The Charlotte, Dartford

Was once a rough sort of place that had a bad reputation but is now even worse with it's vile makeover. Silk purse and sows ear springs to mind.

Randomness Guide to London - Charlotte entry

Randomness Guide to London - Charlotte entry

The Royal Charlotte (as it was previously called) has had a bit of a chequered history and reputation. A recent(ish) makeover has led the pub down an alternative path and it now presents itself as more of a contemporary bar than a pub. It certainly won’t warm to traditional pub types who will shake their heads at yet another transformation where style is the predominant feature. The interior is one large low ceiling room with vast expanses of bare walls broken by the occasional modern print, bare pine flooring and a bright plain creamy décor that hits the retinas as you walk through the door. The collection of tub chairs, chrome seats, sofas and wicker chairs will have the traditionalists crying for a pew or bench to park their rear end on. A plasma screen is situated in one corner (no Sky) and a couple of speakers on stands suggest DJ / Karaoke evenings are frequent events. There is an upright piano but this appears to be little more than a storage shelf for the DJ hardware. To the rear behind a wicker screen is a small dining area although there weren’t any obvious leanings towards doing any food. There are outdoor drinking areas to the rear and front with some cover from the elements. On the plus side, there are 3 hand pumps with Spitfire, Ringwood 49’er and Bombardier and despite being a quiet Saturday lunchtime, all were available (or at least the clips suggested they were) and my 49’er was very good quality. Prices seem to have been held for some time with my 49’er (£3.10) being only 10p more than my previous visit a couple of years ago. Unless you are trying to kill 20 minutes waiting for a train at the nearby station, the pub doesn’t really hold much more than a limited short term appeal although it is certainly a vast improvement on what it was.