The timber batts Pub & forge in Shepway

We loved everything about this place. Quirky as hell, great interior, great service, great food, great portions. Something a bit different to the norm. Give it a go.

Peaceful location, very friendly staff, good food and drink and the most weirdly decorated pub I’ve ever been in, which work’s really well in a 15th century building. It’s a shame it only open Friday to Sunday but we will defiantly be going back.

I booked a meal here after reading reviews and was not let down! It's a great location in the countryside and when you walk through the front door, WOW! You'll spend ages exploring all the nooks and crannies, so we ordered our food and then looked around, as there's so much to enjoy! When our food came, the portions were great and, as for the taste, absolutely delicious!

Wow, what a pub. Lovely food, friendly staff and great beer. But the pub, never been to a pub I spent an hour just exploring the oddities on the walls, ceiling and table. Booked a table on a whim and couldn't recommend more highly enough other people do the same

How surprised were we to find this amazing pub/home. We tried phoning but no answer so we drove off the beaten track to try our luck. Being as I'm an American that has lived in the UK (London mainly) for the past 23 yrs I walked in to an eclectic pub that reminded me of home. The menu had Southern flair. The owner (didn't ask her name) was so accommodating and gave us a table and even though busy, she was so inviting an kind since we didn't reserve first. The food came quickly and was the most delicious food I've eaten without a doubt Ever. We had the ribs, jambalaya and the deserts to die for. I've seriously never had ever had anything this authentic ever in the UK. I can't wait to bring the rest of my family over to eat with these lovely people. I cannot fault this place...it was perfect.

We had dinner here as we were staying nearby and my husband had found it via Google. Amazing quirky decor, friendly owners and punters and AMAZING food! My husband had the tomahawk steak, marinaded and smoked - huge, succulent and delicious! I went for the landlady’s take on a winter ploughman’s - a whole Camembert, gammon, dirty wedges and a load of other delicious sides. We h@d two older people with us with smaller appetites and happily accommodated their request for just macaroni cheese and chips. All very reasonably priced for the quantities and top quality - and him indoors brought home a lump of steak he couldn’t quite manage for sandwiches tomorrow! Many thanks - would definitely recommend.

Sarah & Ross have made this like a 2nd home for all their guests. From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave the environment is welcoming, friendly and cosy. A traditional country pub with an unconventional decor. Seeing is believing. Always feel welcomed, even when by myself. The food is definitely not your ordinary pub food, and the monthly quiz is definitely taxing on the brain You have to see it to believe it. Well done to you both and your staff. Paul

We wanted to visit a country pub for the evening and we found this very quirky pub full of eclectic items such as stuffed animals and gas masks. It’s well worth a visit as lovely friendly staff and great food. I had the vegetarian tofu with rice and veg. Hubby had ribs with chips. Huge portion sizes and delicious. We then had candy floss for pudding. We had a lovely evening with lovely food. Definitely worth a visit..

Very friendly and helpful bar staff,three of us shared the plater for two and struggled to eat it all very tasty ,felt the beer was a bit disappointing tasted like homebrew

We had such a great time when we visited over the Jubilee weekend. Such a friendly welcome and instantly fell in love with the inside and outside. We had bubba burgers which we had with a smoked jacket potato and smoked chips followed by Yorkshire pudding cheesecakes. Everything was homemade, tasted great and was so unique. We were never rushed and played some of the games on the table. We will definitely be back!

As soon as we walked in, we loved it. A mixture of the weird and wonderful and a cozy rural pub. Food was fantastic. Lovely flavours, great portions and a real sense of home cooking at its best. My husband is vegetarian and often gets poor meals when eating out, but not on this occasion. The vegetarian pie was amazing . I had butter chicken which was beautiful. Dessert was just as fab with huge, beautifully decorated cupcakes and candyfloss on a stick...loved it! A gem of a place that must be visited, and visited again!

An excellent Sunday vegetarian roast served with a very friendly n attentive service. Highly recommended.

A brilliant pub with a unique decor-you could never get bored exploring the quirky curiosities that cover the bar and restaurant. Food is excellent and nothing was too much hassle (our vegan friend was exceptionally well fed!) If you’re looking for something a little bit different but with a friendly atmosphere and amazing hosts, then look no further!

Visited here for 5 days camping with a couple of friends. First time in the area and was not disappointed. Staff where super friendly and helpful, place was very quirky and interesting, FOOD WAS ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THIS WORLD. all homemade sauces breads wraps tacos. Very accommodating for meat lovers like myself who love massive portions all the way to massive portions for vegans and vegetarians. 💯%reccomend a visit you will be very intrigued and looked after.

