The George Hotel, Romney Marsh

A substantial 17th-century inn, and although it still offers accommodation, it now has the appearance of a semi-traditional multi-room town pub inside. However, the main bar at the front of the servery and what is now a large pool / darts room behind have both been comprehensively refurbished and retain little original character. Also has a small patio beer garden at the back. Two real ales on handpump: Otter Bitter (£3.70) and Ghost Ship.

For such an ancient smugglers’ pub with a characterful exterior, it’s fairly disappointing inside. In essence it's much as ETA found it over six years ago, except that the training camp, and with the squaddies, have gone. The main bar at the front has a few normal tables and chairs, and a blackboard on the right advertising forthcoming events, such as the Saturday night disco. Much use was made of duct tape, to repair splitting in the upholstery, and to mend the carpet and the tiling around the bar counter. Another room around to the rear of the servery has a fair bit more space and is presumably where the entertainment events are held. Outside at the back is a bit of outside seating, plus a smallish car park. But a massive plus was the fact that a real ale was available – Moorhouse White Witch, which (no pun) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I think they do food, but there was no menu at the table at which we sat during our Monday evening visit. This one’s fine if you like pubs with a public bar atmosphere. It gets a five because of the White Witch.