Woodman, Swanley

The Woodman was situated on the B258 between Hextable and Birchwood. It was the third pub to bear this name in the locality. The first (see archive photograph), a beer house thought to have dated from around 1802, was located slightly to the north of the later buildings and was originally part of the Five Wents estate. It was much frequented by navvies employed on railway construction during the 1850s.

The licence was at some point transferred to a former private residence known as Knockholt House (see main picture). The pub became known informally as The Black House as it was rather dark and dingy. It had by then become part of the Courage tied estate. It was situated very close to the main road and because of the increase in road traffic during the 20th century the decision was taken - probably during the 1960s - to demolish it and replace it with a new erection sited some distance to the rear of the original building.

The new Woodman continued trading until 2006 when the pub-owning company decided to dispose of it. It is doubtful whether local residents were given much say in the matter. After closure it became an Indian restaurant. Unfortunately we have been unable to locate a photograph of the new building whilst it was still trading as a pub, so if anyone is able to help in this respect we would be delighted to hear from you - please use the feedback form.

Thanks to www.dover-kent.com for sharing the images.