One of Medway’s oldest pubs may have called last orders.

But publicans worried about the future of the Hen and Chicks in Luton, Chatham, which has been shut for several weeks, may have some hope after a bid was launched to find a new manager.

It is understood the former long-term licensee died a few years ago and a family member took over following his death.

The pub, which was built in 1702, was originally a farmhouse.

It was converted into an ale house in 1746 and was frequented by brickmakers and agricultural workers in the surrounding areas.

As Chatham grew in size, it was a terminus for the bus horse and, later on, the tram.

There was at one point a forge on the side of the building in the heart of the village in Luton Road which burnt down many years ago.

The pub, formally called the Hen and Chickens, became a centre for Luton’s community activities and was popular among locals.

Over the decades most of the once numerous hostelries in Luton, which were used by dockyard workers and servicemen, have closed, with many converted into homes.

Trevor Wilson, a church warden at Christ Church in Luton Road, said: “I remember the days when this was the place working class people came for entertainment.”