Folkestone
Express 11-10-1930
Local News
On Wednesday morning, at about 8.25, an outbreak of
fire occurred at the East Kent Arms, 21, Sandgate Road, of which Mr. Percy F.
Booker is the licensee. It was ascertained that the fire was under the floor of
the hall, and the Folkestone Fire Brigade were summoned, but the outbreak had
been extinguished before they arrived.
The cause of the fire was the fusing of an electric
wire, and the damage was estimated at only a few pounds.
Folkestone
Express 17-10-1931
Tuesday, October 13th: Before The Mayor, Dr.
W.W. Nuttall, and Mr. W. Smith.
Anthony E. Bowles, of Dover, was charged with being
drunk and incapable of taking care of himself in Sandgate Road on Saturday.
Defendant pleaded Guilty.
P.C. Dickenson said about 12.25 p.m. on Saturday he saw
the defendant in Guildhall Street. He was standing by the side of a car when
the defendant came up to him and said “I am not going to steal that car”.
Defendant was under the influence of drink. He entered the Queen`s Hotel Vaults
and witness stopped him from being served, and he then went to the East Kent
Arms. Witness stopped him from being served there. Defendant then went and
leaned against a car. He then took him into custody and charged him with being
drunk and incapable of taking care of himself.
Defendant said he regretted the thing had occurred. He
did not remember much about it.
Chief Inspector Pittock said the defendant was a very
respectable man and nothing was known against him.
The Bench imposed a fine of 10s.
Folkestone
Express 17-9-1932
Saturday, September 10th: Before Alderman
R.G. Wood and Mr. W.R. Boughton.
Frank Justus Youngs, a waiter, was charged with being
drunk on licensed premises. Defendant said he pleaded Guilty to a certain
extent.
P.C. Fry said at 12.55 p.m. on Friday he was on duty in
Sandgate Road, when he was called to the East Kent Arms by the proprietor, Mr.
Booker. There he saw the defendant in the saloon bar, and Mr. Booker said he
wished to have the man removed from his premises. Witness was of the opinion
that the man was drunk. With the assistance of Mr. Booker he got the man
outside, where he then became violent, and it became necessary to remove him to
the police station. When he was charged with being drunk on licensed premises,
defendant replied “Yes, I am”.
P.F. Fox said at 1.15 p.m. he was on station duty when
defendant was brought in. He concluded Youngs was drunk, because he was very
violent and was swaying about. He refused to give his name and address, and
when he was charged he replied “Yes, I am”. Three officers had to hold him
while he was being searched.
Mr. P.F. Booker, licensee of the East Kent Arms Hotel,
Sandgate Road, said at noon on Friday he was making his usual visit to the bar
when he saw the defendant, who was all right then. When witness returned half
an hour later he went to the same bar and saw that defendant had vomited all
over the counter. Seeing that he was drunk, witness requested that he should
leave, and he followed him out into the yard, where he told him the best thing
he could do was to go back to the hotel. Defendant then came back and asked for
lunch, and witness again told him to leave, but he refused, so witness went for
the assistance of P.C. Fry, who helped him to remove the defendant. In
consequence of defendant`s behaviour all of his customers left.
Defendant said he was not so drunk as they had said,
for it was early in the morning, and he had only had six beers. He was also
suffering from slight gastric trouble, and he came over queer in the bar and he
had had nothing to eat. He came back to ask for something to eat, and he was
told to leave. If he had been asked politely he would not have made a fuss. He
also did not think he was so violent as they had made out, for he was not
naturally a violent man.
The Chief Constable (Mr. A.S. Beesley) said the
defendant was a waiter in one of the west-end hotels. He had been employed in
hotels since he was eighteen, and he had never been before the Court for being
drunk previously. He had experienced a good deal of trouble lately, losing his
wife three weeks ago, she dying under an anaesthetic, which might have
accounted for the defendant`s loss of balance.
Alderman R.G. Wood said the case had clearly been
proved against the defendant that he had given a lot of trouble to the police
constable and the proprietor, but as they had heard that he had had trouble
himself they would not fine him the full amount, but only 5s. They were very
sorry to see him there as he had never been in Court before. If the defendant
would allow him to give him advice, he would say that he should take drink in
moderation or not at all.
