Ship Inn

Above photo, circa 1940s, showing Herbert Watson standing outside.

Above photo, circa 1940s showing Herbert Watson with his daughter and husband. Herbert's father-in-law, Henry Spencer was licensee between 1889 and March 1901.

Above postcard, circa 1952, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. At the time this photograph was taken, the Ship was a tied house, within the estate of Style & Winch's Medway Brewery, Maidstone.

Above photo, 1955.

Above photo, circa 1966, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Taken in May, according to a note on the back of the card. The Ship is displaying what might be said to be, literally, a sign of the times. London SE1-based Courage and Barclay, Perkins' Breweries merged in 1955 to form Courage & Barclay. No sooner had all the signage been changed than, in 1960, Courage and Barclay merged with H & G Simonds' Reading Brewery and C&B became CBS. Looks like the Ship's sign missed out on being updated but even if it had been, all change again in 1970, when CBS' suits axed the Barclay and Simonds' names and all pubs were simply branded as Courage. For those with long memories, you may recall that this heralded long years of some pretty grim beer in a lot of pubs in London and the Home Counties!

Above photo 2007 by Daywalker Creative Commons Licence.

Above photo, 2007 by Tony Watson.

Above photo, 2009 by Tony Watson.

Above photo, 2010 by Tony Watson.

From a local paper, early 1900s.

Rochester.

George Joseph Overy, 30, labourer, was charged with the manslaughter of Dennis Sullivan, age 60, coal and wood dealer. On Sunday evening, April 29th, several men with their wives were in the "Ship" public house at Stoke, near Rochester. A man named Spittery and the prisoner indulged in some horseplay with deceased, pretending to want to exchange wives with him and throwing his hat about. Ovary knocked him sharply with a chair on his head. Deceased for the next fortnight complained of great pain in his head, and eventually died from inflammation of the brain.

Mr. Smith called evidence to show that the inflammation might have arisen from a fall deceased had had from the top of his faggot cart.

Guilty:- One month's hard labour.

Above photo showing George Joseph Overy circa 1900s.

(George Joseph Overy was the brother of licensee Thomas Edward Overy of the "Nag's Head" which was situated across the road. Paul Skelton.)