The Dering Arms Inn

The Dering Arms Inn is a pub, restaurant and bed-and-breakfast located in the village of Pluckley, near Ashford in Kent, England. According to the inn's own history, the building began as an old hunting lodge built in the 1840s for the Dering family, around the same time as the railway line from London to the Kent coast. The Dering family name is closely tied to the area: Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet (1598–1644), was an English antiquary and politician, a supporter of Charles I, an MP for Hythe and a representative of Kent in the Long Parliament. The inn's site therefore carries a strong sense of local history and character. Today The Dering Arms operates as a hospitality business offering food, drink and accommodation. Its official website describes two cosy bars, a restaurant, an events room and a spacious garden, and promotes award-winning cuisine, an extensive wine list and 'home from home' guest bedrooms. It hosts events and celebrations including tailor-made weddings and family parties, holds classic car meetings every second Sunday of the month, and features live music acts throughout the year. Reservations are taken over the phone. The inn is also positioned as a convenient base for exploring Kent and East Sussex, including castles and country houses, and for onward travel to the Continent. It sits about 100 yards from Pluckley railway station, from which trains run to London and Ashford International for Eurostar connections; by road it is roughly five miles from the M20 motorway (junction 9) and lies on or near long-distance walking routes such as the Greensand Way and the Stour Valley Walk. Pluckley itself is notable as the filming location for the ITV drama series The Darling Buds of May, whose cast reportedly dined and danced at The Dering Arms after wrapping. The village is also known for its haunted reputation, having featured in the Guinness World Records book as the most haunted village in Britain, and the inn's own history page mentions reported ghostly sightings in the bar. The Dering Arms is a small, independent, locally rooted hospitality brand rather than a chain, and it trades on its history, food quality and village setting.

The Dering Arms Inn traces its origins to an old hunting lodge built in the 1840s for the Dering family, according to the inn's own history page. The building was constructed around the same time as the railway line from London to the Kent coast, a period of change in the region. The Dering family had deep local roots: Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet (1598–1644), was an English antiquary and politician, a supporter of Charles I, MP for Hythe and a representative of Kent in the Long Parliament, and he held one of the earliest published collections of Shakespeare's dramas. His son Edward is described as the 10x great grandfather of Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall. The village of Pluckley, where the inn stands, is recorded in the Domesday Book, at which time it was a more significant settlement than the nearby, now much larger, town of Ashford. Over time the former hunting lodge became a pub and restaurant. The inn's website presents it today as a hospitality venue with two cosy bars, a restaurant, an events room and a spacious garden, offering award-winning cuisine, fine wines and guest bedrooms. Pluckley's modern fame includes being the filming location for the ITV drama series The Darling Buds of May, with the cast regularly coming to dine and dance at The Dering Arms after wrapping. The village is also known for its haunted reputation and has featured in the Guinness World Records book as the most haunted village in Britain, with many of the ghosts thought to be members of the Dering family. The inn's own history page notes that some visitors have reported ghostly figures in the bar, including an old lady dressed in 19th-century clothes. The Dering Arms continues to operate as an independent village pub, restaurant and bed-and-breakfast. It hosts classic car meetings every second Sunday of the month and live music acts throughout the year, and offers tailor-made weddings and family events. Its location about 100 yards from Pluckley station and roughly five miles from the M20 makes it a base for visiting Kent and East Sussex and for travel to or from the Continent.

• Old hunting lodge built for the Dering family in the 1840s, around the same time as the London to Kent coast railway line.

• Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet (1598–1644), a Dering family figure, served as MP for Hythe and represented Kent in the Long Parliament.

• Pluckley, the village where the inn stands, is recorded in the Domesday Book.

• Pluckley served as a filming location for the ITV drama series The Darling Buds of May, with cast members dining at The Dering Arms.

• Pluckley featured in the Guinness World Records book as the most haunted village in Britain.

A historic, independent village pub, restaurant and B&B in Pluckley, Kent, offering award-winning food, an extensive wine list and 'home from home' rooms, positioned for dining, celebrations and overnight stays near London and the Continent.

• Award-winning cuisine

• Wine and drinks menus

• Bed & breakfast guest bedrooms

• Events room and garden for celebrations

• Tailor-made weddings and family events

• Classic car meetings (second Sunday monthly)

• Live music acts

1. 1Home - The Dering Arms Pub and Restaurant in Kentderingarms.com
2. 2History - The Dering Arms Pub and Restaurant in Kentderingarms.com
3. 3The Dering Arms Inn - Wikidatawikidata.org