Thanks And Acknowledgements

My thanks go to Kent Libraries and Archives - Folkestone Library and also to the archive of the Folkestone Herald. For articles from the Folkestone Observer, my thanks go to the Kent Messenger Group. Southeastern Gazette articles are from UKPress Online, and Kentish Gazette articles are from the British Newspaper Archive. See links below.

Paul Skelton`s great site for research on pubs in Kent is also linked

Other sites which may be of interest are the Folkestone and District Local History Society, the Kent History Forum, Christine Warren`s fascinating site, Folkestone Then And Now, and Step Short, where I originally found the photo of the bomb-damaged former Langton`s Brewery, links also below.


Welcome

Welcome to Even More Tales From The Tap Room.

Core dates and information on licensees tenure are taken from Martin Easdown and Eamonn Rooney`s two fine books on the pubs of Folkestone, Tales From The Tap Room and More Tales From The Tap Room - unfortunately now out of print. Dates for the tenure of licensees are taken from the very limited editions called Bastions Of The Bar and More Bastions Of The Bar, which were given free to very early purchasers of the books.

Easiest navigation of the site is by clicking on the PAGE of the pub you are looking for and following the links to the different sub-pages. Using the LABELS is, I`m afraid, not at all user-friendly.

Contrast Note

Whilst the above-mentioned books and supplements represent an enormous amount of research over many years, it is almost inevitable that further research will throw up some differences to the published works. Where these have been found, I have noted them. This is not intended to detract in any way from previous research, but merely to indicate that (possible) new information is available.

Contribute

If you have any anecdotes or photographs of the pubs featured in this Blog and would like to share them, please mail me at: jancpedersen@googlemail.com.

If you`ve enjoyed your visit here, why not buy me a pint, using the button at the end of the "Labels" section?


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Friday 4 December 2015

Updates

4th December, 2015: Folkestone Herald Reports for 1999 Added.

I will now be taking a break from posting until the New Year

Earl Grey 1980s - 1990s



South Kent Gazette 4-1-1984

Local News

Penalties for swearing in a public house have helped raise £75 for mentally handicapped children. Publicans Sandy and Joe McIvor have kept their ears pinned back during 1983 to make bad language pay. For any time a customer cussed it cost them 10p, and the money, including £1 notes has been dropped into a gallon whisky bottle on the bar of the Earl Grey in the Old High Street, Folkestone. Sandy and Joe has a smashing time to free the money from the bottle. It was handed over to Andy and Sue Lilly, from the Mencap residential home in Bouverie Road West to help boost the charity`s general funds for children at the home. Cases of soft brinks were also given to the home by Mr. Ian Browne , of manufacturers Canada Dry and Rawlings.

Folkestone Herald 28-2-1986

Local New

A pub landlord has been cleared of a charge of handling stolen wine.

Joseph McIvor, of the Earl Grey, Old High Street, Folkestone, denied dishonestly receiving the wine. And he was acquitted with two other defendants after the judge directed the jury to return a Not Guilty verdict. Judge Margaret Cosgrave said the prosecution had failed to show the wine was stolen. In the dock with McIvor were landlord of the Priory Hotel in Dover, David Hossick, and West Malling restaurateur Enrique Martinez.

The Maidstone court earlier heard from prosecutor Nicholas Beddard how, in August, 1984, more than 1,000 cases of wine meant for Waitrose were stolen from a lorry in Essex. It was alleged that a month later some of the wine was on sale in Kent. He claimed McIvor collected up to 180 cases of wine from a pub in West Malling. He later sold some to Hossick and Martinez. All three denied knowing the wine was stolen when interviewed by the police. Some of the wine went to Dover and the Earl Grey.  When Hossick was seen by the police, he said he bought 20 cases of Waitrose wine from Joe McIvor at £1.20 a bottle. He said he was told it was bankrupt stock. Later he said he had bought 100 cases from McIvor. Martinez told police he had bought the wine from “Joe”, who had a pub in Folkestone. McIvor told police he had paid a man he did not know £1,800 in cash for the whole consignment of 180 cases.

