Shepherd Neame acquires historic seafront pub in Herne Bay

By Giles Gwinnett

17 November 2023

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Michele and Alan Clarke - picture contributed

Kent-based family brewer Shepherd Neame has bought The Ship Inn, thought to be the oldest building in Herne Bay, expanding its estate of pubs and hotels to 296, across the county, London and the South East.

The freehold premises, which had been part of Stonegate Group, will continue to be run by husband and wife team Alan and Michele Clarke, who became licensees in April, and who already have another Shepherd Neame pub in the county - Chestfield Barn in Whitstable.

"We have been running the Chestfield Barn for the past six years, and have always enjoyed a great relationship with Shepherd Neame during that time, so we were really happy to learn that they would be taking on this site as well," said Alan.

"Things have been going really well at the Chestfield Barn, so Michele and I had begun looking for another opportunity to expand into a second site, and when The Ship Inn came up earlier this year, we decided to go for it.

"It is in a fantastic location and there was a huge amount of potential as it had been closed for a while and needed some refurbishment.

"We have introduced the elements of our offer which have proved popular at the Chestfield Barn, including creating a delicious new menu of traditional pub classics and light bites," he added.

"We have received a fantastic welcome from locals and are really pleased with how things are going so far."

Parts of The Ship Inn, on the central parade, date back to 1385 and it was once a renowned smugglers' haunt.

Jonathon Swaine, Shepherd Neame’s managing director of pubs, added: "We are delighted to expand our tenanted estate with the acquisition of this characterful pub.

"We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Alan and Michele and supporting them in their efforts to ensure the pub goes from strength to strength."

For information on the pub, click HERE.

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By Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.