What a place, Museum of curiosity indeed, what a collection and definitely unique. Food was out of this world, nothing was a hassle and the family who run the place are so friendly. We got a look into the forge whilst it was been used and what skills from Ross. True craftsman’s. Can not wait until my next visit.

My daughter and I popped in here for a drink last Sunday as I found it online and thought it looked a bit different. We weren't disappointed, it is truly wonderful in my opinion. If you like corporate style pubs / gastropubs you're not likely to love the Timber Batts, but if you enjoy the uniqueness of British pubs you're going to be talking about it afterwards for weeks. Ross and Sarah were really friendly and Ross showed my daughter and I around and gave a back story to lots of the artefacts. He's an interesting guy and a big punk fan. Also a brilliant landlord as (because I was driving and it was mid afternoon) we only had one drink each but he was happy to chat and tell us all about the pub etc. I can't wait to go back again, especially as they apparently do pizzas and cajun food. They're only open quite limited hours though as really the whole place is an extension of their house, hence the hilariously eclectic style. If only more pubs were like this rather than the boringly safe gastropub identikit refits that seem to be happening everywhere you go. This really is a pub worth going out of the way for. Unfortunately I live 40 minutes away and am seriously envious of the residents of Bodsham having this amazing gem on their doorstep.

Friends arranged a BBQ at this quirky but fantastic little pub. Food was excellent, service outstanding and the rhubarb cider amazing. Would highly recommend a visit

Normal times...great ale, great food and great service Pandemic times...fantastic ale, superb food and exceptional service. Thank you

If you want to try something a little different then the Timber Batts is the place to go! It has changed somewhat considerably from its previous incarnation as a gastropub, and now the inside looks like a cross between Ripleys believe it or not museum and a biker bar, filled with curios of all kinds, and is probably like nowhere else you've ever been to eat or drink! The welcome is warm from the owners and their family who all run the place, but the best thing is the drink and the food. A good choice of real ales await you, and the burger I had was amongst the best (and most filling) that I've ever had, all coming in at a decent price. I cannot wait to come back and try the pizzas, and the other things on the menu. Worth joining their Facebook page as they often try out new things and have some often quite famous people playing from time to time.Advise ringing before going up to check they are doing food though as they are not always open for food, and it may be a bit of a trek for some to get up there.

Visited for the first time in 30 years! Wow what a difference the place is. From a beautiful little country pub then! to a well, quirky, strange pub with some quite intriguing items all over the pub that I would not expect to see in a pub. it was like sitting in someone’s over horded front room! Nether the less we had a lovely meal and the service was very good. There were no mainstream beers. They were all craft beers. It wasn’t what we were expecting but we had a nice evening!

What a fabulous pin. Great food. Crazy cocktails Friendly hosts. Very creative decor! My kind of place 😁

What else can I say but, beautiful Cajun food at great prices, great hosts, a roaring fire, wonderful country views, a great range of local brews, oh and the quirkiest and most stylish pub/ museum you have been to. There is so much to see and things to keep your interest. I did a blacksmiths day experience with the landlord a few years ago and he runs these from the back of the pub. I love this pub!

Ok, so I might be biased and I have left a review for the Timber Batts previously but I thought it worth leaving another.Visited today with my wife to have a spot of lunch as we had seen that they had a new Cajun menu, as well as their normal selection. What a treat. I had the Jambalaya and my wife chose the Vegan Gumbo, along with a shared sides of coleslaw and hush puppies (corn bread). It was delicious and the portion size was huge. In fact my wife couldn’t manage all of hers and they gladly loaded the remainder in to a polystyrene box so that we could take the remainder home with us. Dishes were £12 and as said above were huge (I certainly won’t need to eat anything else today!!). As a complete aside they also run a quiz night the second Sunday of every month. There is s cash prize (£3 per person entry), including a buffet.You do need to drive to get there, unless you live nearby but it’s really is worth a visit and the staff are fantastic.

Quirky or strange are apt works to describe this place. A mix of stuffed animals, manikins wearing gas masks and other distinctly odd memorabilia. The fathers day BBQ was good though, despite the weather being unkind. I would happily return, although my wife would have been more pleased to see the animals unstuffed.

What an amazing pub, more like a museum of wonderful, quirky, reminiscent items, everywhere you looked there was something amazing to see.Great atmosphere with lovely staff, this family run business is well worth a visit.The food was amazing, the cocktails and beer lovely too.Would highly recommend and definitely want to return.

