Down at the Bell

[Chris]

Having covered the western side of the Medway Towns at the end of February, last weekend (20 March) it was time to cycle similarly around the eastern side. 

Pubs called "The Bell" seem rather popular in this area, as along with the Upper and Lower Bells at Blue Bell Hill, the pub in the centre of Bredhurst is also called "The Bell", even if the bus stop now seems to be labelled after the Primary School rather than the pub that was once the terminus of M&D service 8 (hourly even on Sundays!) - date I ask how it turned there?

Nu-Venture service 130 has been operated by one of the Connect-branded Sprinters for some time now, although not entirely clear whether this is long-term or merely as a result of Covid passenger reductions, or one turned into the other. 191 was doing the honours on this particular day, photographed here with a Twydall-bound journey.

I hadn't actually expected to see this at all - it was pure luck that I was in the right place a matter of minutes before the right time. 

Chris

[Group_owner]

Thanks Chris for getting out & about and recording buses in different locations - I hope most of us will be able to do so fairly soon once lockdown is relaxed, and we can start to restore the rate of photography across the whole area.

The Bell is definitely a popular pub name in Kent and East Sussex - in East Kent there are still examples on or near bus routes at Ivychurch (centre of the village), Hythe (Seabrook Road), St Nicholas-at-Wade (The Street), Minster (Thanet) (junction of High Street and Church Street) and there is a Bell Hotel near the tollbridge at Sandwich.

Further west the Bell at Golden Green (Three Elm Lane) near Tonbridge is served by Go-Coach 208.  That at Smarden (Bell Lane is named accordingly) is still served by Autocar 24 on Tuesdays only, while in East Sussex there is a Bell at Ticehurst (Stagecoach 254).

Others have variants on the theme - there are Six Bells at Cliffe, Eight Bells at Hawkhurst Moor, a Fenn Bell at St Mary Hoo (unfortunately badly damaged by flooding back in January) and a Railway Bell at Kearsney near Dover, but my favourite (sadly no longer served by buses) was the wonderfully named Bell & Jorrocks at Frittenden - this used to be the terminus of Maidstone & District 44 (renumbered 27 in 1974) and after de-regulation there was a variant of the 12 that served it, again on Tuesdays only - this survived into the Arriva era post-1998 but I haven't yet pinned down exactly when it finished.

There are bound to be others - you'll be able to tell from this that Kentish pubs are a subject I'm quite interested in (some of them serve good beer and food as well!), and we will have to hope that events this year allow many of them to re-open and refresh everyone, and that there aren't too many that get closed and sold for redevelopment.  It would be a shame if there were fewer of them around to provide useful landmarks for bus photography, and food and drink afterwards!

Derek J

[Group_owner]

I'd forgotten that I took a picture myself of Stagecoach 20638 passing the Bell at Minster, Thanet (where it was seen turning from Church Street into High Street) back in 2014 (on 17th March) - sadly I timed my picture a little too late so the signage on the pub was obscured, but rest assured that is where it was!

https://groups.google.com/g/mdekbusclub/c/vIq0Sz5qZSQ

Fortunately others have done better, and here is a picture by Neil later the same year (4th October 2014) of Olympian 16271 showing the pub name more clearly

https://groups.google.com/g/mdekbusclub/c/RFNQ_6NC4WU 

Derek J

[Group_owner]

...and I'd also forgotten having taken this at Smarden when Arriva still ran the 24 (and this time I did at least capture the Bell symbol on the sign!)

https://groups.google.com/g/mdekbusclub/c/CazKKOCV8Mw

Derek J

[adam williams]

I only passed The Bell in Hythe the other day (as we were in "town" sorting out our new house, moving to Hythe from North London later in April).

Looks like my first challenge is going to be to get a decent shot or two that features the prominent bell by the road...

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[JFO]

Acording to some old Kent and Medway Public Transport Maps that my Grandfarther collected, Arriva Route 12 still served Frittenden in June 2003, but had stoped serving it by the time the June 2004 edition was produced, so hope that helps.

[Group_owner]

Many thanks James, it most certainly does help to know that as it points to the relevant information in back-numbers of Invicta.

