Royal Standard 1930 - 1934

Folkestone Express 12-4-1930

Local News

Judgement was given in the King`s Bench Division on Monday by Mr. Justice MacKinnon, who had been occupied for a week in hearing the action brought by Messrs. A. Leney and Co., Ltd., of Dover, the owners of the Royal Standard Inn, Canterbury Road, Folkestone, Fremlin Bros. Ltd., the lessees, of Maidstone, and Mrs. A.E. Summerfield, the tenant and occupier of the Royal Standard, against A. Waddington and Son, contractors, of Sheffield, to recover damages for injury to the inn by the laying of a sewer for the Corporation by the defendants. Plaintiffs alleged that the work was not carried out in accordance, causing cracks and injury to the inn.

Defendants denied negligence, and said the work was carried out in accordance with the powers and duties conferred on the Corporation, and that the damage was not due to any work they did.

Mr. Schillen, K.C., appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Mellor, K.C., for the defendants.

On Thursday Mr. A.T. Mellor said there was no suggestion made by the plaintiffs that the work had not been properly carried out to the advantage of the general public. The allegations that were made arose out of the tittle-tattle of neighbours, living in old houses which were built on shifting foundations. Several of the witnesses had come from Mayfield Terrace, where the contractors had sunk one of the shafts, and there had been an inflow of water from a burst main. It was then alleged that the contractors had burst the pipes, but the contractors said that it was water from the burst pipes which washed into his manhole, and not the result of some trivial subsidence. There was no negligence here on the part of his clients.

Mr. Zinn, resident engineer to the Folkestone Corporation, said he was in charge of the arrangements, and in his opinion the job was carried out in a perfectly efficient way. He had visited the tunnel during its excavation, and the correct line of direction had never been deviated from.

Mr. J.C. Waddington, of the defendant firm, said every precaution was taken to prevent subsidence. In his opinion the damage complained of by the plaintiffs was due to Army tanks and increased traffic along the road in question.

The further hearing was adjourned.

On Friday, when the case was resumed, Mr. Stanley H. Page, architect and surveyor, of Ramsgate, called on behalf of the defendants, said in his opinion the cause of the whole trouble was the unstable condition of the topsoil, which was moving away from the sewer.

Mr. Justice MacKinnon, in delivering his judgement, found for the defendants with costs. He said he was satisfied that the whole of the timber used in connection with the tunnelling of the sewer was new, with the exception probably of the railway shores, which, however, served their purpose. He was satisfied there was no failure at all on the part of the defendants to put concrete properly into the places caused by the excavation. It was a significant fact that the tunnelling went under the viaduct of the main line of the Southern Railway and no adverse results had followed. Further, he was satisfied that the sewer had nothing to do with the cracks which occurred in the Royal Standard. Whilst it was not necessary to express an opinion on the subject, he thought that probably the true theory was that the upper stratum of yellow clay mixed with some sand above the blue gault was slowly sliding to the South-west, and that was the reason that the houses showed a tilt that way with cracks.

Folkestone Herald 12-4-1930

Local News

In the King`s Bench Division on Friday of last week Mr. Justice MacKinnon reviewed the hearing of the action by A. Lenet and Co. Ltd., of Dover, the owners of the Royal Standard Inn at Canterbury Road, Folkestone, Fremlin Bros. Ltd., of Maidstone, the lessees, and Mrs. A.E. Summerfield, the tenant and occupier of the Royal Standard, against A. Waddington and Son, contractors, of Sheffield, to recover damages for alleged injury to the inn by the laying of a sewer for the Corporation by the defendants. Plaintiffs alleged that the work was followed by subsidence, causing cracks and injury to the inn.

Defendants denied negligence, and said the work was carried out in accordance with the powers and duties conferred on the Corporation and that the damage was not due to any work they did.

Mr. Schiller, K.C., appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Miller, K.C., for the defendants.

Mr. Stanley H. Page, architect and surveyor, of Ramsgate, called on behalf of the defendants, said in his opinion the cause of the whole trouble was the unstable condition of the topsoil, which was moving away from the sewer.

On Monday Mr. Justice MacKinnon delivered his judgement, finding for the defendants, with costs. He said he was satisfied that the whole of the timber used in connection with the tunnelling for the sewer was new, with the exception probably of the railway shares, which, however, served their purpose. He was satisfied there was no failure at all on the part of the defendants to put concrete properly into the places caused by the excavation. It was a significant fact that the tunnelling went under the viaduct of the main line of the Southern Railway and no adverse results had followed. Further, he was satisfied that the sewer had nothing to do with the cracks which occurred in the Royal Standard. Whilst it was not necessary to express an opinion on the subject, he thought that probably the true theory was that the upper stratum of the yellow clay, mixed with some sand above the blue gault, was slowly sliding to the south west, and that was the reason that the houses showed a tilt that way with cracks.

Folkestone Express 24-3-1934

Local News

Four silver cups, awarded by the United Friendly Societies (Folkestone) Royal Victoria Hospital Saturday and Sunday Fund to the licensed houses collecting the highest amount of money in the town during the year, were presented on Monday evening.

The principal award went to Mr. T.I. Jordan, of the Richmond Tavern, who collected £16 15s. towards the fund. The second prize was gained by Mrs. E.A. Summerfield, of the Royal Standard, collecting £8 6s. 8d.; third place by Mr. S. Herbert, of the Swan, with £4 7s. 6d.; and finally Mr. H.W. Cork, of the Red Cow, who collected £3 12s. 8d. Messrs. B. Todd, S. Burvill, G. Spicer, and Mr. G. Dunkling, who superintended the collecting at the respective houses, were the recipients of presents of cigarettes.