Mermaid Inn

Tucked neatly away in rural location on the outskirts of Canterbury, the Mermaid Inn is a quaint and historic pub & restaurant, in the picturesque village of Bishopsbourne, Kent.

Set within the stunning Kent Downs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and close to Canterbury city and Dover ferry port, Bishopsbourne is a small village and civil parish that is home to just over fifty houses. It is a rural and wooded location that attracts a high volume of visitors and the Mermaid is centered at the very heart of the area. Originally built as a tap house for the local estate workers in the 1860’s, the Mermaid was transformed into a public house in the 1920’s and to this day, it proudly remains the only pub in the village.

Bishopsbourne is home to a thriving rural community and the Mermaid attracts a loyal, local customer base drawn from the surrounding villages, from as far as a ten-mile radius. It also benefits from year-round trade from walkers, cyclists, tourists, families and destination diners, that are exploring the local area. Trading successfully seven days a week, the Mermaid has built its reputation on delivering a warm welcome and a relaxed atmosphere for customers, old and new. Its freshly, homecooked lunch and dinner menus celebrate classic pub favourite dishes, done well, and they include fresh sandwiches and baguettes, a great traditional ploughman’s, and the much-loved Sunday roast.

Internally, the pub offers a characterful central servery with relaxed seating for around 20 covers in the bar area, a separate restaurant dining room accommodating approximately 25 covers, and a well-equipped commercial kitchen complete with wash-up area, a food store and wine store.

Externally, the attractive walled garden and covered courtyard area provides seating for up to 60 additional covers, creating fantastic opportunities for alfresco dining, summer events, BBQs and community gatherings.

The first-floor accommodation affords incoming tenants a private front entrance, three bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen, bathroom and office.

The Mermaid is available from October 2026 on a traditional tenancy agreement and it would perfectly suit an enthusiastic hands-on operator or chef-led team, looking to run a much-loved rural pub with strong community roots and significant potential to further develop destination dining and food-led growth.

To see the full trading information and letting details for this site, please click on the following link: https://snea.me/MermaidInnBishopsbourneCanterburyKent

For more information or to arrange a formal viewing of this site, please contact the tenancy recruitment team on 01795 542132 or email us at tenancyrecruitment@shepherdneame.co.uk