The Farriers Arms

The Farriers Arms is a traditional country pub and microbrewery in the village of Mersham, near Ashford in Kent, England. The building dates back to at least 1606, and in 1828 it was purchased by William Prebble, a local farrier and beer seller, who converted the house and its adjoining forge into a licensed alehouse. By 1829 it was officially trading as The Farriers Arms, a name it has carried ever since. For most of its history it served as a village local, but in 2009 the pub closed and faced permanent loss. A group of 121 villagers and friends formed a community shareholding, bought the building, and undertook extensive renovations with local tradespeople. Today The Farriers Arms operates as a community-owned free house, offering freshly prepared modern British food, a rotating selection of ales, and its own hand-crafted 1606 Kentish Ale brewed on site in a microbrewery. The pub includes The Anvil restaurant, a conservatory, a characterful Forge function room (once the original working forge), an undercover terrace, and a riverside garden and meadow. It is a CAMRA-listed venue and a well-known example of the community-pub ownership movement in the United Kingdom.

The building that houses The Farriers Arms dates back to at least 1606, when it was established as a house and working forge in the village of Mersham, Kent. In 1828 it was purchased by William Prebble, a local farrier and beer seller, who transformed the house and forge into a licensed alehouse. By 1829 the premises were officially known as The Farriers Arms, a name reflecting the trade of its founder. For nearly two centuries the pub served as a traditional village local, passing through various owners and adapting to changing tastes in British pub culture. In 2009, however, the pub closed its doors and faced permanent loss. A determined group of 121 villagers and friends came together to save it, each becoming a shareholder and investing both money and effort. The group purchased the building and undertook extensive renovations with the help of local tradespeople and volunteers. The revived Farriers Arms reopened as a community-owned pub, with the former forge converted into the Forge function room and the main bar and Anvil restaurant restored. The pub later added an on-site microbrewery producing its own 1606 Kentish Ale, named for the year the original building was established. It has since become a vibrant hub of village life, hosting weddings, celebrations, and community events, and has been featured in The Guardian as 'the village that bought its own pub.'

• 2021

  Undercover terrace area with table heaters added (June 2021).

• 2009

  Pub closes and faces permanent loss; 121 villagers and friends form a community shareholding to buy and restore it.

• 1829

  Premises officially known as The Farriers Arms.

• 1828

  William Prebble, a farrier and beer seller, purchases the property and converts it into a licensed alehouse.

• 1606

  Building established as a house and working forge in Mersham, Kent.

Community-owned traditional country pub and microbrewery offering fresh local food and house-brewed ale in a historic Kentish setting.

• 1606 Kentish Ale

  CAMRA-listed ale hand-crafted in the pub's onsite microbrewery.

• Modern British food

  Freshly prepared seasonal dishes using local ingredients, served in The Anvil Restaurant.

• Gin selection

  A range of gins available at the bar.

1. 1Country Pub | Farriers Arms | The Forstal, Mershamthefarriersarms.com
2. 2About-us | Kent | Farriers Armsthefarriersarms.com
3. 3The Farriers Arms - Wikidatawikidata.org