Dining pub
There has been a building on this site since the 14th century when a farmhouse was constructed, and the pub website has much information about its history. Today it is a cosy pub restaurant with several different rooms with low ceilings and an Inglenook fireplace. It is very convenient for Junction 4 of the M25, and parking is available. The menu varies to include seasonal specialities and an emphasis on fish dishes.
Outside restaurant hours (see food times), light bites are available from the bar Monday to Saturday 3pm to 6pm.
Note that last orders are 30 minutes before closing.
Unfortunately, in July 2022, the R7 bus route which used to pass close to the pub was re-routed and no longer does so. So there is no convenient access by public transport any more. The alternatives are a walk of about 1200 metres from the centre of Chelsfield or a longer walk of about 1700 metres from Knockholt station, which is in zone 6. For those interested in walking please consult the Pub Walks section of the Bromley CAMRA website and refer to routes 26 and 27. The link is below.
https://bromley.camra.org.uk/pub-walks/index-of-walks/
Historic Interest
The current building dates from 1548 with 14th C origins as a farmhouse. By 1627, this became a beer-house as Seagraves Alehouse, located on an old drovers road to Shoreham and serving local farmworkers. In 1709, this became an inn with the name changed to the White Hart, which it retained until 1972. The current name is taken from the name of the hamlet of Bopeep, which itself was a nickname when the inn was used in the mid 18th C for wool smuggling with the contraband goods bound for London. The nursery rhyme "Little Bo-Peep" is an allegorical reference to lost sheep, possibly due to sheep stealing (this dates back to 1805). However, a more plausible explanation is that "Bo Peep" were the excise men, the "sheep" were the smugglers and their "tails" were the contraband. The name "bo peep" was another name for the children's game of peek-a-boo (before being used to describe the hide-and-seek activities of the smugglers) and also has origins from criminals being placed in a pillory.
This Pub serves 2 changing beers and 1 regular beer.
Bo-Peep, Chelsfield
Changing beers typically include: Adnams - Southwold Bitter , Bexley - Redhouse Premium
Source: National