The former Henry Simmonds Public House, which dates from the late 19th century, and first appears on historic Ordnance Survey mapping in c. 1896 as ‘The Railway Hotel’, in connection with the establishment of the nearby railway line and Wrotham Station.

Architecturally, the former hotel reflects other contemporary buildings in Borough Green, including the Wrotham Railway Station, which was built in c. 1874 from a similar palette of materials. The building was subsequently altered with a series of later additions in the form of three ground-floor extensions to the rear of the property, and a small first-floor extension along the south-facing elevation of the building. Based on historic mapping, two of the ground-floor rear extensions date from the period prior to c. 1908 and c. 1936 respectively, while the further ground-floor and first-floor extensions are of unknown date, but are presumed to be modern.

The building is of aesthetic value as a visually prominent, late 19th century public house that displays many typical characteristics of Victorian Gothic architectural style, including its asymmetrical form and picturesque use of contrasting materials and detailing, such as the use of polychromatic brickwork, timber shingles, painted timber windows and details in various styles.

The above was taken from a Building Photographic Survey prepared by Dr Rebecca Enlander, Consultant archaeologist, WYG, on behalf of Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd (SSL) in July 2015 in support of a proposed conversion of the building to a retail outlet.(1)

<1> WYG Planning and Environment, 2015, The Henry Simmonds Public House, Wrotham Road, Borough Green, Historic Building Survey (Unpublished document). SKE31379.