Folkestone Herald 24-6-1988

Local News

Pint-size grandmother Jeanne Robey is clean, well-dressed and politely spoken. Yet she is banned from at least five pubs in Folkestone alone. As soon as she walks into the bar, customers and publicans threaten her, call her names, refuse to serve her, and then demand that she leaves. Her crime? The 5ft 2ins gran works on a P&O cross-Channel ferry.

The 46-year-old grandma was a geriatric nurse for eight years before ac­cepting a job with the ferry company last May when money ran short.
Now, the extra cash in her pocket has meant that Jeanne has to pay heavily in another way. Once a bar assistant and regular in a handful of pubs in Folkestone’s town cen­tre, she is now booted out of those same drinking holes, threatened with vicious beatings and vulgar jibes.

This week, after hearing of her story, the Herald insisted on checking the facts.

On Monday, usually a quiet night, Jeanne and I walked into The Earl Grey in the Old High Street and quietly asked for a drink. Minutes later we were hand-clapped out of the pub. Even before we reached the counter, a young man sitting in the comer got up, and told the landlady “Don’t serve her, she’s a scab”. The landlady then refused to serve us, saying “You’re not welcome in here. I’m on strike and it’s against my morals to serve you”. We left.

At the Portland in Langhome Gardens, landlord Brian Godfrey immediately refus­ed to serve us, saying “Jeanne, you know you’re not allowed in here”. When asked why, he said “She causes too much aggravation”.

But the worst treatment came at the Bouverie Arms at Cheriton Road, Folke­stone. As soon as we walked through the door, a customer sitting near the doorway, yelled “F.... scab” at Jeanne. As we walked towards the bar, he continued swearing and shouted “You’re not allowed in here. Get out”. We were refused drinks at the bar, and as we walked out, a customer threatened “If you come back, I’ll get the whole pub to walk out.” Genuinely afraid, Jeanne left immediate­ly. I then asked the man why he treated Jeanne like that. He said “She’s a scab. She knows she’s not allowed in here. This is not a pub for scabs. If she stays in here, I’ll get the whole pub out. I’ve done it before, and I know they’ll walk out again if I told them. Scabs don’t drink in here”.

Jeanne was convinced we could drink at The Imperial, in Black Bull Road. She’d worked there as a barmaid and had known landlord Mr. Vic Clark as a friend for 20 years. She was wrong. As we walked in, the pub went quiet. The landlord told Jeanne “I can’t serve you. I’m on the line. I’ve got the boys in here”.

Jeanne says she can count another four pubs in Folkestone who have also banned her. Bitter Jeanne said “I have lived in this town all my life. My father had a tobac­conists shop in Tontine Street for over 50 years. Now I am being threatened and always have to watch my back. It is terrible that P&O workers have to be careful where they drink. Surely in this free country, people who want to work should be allowed to without recrimina­tions”, she said.

Photo from Folkestone Herald


Folkestone Herald 25-11-1999

Local News

One of Folkestone`s oldest pubs, the Earl Grey, was badly damaged in a fire that left the roof in danger of collapsing around the chimney. The police and fire brigade responded to reports of smoke coming from the Old High Street pub in the early hours of Saturday, and four fire engines arrived to fight the blaze. The landlady of the pub suffered superficial injuries, but she was not taken to hospital. There were no other injuries. No suspicious circumstances have been reported.

A spokesman for the Fire Brigade said “We would like to emphasise that in the event of a fire we want people to get out and stay out. A lady sustained burns while trying to tackle the fire and endangered her life and ours in the process”.

The Fire Brigade prevented the fire spreading to adjacent properties. It is not known when the pub will be open again to drinkers.
 
 

Updates

This limited edition book is now out of print, but I have supplies available at only £10, including UK postage; 232 pages of stories and lavishly illustrated throughout.

Ideal gift for anyone with an interest in both local history and "The Local".




