THE DEMISE of Gravesend pubs shows no let up as another premises calls time at the bar.

The Kent in Gravesend High Street has become the latest watering hole to close its doors - following a long line of pub closures including The Kent and Essex and Prince of Wales to name a few.

After 12 years of owning the stylish bar and bistro owner Dave Cox, who also runs The Little Hermitage wedding venue in Gravesend Road, Higham, has decide to put the Grade II listed building up for auction.

Mr Cox, who called last orders on Saturday, May 17, said: “It’s the kind of business which has to be owner operated. But with running our wedding business as well we can’t give it the love and attention that it needs.”

Time and attention is not the only contributing factor to Mr Cox’s decision to sell up.

Situated in the heart of the High Street, the 54-year-old owner revealed he had implemented various initiatives to draw in customers, including a change of menu serving a mixture of English and Indian cuisine.

Mr Cox said: “We were doing very well with our normal menu of English and Mediterranean food but we decided to change it in August to Indlish cuisine.

“We wanted other people to be involved and we were trying to appeal to different sorts of customers. But some of the usual customers stopped coming in.”

Gravesham Borough Council is trying to attracting visitors to the quieter end of the High Street with monthly farmers markets and signposting.

Mr Cox added: “The council has supported us non-stop. It is a quiet end of town but it is starting to get a bit busier.

“If it was in Maidstone or Rochester you wouldn’t be able to get through the doors. I will be sad to see it go and I hope it continues to be a bar and bistro. It has something different to offer. We will just have to wait and see what happens at the auction.”

The lot, which comprises of the bar and restaurant, a vacant self-contained flat above, and two other flats which have been sold on long leases, has a guide price of around £350 - £400,000.

The auction is taking place next week with Clive Emson.