The Tap 'n' Tin, Chatham

Not so much a pub as a self contained town that lays hidden behind a discreet doorway in the town centre. You would need half a dozen visits to fit in everything that the Tap N Tin has to offer but what you get is essentially several bars on split levels, music venues, a café, a sweet shop and even a launderette if you fancy putting your smalls in the wash whilst having a pint, bacon bap and a packet of polos whilst headbanging to a local metal band or catching a bit of wrestling. The main bar on the ground floor is a fairly large single room with a mix of solid graffiti riddled tables and benches and the now customary chill out sofa zones. A pulley sytem dangles from the greatest height of the ceiling that may cause strangulation among taller people. The walls have modern art murals painted directly onto the exposed brickwork and there a re a few naval reminders of the areas heritage. The bar has an ungainly sheet metal canopy and next to it is the sweet shop with its shelves of humbugs and sherbert dips. Opposite, down a couple of steps, is the launderette (no, I wasn’t joking). The open air courtyard was one of the most populated spots during my visit with the bars and venues relatively comfortable by way of crowds despite the various events taking place throughout the building. The beers come from the usual keg and lager ranges but were supplemented by 4 casks on stillage behind the bar. 2 were unmarked and the others contained a couple of Biddenden ciders (Medium and Strong Dry). Unfortunately the pint I had was absolutely undrinkable and even a hardened drinker like me only managed to get through half before abandoning it in favour of Strongbow. The music venue on the top floor under a vaulted roof has a decent stage and sightlines but the lighting is pretty poor, especially given that there is plenty of space in the ceiling for a decent lighting rig. At the rear is a small bar with basic selection of kegs and bottles. The air conditioning gives the place an arctic feel even the rmest of sunny days so a precautionary jacket is adviseable unless you want to freeze to death. I didn’t manage to explore the rest of the labyrinth in too much detail but would happily return to catch a few bands at some stage although I wouldn’t particularly go there if it is just for a few beers, especially knowing how poorly they keep them. I didn’t feel any sense of a troublesome customer base despite the place being populated more by group gatherings rather than individuals or couples although I suspect that it has its moments given the nature of the place.