Ringlestone Inn
A historic public house and restaurant in the Ringlestone hamlet near Wormshill in Kent, England.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Ringlestone Inn is a historic public house and restaurant in the Ringlestone hamlet near Wormshill, close to Maidstone in Kent, England. The business occupies a Grade II listed building whose origins are associated with the reign of Henry VIII. The present structure is generally dated to 1533 and retains notable historic features, including original brick-and-flint walls and substantial oak beams. Much of the interior is said to have remained substantially unchanged since approximately 1732. Tables made from the timbers of an eighteenth-century Thames barge are among the features associated with the building. The site is linked to a much older settlement known as Ringlestone or Rongoston, a name commonly interpreted as referring to a ring of stones. The locality predates the Norman Conquest and is recorded in the Domesday Book. Before becoming a licensed drinking establishment, the property is believed to have served as a church-owned hospice or sanctuary connected with monks who worked the surrounding land. That association probably ended around the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. Documentary evidence places the property in private hands by the late sixteenth century. A 1588 will referred to the testator's house at Rongoston and land attached to it. The property was subsequently auctioned to Septimus Hepplewhite, a wheelwright and cooper. A cooperage operated there until his death in 1609. His widow and eldest son continued the business, and around 1615 Oliver Hepplewhite is associated with introducing the production and sale of ale. This transition reflected the growth of small ale-houses supported by local breweries and regulated under the Ale Houses Act 1551. Over the following century and a half, the inn served travellers moving between London and settlements in Kent. Its history has also been connected with colourful episodes involving artists, highwaymen, smugglers and local personalities. The property was associated with the arrest of suspected smugglers in 1788, although the two men involved were later acquitted at the Old Bailey after presenting an alibi. The name evolved through forms including Rongoston and Renglestone before settling on Ringlestone Inn in 1867. The inn continued under a succession of keepers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Henry Brooks Bates was recorded as innkeeper around the beginning of the twentieth century, and Charles Alfred Rayfield took over in 1913. In 1958, Florence Gasking and her daughter Dora became proprietors. Later accounts gave them a formidable reputation, including stories of armed inspections of customers, secret entry knocks and efforts to deter unwanted visitors after the pub was reportedly overwhelmed by a large group of motorcyclists. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the Ringlestone Inn operated primarily as a pub and restaurant. Kent brewer Shepherd Neame purchased the property in 2005. The inn was closed by May 2018 while the building was prepared for auction. After an approximately eighteen-month closure and refurbishment, it reopened in August 2019 under Dalton Hopper and Paolo Rigolli. The reopened venue was described as a free house and restaurant, with renovation work intended to preserve the historic brickwork and character of the building. The inn's interior was also used as a filming location for an episode of the BBC soap opera EastEnders broadcast during the Easter 2007 period. Reports of paranormal activity form part of the site's folklore, although they are not independently established facts.
History
Ringlestone is an old Kent settlement whose name is recorded in forms such as Ringlestone and Rongoston. The locality appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 and is generally associated with a pre-Norman settlement. The current inn is believed to have begun as a church-owned hospice or sanctuary used by monks who farmed the surrounding land. That religious connection likely ended during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, around 1539. The surviving building is generally dated to 1533 and is Grade II listed. Its original brick-and-flint construction and oak framing remain important parts of its identity. The interior is reported to have retained its eighteenth-century character, including furniture made from the timbers of an eighteenth-century Thames barge. An old oak sideboard once associated with the property carried an inscription referring to a welcome gathering and later bore the names of John Tufton, Earl of Thanet, and Margaret Sackville of Knole. The sideboard is now located at Knole. A 1588 will referred to a house at Rongoston and land belonging to it. The property was sold at auction to Septimus Hepplewhite, a wheelwright and cooper from Hollingbourne. He ran a cooperage at the site until his death in 1609, after which his wife and eldest son continued the house and business. Around 1615, Oliver Hepplewhite is said to have added the production and sale of ale. In the regulatory and commercial environment of the period, such small ale-houses were often supported by breweries and required licences under the Ale Houses Act 1551. The establishment became a stopping place for people travelling between London and Kent. Traditions associated with the inn connect it with the miniaturist Samuel Cooper, who reportedly visited in 1656, and with the highwayman Elias Shepherd. In 1788, suspected smugglers John Roberts and Francis Whorlow were arrested at Ringleton in connection with the deaths of two dragoons and a large shipment of Dutch gin. Both were later acquitted at the Old Bailey after Roberts offered an alibi involving his family at Ringleton. The inn's name changed over time. It was called Renglestone by 1822 and retained that form until 1867, when Ringlestone Inn became the established name. Keeper records from the modern period include Henry Brooks Bates, who was documented at the property between 1901 and 1905, and Charles Alfred Rayfield, who took over in 1913. Florence Gasking and her daughter Dora assumed control in 1958. Stories about the Gaskings describe a highly defensive approach to managing the pub, including weapons, secret knocks and forceful measures against unwelcome visitors. These stories are part of the inn's local folklore. In the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, the Ringlestone Inn functioned as a pub and restaurant. Shepherd Neame acquired it in 2005. The property was closed by May 2018 and prepared for auction. It reopened in August 2019 after an approximately eighteen-month closure and refurbishment, with Dalton Hopper and Paolo Rigolli identified as the new owners. The business was presented as a free house and restaurant, and the refurbishment sought to retain the historic fabric. The building has also attracted cultural attention as a filming location for EastEnders and as the subject of local stories concerning alleged paranormal activity.