The change appears to have happened around the same time as the withdrawal of funding by Maidstone Borough Council put paid to the Sunday service for a while - so the last Tuesday that the service ran to Frittenden would have been either 25th May or 1st June 2004.  There appear to have been changes to the 12 on both the preceding Sundays, so the exact date still needs confirming.  Unlike Staplehurst and Headcorn, Frittenden isn't in Maidstone Borough (it's in Tunbridge Wells believe it or not) so the change may have resulted from a review of the service by Arriva and KCC at the same time.

Derek J

[Chris]

Firstly, a small but vital correction to my original message: "Nu-Venture service 130 has been operated by one of the Connect-branded Sprinters on Saturdays for some time now..." - having both taken and posted it on a Saturday, even though I recall needing to specify it I promptly didn't!

Having been to Cliffe last month (although inconveniently not including the pub in the picture - I hadn't realised how this would develop!), most of the others are rather too rural for my present abilities but have I stumbled across a theme for summer photography - "Bells and Buses"? 

Incidentally, in their recent flooding incident, a double-decker in the green/beige colours of Renown of Bexhill could be seen in their yard. Although we don't track Renown disposals per se, has anyone been in a position to identify it? I keep promising myself a visit, but it is rather unclear how much of the A228 (either the current or the 'old roads' running parallel) are cycle-pathed, not being too keen on the size of some of the traffic on that road! 

Chris

[Nicholas King]

Invicta 623 reports this change as taking effect on 6th June 2004, so the last 12 to Frittenden would have been on 1st June.

                Or not.  I remember driving to Frittenden one Tuesday around this time to photograph the working, probably when I got wind of the intended withdrawal, but the bus never turned up.  Presumably it had no passengers, so the driver simply turned round at Headcorn.

 

Nicholas King

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[Neil Gow]

Thanks Derek for finding my picture.

There are still several more Bells that we can target, so perhaps group members can start digging through their photo collections or make plans for some post-lockdown themed photography! Here are a few:

Sandwich, Ticehurst, Bearsted, Bredhurst, Lydden, Iden, Kemsing, St Nicholas, Aylesford (if you count Lower Bell), Golden Green, Harrietsham and Bexhill (but it might be just too far off the bus route to get into pictures).

And for good measure, here's one of the Five Bells at Hoo, although taking the picture from the bus stop isn't the best angle for the pub itself.

For the record: Volvo B7TL, Transbus ALX400 6429 (GN04 UEP), 3rd June 2010.

Neil.

[Richard Ratcliffe]

On Ware Street near Bearsted Station is a pub of which I have fond teenage memories “The Bell”.  This was on the old 61 service from Maidstone to Bearsted Green.  I wonder if anyone has shots of M&D vehicles at or near this hostelry?  There’s a challenge!

 

Ratty

 

From: mdekb...@googlegroups.com [mailto:mdekb...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Group_owner

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[DRH]

The Bell, Golden Green with KCC VDL (google.com)

DRH

[JFO]

There's is also a "5 Bells" Pub at Ringwould near Deal served by Routes 12, 80,81,90 and 93, and as for that Renown Bus Chris was talking about, its an ex Irish Volvo AFZ2381 and Brian East and I found it in late 2020: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianseast/50510090823/, and: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianseast/50510780041/, and it is now in Non PCV Use as part of Fen Bell Zoo, and I seem to recall the staff who encouraged Brian to photograph it told us that it will eventually be turned into a Reptile House.

[Neil Bays]

Chris,

Myself and fellow member Noel Young were only discussing the vehicle at the Fen Bell a few weeks ago and found this in this group

Former Renown 40 AFZ 2381 (google.com)

Neil B

[DBJ]

Did someone say The Railway Bell?

[Neil Gow]

JFO wrote:

"There's is also a "5 Bells" Pub at Ringwould near Deal served by Routes 12, 80,81,90 and 93, ..."

Indeed there is, and here's another bunch of fives from me! SEK ex Manchester Trident 17628, taken 6th February 2016.

Neil G.

[Myles Chantler]

To follow on from Derek's message regarding the Bell & Jorrocks at Frittenden, hopefully the following is of interest to those who enjoy pub histories (as much as drinking inside them!)

Frittenden had two pubs, one named The Bell and the other the John Jorrocks. This closed around 1969, and following this the Bell was renamed the Bell & Jorrocks

Myles

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[Myles Chantler]

Further to my earlier message regarding the Bell & Jorrocks in Frittenden, the rusty memory has come back to life! Both pubs were owned by the same brewery, so in 1969 they merged the two pubs into one building and merged the names to the Bell & Jorrocks.

Myles

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