From http://www.thisiskent.co.uk 6 November 2012. By Claire McWethy.

IT WAS out with the Crabshack and in with the coffee as Faversham's "Anchor Inn" reopened following a £70,000 makeover last month.

The changes are down to new husband and wife team Grant Ravenscroft, 48, and Natalie, 42, who took over the Abbey Street pub from Hamish Stuart and Claire Houlihan on October 1.

They have refurbished the toilets, laid new flooring and changed the lighting as well as introducing a shop selling local jams, chutneys and cakes with the help of private backers.

The Crabshack seafood restaurant has been replaced with a dining room and coffee shop.

Grant, who moved to the UK from South Africa 27 years ago, said: "We always liked Kent but when we saw the "Anchor" we just fell in love with it.

"We want to make it different from a typical evening boozer. We think the changes will create a relaxing, clean and fresh environment. The kind of place you can go for a drink and something to eat in the evening, or coffee and cake in the afternoon.

Former landlord and Average White Band guitarist Hamish had brought a reputation for live music to the "Anchor," culminating in the annual Moare music festival where the likes of Paul Young and Rolling Stones drummer Mick Taylor performed.

Mr Stuart said: "At the moment I'm just taking a holiday.

"I have no concrete plans for what to do next. But I'll be letting everyone know as soon as I decide."

Meanwhile, Mr Ravenscroft pledged to continue Hamish's support for live bands. He said: "The music will stay but we might have more acoustic stuff to keep the neighbours happy.

"We are hoping to build a stage in the garden for bands and theatrical performances and want to have a place for petanque, too."

The couple met after French-born Natalie complained about a meal to restaurant manager Grant. Since then they have run a bed and breakfast in Islington, a hotel and restaurant near Bordeaux and most recently Berkhamsted golf club in Hertfordshire.

Mr Ravenscroft added: "More than anything though, we want the "Anchor" to be a real community pub with a mix of all different sorts of people. The bar will stay the same and we are trying to preserve the old bits because that it is what it is, a historic pub."

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Secret Drinker, 15 August 2025.

Secret Drinker reviews Shepherd Neame’s Anchor pub in Abbey Street, Faversham.

I can’t remember the last time I received such a warm - or wet - welcome to a pub, particularly as I was completely taken by surprise.

Scooby Doo, as he’s known by some regulars, is plenty large enough to reach across the bar at The Anchor and plant a sloppy one on an unsuspecting visitor to this part of Faversham.

The Anchor has been welcoming thirsty guests in this part of Faversham for more than 300 years.

Once I’d gathered myself and made a proper acquaintance with this gorgeous, gentle giant of a Rhodesian Ridgeback, real name Zenza, I was able to order a pint and absorb a second shock as my IPA set me back £6.50.

What is unsurprising, given the town it’s in, this pub on Abbey Street is just one of many Shepherd Neame houses and the drinks on offer were only ever going to be from one brewery.

However, I hadn’t come across a Creekside Juicy IPA previously, so I assume this 4% session pale ale has been added to the stable recently. It is a darned good golden-coloured pint with plenty of fruity flavour and refreshing notes but still feels a tad expensive.

The barmaid, who I later discovered is also the landlady, was very pleasant and soon had her cheeky mutt under control. She said he wouldn’t normally be here at this time on a Tuesday, as she doesn’t work this shift and Zenza would usually be getting a walk.

I myself had found The Anchor after a short walk, via its huge garden, following a canter around the town’s Standard Quay which looked quaint and interesting enough but sadly seems to be short of a good watering hole.

At the bottom of the well-maintained pub garden was a large stage area, which must be an excellent spot for live music. There was also a very interesting-looking vegetable garden at one side, which I imagine delivers produce directly to the pub’s kitchen.

Mind you, the only ad I saw for food was a blackboard on the bar: ‘chilli beef dog, French mustard, ketchup, crispy onions, skin-on fries £17.50’, so the food isn’t too cheap either.

There are plenty of inviting seating areas in the pub's large garden.

The Anchor has been here for 300 years and everywhere you look there are signs of its proud history. Uneven walls and floors, at least four feature fireplaces, low-beamed ceilings and exposed feature brickwork. It’s been beautifully preserved and, despite being a good size, creates a cosy and characterful feeling with separate rooms and smaller areas.

However, even at 8pm on a weekday evening, we were joined by a family group which sadly contained a pair of the noisiest children possible, both with incredibly whiney voices. Even Zenza looked a little put out by their outbursts, probably because he was a lot better behaved and controlled.

One couple, who had been enjoying a quiet drink in the left-hand bar, dashed across the pub at breakneck speed to get away and settled in the small, secluded back room at the far right-hand side. This area is away from the hubbub but the piercing child tones still reached most parts.

There’s a mixture of different furniture, all in pretty good nick, and there’s even a piano on one wall, which fortunately wasn’t spotted by the shrieking hoodlums. The Anchor is generally tastefully decorated, although I didn’t see a single beam that wasn’t festooned with fairy lights.

With four separate fireplaces this must be one toasty pub in the winter, I found a pair of leather chairs in front of this impressive looking log burner.

I realise it's personal choice, but I'm not a huge fan of an excess of fairy lights - here they are strung up everywhere.

There is no pool table, no dartboard, no jukebox and no TV screens, though there was some background music playing at a reasonable level which could be heard just occasionally. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was one of the offerings.

By now we’d been joined by two more dogs, both too small to rest their heads on the bar, but it did lead to an interesting debate as to who had farted – the local who’d arrived with the two dogs, swiftly denied it was her. One question was answered though, dogs, even smelly ones, are welcome here.

It was time for a second pint and, for the second time, I was able to select a Shepherd Neame drink I haven’t tried previously, an Iron Wharf Stout. Obviously, created to at least challenge the dominance of Guinness, I have to say it is an extremely good substitute and is definitely one I will drink again.

While I polished off this wonderfully creamy and smooth pint, the landlady nipped out to heat up her dinner and reappeared with a pizza. I think the smell was almost too much to bear for the three dogs at the bar and, for the first time, they were louder than the noisy kids, so I decided to make my exit.

As I left, my new furry friend rested his head on the bar one final time as if to say goodbye and I decided I must bring Mrs SD back sometime to meet him – though I’ll make sure I’ve continued my quest to wean her off the wine and onto an IPA first!

There is a large fenced-off stage area at the bottom of The Anchor's garden, so I assume it's a serious live music establishment.

Décor: It’s well decorated and maintained with plenty of fascinating features. An old wooden bar, wooden floorboards and uneven floors and walls all add to the charm. Personally, I’d lose some of the fairy lights but maybe I’m being too picky. ****

Drink: It was good to visit a Sheps’ pub and discover two new suspects which I hadn’t sampled previously. The Creekside Juicy IPA was very good and the Iron Wharf Stout was a more than decent Guinness substitute. ****

Price: There must be cheaper options available, but both my pints were priced at £6.50. Thank goodness Mrs SD wasn’t with me as her favoured large white wine was £12. **

Staff: Landlady Paige was welcoming and friendly, although the welcome wasn’t quite as friendly, or wet, as Zenza’s surprise greeting. ****

The toilets were extremely smartly decorated and were both clean and fresh smelling.