Defiant landlords who have banned children from their village pub say they “couldn’t give a toss” about the backlash on social media. Mandy Keefe and John Forge welcomed punters back to The Wheel Inn in Westwell, near Ashford, last week after it was closed for more than two years.
The pair have lovingly renovated and extended the venue which also features an adjoining tea room. But one clientele group was missing from the opening party – kids.
The couple say the decision not to admit under-14s was made due to a lack of adult-only spaces and relaxed environments where people do not have to mind their language. Mr Forge told KentOnline: “We’re getting older people saying, ‘Brilliant, we don’t want bloody kids running about.'”
“We get people actually standing at the bar saying, ‘This is great because we don’t have to worry.’ In a pub, you don’t watch your language. You’re drinking – you’re taking a legal drug.
“You’re then, at times, behaving inappropriately. Customers have said it’s brilliant because they don’t have to watch exactly what they’re saying.”
The publicans say they do not want to facilitate a rowdy atmosphere or encourage swearing and shouting. “But, it still happens,” Ms Keefe said.
“Do people really want their children in that sort of adult environment? Also, what is there for children to do? So, they get bored.”
“Then they start to run, they start to cry, or they get shouty. That impacts on those people who have come in here for a quiet, adult time.”
“We’ve had people in here sitting all evening on the sofas, meeting up with their friends, having a nice chat, and all have said what a lovely atmosphere it is. Unfortunately, part of that lovely atmosphere is no children.”
Up until 1995, it was illegal in England and Wales to bring under 14s into pubs. The Licensing Act 2003 allows pubs and restaurants to operate their own policies relating to children.
Ms Keefe, who has adult children herself, says the Wheel Inn’s rule is “to some extent” an ode to the glory days of the boozer. The 62-year-old said: “If you go on holiday, you can choose to go to an adult-only hotel or resort or cruise. Here, where can you go where there are no children? Nowhere.”
“What we’ve done here is given people a choice. We’re the only ones that are saying no children. We’re providing a nice environment for adults to go where they can talk and chat and be adults together.”
However, some critics on social media have blasted the rule as “archaic”. One mother, who recently moved to the village, said: “It will please a very small demographic, unfortunately not the future one.
“Even when my kids come ‘of age’, I don’t get the impression they’ll be welcomed with open arms. It’s archaic and just a shame more than anything. We’re gutted as we were looking forward to getting to know people in the village.”
The landlords, who bought the village’s only pub in March 2022, say they will not change their policy to please parents. Mr Forge, 59, said: “I really couldn’t give a toss about them because what you’ll find is that they’re actually hypocrites.”
“At the end of the day – when their kids have grown up – 90% of them will want to go to a child-free environment.” Ms Keefe was more affected by the criticism and dismayed that it occurred on social media rather than in person.
“When the signs went up, nobody came to speak to us. Not one person,” she said. “It’s a close-knit community, and then suddenly you look on what is the village Facebook page, and you see it being slated. It’s not very pleasant. It felt like I was being bullied into changing my mind rather than coming in the door and asking why we’ve done it.”
Mr Forge added: “They shouldn’t be allowed to dictate. There are places for them to go. Go to those places – end of.” Before last Thursday, the former Shepherd Neame-owned Wheel Inn had been closed for more than two and a half years.
The previous landlord boarded up the building, saying it was a “fantastic pub”, but trade had dropped after the Covid pandemic. After purchasing the inn, the current owners’ first planning bid for an extension was refused by Ashford Borough Council, sparking outrage against the authority in the village.
A second application was given the green light and the couple undertook a lengthy renovation. A House of Commons research briefing on ‘children in pubs’ says: “A commercial service provider like a restaurateur or pub landlord is entitled to refuse to serve someone.”
“In exercising that right, the service provider must consider the obligations placed on them by legislation outlawing discrimination on grounds of disability or race. However, there is no law that would cover alleged ‘discrimination’ against children.”