The British love a pub – and in the year 2000, there were about 60,000 across the country.

But, two decades later, this number had dropped to just 46,800.

Using our archives and dover-kent.com, we have looked back at some of the boozers we loved and lost in the Noughties.

The Ordinary Fellow, Chatham

This tavern’s quirky name was derived from King George V’s amazement when witnessing the jubilee celebrations of his subjects.

“For after all, I am but an ordinary fellow,” was his comment.

It opened on March 17, 1937, in Palmerstone Road, and closed in 2009.

The Ordinary Fellow has since been converted into houses.

The Greyhound, Rochester

This was a traditional backstreet boozer and was found on Rochester Avenue.

For decades, landlady Wendy Stenhouse served up sound advice, good grub and pints.

She even took one regular out clothes shopping when she didn't approve of his fashion sense, and she and her late husband Bill used to go on holidays abroad with their customers.

After Bill died, Wendy kept running the business for a few years but eventually pulled the last pint in 2002.

Braces, Ramsgate

This quirky-looking inn has gone through many names including Cobblers, Duke of Kent and Swiss Cottage.

It was more recently called Braces and closed in 2009 and then became a favourite haunt of trespassers.

In 2017, permission was granted for Braces to be demolished, but nothing happened and the building went up for sale in 2019.

Finally, in 2020 it was demolished, and flats were built in its place.

The Elephants Head, Sevenoaks

This pub was once visited by an actual elephant, which had been forced to walk from Wales to Maidstone when the zoo she was travelling in was taken off the road.

Lizzy, as she was known, sadly died of a heart attack soon after.

The drinking hole started serving in 1867 but sadly closed in 2009.

It is now Sevenoaks Veterinary Surgery.

The Bulls Head, Strood

This tavern opened and closed many times over the decades.

However, it called last orders for good in 2009.

Previously called the Mid Kent Hotel, it first opened in 1828.

It is now a Papa John's pizza outlet.

The Castle, Ashford

Opened in 1702 in Castle Street, this inn was once a staple of Ashford town centre.

It was owned by Shepherd Neame through the 19th century and sadly closed in the early 2000s.

The last landlord, Richard Coughlan, was the drummer for the Canterbury band Caravan.

It is now a Halifax bank.

The Bulls Head, Adisham

As is the story with many closed pubs, The Bulls Head was reduced to rubble.

It shut in 2009 and nine years later the old building was torn down and has since been replaced with four homes.

It had been there since at least 1740, and when it shut, locals put up fierce objections to changing the tavern from its community use.

There were plans to keep part of the existing building and include a village shop, but these failed to materialise.

In its heyday, The Bulls Head was owned by Whitbread and was found at 10 The Street, Adisham, near Canterbury.

The Golden Lion, Brompton

This is said to be one of Brompton's oldest pubs and appears to have been founded in about 1705.

It was used as a meeting place by the Ancient Order of Foresters and the Conservative Working Men's Club until they opened their own venue opposite in 1925.

In the 90s, many locals referred to it as ‘The Beast’.

The tavern called last orders for good in 2003 and the building still looks as it did, but with boarded-up windows and peeling paint.

The Victory, Sheerness

In the 1980s, George Bristow, father of darts professional the Crafty Cockney Eric Bristow, was captain of the darts team at this public house.

It was rumoured to be haunted and closed in 2009.

The Victory has since been bulldozed and replaced with flats.

Former licensee Patricia Doherty once claimed that people did not want to move into the new homes due to the site’s spooky past.

The Round House, Canterbury

This watering hole is known for its peculiar circular shape.

It was built in the late 17th Century and went through many names including The Wheatsheaf, Station Hotel, The Man of Kent and The Railway Tavern.

The Round House is found on the Wincheap roundabout, and it closed for good in 2006.

It is now a 10-bed student home.

The Britannia, Dover

The Britannia was another quirky-looking pub, as it had a huge rounded window to the front.

It opened on March 26, 1962, having replaced The Wine Lodge which once stood in the same spot.

Hundreds gathered for the opening ceremony, where a champagne bottle was broken against the building.

In 2005 publicans made a bid to serve alcohol 24 hours a day and were granted the licence.

In the same year, landlady Sarah Webb announced plans to bring in topless pole dancers - promising to take to the stage herself.

In 2008 Dover District Council purchased the boozer and it was boarded up.

About three years later, the old Britannia was demolished and there is now a car park in its place.

The Swan, Faversham

Crispin and Crispianus, the patron saints of shoemakers, are thought to have traditionally lived where The Swan now stands on Market Street (although it is no longer a pub).

They worked as cobblers in the town before moving elsewhere.

The inn opened in 1758 and stopped operating as a pub in 2014.

It is now a cafe and restaurant but has kept The Swan name.

The Plough Inn, Dartford

The Plough dates back to 1828 and was owned by Charrington.

It was knocked down and rebuilt in 1932 but closed in 2008.

The tavern remained boarded up and empty for many years.

It was demolished in about 2019 before flats were put up in its footprint as part of the Copper House Green development.

The Morehall, Folkestone

This drinking spot has a claim to fame, having featured on Homes Under the Hammer in 2016.

It closed for business at the end of 2009 and was first put up for sale in 2010.

On the show, it sold for £220,000 and the new owners spent twice that amount renovating it into eight flats.

The Morehall, on Cheriton Road, first opened in 1901.

The Litten Tree, Tunbridge Wells

This is possibly one of Kent’s shortest-lived boozers, selling pints for only five years.

