DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Tenterden, August, 2021.

Page Updated:- Monday, 02 August, 2021.

PUB LIST PUBLIC HOUSES Paul Skelton

Earliest ????

(Name from)

This Ancient Boro

Open 2020+

3 East Cross

Tenterden

01580 388815

http://www.thisancientboro.com/

https://whatpub.com/this-ancient-boro

This Ancient Borough

Above photo, date unknown.

This Ancient Boro 1955

Above photo circa 1955. Kindly sent by Estelle Quick.

This Ancient Boro 1955

Above photo circa 1955. Kindly sent by Estelle Quick. Still with gas lighting. Showing herself and her mother.

Above photo circa 1955. Kindly sent by Estelle Quick. Showing licensee Alan Quick at the back of the pub, probably with Estelle.

This Ancient Boro 1960s

Above photo 1960s, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

This Ancient Boro cardThis Ancient Boro card

Above aluminium card issued May 1949. Sign series 1 number 19.

 

Also known in its full term as "This Ancient Borough."

The premises became a beer house in the 19th century and was previously called the "New Inn."

Unfortunately it closed some time after 1956 to become a Chinese restaurant and I believe in 2010 it was known as the "Honeymoon Restaurant.

 

Former This Ancient Borough 2010

Above Google image 2010.

This Ancient Boro 2018

Above photo, 2018.

This Ancient Boro 2018

Above photo, July 2018 kindly taken and sent by Martin Mowl.

This Ancient Boro inside 2018

Above photo showing the inside 2018.

This Ancient Boro inside 2018

Above photo showing part of the bar 2018.

This Ancient Boro licensee 2018

Above photo showing, licensee Ray Pratt in 2018.

This Ancient Boro sign 2018This Ancient Boro digital sign 2018

Above sign 2018, kindly taken and sent by Chris Excel.

 

I am informed that the pub was still selling in the 1970s but on closure it became the "Honeymoon Restaurant."

Recent planning permission sent to the Ashford Borough Council in March 2018 has been applied to convert it back into the public house again, hopefully to open again in May 2018.

I am informed that the premises reopened as a public house again on the 13th July 2018 and is operating along the same lines as a micro and tapas bar.

 

From the https://www.kentlive.news By Lauren MacDougall, 21 December 2019.

The 33 pubs in Kent you have to drink at in 2020 according to CAMRA.

In total Kent has heaps of pubs listed in the guide and, while 33 of these are new entries, others have appeared in previous editions of the guide.

A total of 33 pubs from around Kent make up the new entries that feature in the 2020 edition of the Good Beer Guide.

The guide is produced annually by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the independent guide to the best boozers in the UK that is researched by unpaid and independent volunteers nationwide.

Tom Stainer, CAMRA’s chief executive, said: “For nearly five decades, the Good Beer Guide has been a comprehensive guide to the UK’s breweries, their ales, and the best outlets to find them in across the country.

“What makes the Guide unique is that all the entries are compiled and vetted by a huge volunteer team, based around the country. We work hard to ensure that all areas of the country are covered and, unlike with some competitor titles, inclusion in this book is dependent only on merit, not on payment.

“The Good Beer Guide has always had an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry. We believe information gleaned from the Guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support pubs, local brewers and their customers.”

This pub is included in the 2020 list.

This Ancient Boro', Tenterden.

What the guide says: "Reopened in July 2018 as an alehouse and tapas bar, the pub was previously known as the Honeymoon Chinese Restaurant. Until 1968 the site had, for many years, been a Whitbread house, This Ancient Boro’.

"The pub is a hybrid of this original incarnation and a micropub, with no live music or gaming machines."

 

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Secret Drinker, 4 February 2020.

Secret Drinker review This Ancient Boro’ pub, Tenterden.

The town of Tenterden proudly traces its history back to Saxon times and over the years has prospered thanks to the burgeoning wool trade.

This Ancient Boro’ on East Cross might not date back quite as far as those days, but the latest owners are rightly proud of the part they’re playing in its recent history.

From the outside This Ancient Boro’ looks every inch a traditional boozer, but inside you’ll find tapas and a full line-up of real ales in kegs.

Faced by rows of beautifully presented kegs, I was convinced I’d been lucky enough to wander into a micro-pub. But Sarah, behind the bar, immediately put me straight saying it can’t claim micro-pub status as they serve food, namely tapas.

