The Lost Pubs of Sandwich

Do you recall in the dark days of lockdown, when almost every adult in the country would every now and then just sadly and slowly find themselves saying “oh, I miss the pub”?

 

Whether regulars or sparse frequenters we all agreed the pub is a glorious British institution that was dearly missed, thankfully most have survived the pandemic and are now back open and we can enjoy them once more without the doubt that we may never see them open again. However, one local historian, Nick ‘Woody’ Woodland, will always be plagued with pub fascination as he can’t help but think of those pubs lost not to coronavirus but to Sandwich’s fascinating history.

 

“Nick ‘Woody’ Woodland is so knowledgeable about our town, there are so many things I must have walked past hundreds of times over the years and not realised the significance of, I’m honestly amazed” is the typical kind of review you’ll find online of Woody’s “truly amazing & informative tour”. A tour which sees Woody take knowledge-seeking punters around the town and discovering the whereabouts of some 25 lost boozers.

 

CommunityAd had the absolute honour of speaking to the man dubbed online as a “font of local knowledge”. Woody, who has lived in Poulders Gardens since 1986, tells us how much he enjoys doing the tours and how proud he is that he is able to “teach people about our lovely town” but concedes he is always learning new “things from locals who have been on my tours”.

 

When did you think up the Lost Pubs of Sandwich tour? Please tell me it was in a pub?

The Lost Pubs was originally an illustrated talk that I gave to Sandwich Local History Society of which I am an active member, the talk was so well attended by 110 people filling the Guildhall Jury Room that gave me the idea of doing it as a walk around tour, so far, I have identified 45 pubs or ale houses that have been lost locally.

 

Of those 45, which do you wish you could visit/revisit the most?

The one pub I would most like to go back in time to visit would be The Drum in Church Street St Mary’s to hear the tales of the many sailors who came bringing goods from all over Europe to Sandwich back in the day.

 

Woody plans to bring his tours back in the springtime, his posters are dotted about the town and he tells us that he “shall be running my tours at every of the Town community events held this year so look out for me on The Guildhall Forecourt”.

 

Tours and characters like this make the community of Sandwich what it is, as one wonderfully worded review put it “Historians like Woody should be revered. We need to support this amazing business if we want it to keep going. Thanks so much, Woody. A true Sandwich gem”.

 

To enjoy a tour of the Lost Pubs of Sandwich yourself, make your way to The Guildhall Forecourt during any of the Town community events and look out for Nick’s sign (pictured above).