No frills, no frippery of any kind, just excellent beer at great prices and a barmaid who really knows her stuff – I might just have found my new favourite pub.

With zero pretension, the staff and the customers at the Artillery Arms in Ramsgate are as down to earth as the boozer they’ve lovingly created.

The fact the pub’s owners were also sat at the bar enjoying a drink and sharing in the banter simply added to the authenticity of one of the friendliest, and most welcoming, places I’ve stepped into.

The windows in this Grade II listed corner pub are magnificent, so even before you’re through the door you get the sense it could be special.

It isn’t massive and with 30 or 40 folk in on a Friday evening, it felt busy and bustling, without, at any stage, reaching the point where it felt crowded.

There were plenty of decent ales to choose from and I was persuaded to try a pint of Fell Brewery’s Tinderbox IPA which, at 6.3%, was plenty powerful enough and had oodles of malt to reach all the right spots.

Emily the manager has been here for a decade, although she somehow finds time to also manage her own pub, the Ale House in the Middle of Our Street on Margate Road

Pint in hand I immediately found myself chatting to all sorts of people and met one fellow at the bar who says he’s often called in to do odd jobs at the pub. In fact, he said the only reason he nearly walked into the ladies loos by accident is because the boiler is in there!

This is through and through a traditional pub – you chat, you laugh, you enjoy well-kept beer, if that’s what you’re after it’s the place for you, if not… what’s wrong with you?

Owner Sandy had left her other half Roger at the bar for a swift ciggie at the table on the pavement outside the front door so I joined her and was soon given a potted history of this fascinating place. She and Rog were regulars here for years but when the old landlord died seven years ago and as the landlady was keen to sell, they snapped it up.

Then, proving it’s a family business, we were joined by her grandson, who’d taken a break from his bar shift to check on his Nan – I already felt part of the Artillery family.

You can tell this pub has evolved properly, and naturally, over the years into the eclectic and almost museum-like place it is today. There’s none of that false, faux nonsense introduced into chain pubs en masse to create an impression of age, everything here feels right and, not only that, but its very existence pays homage to those old soldiers it is celebrating.

And, among all this great stuff, there’s a grand mix of weird and wonderful furniture, including a great pair of old airline seats, a carpet and floorboards that are the perfect side of not quite tatty and a jukebox which, as if by magic, playing perfect tunes – Joy Division, The Clash, Waterboys and The Jam.

Although it wasn’t being used, I took a quick look at the space downstairs and could tell it’s been decorated in a slightly grander style and is designed for special occasions and times when perhaps food is being served. There is also a screen down here which, I presume, is used when sporting events warrant it - I suspect Emily had a big input into this renovation.

The Tinderbox was proving popular but to be fair all the ales were and when I switched to the Tonbridge bitter I was equally impressed, not just by the quality of the beer but also that the price started with a three.

Add in a roaring fire at the far end of the raised (up three steps) bar, a whole cross-section of friendly punters, good-natured banter, both inside the pub and also spilling out occasionally to the table on the pavement, plus the history and it’s easy to understand the popularity of this place.

If Sandy is right and this really was the watering hole favoured by Wellington’s officers billeted near here before heading off to face their Waterloo it’s easy to see the building is now listed and why successive owners have been keen to retain its history so carefully.

It was certainly busy on a Friday night but I’m assured it’s much the same at other times too. All in all, it’s a testament to the fact that great old-fashioned British pubs can still thrive.

Oh, and happy birthday for last week, Rog.

THE ARTILLERY ARMS, WEST CLIFF ROAD, RAMSGATE CT11 9JS

Décor: This is a proper pub, and you’ve got to love anywhere with a firearm used as a handrail and a pair of airline seats. Love the windows. ****

Drink: Ramsgate has gained a few new watering holes (mainly micro establishments) which pride themselves on the quality of their ales but you’ll struggle to find one with better-kept beers than The Artillery. *****

Price: A pint of Fell Brewery’s Tinderbox was £4.50, incidentally the same price as a Kronenbourg, but the Tonbridge bitter was only £3.90. Surely there’s nowhere cheaper in town other than Spoons. ****

Staff: Emily is clearly the glue here and she intuitively knows what makes a great boozer – hardworking common sense combined with a great sense of humour. *****

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