The Compass Points to a Possible Future
The Compass Alehouse, Manor Road. Opened 2014 and happily still open.
John Warden patiently explains the difference between a cask and a keg. I feel that, as an adult, I should have picked this information up somewhere along the way. John's showing me the temperature-controlled cellar at the back of The Compass Alehouse. He's a man who takes his beer seriously, very seriously.
A former estate agent's office doesn't sound like the obvious venue for a new pub, but that's what The Compass Alehouse, was before it became Gravesend's first micro-pub in 2014. It's tiny as pubs go, and there's no bar, which is slightly confusing when you first go in. John and Rachael run the pub with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers, which tells you a lot about its place in the community. They've won a stack of awards, including the local CAMRA pub of the year for 2024.
The difference, I now understand, is that cask beers require stillaging, tapping and venting before serving, which can take up to 48 hours. Casks are far more subject to the environment; keeping the beer at its best takes skill. Once they're open to the atmosphere, cask beer only lasts three days, slightly longer if you know what you're doing. Whereas kegs are pressurised, the beer is ready to drink and lasts far longer. John recommended I try a cask IPA. I'm not exaggerating when I say I didn't think that beer could have such complex flavours.
The Compass, is in many ways, more traditional than many of the more conventional pubs in the town. There are no TVs, music, games machines or food (beyond the odd bag of crisps). What there is in abundance is a feeling of a community. In the time I was there, John and Rachael knew everyone who came through the door.
A few doors along Manor Road from The Compass Alehouse, sits the shell of the former Manor Shades, which closed in 2016. On the outside, it's a beautiful building, clad in deep green tiles. I understand the original interior has been removed. I asked John whether he'd like to open there one day. He explains that the additional cost of business rates, staff, utilities, etc., won't work economically.
This encapsulates the problem with most traditional-sized pubs. Many are large buildings with high overheads, and there are not enough customers to go around.
My father's generation may have walked to the pub two or three times a week; that was their entertainment. Far more people travel to work by car, so having a quick pint after you get off the train or bus isn't part of that routine. We're more likely to opt for a takeaway and stream a film.
Going to the pub isn't cheap. The average cost of a pint in the UK has increased from £1.90 in 2000 to £4.44 last year. We have one of the highest alcohol tax rates in Europe, 54.2p per pint, compared to the EU average of 19.7p.*
What does this all mean for the future of Gravesend's pubs? As in the rest of the country, the ones that survive will either be chains, who buy in bulk and sell it cheap or those with something more individual to offer. As for me, I'd prefer one or two drinks in a pub that's part of the community than several pints in a soulless shed. This won't be the last time I drink in The Compass Alehouse.
The Compass Alehouse, Manor Road, Gravesend DA12 1AA.
This article and some of Gravesend’s lost pubs feature in issue two of the printed edition of The Gravesend Journal, which is available from our shop.
* Beer price and tax data from the British Beer and Pub Association.