Cake cake cake Exceptionally good as well as the ale. Happy days. Great atmosphere, great hosts, great company

This was my first experience of the Timber Batts and won't be my last! I enrolled onto an axe making course which was run in a workshop at the rear of the pub. After a day in the heat of the forge beating metals to form an axe head a good pint was in order and the Timber Batts did not disappoint with exclusive ales. There was something for carnivores, vegetarians and vegans on the menu and my choice of Curried Goat Burger was delicious.The second day of the axe making course was not affected by the previous evening's ale and good company.I am certainly looking forward to returning in the not too distant future. Thank you Sarah and Ross.

Brilliant find what a quirky place, we can’t wait to go back so much to see and beautiful views. Dirty fries are delicious, staff are lovely and friendly.

Friendly and welcoming but just really really weird! In the middle of nowhere, trying to find it in the dark was a bit of a challenge! The food was ok, the homecut chips were lovely tasting but a bit cold. Reasonably priced. I think I will go here again for the novelty factor as words cannot convey the oddities scattered around! The Flamingo bathroom was well, flamingos everywhere! Looking forward to taking our Aussie visitors here! They have limited opening hours so make sure you check they are open before you set off!

Really fascinating place to visit, a bit bohemian and full of character, ducks, chickens and a blacksmith's forge - to boot. The food is pub grub with a difference and exceptional value. I give it top marks for doing what it does well, don't expect more, it's just a very good country pub excursion.

One-of-a-kind establishment run and staffed by real characters. Decent beer and the food looked amazing (the cupcakes are a work of art!) but the decor is next level. Spend an hour here and you'll need another hour to double check the stuff on the walls/ceiling/floors and every available surface is really there. Real thought has gone into making a large space into a collection of intimate nooks: vintage arcade machines, unusual paraphernalia, weird taxidermy and comfy chairs next to an open fire! Good selection of mainstream beers and ciders (and top shelf) with more local, small batch beers also available. Plus, there's all the stuff outside too but you should go see that for yourself! Highly recommended!

Are you fed up with the run of the mill chain pubs, with the standard decor and beer. If your answer is yes, then get yourselves over to the Timber Batts. A quirky pub that can only be described as a one off. They have a good selection of local beers and some unusual cocktails. The food is really good, and in the Summer they have the barbecue running in the garden (the jerk chicken is really good). They also play some really good ska and reggae music and a number of live bands also perform. It is a bit out of the way, but there are facilities for camping behind the pub in the garden. Finally if that wasn't enough there is blacksmiths forge where you can take courses. Give it a visit, you won't be disappointed.

We popped into the timber batts Saturday, myself and my elderly father. We had a wonderful meal , the service was great and the interior fascinating. Staff wete vey friendky inc explain the history of the pub a dozen times to my absent minded father. Looking forward to another visit soon !

Great bands and what a wonderful atmosphere Wickerman felt right at home and were made so welcome We loved playing for you guys Nothing was too much trouble and the pizza was just ace!

I have only had the please if going twice. Both times offered amazing food, great variety of drink, great decor & ambiance and the friendliest service. I explained my dietary needs and had a personalised stone baked pizza created. Great live music space. Exited to be back and hopefully camp in the future. Can't compare it to any other 'local'. It's tricky to find but even more magical that way

The landlord and landlady are wonderful and always feel welcome here. We spent The best new year here and our second visit was at the weekend and we will definitely be returning.

The Batts is going from strength to strength under Ross and Sarah’s tenure. It’s a friendly and fun country pub (very old) with eclectic decor and a tongue-in-cheek atmosphere. They have become very much part of the community in this lovely part of Kent.

I’ve been to the Timber Batts three times now and highly recommended it to friends and family!!...Completely off the beaten track and a gem to behold! Landlord and family make you feel a part of the family with their relaxed and personable nature. Certainly Not your ‘normal ‘ pub, and Thank the good Lord for that, I says!! If you’re expecting Starbucks, Costa or Wetherspoons as it would appear some on here did (check out the naff moaning reviews), then I’d suggest you don’t stray from the High Street. Beware Thee Moon!! Hhhhhhhhhhooooooowwwwwwwlllll!!

Fantastic beer and food, super friendly owners and staff and amazing interior full of curiosities. It's a bit off the beaten track but is in a beautiful location and well worth a trip out for one of their delicious pizzas and a pint of ale.

