44 Nargate Street

Littlebourne

Above photo, circa 1910, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, circa 1915, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, circa 1920, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, date unknown, kindly sent by Debi Birkin.

Above photo, circa 1955, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Willow Cottage, shown above (better photo needed) was the first Basketmakers Arms Public House in Littlebourne before it moved to the corner house 44 Nargate Street, shown below. Above photo, August 2019, kindly taken and sent by Rory Kehoe. Willow Cottage dates back to 1642 and is of one storey with attics. The front elevation is rendered, with other elevations being of painted brick. The peg tile roof has gable ends with axial chimneystacks. Modern properties Holmbury and The Vicarage are set back from the road, screened by tall hedging and ornamental trees. A gravel drive leading to 'Conifers' runs between The Vicarage and Church Cottages. The latest Basketmakers Arms is situated on the corner of Church Road as shown below, but is unfortunately closed. This pub closed around 1900 or just before.

This extract is from the book "Inns of Kent"; Whitbread & Co. Ltd.; 1948 :- At Littlebourne is to be found The "Basketmaker's Arms," at the corner of a road junction, with a nice fan-shaped window and looking all a country inn should be.

Photos by Nick Smith and Paul Skelton 2007.

Above aluminium card issued June 1951. Sign series 3 number 3.

According to Rory Kehoe, the pub may previously have been called the "Two Brewers," before the original building was closed in 1899ish.

The premises was swapped on Christmas Day 1925 by the Black Eagle Brewery for a pub in Platt also called the "Brickmaker's Arms," owned by Mackeson's Hythe Brewery.

 This was part of a general "right-shaping" of Bushell, Watkins and Smith's/Black Eagle brewery tied estate and several other East Kent pubs were also swapped out. I suspect that this more affected lower rent/barrelage houses, as BW&S continued to supply their other tied houses in East Kent. In early 1926 Mackeson's spent £15 (alot of money in 1927!) on a new
pub sign for their recently acquired tied house.

When Whitbread's closed Mackeson's in 1968 the pub changed liveries to reflect the change of ownership and new corporate branding. Whitbread's eventually closed the "Basketmaker's Arms" on 21st January 1973.

In 1934 the pub was granted a wine licence and in 1952 it became fully licensed. There was no cellar and the bar level tap room is where casks were stillaged and beer drawn.

In 1953 a new licensee took over. He was George Giles, who moved from the "Plough," Ripple.

The pub was sold, unlicensed, for £17,000.

LICENSEE LIST

ROLFE/RALFE Charles 1891-1911+ (basket maker age 60 in 1911)

COLLAND John 1922-Apr/25

HARRIS Arthur Townsend Apr/1925-Jan/41

HARRIS Mrs Jan/1941+

GILES George 1953+

https://pubwiki.co.uk/BasketmakersArms.shtml

http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/basketmakersarms.html

According to the Dover Express, Arthur Harris joined the H.M. forces.

From the Kelly's Directory 1934

From the Dover Express

Census