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High Street
Hackton Corner
Brasted
01959 569457
https://www.whitehartbrasted.co.uk/
https://whatpub.com/white-hart
Above postcard, circa 1897, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
Above postcard, date unknown. |
Above photo, 1904, by kind permission of Eric Hartland. |
Above postcard, post-marked 1907. |
Above postcard, date unknown. |
Above photo, date unknown. |
Above postcard by John Topham, date unknown, kindly sent by Peter Barnes. |
Above postcard by John Topham, date unknown, kindly sent by Peter Barnes. |
Above photo 2023. |
Above log book, 1932-61. |
Note on the back said the following:- "Pilots from Biggin Hill
drinking outside one of their favourite watering holes, the White Hart,
Brasted. Landlady, Kath Preston, said that if the Luftwaffe had chosen
to drop a bomb on the White Hart on a Saturday night in the summer of
1940, then the outcome of the Battle of Britain might well have been
very different!" |
Above photo showing licensee Lieutenant Teddy Preston, circa 1942, in
his RN Volunteer Reserve uniform. Mr Preston spent most of WW2 on active
service. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
Above photo, Thursday 16th July 1959. A reunion of some of the greatest RAF
aces. From L to R. Air Commodore Jamie Rankin, DSO (& Bar) DFC (&
Bar). Mr Teddy Preston, Licensee. Group Captain Adolph Gysbert "Sailor"
Malan, DSO (& Bar) DFC (& Bar). Warrant Officer Ernest "Tubby" Mayne,
AFC. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
Above photo, circa 1960, showing Mrs Kathy Preston (co-licensee)
standing by the gate guard Spitfire at the nearby RAF Biggin Hill. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
Above photo, circa 1966. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Luftwaffe General
der Jagdflieder, Adolf Galland, was a surprise visitor to the pub, where
he spoke about the chivalry which existed between the Luftwaffe and RAF.
Galland was the man who wined and dined Wing Commander Robert Stanford
Tuck on the day he was shot down and then struck up an unusual but
lasting friendship with him. Galland is pictured enjoying a drink and
chat with some of those he met in combat. L to R: Adolf Galland, Tony
Bartley, Teddy Preston (licensee) Brian Kingcome, Neville Duke and Bob
Stanford Tuck. |
Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
The above 1965 postcard, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe says the following:- The
"White Hart Inn," Brasted, Kent, 1965. The bar that meets present-day
tastes; old beams, horse brasses, open fireplace, flowers, warming pans,
brightly polished furniture, stools, ice bucket, sandwich container. By
the 1930s the motor car had made the run into the country popular; woman
became willing to go into pubs away from their homes, and eventually
into their local. The woman demanded cleanliness and cheerfulness, the "olde-worlde
inns" attracted the new trade, and the brewers made sure that the
customers got what they wanted. Beams have sprouted where none existed
and the old bars of some village inns are no more than cocktail bars or
ante-rooms to expensive restaurants. But by and large pubs are better
places, and in most nowadays the traveller can get good food as well.
The "White Hart" also supports its obvious attraction with one real
claim to history, it was used by some of the most famous Battle of
Britain pilots in the hot summer of 1940. |
Above photo 1966, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.
General der Jagdflieder, Adolf Galland (R) admires the signatures of
Battle of Britain pilots, many of whom he fought against, on the famous
White Hart blackout board. With him, is Wing Commander Bob
Stanford-Tuck, who on 28th January 1942, was wined and dined by
Galland's fighter group, JG 26, having been shot down over northern
France. The two fighter aces became close friends after the war and in
1966 Stanford-Tuck was invited to be Godfather to Galland's son,
Andreas. This picture was taken to publicise the launch of
Stanford-Tuck's biography "Fly for Your Life." |
Above photo 14th September 1969. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.
A coachload of WW2 RAF fighter pilots stopped for a pint (or two!) en
route to London, where the film "The Battle of Britain" was premiered
the next day, at the Dominion Theatre. Between them, these members of
The Few accounted for around 370 enemy aircraft, with many more being
recorded as "probables" and "damaged."
From L to R:
1. Mrs Kathy Preston, Licensee
2. Group Captain Johnny Kent
3. Mrs Betty Rose
4. Group Captain Edgar Ryder
5. Air Vice Marshal Robert Deacon-Elliott
6. Wing Commander Jack "Bunny" Rose
7. Mrs Helen Kingab
8. Wing Commander Donald Kingaby
9. Group Captain Brian Kingcome
10. Miss Patricia Kingaby
11. Wing Commander Ralph "Titch" Havercroft
12. Wing Commander Robert Stanford-Tuck
13. Squadron Leader Gandy Drobinski
14. Flight Lieutenant Ludwik Martel
15. Wing Commander Paddy Barthropp
16. Air Commodore Ernest Wootten
17. Air Commodore Myles Duke-Woolley
What an amazing session that must have been!