A great and quirky pub, nice people and good food, it's not the pub it used to be, if that's what you want go to a Harvester, the landlords are very frindly, really nice family, the pub is full of quirky gems from the past, from taxedermy to victorian prosthetics, even a vintage tabletop pacman, there are very few places quite like this, it's a victorian steampunk museum of a pub with a feel of 50's scifi, love it, pizza on the outside stone pizza oven is great too, they run several themed nights to raise money for charity, if you haven't been i would highly recommend it

I had done a course before at the timberbatts and loved it. So I booked another one for my dad's 70th we had to change the date a couple of times due to my dad not being well and they were brilliant. We had a great day out very hands on made a cracking little knife each and a bird feeder stand each. We had a lovely meal included at lunch time and got show round the little museum. Thank you for a brilliant day and we will be back in the Summer for a camp out in our camper vans. Well worth a visit.

Great little pub, great decor there's something different everywhere you look. Great drinks selection with local ciders and ales, nice pub food, brilliant live bands love the dub club the last one was brilliant with the bikers. They made us feel very welcome.

Cheap camping, good music, and good beer. Even got breakfast in the morning. The long drop might not be for every one but I personally found the breeze around the bum refreshing.

The Timber Batts really is a hidden jewel in the Kent country side. The 15th century pub is set in the most beautiful location, a tad off the beaten track but easily accessed from Stone street. Sarah and Ross are friendly and welcoming hosts supplying a good atmosphere, wide range of local sourced Ciders and Ales as well as reasonably priced good quality food. I refer to it as a pub but it is so much more than that. The pub filled is with curiosities. The decor is unique, from the taxidermy to the disco ball in the loos. There is also a working forge attached to the Pub. We first visited here back in the spring of 2018 with some friends from Essex on a weekend when there was a mini festival being held at the pub. We made good use of the camping available so were able enjoy the festival and bar fully. We have subsequently returned for Sunday meals and music events. There are a few of these events held throughout the year, as well as regular dub nights. I cannot recommend the Timber Batts highly enough. It really is a breath of fresh air. Quirky, Friendly, Entertaining beautifully located and reasonably priced. If you want a Wetherspoons or other corporate pub this is not for you. If you want something a bit different take the time to pay it a visit, I guarantee you’ll be back.

Wow what a find. Great selection of ciders, great tasty pizzas, great warm welcome, as soon as we entered. Found a jem of a place. See you all soon. Go and visit, I promise you won't be disappointed.Keep being unique.

Just spent my 29th birthday in this pub and I honestly couldn't rate it any more highly. Beautiful, unique and interesting decor inside, warm and welcoming and the staff and landlords were incredibly accommodating and friendly. Extremely nice to sit down in front of the fire on a cold November evening. The drinks are great and very well priced too, I'd recommend a pint of the chaos.

Well, what a find. In the middle of lovely scenery this pub has found a new lease of life with its new (ish) owners. The interior is hard to discribe, but there are disco lights in the gents loo and flamingos in the ladies. Enough said.

Well, I found this pub, with its quirky decor, to be inviting and a great place. I ate a pizza cooked on the wood-fired oven and it was great. I love a thin crust and the wood-fired taste is authentic and just plain fab!

What an amazing and eclectic collection at this pub.

Raw Pizza., Mot worth getting out of bed for, even if you do want to be shouted at. The food is terrible and the service appalling.

We loved this pub and used to go there a lot especially for the Dub nights,but the last one was pretty much full of bikers giving it the large,making others feel very unwelcome. Its such a shame as this used to be a lovely pub with a good landlord and landlady (Ross and Sarah) who don't seem to be so happy anymore. But we are not the only ones feeling the bikers and their club are taking over as others have mentioned this and started to drift away and find a different Pub elsewhere.Just a shame its gone this way as they lose their regulars and the Pub will get a bad name. Hope they pull it back to how it was before the bike club turned up.

Great quirky pub with friendly staff & excellent BBQ food plus you can camp there overnight, will definitely return.

We went with family that live nearby

Nice old pub in a small village about 10 miles out of Ashford,lots of local beers friendly Landlady and Hubby, with a Forge and a small camp site

Lovely old pub ,very quaky,lot of strange things pinball machine, old dentist chair lots more ,good local beers, friendly landlady and a black smiths .

Go to this pub feels like your in Scotland stuffed animals open fires iron works as has a blacksmith there fully working dies courses book in advance busy a dying trade chickens running outside and unusual objects everywhere

After attending the Kaos blacksmith course my wife and I went to the Timber Batts pub for a meal.

