The Flying Boat

The Flying Boat is a J D Wetherspoon pub at 36–42 Spital Street in Dartford, Kent, England. It occupies a grade II listed building erected in 1910 as a car showroom and offices for John Clayton Beadle, whose firm had begun in nearby Lowfield Street in 1894 making horse-drawn vehicles. During the two World Wars, Beadle's works were turned to war production, including making floats for Sunderland flying boats — the origin of the pub's name. The showroom was converted into a public house around 1998, and the premises were remodelled by J D Wetherspoon in June 2009. A plaque on the building documents this history. As a Wetherspoon house, The Flying Boat follows the chain's familiar formula: a large, value-focused pub serving an all-day menu of food and drinks, with real ale, craft beer and cocktails, and a strong emphasis on low prices and high-volume service. The pub opens from 8:00am daily, closing at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00am on Friday and Saturday. Children under 18 are admitted only between 8:00am and 8:00pm. Facilities include Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area, baby-change facilities and step-free access. Customers can order food and drinks to their table via the Wetherspoon app. The pub participates in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly real-ale festivals, which feature beers from international brewers, and in seasonal menus such as the Christmas menu and the spritz cocktail range. Its listed-building setting, with the original showroom structure retained, makes it one of the more architecturally distinctive Wetherspoon outlets in Kent. Ownership sits with J D Wetherspoon plc, the UK pub company founded by Tim Martin in 1979 and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1992. The Flying Boat is therefore a single site within a large national estate rather than an independent business, and its identity is closely tied both to the Wetherspoon brand and to the industrial history of its Dartford building.

The building at 36–42 Spital Street, Dartford, was erected in 1910 as a car showroom and offices for John Clayton Beadle. Beadle had started his business in nearby Lowfield Street in 1894 with two employees, making horse-drawn vehicles. In 1900 he erected workshops on the south side of Spital Street, and in 1910 added a large single-storey showroom and offices. The workshop at the rear had originally been a roller-skating rink and a venue for political speeches; it was demolished when the showroom was converted into a public house around 1998. During the two World Wars, production at Beadles was geared to the war effort, which included making floats for Sunderland flying boats. This wartime connection gave the pub its name. The building is grade II listed, and a plaque documents its history, noting that the premises were remodelled by J D Wetherspoon in June 2009. The Flying Boat is one of many pubs operated by J D Wetherspoon plc, the UK pub company founded by Tim Martin. Wetherspoon opened its first pub in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December 1979, initially called Martin's Free House and renamed Wetherspoons in early 1980. The company held its first real-ale festival in 1990, opened its first non-smoking bar in 1991, and floated on the Stock Exchange in 1992 as J D Wetherspoon plc. The Flying Boat continues that chain tradition, offering an all-day menu, real ale and craft beer, and participating in the company's twice-yearly beer festivals.

• 2009

  J D Wetherspoon remodels the premises in June.

• 1998

  The showroom is converted into a public house; the rear workshop is demolished.

• 1910

  The grade II listed car showroom and offices at 36–42 Spital Street are built for John Clayton Beadle.

• 1900

  Beadle erects workshops on the south side of Spital Street.

• 1894

  John Clayton Beadle starts his horse-drawn vehicle business in Lowfield Street, Dartford, with two employees.

Value-focused, high-volume community pub within the J D Wetherspoon national chain, set in a grade II listed historic building.

• Real ale

• Craft beer

• Cocktails and spritz cocktails

• All-day pub food menu

• Christmas menu

1. 1The Flying Boat - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2The Flying Boat - J D Wetherspoon (pub history)jdwetherspoon.com
3. 3History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Flying Boat - Wikidatawikidata.org