In just a two-mile stretch of road, seven pubs have closed in a town.

A number of hostelries along Sittingbourne High Street, West Street, East Street, Canterbury Road and Bapchild have had to close their doors, and some still remain boarded up today.

Here is a list of the pubs that have shut such a little distance apart from one another...

The Bull

The Bull, which was on the high street and originally known as Ye Olde Bull, started trading in 1544, as an alehouse.

By the 1800s, it was a large hotel – which was much bigger than the building is now.

It was busy enough in the 1850s that landlord William Bowman had a live-in cook, barmaid, chambermaid, nursemaid, porter and potboy.

Up until the end of the Second World War, The Bull was a place where farmers would come on market day, as the sales came right up to the back door of the inn.

In 1966 there was a snack counter that sold soused herrings and home-made veal and ham pie.

The pub had guests until 1968 when it boasted 25 bedrooms.

However, it was closed in 1970 and the contents were auctioned off.

The Victorian wing of the building was demolished in 1972 and a shop complex was built on the site.

After being renovated, the remaining old portion of the pub reopened in 1975 and there was a bar downstairs and restaurant upstairs.

In the 1990s, it was particularly known for its good lunches.

The pub closed in 2014 after going in and out of business several times.

Mexican restaurant Tacos Locos has stood in its place since 2017.

The Summoner

The Summoner, which was a Wetherspoon's pub, opened in 1998 on the ground floor of the former Hulburds department store.

The High Street pub ended up shutting in February 2016, after nearly 20 years of service, which ended up affecting up to 40 jobs.

Now, there is a Kaspa's dessert restaurant on the ground floor while the top of the building is boarded up.

The Ship Inn

The Ship Inn has been on East Street for hundreds of years – since 1582.

One owner was Thomas Tonge who passed it on to his nephew William Vallance in 1806.

Other landlords included John Mangean in 1828, James Jackson in 1834, Francis Bower, who was a horse trainer, and Edward Parker, who was at the site in 1867 with his wife and family.

The building which stands today is believed to date back to 1899.

Mick Page, who took over The Ship in 1975, previously told KentOnline back in 2010 that he blamed a change in people's social lives for the demise of the pub trade.

He said: "Sadly the days of the great traditional pub have finished, but at the same time you’ve got to move on."

The pub was closed by 2017, and was converted into flats.

The Wheatsheaf

The Wheatsheaf on East Street was open by 1834 and the landlord was called John Smith.

Other owners included William Apps, who ran the pub with his family in 1851, and Joseph Hodgkin in 1874.

The licensee was Edward J. Allen in 1899 and his wife Mary took it over from 1908 until at least 1930.

The pub ended up shutting in the autumn of 2019, and has been boarded-up since.

The building is set to be partly demolished and turned into a micropub and flats.

The Cherry Tree

The Cherry Tree on Canterbury Road was originally known as the Shakespeare Hotel with Francis Bower, who was previously at The Ship, as the owner in 1882.

In 1908, the hotel was described as "a family and commercial hotel with luncheons, dinners and teas available at the shortest notice as well as hot lunches every market day".

The pub was called The Shakespeare up until the mid 1960s –it was then known as The Pied Piper in the 1970s and then The Shire.

In the early 2000s it was re-named The Cherry Tree, which remained its name until it closed.

The pub was shut by September 2012 and a Tesco Express has stood in its place since 2013.

The Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales is on the junction of Canterbury Road and Murston Road and was built between 1856 and 1860.

Licensees included Thomas Chesson in 1861, Edward Bones in 1881 and William Allen was the innkeeper in 1903.

During a "freak summer storm" in 1925, the pub temporarily became a morgue when a motorist driving through Sittingbourne was hit and killed by a tall elm tree falling onto his car.

The pub closed in 2009 and is now a Flame Grill takeaway.

The Fox and Goose

The Fox and Goose in Bapchild dates back to the 17th century and landlords include William Ellis in 1832 and blacksmith James Knowler in 1847.

In the 1960s the landlords were F. Hopgood followed by A. C. Shepherd.

The last landlady, Rebecca Baker, made the decision to close the pub on May 15, following the death of her father, plus the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

She told KentOnline: "I am so grateful to all the customers, friends, my partner Steven Bravery and family members that have supported me.

"However, with lack of support from the village of Bapchild itself, how is a village pub supposed to survive? We tried everything.

"I really do hope that if another pub opens they are half as lucky as me to make the friends I made.

"I hope the village supports them. I'm heartbroken to see the pub how it is now and really do feel a failure.

"Will it ever be a pub again? I would hope with all my heart if it does that the local community really come together and support it."

The future of the building is unknown.

Allen Whitnell, who is chairman of the Sittingbourne Heritage Museum, said: "We all know I think why it has been difficult for businesses in the hospitality sector to survive lately.

"But pubs have been closing at an alarming rate for decades and I find it sad, because it is a sign that parts of our way of life and culture that are changing.

"There were pubs on every street corner at one time and now developers are allowed to build thousands of houses in some cases without even a doctor’s surgery, let alone a pub."

He said that the business has changed so much that tenants in pubs are "squeezed" by high rents and costs, along with falling customer numbers.

He continued: "Business is business and you can’t keep pubs open as museums – if they can’t make a living, they close.

"I congratulate those that do manage to keep going whatever they have to do and I no longer moan about those that turn into more of a 'family restaurant' – so long as they stay open and serve beer that is drinkable.

"The micropubs are to be applauded and I’m very pleased to see they are becoming more common, pushing just a little against the tide of pub closures."

* An earlier version of this story said the Ypres Tavern was closed. It's been brought to our attention that while it is boarded up, the Ypres - Bar and Lounge is still operating from the back and will be fully opened next year.