Stone

Elverton

Luddenham

Above postcard, 1980s, kindly supplied by John Robertson.

Above photo circa 1987, kindly sent by Jeremy Lynn.

Above photo circa 1987, kindly sent by Jeremy Lynn.

Above photo taken April 1988, by Roger Marples.

Above photo, circa 1989, kindly sent by Jeremy Lynn.

Above photo, circa 1989, kindly sent by Jeremy Lynn, showing the licensee Bob Jarrett bringing the change.

Above photo, circa 1990.

Above photo 1990 showing Bob Jarrett in the cellar.

Above photo by Penny Mayes, date unknown, Creative Commons Licence.

Above photo by Peter Checksfield, September 2014.

Above photo by Peter Checksfield, September 2014.

It is believed the pub closed early 1990s and there was an outcry, with news of the closure making regional TV news. The pub had been in the hands of the same family for well over 100 years and had not been touched probably in a hundred.

The thing that made Mounted Rifleman so special was the fact that it didn't even have a bar! Instead each pint was brought up from the cellar, on a tray, by the landlord. The pub's single draught beer was Fremlins Bitter, drawn straight from the cask. Even more unusual was that the bottled beers, spirits, mixers and soft drinks were all kept in the cellar as well, almost as though the proprietor didn't want customers to actually see the drinks on offer!

The pub was entered from the rear, almost as though one was walking through the landlord's garden, the pub's interior was basic and simply furnished. I do recall learning in the mid 1980's that the landlord had dropped dead following a heart attack. After his death his brother took over the running of the pub for a while.

In the early nineties the pub became to much for him and having, as far as I know no family who wanted to take the pub over reverted back to the brewery, there were a number of interested parties but with a large number of planning restrictions on developing or extending the pub, interest waned with the pub being sold off as a private dwelling. Indeed the pub is still missed and still spoken about in the Faversham area.

The pub was put up for sale, and was eventually sold without a license, as a private house. The Mounted Rifleman had absolutely no frills about it and and been in the same family for several generations. It was particularly sad to see it close.

Source: Andy Johnson and Paul Bailey.

Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald 11 June 1892. FAVERSHAM COUNTY SESSIONS. SUNDAY DRINKING. John Austin, who keeps the "Mounted Rifleman" beer house at Stone, was charged with selling beer during prohibited hours on Sunday morning May 12th. Henry Scott, an old man 74 years of age, was also charged with being on licensed premises at the same time and place. Both defendants pleaded guilty. Instructing-constable Deeley said that he visited the house at twenty minutes past eleven on this Sunday morning, and found two men in there drinking; one was a traveller and the other was the defendant Scott, who lived near the house. The defendant Austin, in reply to the bench, said that he thought he was serving travellers. Superintendent Lacey said that complaints had been made about Sunday drinking at this house, and he also handed a letter to the Bench complaining of the same thing. The Chairman observed that it was a serious case. Austin was fined £2 and 9s. costs, and Scott was mulcted in the sum of 5s. and 9s. costs. The Chairman added that the bench would not endorse the license this time, but warned him to be careful for the future. Austin paid his money at once, but Scott, who seemed surprised at the result of the case, was allowed a fortnight.

Above showing the entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 1982.

From an email received 21 June, 2017. My Grandad was a regular there, He lived at Barrow Green, Teynham. He died in WW1. I visited the pub around 1964 I went in the front door, the bar, or counter was on the left. Yes the barman went down to the cellar, behind the bar and returned with the beer. The other room was on the right with mums and kids with welly boots on wood handles with bottle tops nailed on keeping beat with the music from a tape recorder. Rather like zombies! Good beer though. Garth Wyver. Blackheath NSW. Australia.

From an email received 17 February 2020. I drove past this pub this morning as I have fond memories of the place. It was very basic with a Yorkstone floor throughout and as the story states, the apron-wearing landlord went into the cellar and brought drinks up on a tray. Children were permitted in a side room, before the days of being allowed everywhere. The neatly mown verge shown in the second picture is now a tangled thatch of brambles, very overgown. Regards, Paul Narramore.

From an email received 21 February 2022. I too have fond memories of this pub from when I worked at TVS Television in the 1980's. The landlord at that time had what I assumed to be Parkinson's disease because when he fetched the pints from the cellar the were never full because he had spilt some coming back up the stairs. Nobody cared however it was a wonderful experience to be drinking in this pub. Ian Edwards. (France.)

Project 2014 has been started to try and identify all the pubs that are and have ever been open in Kent. I have just added this pub to that list but your help is definitely needed regarding it's history.

As the information is found or sent to me, including photographs, it will be shown here.

Thanks for your co-operation.

LICENSEE LIST

AUSTIN John 1891-92+ (age 69 in 1891)

JARRETT Bob 1980s

Census