Per Ardua Ad Astra - through difficulties to the stars: the motto of
the RAF. |
Above photo, 1969, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Landlord Teddy Preston,
surrounded by Battle of Britain RAF fighter aces.
L to R: Air Commodore Jamie Rankin, Wing Commander Paddy
Barthropp, Group Captain Bobby Oxspring, Wing Commander AG "Sailor"
Malan, Group Captain Brian Kingcome, Warrant Officer Ernest "Tubby"
Mayne, Squadron Leader Tony Bartley and Wing Commander Bob
Stanford-Tuck. WO Mayne flew with No.74 Squadron and was, at 40, the
oldest pilot in RAF Fighter Command to fly in the Battle of Britain.
Most were barely out of their teens. |
Above board showing the signatures of "The Few." Kindly sent by Peter Barnes. |
Above photo 1975, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
Above photo 2010 by David Anstiss,
Creative Commons Licence. |
Above photo, 10 September 2015, kindly supplied by Eric Hartland. |
The pub was a regular port of call for fighter pilots from the Biggin
Hill airfield. In 1971 a hundred former pilots attended a farewell party for
the landlord and his wife, who had been at the pub since 1932 and looked
after the Brylcreem Boys right through the war.
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From the Kent and Sussex Courier, 4 September, 1874.
Sevenoaks Petty Sessions. Licensing.
This was the annual licensing day for the district, and there was a very
large attendance of publicans, &c.
The whole of the old licences were renewed with only two exceptions,
those of Mr. R. Newing, "Amhurst
Arms," Riverhead, which was adjourned for a month, and Mr. T. B. Muggleton, "White Hart," Brasted, which
was opposed by Mr. Anderson, supervisor of Inland Revenue, on the
grounds that there was no one
responsible for the revenue. The husband had left the neighbourhood for
some time past, and the person to
whom the licence was granted should be a resident. It was adjourned for
a month, and the supervisor was
directed to serve a notice upon a stating that the licence will be
opposed.
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Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, Friday 6 September 1912.
Albert Friend, of the "White Hart," Brasted, applied for and was
granted an occasional licence on the occasion of the Brasted
Fanciers Show.
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Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, Friday 4 October 1940.
Brasted. Licence Transfer.
Sevenoaks justices on Friday approved the transfer of the licence of
the "White Hart," Brasted, from Edward Henry Preston to his wife,
Mrs. Catherine Georgina Preston.
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From the Illustrated London News, Saturday 21 September, 1946.
Signatures of "Battle of Britain" pilots on a Black-out board at
the "White Hart Inn," Brasted, their unofficial H.Q. in 1940, and
where some of them planned a reunion for September 14 this year. |
I will be adding the historical information when I find or are sent it,
but this project is a very big one, and I do not know when or where the
information will come from.
All emails are answered.
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From an email received, 22 December 2022.
I have just returned home in New Zealand after visiting a sick
cousin in Herne Bay.
He tells me that there was a German airman
shot by a woman at the back of the pub in 1940. The airman had
landed in a greenhouse or something similar and was suspended by his
parachute.
The story goes the woman, who worked at the pub, took a
shot gun and gave him both barrels.
This story was confirmed to a
relative in the 1970’s by an elderly man at the pub who used to be
the town policeman.
Do you have any evidence of this story?
Regards.
Charles Stewart.
Found nothing
yet, but if anyone has this story please let me know and I'll get it
added.
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From the
https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Secret Drinker, 14 July 2023.
Secret Drinker reviews The White Hart in Brasted, Sevenoaks.
The sign on the front of the pub reads 1885 and from the road The
White Hart in Brasted looks a little tired and the paintwork is
beginning to show its age.
But, if you wander in via the side entrance from the car park you
find yourself in an absolutely stunning garden and the whole place
looks smart and well presented.
The pub is mainly set up for diners but, unlike the paint job
outside, there has clearly been a full makeover inside and it looks
as if no expense was spared.
We were in for opening time, noon on Thursday, and I was dispatched
to place our order while Mrs SD took the opportunity to secure a
table in the sunshine.
The beer on offer was either London Pride or Doom Bar, so a little
bit devil and the deep blue sea for me, but I went for a pint of
Pride, just for a change as much as anything.