Stopped by last week with the missus, felt welcome in the pub and will visit again.

Well! This place is amazing! the Pub itself is beautifully decorated with an amazing eclectic array of art and craft and all sorts!

This must be one of the best decorated pubs in the country. With the added bonus of an excellent selection of ales and ciders from Kent and moonshine from America.

Myself and friends had a great evening at the pub including some lovely freshly made to order pizza from a real log fired pizza oven!! The service was fast and friendly Sarah and Ross were helpful and very welcoming! The pub has a massive collection of unusual object that the owners have collected over many years and well worth a look around!

I found the landlady to be unwelcoming and clearly dislikes children. It’s ok if you’re a regular but I found it a very unfriendly pub. Hated all the stuffed animals and weird stuff, bones & tools and it’s very dark. Weird atmosphere. Food expensive and definitely not great.

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, warm, worth a visit. We plan on coming back for food one evening :)

Lovely quirky pub, visited before just for drinks, today we tried the food. We had amazing pizza freshly made, my choice was Stilton and anchovies lovely combination served with a fresh salad, couple of glasses of Pinot noir, perfect way to spend a Sunday. Lots to look at inside the pub and set in beautiful countryside we definitely be back.

Friday night is raw pizza night.....landlady was rude and screeched at us that "this is Italian pizza and how the Italian's cook it" well both pizza's had raw dough in the middle, I have never been spoken to like this before. It could be such a gem.

This place must be in line for the 'Britain's whackiest boozer' award. It's not a typical country pub, it's more like a modern art exhibition. The crazy collection certainly amused my friend's child. We stopped by on Friday - pizza night! The landlady (who must be an ex-punk) bakes them in her wood-fired oven outside and they come out hot and tasty. The Batts is a must for those who prefer something interesting with their pint, which, when we stopped by was a lovely Incubus.

A real pub with bags more . Dog friendly as well as people friendly and oodles of charm and character. Unpretentious with lots to interest. Wood fired Pizza, real cider and local ales as well!

The Timber Batts has been given a new life by the current owners Sarah and Ross. Great local real ales that are changed regularly. Fantastic food including Pizzas from a wood fired oven, fish n chips, burgers, pies and to top it off home made cake!

What an amazing day! Thank you so much Sarah and Ross for your hospitality and kindness! My husband really enjoyed his day and myself and my son were well looked after! Would highly recommend this blacksmith course for anyone who wants to try their hand at something different. Ross was very knowledgable and made teaching seem easy. He immediately made us feel relaxed and welcome. Sarah was a great host making my son feel at home! He even got to pick the cake for the afternoon tea :) The food in the pub for lunch is second to none and all sourced locally! What a fantastic day. Thank you! Am looking to book again shortly!

Friendly. Beautiful pub with great and eclectic decor. The view from the garden is unsurpassed in Kent. And I love to take my child here.

Quirky place and the decor is cool, just a massive shame about the landlady. Unhelpful, grumpy and just plain rude. Don't even think about taking kids in there. Seems like they brought the place for the building and do not really want to even run a pub. Food is crap to non-existent....... Pretty safe to say that friends and family wont be going back..... We thought the previous owners were bad and rude...... not a patch on these.... must be plagued with the grumps.......

This is a Devine building found up a winding country road. Room for parking . Blacksmith courses on offer for those that are interested. Long car area surrounding a central bar. Quirky place adorned with all sorts to keep the mind going. There are cameras in the Loo! Old ones ! Good selection of ales and ciders.very friendly service.

One of Kent's oldest pubs has ceased being a French restaurant - and lost the Gallic shrugging and foreign flouncing therein. The Batts is offering ales and simple food again and we love it. The bourgeoisie have crossed it off their list of places 'to drive out to' and the Kentish yeomen are reclaiming their boozer birthright! So, it's oven-fired pizzas, fish 'n' chips and tales in front of the real fire. Bring your dog, bring a yarn and raise a glass to the rebirth of an English boozer.

Went to the Timber Batts for a blacksmiths course at the Kaos forge next door which is run by the landlord Ross. They recently reopened the pub after the previous owner had divebombed it into the ground. Only open Thursday to Sunday at present, there's a great selection of very local ale and cider and no Sheps anywhere to be found. The decor is novel and eclectic with some really interesting bits and pieces adorning the walls and ceilings. Food is excellent and homemade and they have their own wood fired pizza oven out the back.