The Shipwrights Arms, Hollow Shore, Faversham

Official site of The Shipwrights Arms - www.theshipwrightsathollowshore.co.uk

Official site of The Shipwrights Arms - www.theshipwrightsathollowshore.co.uk

It requires a fair amount of effort to get to this old pub in the marshes, but rewards with a traditional multi-roomed interior. The approach to the pub is along an unmade and heavily potholed track labelled as a private road from the new housing development to the edge of Faversham. Located on marshland, the pub is gradually sinking at one end, leaving it on a slope. Inside, a fireplace used to store logs for a smaller real fire is in the centre and splits the pub into multiple spaces. There are old model boats around, along with pictures of the pub (some when flooded) and old cruise line posters. There are ships flags on the ceiling. All rooms are carpeted and cosy. With no wifi, no TV and no music, conversation is king. Card payments are accepted, but cash is preferred. Beers are served by gravity direct from the casks - a house beer (Goacher's Shipwrecked) is generally on. There were also 3 guests - Goacher's Imperial Stout & Kent The Quiet American & Prohibition. Food is also served, but our mid-afternoon visit meant that all diners had either departed or were about to when we arrived. This place is a bit out on a limb, but well worth a visit.

An iconic and historic Kent pub with strong connections to local maritime life, including a history of smuggling, barges and, more recently, yachting. Once difficult to get to from land side, it is now approached through what is about to become an awful housing estate, and it has a somewhat pot-holed tarmac track leading to it as well as the adjacent boatyard – a recent innovation given that previously it was a mud track impassable in very wet Winters. The pub has somewhat modernised since I first went there some 4 decades ago, having been extended and now having a kitchen. The original fireplace still stands, as does the core structure which now contains 3 seating areas, plus there is an extension housing a basic but good value restaurant. The younger bar staff were helpful and friendly, and the beer was excellent. The ales were kept on stillage behind the bar and in a separate cellar, brought through by hand. The selection was Goacher’s Dark Mild, Bitter and Shipwreck, Kent Brewery’s Citra and Prohibition and Harvey’s Best Bitter, all in outstanding condition. Definitely a pub to visit under any circumstances, including from the sea when the tide allows, but do check opening times first.