Youngs said that would be a lesson to him.
Folkestone
Herald 17-9-1932
Local News
When Frank Justus Youngs, a waiter, was charged at
Folkestone Police Court on Saturday last with being drunk on licensed premises
on the previous day, it was stated that three policemen had to hold him while
he was being charged at the police station. Youngs pleaded Guilty.
The Magistrates were Alderman R.G. Wood and Mr. W.R.
Boughton.
P.C. Fry said that at 12.55 p.m. on the previous day he
was on duty in Sandgate Road, in uniform, when he was called to the East Kent
Arms hotel by Mr. Booker. In the saloon bar he saw defendant, and Mr. Booker said
“I wish you to remove this man from my premises”. Defendant was, in witness`s
opinion, drunk, and with Mr. Booker`s assistance he got him outside. Outside,
defendant became violent, and it became necessary for Mr. Booker to assist
removing him to the police station, where he was charged.
P. Sergt. Fox said at 1.05 p.m. on the previous day he
was station officer when P.C. Fry brought defendant there, and preferred a
charge of being drunk on licensed premises against him. Defendant was drunk and
very violent. He kept swaying about, and there was difficulty in obtaining his
name and address. After he had been charged, he replied “Yes, I am”. It took
three officers to hold him because he was so violent.
Percy Frederick Miles Booker, licensee of the East Kent
Arms, Sandgate Road, said at 12 noon on the previous day he made the usual
round of the bars, and saw defendant, who then seemed all right. Half an hour
later witness was called to the same bar and saw defendant, who had vomited
over the counter. Witness thought he was drunk and requested him to leave, and
defendant went out. He later came back and requested some lunch, but witness
refused to serve him and told him to leave. He refused to go, and as a result
of his behaviour other customers were leaving. Witness then called P.C. Fry,
and together they got defendant out.
Youngs told the Bench he was not so drunk as had been
stated, because it was so early in the morning, and he had had, at the most,
six beers. He had had nothing to eat, and he became queer with gastric trouble,
and tried to get out of the bar. He came back, and said he had better have
something to eat, but Mr. Booker told him to get out. If Mr. Booker had asked
him politely to leave, there would not have been all that trouble.
The Chief Constable (Mr. A.S. Beesley) said that Youngs
was a waiter at an hotel in the West-end of town, and had been employed in
various parts of the country as a waiter during the past 12 years since he left
school. On the previous night, the Chief Constable said, he was told defendant
had had some trouble recently, which might have accounted for his loss of
balance. Defendant lost his wife only three weeks before, when she died under
an anaesthetic.
The Chairman said it was quite clear that what
defendant was charged with had been proved, and he thought he gave the landlord
and the police considerable trouble. If it had not been for what the Chief
Constable had just said, they would have fined him the maximum amount of 10s.,
but now they would make the fine 5s.
“If beer had that effect on me I would leave it alone”,
advised the Chairman. “I should either drink it in strict moderation or not
touch it at all”.
Folkestone
Herald 7-1-1933
Felix
A golden wedding, in which a considerable amount of
interest is interwoven, took place at 19, Foord Road on Christmas Day. The
happy pair are Mr. Thomas Burch Pilcher, son of the late Mr. Thomas Pilcher,
job master of Margate, and Miss Elizabeth Sarah Mann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
John Mann, of New Romney. The marriage was solemnised at Christ Church by the
Rev. E. Duke.
As is often my habit, I was walking quietly along the
King`s highway the other day accompanied by my briar and stick when I met an
old friend.
“Tom”, I remarked, “a little bird has whispered to me
that you celebrated your Golden Wedding on Christmas Day”. At this he smiled
pleasantly, indicating at the same time that I was correct in my surmise. I
followed this up by suggesting that Tom could tell me a thing or two about his
career. I even went so far as to suggest that I should interview him at his
home. Our hero again smiled and rather pooh-poohed the idea of being brought
into the limelight. However, after a little talk I got my way. To come to the
point, I subsequently found myself in Tom`s cost little home at 19, Foord Road.
