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THIS IS MY BEACON COURT TAVERN, I’VE DRUNK AND BEEN DRUNK IN THIS PUB FOR OVER FIFTEEN YEARS NOW! I’VE SEEN VARIOUS STAFF AND CUSTOMERS COME AND GO AND DIFFERENT CHANGES (SOME NOT NECCESARILY FOR THE BETTER) HAVE TAKEN PLACE! THE REASONS THAT I DRINK HERE ARE SIMPLE, THEY SERVE SHEPHERD NEAMES HURLIMANS LAGER, I LIKE LIVE MUSIC AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON!
WHEN I FIRST STARTED DRINKING HERE THE PUB WAS LARGELY FREQUENTED BY HAIRY ARSED BIKERS,THE LOCAL RED AND WHITE AND SEVERAL LESSER, WANNABE BACK PATCH CLUBS. THEY HAD DRUNK IN HERE AND THE WOODLAND TAVERN FOR YEARS BUT MOVED OVER THE ROAD TO THE BEACON EN-MASS WHEN THE WOODLANDS WAS REMODELLED AND RENAMED “ THE CANTERBURY TALES” (VERY QUAINT).
ME AND MY MATE JOHN “JOHNNYBOY” WOODALL USED TO COME TO THE BEACON REGULARILY ON LAMBRETTAS OFTEN PARKING THEM BETWEEN THE BIG BRITISH, AMERCAN AND JAPANESE BIKES ( I’VE OFTEN SAID THAT IT WAS WONDERFUL THE WAY THEY RECYCLED THOSE TRACTOR PARTS) WE WERE OFTEN RIDICULED WHEN THE SCOOTERS FAILED TO START AND ENDED UP PUSHING THEM UP AND DOWN THE ROAD TRYING TO BUMP THEM, BUT THIS ONLY HAPPENED MID-SUMMER WHEN EVERYBODY WAS DRINKING OUTSIDE AND ABLE TO FORM A PARTICULARILY LOUD AUDIENCE. GENERALLY THOUGH WE WERE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND IN SOME CASES LIKE WE WERE JUST STRANGE AND FROM ANOTHER PLANET.
I’VE SEEN PUB MANAGERS COME AND GO AND MOST OF THEM WERE COMPLETELY FORGETABLE AND APART FROM SIMON WHO’S THE CURRENT INN KEEPER THE ONLY ONE I CAN REMEMBER IS CAROL AND HER FELLOW, TONY (A BIKER), THEY WERE TERRIFIC, THEY MADE ME AND JOHNNY BOY FEEL AT HOME AND AT EASE. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME I MET MY ALLTIME FAVOURITE BARMAID JAYNE (THAT’S ONE SCARY LADY) AND HER CHAP MOLE (ANOTHER BLEEDIN BIKER) WHO I’M GLAD TO SAY I’M STILL MATES WITH NOW!
LIKE ALL GOOD THINGS THEY COME TO AN END AND CAROL AND TONY MOVED ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS, JAYNE AND MOLE TOOK UP TEMPORY PUB MANAGEMENT IN AND AROUND MEDWAY. SIMON TOOK OVER AND BIG CHANGES WERE ON THE HORIZON.
THE BREWERY IN IT’S INFINATE WISDOM DECIDED TO CHANGE THE BEACON COURT TAVERN FROM A SLIGHTLY ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES PUB THAT USED TO PUT ON LIVE MUSIC TO A FULLY FUNCTIONAL LIVE MUSIC VENUE AND WITH THIS, BIGGER AND BETTER MUSIC ACTS THAT HAD TO BE PAID FOR ON THE DOOR, THIS CAUSED PROBLEMS FOR THE BIKERS AND SOME OF THE REGULARS, WHO ,LIKE THE REST OF US HAD BEEN SPOILED ROTTEN BY THE WOODLANDS AND THE BEACON PROVIDING FREE ENTERTAINMENT FOR YEARS, CONSEQUENTLY A LOT OF THE OLD CLIENTELLE MOVED ON. NOW THE PUB HAS EVOLVED AND BECOME ESTABLISHED AS MEDWAYS ONE AND ONLY PROPER MUSIC VENUE, IT HAS IT’S REGULARS IN THE FRONT BAR (MY DRINKING BUDDIES)( WEST HAM MARK AND JOHNNY,STEVE AND TONY ROGERS, WOLVERHAMPTON SI AND MARK,KEV THE YID,TERRY, GRAHAM,JAY ETC)BUT THE PUNTERS IN THE VENUE SIDE ARE FOREVER CHANGING AND HAVE NEVER BEEN SO DIVERSE.ALTHOUGH IT’S STILL FREQUENTED BY BIKERS ON OCCASION IT’S NO LONGER A BIKERS PUB, EVERYONE WHO LIKES LIVE MUSIC USES IT AND GETS OUT OF IT WHAT THEY WANT!
