YE OLD THIRSTY PIG

PUBLIC HOUSE

About

WELCOME TO THE YE OLDE THIRSTY PIG IN MAIDSTONE

WE DO

This gem of a pub can be found just off Maidstone's High Street, down Gabriels Hill and along Lower Stone Street to the junction of Knightrider Street.

The venue never fails to surprise and delight those who venture in for the first time and taking a moment to walk around the four seating areas arranged over two floors is well recommended. Reputedly the third oldest building in the town, it dates from around 1430 and has a wealth of massive timber beams, sloping floors and curious nooks and crannies. Downstairs the ceilings are low, but upstairs they are high and vaulted. The building oozes charm and has a welcoming feel to it in spite of various reports of hauntings!

If you would like to know more about the history of the building you can find this on a separate tab among the options at the top of our website. Affectionately know as 'The Pig' by our friendly locals, we are predominantly a traditional Ale House, although we keep a huge range of ciders, lagers, spirits shots and liqueurs too. Folks of all ages and walks of life quickly find themselves at home here and the venue is particularly popular amongst many of the more alternative groups in Maidstone who have added their own special magic to the place over many years. In terms of atmosphere we are confident that you will not find another pub quite like ours. So many have lost the ability to stir up that warm sense of welcome and belonging within us these days, but here it's still very much alive and well.

Browse through the tabs to find out more about our events and groups, see what ales are on or coming up and what facilities we can offer. See you soon!

WHAT WE STRIVE FOR

TRY OUR AWARD-WINNING CASK ALES, GUEST BEERS, CIDERS, SPIRITS AND WINES ARE AVAILABLE.

Beer, Ales and Ciders

We offer a selection of award-winning cask ales and also stock craft beer and ciders.

Spirits

We stock a huge variety of spirits to suit , mixers, shooter, cocktails or straights.

Wines

We offer a selection of wines such as whites, reds and sparkling wines.

ENTERTAINMENT

DJ NIGHTS, JUKEBOX AND VARIOUS QUIZ NIGHTS

SAY HELLO TO TEAM

SELECTION OF ALES ON TAP

COME AND VISIT US

PLEASE SEE THE MAP BELOW FOR DIRECTIONS

OUR LOCATION

CONTACT FORM

HISTORY OF HOP MAKING IN KENT

Tel: 01622 299283

Email: yethirstypig@gmail.com

Web: www.yeoldethirstypig.co.uk

YE OLDE THIRSTY PIG

ADDRESS:

Ye olde thirsty pig
A Knightrider Street
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6LP

No crop is more closely associated with Kent than the hop, even if the hop-garden is now quite rare. The collective memory is kept alive by physical evidence of the distinctive oast-house, by the Museum of Kent Life (sic) and other attractions. Literary reinforcement comes from writers drawn to describe the annual trek of East-enders ‘hopping down in Kent’. In the nineteenth century, the hop was the best recorded of all crops because, uniquely, it was dutiable at the point of production, and because of its importance for employment.

The main sources are the Excise records from 1807 to 1861, tithe commutation records, estate records and official enquiries in 1835, 1857 and 1890. Directly and indirectly, much of the agricultural history of Kent, by parish, is to be found there. Hops are not native to this country, but Kent was an ‘early adopter’. Imported hop seeds were found in the remains of a tenth century boat found at Graveney, presumably to serve the requirements of the monks at Canterbury. i Port books show that hops were still imported into Kent in the sixteenth century.

The Tudors encouraged hop growing as a form of import substitution, and in 1524 granted a licence to Sir Edward Guildford of Kent to export hops. Flemish growers were attracted to the county. In 1574, Reynolde Scot, of Ashford, wrote a very practical handbook for prospective hop growers.

By 1655, a return of the national acreage of hops showed that one-third lay in Kent. Celia Fiennes noted ‘the great Hopyards on both sides of the road’ between Sittingbourne and Canterbury in 1697.

Houghton referred to massive hop production around Maidstone in 1699. Defoe described East Kent as the ‘Mother of all Hop Grounds’ in 1725.

There are three areas where the soil, climate and aspect are good for hops:

1. East Kent, with its brick-earths, mainly around Faversham and Canterbury, always known for high quality hops.

2. Mid-Kent, mainly the Medway valley, including the Maidstone district, on the Lower Greensand.

3. Weald and High Weald, particularly the East Peckham and Yalding, and the large parishes to the south and east of Yalding, with their Weald Clay and Tunbridge Wells Sand.

Ye Olde Thirsty Pig was originally a farmhouse believed to be part of the estate of the Archbishops Palace nearby. As such it is very possibly the third oldest building in Maidstone and was built circa 1430 to 1440.

On the corner of Lower Stone Street and Knightrider Street, Ye Olde Thirsty Pig stands at a point which joins two ancient thoroughfares that would have been the beginnings of a settlement in the Middle Ages. Knightrider Street leads down to the site of the original river crossing, the Archbishops Palace and All Saints Church, which was built in the 14th Century on the site of a 7th century Saxon church.

Completed in 1398, All Saints Church hasn't been much altered over time externally, although it lost it's wooden spire in 1730 after it was struck by lightening. Set in the south wall is a 17th Century monument to local man Lawrence Washington who was great-uncle to the first US President George Washington. The memorial bears the stars and stripes of the Washington family Coat-of-arms, which were subsequently adopted for the flag of the United States of America.