Formerly a Courts furniture store, it was controversially opened up as a 400-capacity ‘super pub’ in December 2000 – just in time for Christmas.

There was fierce backlash from neighbours concerned about late-night noise and the landlord Surrey Free Inns said they would host lap dancers, but they did not materialise.

Despite this, it was a popular spot. That was until the company called in administrators in 2005.

It remained empty for three years and is now a British Heart Foundation charity shop.

The Clarendon Inn, Gillingham

The Clarendon can be traced to 1863 but closed in about 2009 and was converted into flats known as Clarendon House.

It was next to the livestock pound, and the locals used to ask the question: "Where is beer sold by the pound?"

Ind Coope & Co Ltd purchased the pub from Budden & Biggs Brewery Ltd in 1931.

Reviews from when the place was open suggest it was run-down, was often filled with smoke and had a “depressing atmosphere”.

The Green Dragon, Gillingham

A quirky venue in its heyday, the Green Dragon opened in 1776.

In the early 20th century a whale was washed up on the shore nearby and for many years the bones were on display in the pub in Church Street.

It closed in 2008 and was left boarded up for many years, with broken windows and weeds growing between the bricks.

It sold at auction for £250,000 in June 2012 with planning permission to be demolished and replaced with homes.

The boozer was finally pulled down in July 2022.

The Strand, Deal

The Strand was originally called the Dolphin and then the Black Horse.

It shut in 2009 and was meant to reopen after a refurb.

However, it never served pints again and is now a furniture shop and amusement arcade called Beach of Deal.

The building is L-shaped and looks onto the High Street near the seafront.

In the 1800s, a large three-storey extension was added providing additional bar space at ground floor level and hotel rooms above.

Scruffy Ducks, Herne Bay

Landlord Mike Thompson bought the freehold to this tavern in 1991, changing its name from New Dolphin to Scruffy Ducks.

It closed in June 2004 and soon after became a magnet for squatters and vandals.

The pub was demolished in February 2008 following a fire that destroyed its roof and made the building unsafe.

Now, it has been replaced with William Street car park, which has had several plans for redevelopment over the years.

It is currently for sale for £1 million with planning permission for 20 two-bed apartments spread over four floors, four commercial units and parking.

The Fant Arms, Maidstone

This one dates back to 1871 and was found on Upper Fant Road.

It ran for many years but closed in 2009.

The Fant Arms remained empty for roughly a decade and was then turned into two houses.

The Prince of Wales, Gravesend

This public house opened in 1792 and was found on East Milton Road.

It sadly closed in 2006 and suffered a fire two years later.

It was subsequently demolished and in 2013, the council approved plans for four houses, six flats and a shop on the site.

Found next to St Paul’s church, it is now a Co-op store.

The Barge, Sittingbourne

The Barge had an adjoining sandwich shop that opened in 1992 but only lasted 16 years as the business then closed.

It was demolished in 2010 and all that remains is the sign.

It is now a car park.

The Old Cottage, Margate

This historic inn dates back 320 years and was dubbed “the longest Homes Under the Hammer project ever”.

It served pints up until 2007 when the doors closed and the building was left in a sorry state.

Two years later, David Gorton snapped it up for a "bargain" £90,000 on an episode of the auction show.

He has been working on the huge project ever since, and the pub has still not reopened.

When the Grade II-listed tavern finally opens its doors again, it will have its own brewery and BnB rooms.

Among its punters over the years was someone who dropped an Oliver Cromwell silver shilling dating back to 1658.

It was discovered in May 2022 last year after it was sucked up into a hoover and was valued at more than £12,000.

The Upper Bell, Chatham

Rik Waller was a familiar face in Kent during the early Noughties.

The Pop Idol star was snapped in the Upper Bell, Blue Bell Hill, at a karaoke night in December 2001.

It has been said that unusually the cellar was located above and behind the bar.

The Landlord simply had to turn the tap on to pour a pint.

In 2003, the road past the pub – a slip road onto the A229 – was closed off, killing all passing trade.

The business hung on for two more years but was boarded up by March 2005.

As of 2019, all that stands in its place is a perimeter fence and a mass of overgrown greenery.

The Royal Oak, Tonbridge

There is still a Royal Oak going strong in Tonbridge on Shipbourne Road, but this one in Lower Haysden Lane – just outside the main town – closed in 2001.

It was known for selling arrowroot biscuits and was well-used in its prime.

In about 2009, the alehouse was converted into an attractive private home.

Noah’s Ark, Whitstable

This seaside beer seller in Canterbury Road was first opened in 1852.

Noah’s Ark was owned by Shepherd Neame and the last licensee was Dennis Rodway, who ran it for more than 30 years.

It closed in August 2002 and is now a takeaway.

The Parkwood Tavern, Maidstone

This pub built and opened in Wallis Avenue in the 1960s had a turbulent past.

Police shut it down after a drug raid in 2006 in a “successful operation” to combat illegal substances.

The next month, officers put up a ‘rat on a rat’ banner on the building, just above the sign.

It urged people to turn in drug dealers anonymously via Crimestoppers.

In 2007, Parkwood Tavern was demolished and has since been replaced with 26 homes.

The Garden Gate, Bromley

The Garden Gate opened in 1953 on the corner of Old Bromley Road.

It was known as a nice community inn with a beautiful garden.

In 2006, the last pint was pulled and it is now a McDonald’s drive-thru.