A NEW pub is to open in Maidstone town centre next Monday. The Society Rooms, situated underneath Brenchley House opposite Maidstone East station, is owned by JD Wetherspoon, the company which runs the Muggleton Inn in High Street.

The new bar has taken five months to complete at a cost of £1.3 million. More than 40 jobs have also been created.

The Society Rooms will be a music-free venue with a large no-smoking area. The pub will serve food through the day and has an outside drinking area.

Pub manager Rob Barfoot said: "I am confident that The Society Rooms will appeal to a wide range of customers and be a valuable addition to the town."

The name The Society Rooms relates to an association called the Maidstone Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge, set up in the 18th century by William Shipley and Lord Romney. The Society Rooms was the meeting place for members to come together to discuss topics of the day.

The opening of the new bar had sparked speculation that the Muggleton Inn may close - a suggestion denied by JD Wetherspoon. A company spokesman said: "It is because that pub has been so popular that we want another Wetherspoon's in the town.

"It is in a different part of town and doesn't affect the Muggleton."