DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Page Updated:- Monday, 15 June, 2026.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Paul Skelton

Earliest 1828-

Sir Jeffery Amherst Crown Point Inn

1980

(Name to)

Sevenoaks Road

Seal Point

Ightham

01732 810669

http://www.greatbritishcarvery.co.uk/our-pubs/crown-point

https://whatpub.com/crown-point-inn-seal

Above photo, date 1904.

Above photo, 1906, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard, circa 1906, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above postcard date unknown, with kind permission from Eric Hartland.

Above postcard, circa 1926, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. If ever there had been a good contender for a publicity postcard to have been colourised, surely this would have been it!

Above postcard, circa 1931, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, December 1962, kindly taken and sent by David Brooker.

Above photo 1969, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above image from Google maps October 2013.

Above photo May 2014, kindly sent by Eric Hartland.

This one confused me a little at the start. I assumed that the "Sir Jeffrey Amherst" and the "Crown Point Inn" were two different buildings, but further research pointed me in the right direction and indeed they are one and the same, with probably the longest name in Kent for an Inn.

The "Crown Point Inn", home of the independent Sevenoaks Brewery, and I was told that this was built in a setting which resembled the scene of Sir Jeffrey Amherst's great Canadian victory, which is how it came by its name. By the way Sir Jeffery Amherst wanted to wipe out the Native Americans with Smallpox. However, Barry Aitkinson tells me that "Crown Point is named after the fort in New York State, USA, and not a Canadian battle.

It is said the building was originally a hunting lodge.

Maidstone Telegraph, Rochester and Chatham Gazette, Saturday 11th August 1860.

Malling. Petty Sessions.

John Saxby was charged with keeping his house open, at Ightham, during prohibited hours, on a Sunday, for the sale of spirits, &c., by Superintendent Hulse.

Fined £2, including costs.

South Eastern Gazette, 14 August, 1860.

Petty Sessions, Aug. 6. (Before Viscount Falmouth, Col. Fletcher, J. Savage, M. H. Dalison, J. W. Stratford and R. Tassell, Esqrs., the Hon. and Rev. Sir F. J. Stapleton, and Capt. Cheere, R.N.)

James Saxby, of Ightham, was charged with having his house open for the sale of beer, on Sunday, the 1st July, at a quarter past 12 o’clock. The case was proved by 163, K.C.C. On the part of the defendant a witness named James Brooker was called, who stated that he had bought the beer which the constable saw served, over-night.

Fined £2, including costs.

Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, Friday 9 July 1886.

Seal Chart. The Crown Point Inn.

Mr. J. Glover, landlord of the "Crown Point Inn," Seal Chart, writes to us as follows:- I should thank you kindly if you would contradict the full statement of Mrs. Ware at the last sitting of the Sevenoaks Bench. There is not a better conducted house for miles around than this, and we never allow young men to stand and get drunk at the bar; we are the first to stop it, and we never serve anyone who is worse the drink. It is a most cruel thing for a woman to make charges of this kind, as they are calculated to injure us.

From the Kent and Sussex Courier, 6 March, 1914.

MALLING PETTY SESSIONS. LICENSING.

MONDAY.—Before the Hon. A. Hannen.

An application by the "People’s Refreshment House Association" for sanction to structural alterations to the "Sir Jeffrey Amherst Inn," Ightham, was deferred.

Kent & Sussex Courier 20 March 1914.

MALLING PETTY SESSIONS. ALTERATIONS APPROVED.

The Bench approved of plans for alterations to the "Sir Jeffrey Amhurst Inn," Igtham.

Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, Friday 15 September 1933.

TWO BRIGADES AT HEATH FIRE. NEAR CROWN POINT.

Both the Sevenoaks and Seal Fire Brigades were called to a heath fire at Raspit Hill, near "Crown Point Inn," on Sunday.

Sevenoaks received the call at 12.45 a.m. and had to use 1,000 feet of hose to pump water from a swimming bath to the scene of the outbreak. A considerable area was ablaze, and it is a coincidence that the Sevenoaks Brigade was called to a fire at the same spot in 1930.

The Brigades returned at 3.45 a.m. but at 2 o'clock in the afternoon the Sevenoaks Brigade was again called out to a heath fire near Everlands, Sevenoaks, where there was no water available. Water was fetched in a big tank by lorry, however, and the fire was suppressed alter two hours' work.

I am informed that of August 2018 the pub was under sale for an asking price of £1,300,000.

From an email received 15 June 2026.

Hello,

I am a volunteer at a free-access country park near Norwich situated within the Crown Point Estate. Our estate was named by Major, later General, John Money who served under General, later Field Marshall Jeffry Amherst. In Norfolk we had no knowledge of Crown Point in Kent so finding your Crown Point is something of a surprise!

In your web article you cite evidence of Crown Point, Kent being called such in 1799. That is three decades after the taking of the French fort that was named Crown Point in British hands. It seems a little odd for two returning soldiers to name places after the same site of battle especially as Amherst named his estate in Riverhead “Montreal” to celebrate his taking of the American town.

Money did not serve with British colours after his return from Canada / New York State. All of his promotions were by brevet, that is to say he bought them. The officer in charge of selling such promotions was Field Marshall Jeffry Amherst … it was a very small (and famously corrupt) world!

Money was something of a “galloping Major” and a philanderer. I suspect more of a Jack the Lad than conquering hero. Jeffry Amherst pushed his luck with the brevet promotion scheme and found himself in trouble with what became known as the Monstrous Brevet. The scheme was subsequently scrapped.

Which UK Crown Point was created first may well be a clue to the character and dealings of John Money so my question is when did Crown Point, Kent come to be so named? Was it that Money was flattering his senior officer by copying him? Was it that Amherst got to hear of his junior’s initiative and, for whatever reason, followed suit?

If I can help by providing further information, I don’t have much, I will be very pleased to do so. If you can help me with whatever evidence you have as to the beginning of Crown Point, Kent, I will be more than grateful. I look forward to your response.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Leslie Eddowes.

LICENSEE LIST

REDDING William 1828-32+