stepping back from its junction plans.

The Wheatsheaf has been empty for five years.

The For Sale board sparked a flurry of speculation on social media that the pub might re-open, with Julia Moore from Shepway commenting: “Wow, that would be great!” and Darren Thompson from Loose observing: “It used to be a great pub!”

But closer examination reveals the For Sale sign is in fact for Wheat Cottage, the house next door at 309 Loose Road.

The last pint at the Wheatsheaf was pulled by the landlords Renee and Rosa Kenny in January 2019 after KCC bought the building for a rumoured £500,000 so that it could be pulled down to make way for an “extended signalised junction.”

Demolition was scheduled for July 2021, but still nothing has happened.

Ambitious plans were drawn up, which included having three lanes approaching town from the Sutton Road and two lanes approaching town from Loose Road.

Unfortunately, in the past five years, KCC has got no further than closing Cranborne Avenue to traffic.

Some motorists mistook the For Sale sign to be for the Wheatsheaf but it is for the cottage next door.

Sean Carter is the chairman of the North Loose Residents’ Association.

He said: “My assessment is that KCC is now holding off to find out the results of the government inspector’s examination of the Maidstone Local Plan Review.

“There are two large housing allocations in the Local Plan – for 247 homes and for 300 homes - by the Kent Police building, which KCC objected to on highways grounds.

“But if the inspector allows them, they will put much more pressure on the Sutton Road and ultimately the Wheatsheaf junction and KCC will have to do something or we shall just have gridlock.”

But Mr Carter suggested the original signalised junction plan was not the answer.

He suggested it was time for some “blue-sky thinking” to come up with a completely different solution.

In the meantime, Mr Carter speculated that Maidstone was unlikely to see anything happen at the Wheatsheaf for “two or three years at least.”

Brian Clark is one of the borough councillors for the area. He said: “It’s shocking. After five years, we’ve got nowhere other than the closure of a road that 73 out of 97 people who responded to the consultation on it said they didn’t want closed.

“My understanding is that KCC is now looking to a ‘do-minimal plan’, which might be nothing more than altering the phasing of the traffic lights and painting a few white lines.

“What was the exit plan when they purchased the pub? All that has been achieved is that they have denied the area the use of a valued local amenity.”

But Cllr Clark (Lib Dem) was not just critical of KCC, the Highways Authority. He said: “Traffic mitigation at this junction was an essential part of Maidstone council’s 2017 Local Plan which permitted a string of developments along the Sutton Road.

“The homes have gone ahead but not the junction improvements. Maidstone Borough Council should be jumping up and down in anger. It has to take ownership of this issue now.”

Cllr Clark has called the matter in to be discussed at a borough council scrutiny committee in February.

A KCC spokesperson said: “The next phase of the project will now be finalised to achieve the optimum design for the Wheatsheaf junction and consolidate the benefits derived from the closure of Cranborne Avenue.

“The final design and programme for Phase 2 will be confirmed in due course. “

LICENSEE LIST

COGGINS Samuel 1786 (also carpenter & furniture maker)

HUTCHINS Joseph 1803-21 dec'd

HUTCHINS Emily (widow) 1821-28

BARROW Thomas 1828 licensed refused premises rebuilt

TWIDDY Eli Mar/1830+

MILES Richard 1840+