Above photo date circa 2011, from www.Flickr.com by Ben Levick.

Information below by Ben Levick

The "Viscount Hardinge" opened in or shortly before 1850, but for the first four decades of the 20th century it was renamed the Lord Hardinge, before reverting to its original name. The first Viscount Hardinge served in the Penninsular War and was later Secretary of War, accompanying Queen Victoria when she visited wounded Crimean veterans at Fort Pitt and Brompton in 1855. The Croneen family were the first licensees in about 1850 and they were still there in 1923. In 1850 it was licensed for a full seven day week, and not until 1860 did it shut on Sundays. In 1866 it ran horses and stables. In 1863 Mr Croneen took advantage of an Act of Parliament to obtain a six-day licence, closing at 10pm on weekdays, although from 1889 it stayed open untill 11pm on the six working days. By 1909 the Viscount Hardinge's licence was the only one in Gillingham where, if Christmas day was a weekday, they could open for normal working-day times rather than Sunday opening.

In the 2000s it was renamed to the "Sphinx Bar" and it closed down in early 2011.