ANCHOR Pub of Yalding

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Page Updated:- Tuesday, 12 December, 2023.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Paul Skelton

Earliest 1828-

Anchor Inn

2014+

(Name to)

Twyford Bridge / Hampstead lane

Yalding

Above photo circa 1910, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, circa 1914, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, postmarked 1916, kindly sent by Graham Butterworth.

Above postcard, postmarked 1926.

Above postcard, date unknown.

Above postcard, circa 1933, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, circa 1954, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, circa 1954, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Photos taken on 15 December, 2007 from http://www.flickr.com by John Law.

Above 18th century painting shows the "Anchor" just across the river from the Twyford bridge and weir. At times the pub has been known to have been flooded.

Above is a painting by A T Nash, dated Sunday, July 14th, 1901, showing the "Anchor" on the left.

Above sign 2014.

Above postcard 1980s. Kindly sent by Debi Birkin.

The "Olde Anchor" is a sixteenth century inn on the canal beside the Medway, and was used for many years by trading barges passing through; it is an excellent example of an inland nautical pub.

The area is a popular picnic site, and leisure centre for canoeists and fishermen, and is often inundated by weekend visitors during the summer months. It has been the finishing point for the raft race from East Peckham, and in the early twentieth century, for swimming races from Stoneham Lock, and a meeting point for cycle rallies.

It would have been a popular ‘watering hole' during the days of barge traffic, although there would have been competition from the "Waterman's Arms" then, adjacent to the locks, at the other end of Hampstead Canal.

For the 1900s the "Anchor" has enjoyed the combination of a public house with an adjoining hotel, which in its early days was termed a Temperance Hotel.

Now called "Ye Olde Anchor" but I do not know when the name changed from the "Anchor." This originally started trading as a beer-house.

Above showing a postcard circa 1924.

South Eastern Gazette, 17 April, 1860.

YALDING. Suicide of a Woman.

An inquest was held on Monday, at the "Anchor Inn," before J. N. Dudlow, Esq., coroner, touching the death of Ann Carter, a married woman, aged 33, who drowned herself in the river near the "Anchor," on Good Friday night. It appeared that the deceased came from London, and had been hopping at Yalding three years. She formed an acquaintance with a man named George Tomsett, whose mother drowned herself last January, and at whose death he came into possession of some money which she had saved. He then got deceased to come down and live with him, and on Friday last they were with others at two or three public-houses, and left one about 11 o’clock. There were four or five persons on a bridge near the "Anchor," and on hearing the noise of dancing deceased said she should go, and then jumped off the bridge into the river. Tomsett was within 5ft. of her at the time. She was in the water about ten minutes, but was dead when got out; the water was about 4ft. deep. There was no quarrelling, she did not complain of anything, and appeared to be of perfectly sound mind. Mr. Winton had given Tomsett notice to quit his house on account of her. Tomsett offered her some money to go back to London. This statement was confirmed by three or four witnesses, but some of them were tipsy, and gave their evidence in a very flippant manner, for which they were severely blamed by the coroner and jury, and also for not using more earnest endeavours to get deceased out of the water.

The jury returned a verdict of "Felo-de-se" and the deceased was buried in the churchyard at midnight, without any ceremony.

Maidstone Telegraph, Saturday 18 December 1869.

Yallding. A Rat Shoot.

Will take place at the "Anchor Inn," Yalding on Boxing Day. A good supply of rats will be provided.

From The Courier, 12 March, 1909.

THE "ANCHOR INN," YALDING.

Supt. Ford opposed the renewal of the license of the "Anchor Inn," Yalding, on the grounds that it was not required by the neighbourhood. Mr. H. J. Bracher supported the application for renewal.

P.S. Cassel, stationed at Yalding, stated that the "Anchor" was situated half-way between the railway station and the village and was near the river. Witness added that he had been in Yalding two years and four months, and in his opinion the house was not needed, having regard to the requirements of the neighbourhood.

In reply to Mr. Bracher, witness admitted that the house was used very extensively by river parties. he would not be surprised to hear that during the summer hundreds of people visited there, or that it had been the headquarters of anglers for a large number of years, because he was told the license was a very old one. he did not know whether parties of cyclists used the house very much, but he believed many military parties in brakes came there from Chatham.
P.C. Watson also gave evidence, stating that, including the temperance hotel, there were only nine houses in the vicinity, and in these there lived about 20 adults.

Mr. Bracher said he did not suggest that the house was required by the inhabitants, but he did say it was required by those who came to the place for pleasures. There were people who came to Yalding for the purpose of angling, and also a large river parties, who could not find such good accommodation elsewhere. No suggestion of a complaint against the manner in which the house was conducted had been made. There had, Mr. Bracher concluded, been some misunderstanding with the Bench with regard to the temperance hotel, which he hoped had been removed. The temperance hotel was built with the intention of abstaining a license for it. The plans, however, were not submitted to the bench before the place was built and the license was refused. This was not done out of any want of respect for the Bench, but was purely an error of judgement. What harm the owners had done in this matter was done to themselves alone in building the house before they were sure of obtaining the license.

The tenant, Mr. John William Freeman, who has held the license for eight years, stated that he had visitors staying both in the temperance hotel and at the "Anchor" for various periods varying from three days to three months, as well as many boating parties, who he did not think could obtain proper accommodation elsewhere. During the summer season he had so many visitors there that he had to engage rooms at the cottages near. he also had large military, cycling and motoring parties for whom he catered.

Mr. Bracher handed to the Bench a petition signed by a large number of influential inhabitants, including the names of Captain Reld and Mr. Killick, the two Overseers of the parish, asking for the removal of the license.

Mr. Killick, one of the two overseers, also gave evidence supporting the application, stating that in his opinion it was the most useful licensed house in the parish, because it brought a large number of visitors to the village, and thus improved the trade.

The bench, after a lengthy retirement, renewed the license.

Kent & Sussex Courier, Friday 15 December 1939.

FAMOUS YALDING BRIDGE DAMAGED.

The beautiful centuries-old bridge over the Medway near the "Anchor Inn," Yalding may have suffered irreparable damage as a result of the partial collapse which occurred on Tuesday afternoon.

For some time the bridge had been undermined through erosion, and the recent high water level has put great

strain on the fabric, with the result that part of the parapet has now broken away and some of the arches have been damaged. The bridge has been closed to all traffic.

The pub changed name to the "Boathouse" in 2018.

LICENSEE LIST

BARDEN Sarah 1828-29+