More news, no ads
More on KentOnline
News you can trust
13°C | 3°C
5 day forecast
Home Kent News Article
Long before anyone had heard of the likes of Brewdog or modern craft beer, people in Kent would make their way down to a good old-fashioned boozer.
In the Noughties, pubs across the county were full of fun, as our amazing archive photos show.
Things changed drastically over the decade – with the smoking ban in July 2007 coming as a culture shock to landlords and punters.
Here, with these classic pictures, we look back at some much-loved pubs we have lost. Yet many are still going strong today…
2001
It’s the early Noughties in Kent so, of course, Rik Waller features in our archive photos. The Pop Idol star was snapped in the Upper Bell pub in Blue Bell Hill, Chatham, in December 2001.
The historic inn dated back to 1816 but sadly by March 2005 it had been boarded up. The Lower Bell remains open.
Also pictured in 2001 were regulars taking part in a fancy dress night at The North Foreland pub in Rochester.
It closed in 2013 and sadly remains shut to this day.
2002
This was the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and the World Cup finals in Japan.
Fans packed pubs across the county in June to watch in despair as Ronaldinho’s free kick sailed over David Seaman’s head, knocking England out.
Happily, many of the pubs featured from our 2002 archives remain open today.
There were many charity fundraisers, including a barman who downed eight-and-a-half pints for Children in Need and a punter who had all of his body hair removed.
2003
Probably the biggest event in Kent’s pub world in 2003 was a performance by The Libertines at The Tap N Tin in Chatham.
A picture taken from the iconic gig ended up being used as the cover for their second album.
Another year, another world cup – but this time England were victorious, albeit with a different shaped ball.
In August, Brogdale, near Faversham, reached the UK’s highest ever temperature of 38.5 °C, a record it held until July 2019.
2004
Neil “Razor” Ruddock and Paul O’Grady were among the famous faces dropping in to Kent pubs during 2004.
Fans once again adorned their England shirts, but it was heartbreak once again, defeated by Portugal in the Euros.
In other pub news, Corky, a Rhode Island Red rooster who lived at the Harp pub in East Peckham, was hit with a gagging order by the council after neighbours complained about his early morning crowing.
Landlord Peter Palmer later appealed the noise abatement notice – before the cockerel was stolen. Mr Palmer then left the pub in summer 2005. Corky was sadly never found.
2005
A huge appeal was launched for victims of the devastating tsunami in Indonesia which struck on Boxing Day 2004.
Staff at the Badgers Mount in Sevenoaks were among those raising money.
New Labour were still in power and police minister Hazel Blears visited the youth club at The Wheatsheaf in Chatham in March.
Two months later, the party won the General Election but their majority was cut to 66 seats.
2006
Kent hit the headlines in 2006 when about £53 million was raided from the Securitas depot in Tonbridge.
The county’s pubs were rammed once more for the World Cup – but fans were left in despair as England were knocked out by Germany.
The Funky Monkey opened in Dover in 2006.
KentOnline recently revealed the venue had permanently closed, as the council plans to knock the building down.
2007
Kent pubs were changed forever on July 1, 2007, when the smoking ban came into force.
Anyone wanting to light-up would now need to do so outside and – as some of the pictures below so – many publicans weren’t best pleased with the changes.
Fearing the smoking ban would put him out of business, Mark Hughes of the Blacksmith’s Arms in Sheerness, took drastic action.
He placed a sign in the window saying it is a “smoking pub” where “non smokers are welcome, but have to stand outside for five minutes every half an hour”.
In February 2008, he was fined £30 after being caught smoking during a raid by council officers and police.
In other news, Folkestone was hit by a earthquake in April, registering 4.3 on the Richter scale and damaging several hundred buildings in the town.
2008
The effects of the financial crash were being felt across the country in 2008, as the the government nationalised Northern Rock and the economy contracted.
Some 4,000 pubs in the UK shut between 2007 and 2009, before a resurgence in 2010.
By this time, X Factor had long replaced Pop Idol as the talent show of choice on our TV screens.
Winner Alexandra Burke had the best-selling single of the year with Hallelujah.
In other music news, Maidstone hosted Radio 1’s Big Weekend, which was headlined by Madonna.
2009
This was the last year of New Labour, as the Conservatives came to power (albeit with the help of the Lib Dems) in 2010.
In Kent, high streets across the county said a sad farewell to Woolworths, after it was plunged into administration.
Another significant moment for Kent residents came in December 2009 when the high-speed rail link to London opened.
The pace of change has remained relentless – and sadly some classic Kent pubs have struggled to survive.
Yet many historic inns continue to flourish today. We can all raise a glass to that.
If you liked this article you might enjoy these pictures from Kent nightclubs in the Noughties and the 1990s.
Cheers!
What’s for dinner? Plan meals, try new foods and explore cuisines with tested recipes from the country’s top chefs.
Trying to find the right nursery, school, college, university or training provider in Kent or Medway? Our Education Directory has everything you could possibly need!
This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
© KM Group 2023