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Royal George 1980s - 1990s



South Kent Gazette 1-7-1981

Local News

Two hundred pounds worth of damage was caused when a stone was thrown through a window at the Royal Standard public house in Canterbury Road, Folkestone, on Friday night.

The following night burglars broke into another Folkestone pub, the Royal George in Beach Street. They escaped with £150 and some cigarettes. 

South Kent Gazette 17-2-1982

Annual Licensing Sessions

Publicans` applications for transfer agreed by the Bench include: The Black Bull, Folkestone (music and dancing); Bouverie Arms, Folkestone; Honest Lawyer, Folkestone; Old Harbour Crab and Oyster House (extension to cover restaurant area); Royal George, Folkestone. Approval of plans to alter Folkestone`s Pullman Wine Bar was given.

Folkestone Herald 9-12-1983

Local News

An application for plan­ning permission to turn the empty Royal George pub at Beach Street, Folkestone, into a restaurant has been made by Mr. Jimmy Godden, owner of the Rotunda amuse­ment complex. Representations should be made to Shepway District Council by December 16.

Folkestone Herald 6-1-1984

Local News

Amusement boss Jimmy Godden is planning to bring a derelict pub back to life as a restaurant. Mr. Godden, owner of The Rotunda, Marine Parade, Folkestone is seeking plan­ning permission to do up the Royal George pub at Beach Street. He has put in a planning application to Shepway District Council for the refurbishment of the building to form a restaurant with staff rooms and toilets on the ground floor. The pub has stood empty for a number of years and is up for sale along with the former Ark Cafe and other land in Beach Street.

Folkestone Herald 13-1-1984

Local News

Speculator and amusement boss Jimmy Godden is having talks with Shepway District Council over the future of the Ark cafe on Folkestone’s seafront. Mr. Godden, owner of the Rotunda amusement com­plex in Marine Parade, is already seeking permission to do up the old Royal George pub in Beach Street and hopes to open it as a restaurant, to be in operation by Easter. Mr. Godden refused to reveal what his plans were for the nearby Ark cafe site, other than saying it was likely that plans would be before the council by May. Asked if licensed premises were envisaged for the site, all he would say was that any development would be multi-purpose. “I always like to find out what I am allowed to do, and then go ahead and see if I can do it. I haven`t decided yet what to do with the site. This will be a matter for discussion with the council”.

The old Ark cafe was the subject of some local debate in the '70s when it earned the nickname The Grotty Cafe. Despite the general con­demnation of the state of the building from council­lors, the building, painted in an uninviting shade of Admiralty grey, still had its loyal fans. As the debate raged in council chambers, one customer wrote to the Herald to say he and scores of others who used the Ark regularly were extremely upset about its closure. The food was excellent, he said, the service area clean and tidy, and the atmosphere was happy and relaxed.


Photo from Folkestone Herald

Folkestone Herald 20-1-1984

Local News

Plans by amusement arcade boss Jimmy Godden to trans­form the derelict Royal George pub at Folkestone harbour into a restaurant were given the green light last week. Mr. Godden, who owns the Rotunda, Marine Parade, Folkestone, is doing up the single-storey building at Beach Street, to provide a kitchen, servery, restaurant area and toilets on the ground floor. There will be seating facilities on the first floor.

Shepway District Council has been looking at development plans for the whole of the Beach Street area, including the former Ark cafe and surrounding land, which Mr. Godden owns. The arcade boss has said further proposals are to be made to develop the Ark, but he wants to get the Royal George sorted out first. Work has already started to do up the old pub, which has stood empty for a number of years. Members of Shepway`s Plans Sub-Committee passed an application for the changes at a meeting last Tuesday.

Folkestone Herald 8-8-1986

Advertising Feature

A room with a view is to be one of the welcome attractions for drinkers in Folke­stone.