I also made sure I entered my car registration on the screen at the
bar. Later I heard one fellow chuntering that last time he was in he
was fined £85 for parking as he hadn’t realised.
Though I have no idea how he didn’t realise as there are plenty of
signs warning you about the process.
The outside area at the back of the pub is superbly maintained – I
managed to get this picture before the workman arrived.
I haven’t been here for years and it’s changed completely, but I’m
pleased to be able to report the impressive ‘memorial’ element,
which marks the fact Second World War pilots from Biggin Hill met
for a well-earned pint at this boozer, has been retained.
The chalkboard and photographs of these brave young men are proudly
displayed and it’s well worth taking a moment or two to remember the
incredible price many of these young men paid for the freedom we
enjoy.
By the time I returned to the garden area I noted, a little
disappointingly, a workman had taped an area off and was noisily
replacing slabs.
But Mrs SD has selected a perch right next to one of the speakers
which was pumping music outside so much of his bashing and banging
was masked by Sabrina Carpenter singing Nonsense, but it’s still a
shame he couldn’t have done the work when the pub was closed in the
morning.
When it came to the food I was clearly in healthy mode, well
relatively at least, and chose a chicken, bacon and avocado salad.
It was fresh, crunchy and tasty and I enjoyed it, but with a price
tag of £16.25 it certainly couldn’t be described as cheap.
Not to be outdone on the health kick Mrs SD went for a nourish bowl,
which was £3.50 cheaper than my meal as it didn’t include any
extras.
However, without adding anything else she said it was a little bland
and tasteless.
I took a break from the heat to pop back inside and take a look at
the photographs in more detail, there was a great black and white
shot of an aircrew on the stairs.
While I was in the manager was just concluding a brief interview
with a young lady for a three-days a week position and granted her a
trial on Saturday saying she would get her apron then.
Like so many hostelries, at both ends of the scale, the toilets are
found at the end of a considerable flight of stairs. In this case
the staircase was one of the creakiest I’ve come across but the
photos on the wall were well worth the climb.
This small table, just off the corner of the bar, was one of the few
not set up for dining.
The long, narrow gents were traditionally tiled and well maintained.
There was a window at the far end with old fashioned shutters to
keep the powerful sunshine at bay.
There’s no place for a dartboard, pool table or jukebox but I did
spot a couple of dog bowls dotted about so man’s best friend is
clearly welcomed.
Mitchells and Butler are obviously keen to promote the White Hart as
a gastropub at the upper end of the scale.
The pub has been decorated accordingly and the garden beautifully
manicured, even to the point of having stripes in the lawn, but the
prices have been set to match this.
The food, whilst perfectly pleasant, didn’t have the wow factor and
the list of drinks available was decidedly disappointing.
As M&B pubs go I have to say this is definitely one of the better
ones I’ve visited and the garden in particular was impressive, but a
record-breaking number of picnic tables and well clipped bushes are
not enough to justify such a hefty price tag.
Decor: Inside the pub has been thoughtfully renovated and is
impressive, but the all-important history has been retained. The
garden is incredibly well maintained but the front could do with a
facelift. ****
Drink: There were just two draught beers available and they were
London Pride and Doom Bar. Mrs SD described the wine as ‘okay’ and
said she expected better. **
Price: A pint of Pride was £5.20 and a large ‘okay’ Sauvignon Blanc
was £10.85. My salad was £16.25 and a ‘nourish bowl’ of sliced veg
was £12.75 so it certainly isn’t cheap. **
Food: My salad was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mrs SD’s
meal was fresh and the vegetables had a reasonable crunch but she
felt it was a little bland. ***
Staff: I’m not sure whether it should be considered a positive or a
negative, but the only thing I can say about the staff is that they
blended into the background and weren’t really noticeable. The
service was timely and everyone was perfectly polite. *** |
LICENSEE LIST
FOOT John 1828-32+
 
MILLS Thirza 1841-61+ (Licenses Victualler age 66 in 1861 )
MARCHANT Richard 1858-61+ (age 43 in 1861)
COOMBER William 1862+
MUGGLESTON Thomas B 1871 (age 53 in 1871)
MUGGLESTON Emily Miss 1874-81+ (age 52 in 1881)
FRIEND Albert 1912+
PRESTON Edward Henry A 1932-Oct/40 (age 34 in 1939)
PRESTON Catherine E Georgina Mrs Oct/1940+
https://pubwiki.co.uk/WhiteHart.shtml
From the Pigot's Directory 1828-29
From the Pigot's Directory 1832-33-34
Census
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