Above photo date unknown.

Above postcard circa 1950.

Above coloured version, 1950.

Above business card, date unknown, kindly sent by Debi Birkin.

Above beer mat, date unknown, kindly sent by Debi Birkin.

Above photo 2010 by Oast House Archive Creative Commons Licence.

Above photo, date unknown.

Above sign 2010.

Painting, date unknown by Eddie Tucker.

Above photo 2018.

Above photo 2019.

Information taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringlestone_Inn accessed 28 August 2018.

The Ringlestone Inn is an historic public house and restaurant, located in the Ringlestone hamlet near the village of Wormshill in Kent, England. Dating back to the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547) the current Grade II listed building was constructed in 1533 and retains its original brick and flint walls and oak beams. The interior is unchanged since around 1732 and includes tables crafted from the timbers of an 18th-century Thames barge. An inscription on an ancient oak sideboard still found at the property reads: "A Ryghte Joyouse and welcome greetynge too ye all."

Ringlestone or Rongostone (meaning "ring of stones") dates back to before the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Confusingly for research into the locality's history, "Ringleton" also cited in the Domesday Book (and appearing in the Kent Hundred Rolls of 1274 as "Ringlestone"), was a manor near the Ringlemere barrow, Woodnesborough. In addition a suburb of the nearby town of Maidstone is also called "Ringlestone".

The present-day inn was originally a hospice, owned by the church for the sanctuary of monks, who are believed to have farmed the land surrounding the inn. In addition other medieval dwellings have been uncovered on the site. Around 1539, the monks are believed to have left (likely imprisoned or executed), following the dissolution of the monasteries ordered by Henry VIII.

The inn is then referenced in a will dated 1588, when a Julius Papworth Quiller directed that "my house at Rongoston and land thereto belonging be sold to pay my debts and legacies".

Accordingly, the property was auctioned off to a Septimus Hepplewhite, a wheelwright and cooper from the Parish of Hollingbourne.

Hepplewhite operated a small cooperage from the site until his death in 1609, following which his wife and eldest son took over the house and cooperage business. Oliver Hepplewhite, under the direction of his mother, introduced the production and sale of ale to the property around 1615.

In common with the times, local breweries (three are listed in the parish of Harrietsham during this period) would fund small drinking establishments to promote their products, such establishments, requiring a licence under the Ale Houses Act 1551, were known as 'ale-houses'.

During the next 150 years, the inn grew in popularity and travellers stopped there for refreshment en route to and from London to the settlements of Kent. Samuel Cooper, a celebrated 17th century miniaturist, is said to have visited the house in 1656. A "Gentleman of the Road" (or highwayman) Elias Shepherd, known to have held up coaches between Faversham and Canterbury, is believed to have frequented the inn (Shepherd was captured at Charing and hanged at Penenden Heath in 1765).

On Friday 1 March 1788, two smugglers, named John Roberts and Francis Whorlow who were both wanted for the murder of two dragoons and the smuggling of five-thousand gallons of genever (or Dutch) gin at Whitstable, were arrested at "Ringleton" and taken to Faversham gaol. In his defence at the Old Bailey, John Roberts provided the alibi that he was visiting his family at "Ringleton" at the time the murders took place. In the face of this evidence both men were acquitted. The owner of the Ringlestone Inn at the time is recorded as "Avery Roberts".

The name Rongoston has evolved since the time the Inn was built. This is believed to be due to mispronunciation over the course of time. In 1822 the house became known as the Renglestone and a sign hung announcing it. The Inn continued to be known as such until 1867 when it was changed, for the final time, to the present-day Ringlestone Inn.

At least from 1901 until his death in 1905, the innkeeper was Henry Brooks Bates. It is not known when he first became innkeeper but from the censuses available it was between 1891 and 1901. In 1913 Charles Alfred Rayfield took over the inn. Rayfield was the father of Charles 'Gunner' Rayfield, the soldier who may have fired the first artillery shot against the Germans in the First World War.

In 1958 Florence (Ma) and Dora Gasking (who were mother and daughter) took over the inn. Building a notorious reputation they were frequently armed with a shotgun, inspecting their clientele and requiring unwanted guests to leave. They are also said to have thrown concrete blocks from the windows and required a speakeasy-style series of secret knocks to gain entry to the pub. Their behaviour is believed to stem from an occasion when the inn was inundated by around 300 bikers.

From the late 20th century to the present day, the inn has largely operated as a public house and restaurant and was purchased by Kent brewers, Shepherd Neame in 2005.

Interior images of the inn were used as locations in the filming of an episode of EastEnders broadcast in the United Kingdom over the Easter 2007 holiday season.

Information from their website.

To be precise, as the inscription carved in 1632 on our impressive English oak sideboard proclaims: "A Ryghte Joyouse and welcome greetynge too ye all".

And a "Truly traditional family welcome" is really what awaits you as you step back in time to the unspoilt, medieval, lamp-lit tavern. Ringlestone Hamlet is nestled off the beaten track in the North Downs, yet only five minutes drive from Leeds Castle and Junction 8 of the M20 motorway.

Steeped in History…

Built in 1533, The Ringlestone Inn was originally used as a hospice for monks, but became one of the early "ale houses" around 1615. Much of the inn has changed very little since then, with its original brick and flint walls and floors, oak beams, inglenooks and centuries-old English furniture. Even in the later addition of the Dining Room, the tables were specially made from the timbers of an 18th Century Thames barge. And the history doesn't end there, with many colourful characters running and enjoying the hospitality at the inn over the centuries. The most famous of which were two old ladies who ran the pub in the early nineteen-sixties, and who regularly sent unwelcome visitors packing at the wrong end of a double-barrelled shotgun!

Film and TV location

The Ringlestone Inn is an ancient and atmospheric building, set in a delightful rural location. As such, it has twice in recent years been taken over by film crews and used as a location. In 2005, the Ringlestone Inn appeared as a location in the BBC soap "Eastenders", and in 2011, the pub closed for several days as crews decended on the hamlet to film a horror vampire movie!

The Butcher Brothers (Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores) introduced 'The Hamiltons', the vamp family next door. In 2013 The Butcher Brothers show them becoming ... 'The Thompsons'.

In 'The Thompsons' the returning family members of the Hamilton's played by Samuel Child, Joseph McKelheer and Mackenzie Firgens will be joined Elizabeth Henstridge, Sean Browne, Tom Holloway, Ryan Hartwig, Daniel O'Meara, Selina Giles and Sean Cronin - oh, and of course The Ringlestone Inn! You may also recognise some of the staff, who appear as extras in the film.

Synopsis:

In the sequel to 'The Hamiltons', a bloodbath at a US gas station in the desert puts the family on the run, eventually seeing them resurface in the UK under a new identity as 'the Thompsons'. Desperate for protection in this unfamiliar country, the Thompsons seek out the help of a shadowy underground rumoured to be sympathetic to vampires...