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| The Pinnacles - courtesy of Frances Card |
The photograph above could be one of the last taken of The Pinnacles pub. It was taken on the day the hoardings were erected prior to demolishing the Shipbourne Road building. The tall tree in the distance is the 95ft Wellingtonia. This was felled after councillors gave permission for the development. The
tree was probably the tallest in Tonbridge and in good health, but
even the Preservation Order that it carried bore no weight, and it was cut down.
Slowly the pubs away from the town centre have been lost, and there's possibly one near you that's recently disappeared. My personal opinion is that it simply means another community hub is lost. I can remember spending summer evenings playing in the gardens of The Pinnacles as a child, while my parents sat socialising with local friends, neighbours and family over a drink. I loved playing on the swings, drinking lemonade and eating those crips that came with a little blue bag of salt. The pub was where the locals caught up with each other, discussed the town, had a gossip and planned local events.
This afternoon I drove by the Pinnacles roundabout, and was astounded as to how quickly the houses have taken shape. I wonder if the development will be called The Pinnacles?
It's very sad to realise these places, where people of all ages could get out of their homes to communicate with others, have disappeared. I'm sure there weren't so many lonely people around when we all could wander along to the local pub.