A feeling of delight seized me when I tapped at the
door of Tom`s cottage, my summons being answered by a lady, whose eyes, rather
like Milton`s, were “rolling in vain to catch the light of day”. Subsequently I
discovered, from her own lips, that she had been blind for several years. There
is a great thing about this. Mrs. Pilcher, in spite of her handicap, is very
happy and possesses, too, an intellect of a penetrating character.
Anyway, I spent an hour or so with this happy couple
and my interest did not falter until I finally left them with a “God bless you
both”.
“Tom, I suppose you have been associated with horses,
coaches and the like all your life?” That was my opening query.
“Well”, answered Tom, “my father was a job master at
Margate and ran the regular four-horse coach between Margate and Canterbury,
and as a boy I tootled the coach horn. That was about fifty six years ago.
Subsequently I came over to Folkestone, and in my younger days was employed by
one or other of the livery stables in various capacities. It was at this period
I rode in the Wye steeplechases for three years in succession and came in a
winner in one of the events on Invicta – a splendid mount, whilst on another
occasion at Terlingham Meadow, Hawkinge, I rode a horse against the late Mr.
Jones` selection for £20 a side, and I lost”, remarked Tom, “and Mr. Jones (one
of the best of men) honestly won”. Mr. Jones, who was a well-known livery
stable keeper, was highly regarded at the time. I remember a considerable
amount of money changed hands between local sportsmen.
“How about your connections with the
Folkestone-Canterbury four-horse coach? I know something about this, Tom, for
many`s the time and oft I have travelled on it”.
Tom reflected upon this for a moment, and then gave
utterance to the following: “Ah, Felix, this is a big story, and one knows
hardly how to commence it. I was `the man with the yard of tin`”. Chaffing me,
Tom remarked “You know all about that”. There is something in this, for I often
“ran over” by this means to the Cathedral City.
In reference to the coach, Tom said: “These were days
of magnificent horse-flesh. Mr. J.P. Scott was the whip – and world famous at
that. He drove the coach from Folkestone to Canterbury for many seasons”.
Tom, at this point, warmed up. “Scotty”, he said, “was
a stern man with a heart of gold. He possessed consummate skill, and handled
the ribbons in masterly style. He could do almost what he liked with a horse,
and this without punishment. And that is true. If ever a man loved a horse, it
was J.P. Scott”.
Tom here unconsciously drew a picture. He said “Just
imagine. It is the height of the summer season. The coach, with its
fine-matched team of greys, turns out of the East Kent Livery Yard into
Sandgate Road. Scotty is on the box seat with his white top hat gently tilted.
A privileged passenger (it may be a lady) has the honour of a place beside him
on the box seat. The passengers have taken their places. Note those perfectly
groomed horses, their coats glistening in the sun. They champ at their bits,
impatient to be prancing along the road. A little crowd gathers round. Scotty,
all alert, with the ribbons in their rightful places, between his fingers,
calls out to me “All right, guard?” “Yes” I would reply. Then I tootled the
music on the horn. The horses get into their collar, and they are soon prancing
proudly along the Cheriton Road towards Elham. Where`s your motors with this
lot, Felix?” Well, what could I reply? But there is no comparison.
Tom reminded me that Scotty worked this coach with 16
horses, changing both at Elham and Barham. After the season, with Scotty`s
careful handling, they were sold at Tattersalls, often fetching fancy prices.
“Scotty”, continued Tom, “was a most generous man. He
was a splendid conversationalist, and could spin coaching yarns by the score.
Many are the distinguished people whom he would often carry on his coach”.
With pride, the old guard said of his employer: “Why,
Scotty at the opening of the season would invite the Mayor and Corporation to
take a trip on the coach to Canterbury and entertain them into the bargain with
a champagne luncheon”. The old guard here pointed to a picture on the wall
depicting members of the Corporation on the coach, and remarked, “Ah, they were
the days then, if you like”.