Technically speaking this may be true, but the fact there’s such a great selection of ales and ciders on offer, plus there’s no pool table, no darts, no jukebox, TV screens or any other nonsense mean for me ‘If the cap fits…’

Sarah and co-owner Ray took the place on 18 months ago, prior to this it was a Chinese restaurant for 50 years but before that a pub, so they were keen to return it to its former use - and name.

Some locals still remember the old pub and are delighted by the reincarnation – Ray himself has memories of popping in to fetch his dad when he was still a schoolboy.

Keen to sample as many ales as possible I took on a tray of thirds, which was fantastic value at £3.80. Mrs SD stuck to her own traditions with a large Terra Molino Airen sauvignon blanc.

This Ancient Boro window 2020

A sign of the times in the window – this makes it clear what’s now on offer at This Ancient Boro’.

The extensive tapas menu was chalked up on a huge mirror on the back wall and looked as good as it looked authentic so, although we were in too late for the kitchen this time, we’ll definitely return to sample the higadillos salteados and rosado con limon aioli.

The place was quiet for a Saturday night and perhaps, even more surprisingly, women outnumbered men by three to one while we were in. Two ladies took up residence right on the end of the line of kegs and, after perusing the gin menu started a highly voluble conversation where every other word was yah.

For me the place has just enough feel of the old pub and the new incarnation – the obligatory stripped wooden floor, a selection of different tables and chairs, hops strung loosely over the bar and umbrellas in a pot near the door.

This Ancient Boro inside 2020

A wide open room on the right of the bar was empty apart from a group of ladies in the window seats.

Ray Pratt and Sarah Cleaton

Co-owners Ray Pratt and Sarah Cleaton celebrate taking over This Ancient Boro in 2018.

With black tiles and a good deal of stainless steel, the toilets are immaculate and incredibly well maintained. There is something of a boudoir on suite about them, particularly with the splash of pink in the ladies, but they were spotless. And, the cubicle ratio at two to one was close to matching Saturday’s clientele.

Plenty of ‘old pub’ references have been retained, there was even a jar of pickled eggs behind the bar and signs with semi-humorous messages dotted around the walls. And, I’m certainly a fan of the old framed photographs displaying not only the long history of the pub but also some of its old regulars.

I spied a dog bowl just inside the door so dogs are obviously welcomed and I also saw one local come in close to closing time to take several pints away in cardboard take-out containers – another nice touch which I haven’t seen for a while.

This Ancient Boro inside 2020

Redecorated throughout, the new owners have stayed on trend with a variety of different wooden furniture.

Keen to make the place a financial success, the owners are trying a whole host of different events and ideas – in January roast dinners were introduced on Sundays, there was a Caribbean evening with special dishes and a well contested quiz.

Finally, just a heads-up, there’s a house rule about mobile phones so if you plan to make an extended call you need to be aware you’ll receive a polite request to step outside!

For those interested in beer I had the Cream Ale from Tenterden' s Old Dairy Brewery. At 4.5% it was pale, very creamy and not overly powerful, but maintained plenty of flavour.

In a dark corner at the back you’ll find a full blackboard listing all the beers and ciders.

Next up was the 5% Green Daemon from the Hopdaemon Brewery in Sittingbourne. This had a good deal more fizz to it and, to me, had an over-riding flavour of banana – certainly tropical and fruity.

Last, but by no means least, was Red Imperial from the Stag Brewery at nearby Woodchurch, which, despite being only 4.8%, is a deep flavoured dark red chocolatey-style ale with a slightly sour aftertaste.

This Ancient Boro quoits team

Caps and hats were clearly in fashion when this one was taken – the Quoits team from the New Inn (before it was re-named This Ancient Boro’)

This Ancient Boro gents toilets 2020

Tiled from floor to ceiling in black, the gents were beautifully presented and spotlessly clean.

This Ancient Boro ladies toilets 2020

The ladies were a little larger and introduced a splash of colour with pink tiles and sink top.

 

LICENSEE LIST

Last pub licensee had QUICK Alan 1953-55+

PRATT Ray & CLEATON Sarah July/2018+

 

If anyone should have any further information, or indeed any pictures or photographs of the above licensed premises, please email:-

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