SEnine


HISTORIC ELTHAM


The Dutch House as a Harvester in 1997


During the Second World War a concrete pill box was erected on the nearby railway embankment for gunners to protect the bridge over the Sidcup Road from enemy bombers and the glazed tiles on the roof of the Dutch House were painted to prevent any unnecessary reflected light from the sun. The pill box remains today. In 1949 the Catford Jazz Club moved from the Cranbrook pub in Deptford to the Dutch House where guests included Humphrey Lyttleton and the Yorkshire Jazz Band.


As traffic increased in the l950s part of the Sidcup Road near the Dutch House became known as the ‘mad mile’ until the speed limit was reduced to 40mph. Many accidents occurred to vehicles, particularly motor bikes which were driven at speed in the London direction and hit the wall of the railway bridge as the road narrowed. It was only in 1964 when work started on lengthening the railway bridge that the road could be widened; the sharp camber in front of the pub was reduced and the alignment altered to bring Mottingham Lane onto Sidcup Road.


Courage Barclay & Simmonds bought Beasley’s North West Kent Brewery in l963 and in December of that year Jock and Peg Booth became the new tenants. At this time the saloon bar was home to the


Volunteer and help out


MG Car Club and prints of motor racing personalities adorned the walls. Lunches were provided every day. The hall could be hired and would accommodate 140 people for a function. It was also used for dancing including old time dancing on


Thursday evenings. Mr Booth complained about the lack of a bus service for Horn Park residents – it was only in 2009 that the situation was rectified when the B15 was extended and also passes the Dutch House!


A £80,000 refit in 1984 saw the introduction of a seven days a week carvery,


priced


at £5.25 with a businessman’ s lunch for £2.95. Breakfast was served from 7am to 9.30am and a weekend evening could be rounded off at Danielle’s disco. Despite the discovery by police of some 150 out of hours revellers drinking and dancing beyond the midnight limit in May that year a weekend extension of the disco to 2am was granted in July on condition that a car park attendant be employed after midnight.


Early in 1995 the pub closed and workmen moved in to transform the premises into a Harvester operation which opened in March. Many of the original internal features were retained alongside a new Harvester-style restaurant where staff welcomed customers with the phrase, ‘Have you been to a Harvester before?’ and extolled the qualities of the famous ‘salad cart’.


The Dutch House as a Sizzling Pub in 2003


Since October 2003 the Dutch House has operated under the Sizzling Pub Company banner and features a bar and lounge with a popular food menu. It can be accessed from a large car park and continues the tradition of hospitality envisaged by Beasley’s when they opened the Dutch House some seventy years ago.


All pictures are from the John Kennett collection 27


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