Foresters Arms 1920s

Folkestone Express 16-4-1927

Local News

Considerable damage was done at the furniture store occupied Mr. G. Balderson, furniture dealer, Grace Hill, during Monday night or early on Tuesday morning by the collapse of a wall.

The store, which was filled with furniture of various kinds, adjoins the Foresters Arms, and it was the outer wall which collapsed. The wall, which is of stone, and is about 12 inches thick, caved in for about half the length of the store, giving way from just below the roof, and the stonework, and many tons of earth from the garden of the Foresters Arms fell upon some of the furniture, which was completely broken or very badly damaged. A surveyor who visited the spot on Tuesday on behalf of the owners, gave it as his opinion that the land in the garden slipped, and the weight caused the wall to give way. Amongst the earth carried into the store was a small tree, which was practically under the roof of the building, when it was opened on Tuesday. It is estimated that the weight from the whole of the garden, from the Copthall Steps to the building itself, was 3,000 tons, and this was pressing on to the wall, which could not withstand such a tremendous weight.

The slip of earth is most probably due to the recent very heavy rainfall.

Mr. Balderson was in the store himself on Monday night at ten o`clock, when everything appeared to be all right, and the wall was apparently as intact as it had always been.