The Ship & Trades, Chatham

The Ship and Trades looks like a hardware store from the outside with its big awning and token artefacts from the days of the old dockyard. There is plenty of parking as this pub is on the edge of a retail park, but more interestingly there is an adjacent marina that the outside seating looks upon. To the left of the bar entrance is another entrance to a restaurant and accommodation, but I obviously made a bee line for the bar. I wasn’t expecting much as I’m not the biggest Shepherd Neame fan, but I was surprised to see nine hand pumps on the bar and no draught taps. I was even more surprised when I found out that the three banks of three pumps were all drawing Spitfire, Master Brew and Late Red. I can understand tripling up in a busy city centre pub, but not in a food led pub in the middle of nowhere. I found the interior to be cold with no character and the attempt to add a bit of dockyard history by chucking in a few random odds and sods doesn’t really work. Food is served and the mains range from £9 to £14, but I didn’t spot anyone eating as it was very quiet on Tuesday at 13:00. I thought that the service was polite but I saw nothing here that would entice me back.