A landlord ended his near-20 stewardship of a popular Teynham pub in style at the weekend.

Singers and bands rocked up at the Dover Castle to give Phil Clements a sensational send-off.

Phil, 55, took over the London Road venue in September 1994 – now he’s decided it’s time to say goodbye.

He said: “I’ve been here a long time. Much as I like this job, there’s other things I want to do in life.”

Phil ran the pub with Paul Gunner and James Roberts, both 39.

Paul said, together, they transformed it into the thriving business it is today.

He said: “When we took over, the pub’s upstairs was a bed and breakfast and there was stable attached to the downstairs part. We turned both into a restaurant, serving top quality local cuisine.”

Phil has enjoyed a number of highlights during his reign.

In 2011, he was inundated with calls from the world’s media who mistakenly believed the pub to be run by former News of the World journalist Paul McMullen, a reporter who spoke on TV about the phone-hacking scandal and landlord of the Castle Inn, Dover.

An Elvis tribute band, Taking Care of Vegas and Sittingbourne pop veterans Jel were among the live musical treats served up at Saturday night’s leaving party.

The long goodbye continued on Sunday courtesy of the Remedy and singer Nic Bennett.

Phil said his post-pub career plan involves travelling and visiting family all over the world.

His immediate future will see him run the catering operation at Woodstock Park FC, near Kent Science Park.

Mel Hatchard, landlord of the Railway Hotel in Faversham, will fill his shoes at the Dover Castle.

He will hand the day-to-day running of the pub to Phil Hope and his partner Rebecca, both of whom have plenty of pub management experience.

He said they will continue to run the Dover in the same format.

Phil said: “I’ve been self-employed for 20 years, so now when I get my pay packet I can relax.

"I’ve met some lovely people during my time at the Dover and I’ll be visiting the pub for a drink. But when I do pop in, I’ll be able to go home without having all the hassle the next day.”