Black Prince, Bexley

The tall, two-storey, north, reception-hosting wing has a grand chimneyed, Tudorbethan main façade. It has two mock-beamed wall dormers to recesses flanking a main link dormer; it has octagonal-theme, gabled, geometric style with octagonal porch and the princely arms above.^[3] It was a spacious, modern public house/entertainment facility, built by Charringtons in the 1930s as a modest roadhouse. The site is named after Edward, the Black Prince who married Joan of Kent, seized of Chislehurst and other manors. He was a celebrated battle leader in France in the first phase of the Hundred Years' War (1337–1360). Reputedly his ghost haunts the later building or grounds of Hall Place.^[4][5] Edward Heath stayed at the hotel as part of his campaign to become MP for Bexley in the 1950 general election.^[6] The later south wing, of three storeys, linked, enlarges the hotel.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the pub was a popular live music venue,^[7] and featured appearances from Little Walter,^[8] the Graham Bond Organisation,^[9] Cream^[10] and Genesis.^[11] It is alleged that Eric Clapton played his last gig with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers at the venue in 1966.^[12] The hotel has hosted the annual Kent International Piano and Keyboard Fair since 2001.^[13]

Oral history maintained, as at 1911, Hall Place, across the main road, was a shooting-box for deer of the Black Prince,^[14] whose Kent Yeoman fought among others at the Battle of Poitiers.^[14] The Att/Atte Hall or Hall family kept occupation of the manor house until 1367 when after seeing "months" of entertaining Edward and his wife Joan of Kent they were forced to sell it.^[15]