London Road

Badgers Mount

Above photo, taken from a Christmas card circa 1964, produced by licensees Syd and Millie Kirkham. Kindly sent by Christine Bamford.

Above showing an entry card from 1968, kindly sent by Tim Kettle who says "in 1968 there was a music night club (disco), playing ska, reggae and more, and this was the card required for entry.

I am informed by Christine Bamford that the pub changed name to the "Badgers Mount" around the 1950s although Peter Moynihan suggests this was just after 1961 when the pub changed breweries to Ind Coope. Her grand-parents used to be the licensee and she says "I remember as a child it being a very busy pub with coaches stopping off for lunch on the way to the coast. Also at the rear of the pub was a restaurant which had been closed. I remember getting the Green-Line bus with my mum and dad to Green Street Green."

However, local Tim Collier tells me he was drinking there with it having this name to the late 70s.

Further information supplied by Andy Barnard says:- During the 1970s I read (possibly in Richard Boston's "Beer & Skittles") that it was the flagship pub for Westerham Ales (the trading name of Bushell, Watkins & Smith Ltd.) and was named after the Black Eagle Brewery in Westerham.

On the website of the current Westerham Brewery (established in 2004) they have a copy of the front page of the Sevenoaks Chronicle dated 25th September 1964 stating that the Black Eagle Brewery was to be closed by Ind Coope on 13th March 1965, so the pub was unlikely to have changed name till after that date - I would guess it was several years after.

I have just found an advert dated 1971 that refers to the building as the "Black Eagle."

Kent & Sussex Courier, Friday 6 August 1971. Come and drink good beer at the "Black Eagle," Badgers Mount, (A21 top of Polhill) near Sevenoaks. Listen to Trad Jazz at no extra charge every Friday.

From an email received, 24 February 2022. I remember there used to be a building in the car park called the "Eagles Nest" where a young Tom Ingram used to play rockabilly records, he later went on to run "Viva Las Vegas" (in vegas). I believe it was owned by the pub and was to the left of the main building.

LICENSEE LIST

CRIBBEN George C 1939+ (age 69 in 1939)

KIRKHAM Syd & Millie 1963-65

POWELL Peter 1965-67

HUNT Geoff & Roberta 1970+