The Elm Tree Public House, Paddock Wood

The earliest reference traced so far is in the 1871 Census when the Elm Tree Beerhouse was occupied by Hannah Wesley, the beerhouse keeper and the head of the household.

The 1871 census entry:

Hannah Wesley           Beer House Keeper. Head. Married.     aged 48 born London, Surrey
Hannah Wesley           Daughter                                              aged 13 born Red Hill, Surrey
Hannah Smith              Visitor                                                  aged 57 born Maidstone, Kent
Catherine Davis           Visitor                                                  aged 22 born East Bowring, Sussex

The same census refers to Elm Tree Cottages occupied by two families. Henry Pratt (wheelwright) his wife Elizabeth and his apprentice occupied the first cottage. The second cottage was occupied by John Judd (farm labourer), his wife Mary Ann and their five children.

In June 1872 a newspaper report into an incident at the Elm Tree confirmed that John Judd had taken over the management of the beer house.

By 1874 John Judd is recorded in the Post Office Directory as a Beer Retailer and we know from the 1881 census entry that John and his family had taken up residence in the Elm Tree Beer House:

John Judd                    Beer Retailer    Head    aged 48           born Witney, Oxford                                               Mary Ann Judd                                    Wife     aged 44           born Tenterden, Kent
David Judd                  Farm Labourer Son     aged 18           born Yalding, Kent
William J Judd            Farm Labourer Son      aged 16           born Yalding, Kent
Henry G Judd                          Son                  aged 10           born Brenchley, Kent
Isabella E Judd                        Dau                  aged 6             born Brenchley, Kent
Alfred E Judd                           Son                  aged 3             born Brenchley, Kent

On 3rd December 1881 John Judd was summoned to the Tonbridge petty sessions accused of selling beer to a drunken man who had died shortly afterwards. He was found guilty, fined and the conviction endorsed on his licence. The owner Mr B Baker compelled him to leave the house as soon as possible. The licence was transferred to Richard Goodsell in May 1882 and then to Spencer Edgar Hill on 28 Sept 1882. The licence returned to John Judd seven years later on 28th September 1889.

Strangely although living at the Elm Tree when the 1891 census was taken John was described as an Agricultural Labourer,

John Judd                    Ag Labourer     Head    aged 59         born Ducklington Oxford                                               Mary Ann Judd                                    Wife     aged 54          born Tenterden, Kent
David Judd                  Ag Labourer    Son,     aged 28         born Yalding, Kent
Isabella Ellen Judd                               Dau      aged 17           born Brenchley, Kent
Alfred Ern Judd                                    Son      aged 13           born Brenchley, Kent

Next door at Elm Tree Cottages was Ernest Wilkins and his family.

John Judd of the Elm Tree was buried at St Andrew’s, Paddock Wood on 6 December 1898 aged 66. Mary Ann, his wife was also buried at St Andrew’s on 14th March 1900 aged 63

John’s son Alfred E Judd who had married Martha Jane Pope on October 28 1899 at St Andrew’s took over the running of the Elm Tree and in the 1901 census we have the following entry:

Alfred E Judd               Beer Retailer    aged 22           born Paddock Wood, Kent
Martha Jane Judd        Wife                 aged 22           born Paddock Wood, Kent
Henry Ernest Judd       Son                  aged 1             born Paddock Wood, Kent

Their son Alfred Junior was born in Paddock Wood in 1904 but the 1909 edition of Kelly’s Business Directory, states that the Elm Tree was being run by John Horace Styles. This is confirmed by the 1911 census which shows the Judd family were living in Tonbridge.

The 1911 census had the following entry for the Elm Tree Public House:

John H Styles Licenced Victualler aged 29 born Brenchley Clara Styles aged 36 born London. Florence Clara Styles aged 3 born Paddock Wood.

On 6th June 1916 the South Eastern Gazette, Maidstone advertised that The Elm Tree Paddock Wood was to be let as the tenant had been called up. “Thoroughly good living trade. Rent £30 including two cottages. Ingoing about £120.”

Whether the above advert referred to John Styles we do not know.

The Maidstone Telegraph of 24 Jan 1920 also contained an advert which said that Lambert and Symes had received instructions to sell Elm Tree Cottage, a detatched cottage adjoining the Elm Tree Inn.

In 1921 The Elm Tree public house Paddock Wood was occupied by:

Francis William Joy Head Married 53 Born Stepney London Beer retailer Working on own account Jessie Joy Wife Married 49y1m Born Acton, London

The pub remained in the hands of the Joy family until the early to mid 1930s when in 1935 George Couchman is listed as proprietor.

In the 1939 register the landlord of the Elm Tree, Queen St Paddock Wood was:

Jabez Hope born 29 Jun 1880 Licensed Victualler married Elizabeth Hope born 5 Oct 1881 married Stanley P Hope born 21 Jun 1911 Bookstaff manager married Constance D Hope born 7 Feb 1914 married

Jabez managed the pub from 1939-49 before retiring. The pub was taken over by George Bernard Hope his son and daughter in law Florence Hope who moved into the pub with their two children Colin and Molly.

On 10 Feb 1956 Tonbridge Free Press advertised that George Bernard Hope had applied for a full “on” licence which was granted. Until this point the house had only a beer and wine licence – there was now a demand for spirits.

The Kent & Sussex Courier reported on Friday 6 October 1972 that Mrs Florence Hope was pulling her last pints for her regulars before she retired as manageress of the "Elm Tree Inn" at Church Road, Paddock Wood. Until two years previously, when he died, Mr. Hope was the registered licensee and served at the inn after his railway shifts. Mrs Hope retired to Ringden Avenue, Paddock Wood. She said: "I was born in Gillingham and when I was 16 I came to Paddock Wood to work in the "Railway Hotel," which is now the "Hop Pocket." My father-in-law took, the "Elm Tree" in 1939 and I helped in the bar.

A Mr Colin Thompson sent an Email to “dover-kent.com” which they published in 2018 saying that his grandparents were the tenants through the late 1950's and 60's and that as a child he used to stay at the pub during the holidays. He remembers that the pub used to have two separate bars, lounge and public and the beer was gravity fed from the barrels. He also remembers that on occasion the below ground cellar flooded and they would have to get the fire brigade to pump it out. There was no car park, just a vegetable garden. The pub only sold things like crisps, pickled eggs, pickled onions, peanuts and chocolate bars.

The pub was acquired by Shepherd Neame in 1992 but In the 2010’s they sold the pub and under its new tenant it become a free house. But on Sunday 11 February 2018 the pub closed for good despite its recent success in winning the West Kent Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Award for ‘Most Highly Recommended Pub’ in 2017.

The announcement of the closure was placed on the pub’s Facebook page with the pub’s relatively new owners stating: “We would like to thank everyone for your support over the past 3 years.”

Although the residents of Paddock Wood had supported this pub, which had been refurbished and modernised, one of the reasons the pub did not survive as a going concern was because the tenant could not live on the premises. The owner had already rented out the first floor as flats and in 2022 the ground floor was also converted into flats following the granting of planning permission in 2019.

In 2024, planning permission to develop the adjacent land has also been submitted.

The Elm Tree

Paddock Wood Station

John Brunt VC