109 London Road

Hildenborough

Above postcard, date unknown.

Above sign 1992. With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

The Grade 2 listed Hilden Manor dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1456, the manor is recorded as having been left in the will of Henry Vane or Fane to his son, John.

The building became an inn in the 1900s. There was an open air swimming pool at the back. It had diving boards and a rock fountain and it became a very popular pool. The swimming pool was filled in sometime around the 1960s/70s when a new housing development now called Stacey Road was built to the rear of the pub.

The swimming pool even featured in the dinner-dances that were held there.

The function room off to one side was very popular and used to host jazz nights, dance classes, weddings, business luncheons and all sorts of functions. There was also a horse-riding academy based here.

Thursday night in the 1970s was disco night with DJ Tony ‘Shades’ Valence, these were very popular at the time. The Radio Caroline Roadshow, which toured South-East England in the late 1970s, would also pitch up here.

Above photo from the Courier, 25 February 2005.

Above photo, Graeme Pine.

​On Monday morning, February 21st 2005, a fire broke out, apparently in an electrical cupboard. There was a delay getting the correct fire-fighting equipment to site, the fire spread rapidly and gutted the interior, and most of the roof collapsed. The function room was destroyed and was demolished. Repairs were carried out, saving as much of the original timbers as possible. New oak was spliced into old using traditional jointing methods and the original design collar purlin oak roof and crown post was reintroduced.

As part of the deal to get the pub rebuilt, a new Premier Inn hotel was built alongside.

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