I don`t see why I should not mention it, but on one
occasion when I was travelling on the coach Scotty pulled up outside a
blacksmith`s shop outside Barham and would insist upon me singing “The Village
Blacksmith”. The coach was loaded with passengers. I at first refused the
request, but Scotty being adamant, I had to comply, and did my best under
strange but perhaps appropriate circumstances.
Tom here again took up the running. He said the people
in the village kept the time of day by the sound of his “yard of tin”. Glorious
was it at times up the valley. “Ah, Scotty was beloved in the countryside”.
Tom`s voice rather faltered when I remarked: “Ah! That
was a terrible happening when the coach overturned at Barha, and dear old
Scotty was killed”. Tom said: “Yes, in a sense it was terrible, but Scotty
frequently expressed a hope that he would die with the “ribands” in his hands”.
He had his wish. Similarly to the captain of the ship he stuck to his post to
the last. The passengers escaped, but Scotty, terribly injured, grasped the
reins with a death grip. His injured body was carried to the neighbouring
cottage, where he passed away.
Explaining this accident, Tom said the horses had been
feeding well with a good proportion of corn for months. They were as frisky as
kittens. One of the team shied, causing the coach to swerve, with the result we
all deplored.
Scotty was buried at Folkestone, and his funeral was a
demonstration of respect. Whips representing the great coaching organisation in
London were present, and messages were received from both sides of the
Atlantic. He was the prince of whips, and no-one can contradict that. The
flowers sent to the funeral were light and cheerful.
Scotty did not believe in things morbid, but preached
and acted the gospel of cheerfulness and doing good by stealth. If ever a man
knew Scotty, it was Tom Pilcher, and the bridegroom of 50 years ago treasures
his memory. Tom knew how to manage horses in the stable and turned them out to
the satisfaction of one of the sternest of critics. And Scotty once drove the
coach through the winter between London and Virginia Water.
Folkestone
Express 23-9-1933
Saturday, September 16th: Before DR. W.W.
Nuttall, Alderman T.S. Franks, and Mr. W. Smith.
Robert Clarke was charged with placing himself in
Sandgate Road for the purpose of gathering alms on the previous day.
Detective Constable Duke said at 7 o`clock the previous
evening he was in Sandgate Road accompanied by Detective Constable Pierce. When
near Timothy White`s premises he saw the prisoner accost several pedestrians.
He kept him under observation and saw him receive something from two men, but
did not give anything in return, and he had nothing in his hands. He saw him go
into the saloon bar of the East Kent Arms in Sandgate Road and speak to several
customers. He eventually left that bar and went into the private bar and spoke
to customers in there. As he left the premises, he (witness) went up to him and
told him he was a police officer and that he had had him under observation for
15 minutes, and that he would take him to the police station and charge him
with placing himself in Sandgate Road for the purpose of gathering alms.
Prisoner replied “What the ----?” His breath smelt strongly of methylated
spirits, but he was not drunk. He brought the prisoner to the police station
where he later charged him. He replied “I was selling postcards”. On being
searched at the police station, he (witness) found in prisoner`s possession one
sixpenny piece, 8½d. in coppers, thirty picture postcards, some bundles of
bootlaces, and an empty bottle which had contained methylated spirits.
Prisober: Did I have some laces in my hand?
Witness: No, we found them in your pocket when we got
to the police station.
Prisoner: You can only charge me with peddling without
a certificate. I cannot get any work.
The Chief Constable (Mr. A.S. Beesley) said only the
previous morning the prisoner was warned by his officers to leave the town. He
was then in suspicious circumstances, obviously begging. He, however, would not
go. The prisoner had been before that Court tow or three times, the last
occasion being on August 1st, when he was given 21 days` hard labour
for begging. Clarke was what they would call a roadster. He had several
convictions got drunkenness, and had been in that Court in 1930 for
drunkenness. He only came out of prison on August 21st, but he had
been at New Romney, Eastbourne, Hastings, Ramsgate, Dover, and Canterbury
since.
The prisoner said he could not get any work. He had a
few postcards and a dozen laces which he was offering for sale. He was unfit
for work. He only came out of Dover Hospital just before he got the 21 days. He
was wanting to get some money in order to get a pedlar`s certificate.
