Above postcard, date unknown.

Above photo 2015.

Above sign 2015.

Above aluminium card issued 1950. Sign series 2 number 21.

Above matchbox, date unknown, kindly sent by Debi Birkin.

Plaxtol Local History Group, Ed. Mollie Lewis, Plaxtol Within Living Memory, 1994.

Betty Davey Remembers.

Betty, a member of Plaxtol Local History Group, is the daughter of Charles and Mary Rabbitt, one-time proprietors of the Papermakers' Arms. After she married Jo Davey, whom she met in her A.T.S. days during the war, they came to live in Shields Cottages where they brought up their two sons — a tight fit at times — and Betty is still there. Her father had bought all four of Shields Cottages for just under £1,000 in 1948. Joe Davey will be remembered for the great support he gave to Plaxtol Cricket Club, to which he was treasurer for many years. Betty has worked at Plaxtol School in many capacities since 1961. She has written for us some of her early memories of days at the village inn.

My family moved from Tonbridge to Plaxtol in the early 1930s and spent the next almost 20 years in the Papermakers' Arms. I can still remember the price of beer, which stayed the same for years. Mild was 4d. a pint, bitter 6d. a pint and old was 8d. a pint. Food was not often served, but the man who delivered the lemonade would talk at length and for years after eating it about the boiled bacon and broad beans he had had on one occasion at the Paper-makers' Arms. Mum would cook for darts' suppers and similar functions, always large amounts of rabbit stew. The cabbage or sprouts would be cooked in the copper meant for boiling washing. It had to be fed with wood in the fire, quite a small space, under the boiler, which was also used for heating water for baths.

Sometimes a man would bring in a large swede or some cherries or some other treat, and Dad would give him a pint, thinking he was probably a bit short of cash — there wasn't much of it about in those days. Once Tom Gunner brought in a lamb. I don't know if its mother had died or couldn't feed it. We — the four kids — would prepare its bottle by putting a red hot poker in a jug of milk. When it stopped hissing it was ready — I don't know what a modern vet would think about that! Larry (although she was a ewe lamb she had to be Larry because Toy Town was so popular on Children's Hour on the wireless) thrived, and used to come for walks with us on a lead. Of course she had to go back to the flock eventually, and, although I never asked, I expect to the butcher in the end. Country children were usually matter-of-fact about such things — they were part of life. Life in the pub got a lot more lively at hop-picking time. The hop pickers from East London seemed almost like another race, so lively and rather free with their language — Mum didn't approve! My sister and I would lean out of the bedroom window to watch them at their high jinks. At the weekends friends and family would come to visit the pickers, and before going home on Sunday evening would ask for a bunch of 'flahrs' to take back to London. I was sent to the garden and allowed to keep the 6d. paid for each bunch. Riches!

We had very little pocket money but I remember going to Mr. Thorpe's shop at Dunks Green which sold other things than bread and cakes. There were 'art' silk stockings at 10^d. a pair, rather a nasty orange sort of colour, but worn inside out were not too bad, and were all we could afford.

Every Saturday evening two farm workers from Old Soar Cottages (one was called Mr. Christmas) would come into the bar and hand over shopping bags. Dad would fill the bags with the regular order of bottles of beer, Vimto, chocolate, crisps and tobacco. At closing time the men would pay from a large wad of notes (where did all that money come from, we wondered?) for all to see, take their bags and set off across the fields past the hopper huts to the cottages at Old Soar. There was never any trouble. Would it be so safe today?

From the http://www.bbc.co.uk  20 November 2010.

Plaxtol residents refurbish Papermakers Arms in a week

The pub has been completely refurbished in a week, with local residents donating time, skills and money.

A Kent pub is reopening for business after villagers gave it a facelift in just one week to prevent its closure.

The "Papermakers Arms," in Plaxtol, near Tonbridge, was put on the market last month because of dwindling profits and fewer customers, dismaying residents.

Landlady June Edmondson said: "The pub itself just got tired and with no money to spare there's nothing you can do about that."

More than 100 residents donated their time and money to refurbish the pub.

They were encouraged to take action by resident Eileen Dickinson.

She said: "I've lived here for 20 years, and in that 20 years I've seen seven businesses disappear, and I wasn't prepared to sit back and let this happen again."

She added she decided to muster up as much support as possible, and 120 people came forward.