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From an email received, 13 April, 2026.
According to Google AI the "Duke of Wellington" pub was in Maidstone
Road, Nettlestead Green.
Building origins:- The original licence to sell ale began in 1784
following a change in law that allowed local farmers to brew and sell
beer from their front rooms following the Beerhouse Act of 1830
introduced by the "Duke of Wellington" householders who paid rates could
purchase a license for two guineas to brew and sell beer and cider from
their own homes (often their front rooms).
The Law:- The Beerhouse Act was intended to curb the consumption of
hard spirits like gin by making beer more accessible and cheaper.
The Duke of Wellington:- As Prime Minster at the time, he championed
the act, which led to many pubs being named in his honour.
The Result:- This created a new class of public house known as the
Beer House distinct from the fully licensed inns and taverns that could
sell spirits.
The Building:- The "Duke of Wellington" pub in Maidstone Road,
Nettlestead Green shares this heritage, with its current structure
completed in 1846, during the height of the beer house boom.
Expansion:- As popularity grew, the family constructed the larger
building on the site in 1846.
Interior style:- Until the 1960s, the pub retained a domestic
atmosphere, described as looking like "someone's front room," where the
owner would bring jugs of ale directly to tables.
Closure:- The pub operated for over 150 years until it finally closed
its doors in 1999.
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