The Chief Constable: He would not be granted a pedlar`s
certificate under any circumstances.
The Chairman: You do not seem to be able to learn a
lesson. You need never starve. The Guardians will always provide for you. You
were sentenced to three weeks recently, but it does not seem to have had any
impression on you. You will have a month`s hard labour this time.
Folkestone
Herald 23-9-1933
Local News
Robert Clarke, who was sentenced to three weeks` hard
labour last month for begging, was again before the Folkestone Magistrates on
Saturday on a similar charge, and this time he received a month`s hard labour.
He was charged with begging in Sandgate Road the previous day. He pleaded Not
Guilty.
Detective Constable Duke said at 7 p.m. the previous
day he was in Sandgate Road in company with Detective Constable Pearce, when he
saw Clarke accosting pedestrians outside Messrs. Timothy White`s premises.
Witness, continuing, said he kept prisoner under observation and saw him
receive something from two men. He did not give anything in return, and he had
nothing in his hands. He next went into the saloon bar of the East Kent Arms
and spoke to several customers. He then left the bar and went into another, the
private bar, and spoke to customers in there. As he left the premises, witness
added, he went up to accused and told him he had had him under observation for
15 minutes. Clarke`s breath smelt strongly of methylated spirits, but he was
not drunk. When charged at the police station he said “I was selling
postcards”. On being searched, he found in his possession one sixpenny piece,
8½d. in coppers, 30 picture postcards, some bundles of bootlaces, and an empty
bottle which had contained methylated spirits.
Clarke: Didn`t I have some laces in my hand? – No, they
were in your pocket when I charged you at the police station.
Clarke: You can only charge me with peddling without a
certificate. I cannot get any work.
The Chief Constable (Mr. A.S. Beesley) said only the
previous morning Clarke had been warned by one of his officers to leave the
town. He had been before the Court two or three times. On the last occasion he
was given 21 days` for begging. He was what they called a roadster. The Chief
Constable said Clarke came out of prison on August 23rd. He had been
to New Romney, Rye, Hastings and Eastbourne, and then worked his way back to
Folkestone.
Clarke said he could not get any work; in fact he was
unfit for work. If he had 5s. he would have got himself a pedlar`s certificate.
The Chief Constable: He would not be granted a pedlar`s
certificate under any circumstances.
The Chairman (Dr. W.W. Nuttall) said Clarke did not
appear to have learned a lesson after his previous conviction in the court for
begging. He need never starve; the Guardians provided for him. He sentence of
three weeks` imprisonment last time did not seem to have made any impression on
him; he would have a month`s hard labour this time.
Folkestone Express
12-6-1937
Local News
On Tuesday at the Folkestone Police Court the
licence of the East Kent Arms Hotel was transferred from Mr. P.F.M Booker to
Mrs. D.H. Funnell.
Mr. W.J. Mason, in making the application, said
Mrs. Funnell would become Messrs. Worthington’s tenant if the magistrates
agreed to it. Mr. Funnell held the licence previously, but the reason that he
did not now undertake the same position was that he was not in good health.
However, Mrs. Funnell managed the hotel for her husband when he was the
licensee. She also managed the Swan Hotel at Hythe when her husband was the
licensee there for five years. It was really a request that an experienced
woman should be to
take a licence in her own name and which she had previously managed.
The Chairman (Mr. W.R. Boughton) announced that the
magistrates agreed to the temporary transfer, and Mr. Booker was excused
attendance at the transfer sessions.
Folkestone Herald
12-6-1937
Local News
An application for a Protection Order in respect of
the East Kent Arms, Sandgate Road, was made to the Magistrates at the
Folkestone Police Court on Tuesday. The transfer was from Mr. Percy F.M. Booker to Mrs.
Dorothy H. Funnell, 126, Sandgate Road.
Mr. W.J. Mason, making the application, said the
house had been sold to Messrs. Worthington, and Mrs. Funnell would become their
tenant. Mrs. Funnell had managed this very properly for many years when the
licence was held by her husband, Mr. Frank Funnell.
The Magistrates granted the application
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