- 2019
Reopening after refurbishment
[1]The inn reopened in August after an approximately eighteen-month closure, operating as a free house and restaurant under Dalton Hopper and Paolo Rigolli.
- 2018
Closure and auction preparation
[1]The inn was closed and the building was prepared for auction.
- 2005
Shepherd Neame acquisition
[1]Kent brewer Shepherd Neame purchased the inn.
- 1958
Gasking proprietors take over
[1]Florence Gasking and her daughter Dora became proprietors, later becoming central figures in the inn's local folklore.
- 1867
Ringlestone Inn name adopted
[1]After earlier forms including Rongoston and Renglestone, the property adopted the name Ringlestone Inn.
- 1788
Smuggling suspects arrested at Ringleton
[1]John Roberts and Francis Whorlow were arrested at the locality in a case involving alleged smuggling and the deaths of two dragoons; both were later acquitted.
- 1615
Ale production and sales begin
[1]Oliver Hepplewhite is associated with introducing ale production and sales at the property, helping establish its role as an ale-house.
- 1588
Property documented in a will
[1]A will refers to the testator's house at Rongoston and associated land, providing an early post-monastic documentary reference.
- 1533
Construction of the present building
[1]The current Grade II listed structure is generally dated to 1533 and retains historic brick, flint and oak elements.
Ringlestone appears in the Domesday record
[1]The locality associated with the inn is recorded in the Domesday Book, demonstrating the settlement's medieval antiquity.
Products and positioning
A heritage-focused rural pub and restaurant emphasizing historic architecture, traditional hospitality and the atmosphere of a long-established Kent inn.
Hospitality
Pub services
Traditional public-house service in a historic rural setting, including drinks, social dining and visitor hospitality. The inn has operated as an ale-house or pub for several centuries, although the exact date of its first licence is not established.
Food service
Restaurant
Restaurant dining offered alongside the pub operation. The venue was described as a pub and restaurant before its 2018 closure and as a free-house restaurant after its 2019 reopening. Specific menus and current service details are not established by the supplied sources.
Drinks · 1615
Beverages
The inn has historically been associated with ale production and sale and, in its modern form, with pub beverages. The available material does not establish a current drinks list or specific branded products.
Brand decisions
2019
Reopening as a free house and restaurantStrategyBackground
The inn had been closed for approximately eighteen months and was being refurbished after closure and auction preparations.
Action taken
Dalton Hopper and Paolo Rigolli reopened the property as a free house and restaurant, undertaking extensive work while retaining original brickwork.
Aftermath
The reopening restored the venue to hospitality use, although the supplied material does not establish its subsequent trading status.
2005
Shepherd Neame purchases the innM&ABackground
The historic pub and restaurant was acquired by Kent brewer Shepherd Neame during its modern operating period.
Action taken
Shepherd Neame became the owner of the property.
Aftermath
The inn continued to operate as a public house and restaurant until its later closure.
Recent events
- 2019
Ringlestone Inn reopens after refurbishment[1]
Other
The inn reopened in August 2019 following an approximately eighteen-month closure and refurbishment. The new owners presented it as a free house and restaurant while retaining historic brickwork.
- 2018
Ringlestone Inn closes and is prepared for auction[1]
Other
By May 2018, the historic pub was closed while the building was being prepared for auction after operating for many years as a pub and restaurant.
- 2007
Ringlestone Inn appears as an EastEnders filming location[1]
Other
Interior images of the inn were used as location material for an episode of the British television soap opera EastEnders broadcast during the Easter holiday period.
- 2005
Shepherd Neame acquires the Ringlestone Inn[1]
M&A
Kent brewer Shepherd Neame purchased the inn, which continued to operate as a public house and restaurant during the later twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Sources2 sources
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