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The iconicpub on the beach
More than a great
backdrop for a selfie
It hasStar Quality
Peter O’Toole and Jodie Whittaker shared a bottle of Champagne here in the film ‘Venus’ (2009).
‘Whitstable Pearl’ often meet up here for a beer too, when they’re on a case.
Menu
Big portions, traditional Home‑Cooked Seasonal classics
Fish/Seafood
A wide range of assorted favourites including Guinness-battered Cod - from £18 Neptune Fish Box or Dressed Claw Crab - from £18 (Served with Chips and Mushy Peas, Beans or Salad) Whitstable Rock Oysters, 1/2 dozen - £15 / £3 each
Jacket Potatoes, Salads and Nachos & Kentish Cheese Board
Kentish Blue, Ashmore Cheddar, Canterbury Cobble & Chaucer’s Camembert - £15 (Served with apple, chutney and crackers)
Sandwiches & Burgers
Hot and cold sandwiches including Crab Mayo, Prawns or Tuna Mayo, Cheese & Pickle, Ham Salad Sandwiches - from £10
Beef or Chicken, or Grilled Halloumi, or Vegan Burgers - £14 (Served on Brioche with garnish, Salad and Chips)
Rumour
Has It...
1805: The Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson took on Napoleon’s fleet and his Spanish Allies just off the Cape of Trafalgar, at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea.
The British Navy, with fewer ships and half as many men, won the day - securing a peace that lasted a century.
Nelson tracked the Allied ships for months, chasing them to the Caribbean and back during the summer. But on this October morning in 1805, he caught up with them between Cadiz and the Italian west coast. Admiral Nelson, on board HMS Victory, led the charge into the heart of the line of Allied ships, a wildly unconventional and direct approach
Nelson’s Victory targeted the French flagship Bucentaure, before moving on to attack the Redoutable. Nelson, who had lost his arm in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797), was shot again early in the afternoon, and died that evening.
Read how the Old Neptune may have played a part...
Ales, Wines & Liquor
Local ales Whitstable Bay Lager (previously known as 'Blonde'), Double Stout, Pale Ale and Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter, with all the usual greats like Guinness and Singha on tap.
PLUS Whitstable’s very own gin - “Whitstable Harbour Gin” in two flavours, and a huge selection of whiskeys (Irish, Scottish and more).
White Wine
A selection of international and English white wines including Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Picpoul
Red Wine
Classic red wines including Malbec, Crianza and Nero d’Avola
Rose Wine
Perfect for summer and sunsets - by the glass or by the bottle
Champagne & Sparkling Wine
From Tattinger to extra dry Prosecco - fizz for every celebration
Filmed by John-Christian Jacques - full clip on YouTube
Bands
at ‘The Neppy’
Upcoming Live Music
The Artists playing in the coming weeks
| Saturday Oct 18th | Fiction Party 9-11pm |
| Sunday Oct 19th | Back Street Bloozers 6-8pm |
| Saturday Oct 25th | The Dylan Band 9-11pm |
| Sunday Oct 26th | Brad Pittance & The Pirates 6-8pm |
| Friday Oct 31st | HALLOWEEN Party with Big Orange Head 9-11pm |
| Sunday Nov 2nd | Rock Lobsters 6-8pm |
| Sunday Nov 9th | Diane Dunne Trio 6-8pm |
| Sunday Nov 16th | Barracuda 6-8pm |
| Sunday Nov 23rd | Deep River Blues 6-8pm |
| Sunday Nov 30th | The Dylan Band 6-8pm |
| Sunday Dec 7th | Blue Devils 6-8pm |
| Sunday Dec 14th | Bill Clift 6-8pm |
...continued from Rumour Has It
The
Battle of
Trafalgar
Sailing in behind Admiral Nelson to finish off the Bucentaure were the battleships Temeraire, Conqueror and Neptune.
Like the Temeraire with 98 guns, the Neptune was classified as a second-rater. Reports say the Neptune went into the battle “with its band playing” and lost just ten men with 34 injured.
The Temeraire was eventually broken up in 1838 and its journey to the breakers yard was immortalised by JMW Turner (pictured).
The Neptune continued as a warship for years before being converted into a prison ship and eventually broken up in 1818 (see ‘Ships of the Royal Navy: The complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy’).
Perhaps it was finally dismantled on the beaches near Whitstable, and those old wooden beams that had travelled so far and seen so much, were re-fashioned into the bones of what we now know as ‘The Old Neptune’ - the pub on the beach...
“The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838”
Painting (1839) by JMW Turner (1775-1851)
Painting (1839) by JMW Turner (1775-1851)
Open whenever the weather is good with unbeatable views of the Kent sky
Gallery
A little bit
of history
The Old Neptune or ‘The Neppy’ was first built some time before 1850 on the site of a boatyard (like much of Whitstable Beach back then), in the teeth of the estuary storms.
In 1853 the beer house was rocked to its foundations by a huge high tide and a northerly gale. But it was quickly rebuilt. Almost 50 years later in 1897 it was wrecked again by another great storm.
The old wood of the pub, with the salvage of other cottages nearby that had been flattened too, was used again to make a new ‘Old Neptune’ and it rose again as the structure it is to this day.
The windows, the floor and the bar are all warped and slope, aged by the weather, shaped by the waves and as resilient as 'Old Neptune' himself.
For the full story and excellent illustrations read
‘ALES & TALES - Pubs in the Story of Whitstable’ by G Pike, M Page and J Cann