A new bar above The Old Royal George Restaurant gives a panoramic view of Folkestone harbour. It will be named the Skylight Bar, which refers to the breezy attic surroundings in which it is situated. Husband and wife owners Danny and Tina Jordan have been running the restaurant since last September. They felt that the attic was going to waste and converted it into a pleasant drinking place which will open officially this Saturday. A light buffet and punch will welcome the first customers across the threshold. The bar will have an intimate atmosphere with subdued lighting, relaxing armchairs and bows and blinds adorning the windows. Bar meals will be an added attraction, with a tasty varied menu composed of chicken in a basket, sea foods, salads and fresh sandwiches. As well as the normal bar servicedrinkers and light diners will have a waitress service if they eat on the patio outside the restaurant. So on those cool summer days, a meal or snack outdoors will be just the tonic! Drinkers' taste buds are well catered for as the new bar is a free house, with a wide range of beers, lagers and spirits. The Skylight Bar and Old George Restaurant are a boon for motorists as they offer easy road access and car parking facilities are opposite. Shoppers, tourists and young trendies will all find themselves at ease in these plush yet discreet surroundings. Its opening will bring a breath of fresh air to Folkestone’s sea front.  

Folkestone Herald 11-9-1992

Local News

Pubs are shutting down tomorrow (Saturday) for fear of violence after an Anti-Nazi demo. Campaigners say they will demonstrate at Folkestone Central railway station against an expected rally there by Nazi skinheads. And some publicans, particularly in the Harbour area, are taking no chances with their property and staff.

The assistant manager of the Royal George in Beach Street, who did not want to be named, said “We could be in a prime area for trouble and we are shutting all day. It is not worth staying open, even if only a few hundred pounds worth of damage is caused”.

Landlady Sue Welch said her pub, the London and Paris in Harbour Street, would certainly close during the day and possibly in the evening. She said “The place could get wrecked. We can`t risk that”. Her son, barman Alan, 19, said “There could be real danger. This is the area where there is most likely to be trouble because Fascists from Europe may travel here by Seacat”.

Some pubs and bars, such as Jolson`s in Tontine Street, are definitely staying open. A member of staff, who did not want to be named, said “We didn`t close when the bombs and shells came down during the war. Why should we close now for a bunch of skinhead idiots?”

Other pubs are taking advice from the police and may make their decisions tomorrow morning.

A spokesman at the Park Inn, next to Folkestone Central Station, said “A lot of people are frightened by this. I know of some people who say they won`t go into work at the town centre tomorrow. But we don`t know if we will shut because we are not certain the rally will go ahead”.

Last Saturday anti-fascist activists leafleted the town asking people to attend the demonstration. Anti-Nazi League member Kelvin Williams told the Herald 4,000 flyers were handed out and 500 names taken on a petition. He said “I`ve done a few of these in my time and I have never known such a favourable response. My guess is there will be 400 people turning up”.

Last week a spokesman for the far-right Blood and Honour organisation, which had hoped to stage a concert in Folkestone, said nothing was now planned.

But Mr. Williams countered this week; “Our information is that they will be mobilising in London to come down here”.

Jon Steel, a spokesman for Kent Police, said “People ought not to be panicking because if there is any disturbance it will be quashed very quickly. We will have whatever resources are necessary to deal with whatever happens”.

Photo from Folkestone Herald



Folkestone Herald 29-7-1999

Local News

The landlady of the Royal George pub in Folkestone harbour is concerned that a recent Eco Day in the High Street has portrayed her premises in a bad light. In an exhibit featuring the “blackspots” of Folkestone, environmental group Friends of the Earth showed a picture of wasteland next to the pub, highlighting the problem in an effort to clean up the town.

However, according to Sharon Collins, who co-owns the pub with her partner Gary Moffatt, the poster was misleading and gave the impression that the wasteland belonged to the Royal George, when in fact it didn`t. “We have a well-tended terrace outside on our property, but the wasteland is nothing to do with us. People have got the impression that it is our land and that we are responsible for the mess. Friends of the Earth are quite right to list the wasteland as a blackspot. We have been campaigning for years to get the area cleaned up”.

Efforts are being made in other quarters to tackle the problem. Phillippe Esclasse, the town centre manager, said “We realise that this is an area of concern. The issue is complicated as the land is privately owned. However, we have contacted the property owner and hope to see positive developments”.