Folkestone
Express 15-3-1930
Local News
The Folkestone Magistrates had before them on Wednesday
morning an application for an off wine licence by Mr. John Thomas Smith, of the
Sportsman Tavern, 57 Sidney Street. Mr. G.I. Swoffer was in the chair, and the
other members of the Bench were Col. G.P. Owen, Mr. J.H. Blamey, Mr. W.
Griffin, Dr. W.W. Nuttall, and Miss A.M. Hunt.
Mr. B.H. Bonniface appeared in support of the
application. Mr. Ernest William Hook proved the service of the necessary
notices.
Mr. Bonniface said that the application was by the
tenant of the Sportsman Tavern as it was called or was previously called, which
had an off licence for the sale of beers, and was so that he could hold a
licence for the sale of wine for consumption off the premises. These premises had
been licensed as an off licence for some fifty years, and they had been in the
ownership of Mr. Smith`s family for the whole of that period. Mr. Smith was
born on the premises, and his father held the licence, and it was carried on
down to the time of his father`s death. His mother then carried on until some
three and a half years ago, when he took over after a severe accident, he
himself having previously been a carpenter. The premises were his mother`s, she
having married again, and it was an arrangement whereby the widow was getting
an income. On the death of his mother, Mr. Smith became interested as a part
owner of those premises. The plans before them that morning were rather
interesting to show the extraordinary growth in the town there, because there
were no less than 463 new buildings which had been put up within the course of
the last few years, the majority being of course their local Council housing
estate, but in Joyes Road there were ten new houses and there was plenty of
room for further development along there and it was still going on. They would
also see that the only direct communication into the whole of that estate was
Sidney Street, because in order to get into Dover Road there was only one road,
and that was Joyes Road. While Wood Avenue at the extreme left hand went into
Canterbury Road. They would therefore see that the off licence of the Sportsman
was undoubtedly by far the nearest licence of any kind to those particular
people on that estate. It might be said that despite the development in that
direction it was very unlikely that those people who lived in those houses
would want wine. Mr. Smith had submitted a notice of that application a month
ago. During that time, despite the fact that he had had to work the business
practically single handed, he had been able to obtain the signatures of no less
than 299 people from that particular district. Ninety nine of those were his
old customers not included in any way in those new buildings, customers to whom
he supplied beer and delivered beer in the ordinary way. He was asked
continually for wine. In addition to that there were some 200 who were amongst
the inhabitants of the new dwellings, and of the whole 200 were his regular
customers. He suggested to them that there was ample evidence of a demand, and
a growing demand because the district was growing, for wine. Amongst his old
customers Mr. Smith did not get a great demand for wine, for the reason that
there was a licence which had been established as an off beer licence only for
some fifty years, and therefore it was known to the old customers that of
course they could not get wine. But even amongst those he had been continually
asked for such wines as port, and similar wines, all of which required a
licence. They could readily appreciate that even amongst his old customers at
Christmas time particularly he got a very big demand. He had found that at
Christmas time, that despite the fact that he was regularly supplying those
customers, when they found they could not get wine from him they went, as far
as he knew, to a district at least half a mile away and then bought both the
wine and beer. Then there were the other licences in that particular district.
They were used to seeing the opposition of the Licensed Victuallers, but on
that occasion they had no opposition, so that he did not suggest to them that
that was a very clear case that there must be, in that given area, quite
sufficient for everybody to get a living in a legitimate way. Mr. Smith carried
on a grocer`s business.
The application was granted.
Folkestone
Herald 15-3-1930
Adjourned Licensing Sessions
Wednesday, March 12th: Before Mr. G.I.
Swoffer, Colonel G.P. Owen, Mr. W. Griffin, Dr. W.W. Nuttall, Miss A.M. Hunt,
and Mr. J.H. Blamey.
John Thomas Smith applied for an off wine licence at
57, Sidney Street.
Mr. B.H. Bonniface , for Mr. Smith, said that the
application was for an off wine licence at the Sportsman Tavern which had an
off licence for the sale of beers. For some 50 years the off beer licence had
been in the ownership of Mr. Smith`s family. The premises belonged to Mr.
Smith`s mother, and by an arrangement Mr. Smith had the tenancy from year to
year, but on the death of his mother he would be part owner of the premises.
The plans which he produced were interesting, said Mr. Bonniface, because they
showed the extraordinary growth of buildings in that neighbourhood. Within the
last few years there had been no fewer than 463 new buildings put up, the
majority being on the local housing estate, but were being erected also in
Joyes Road, and there was plenty of room there for further development. It was
significant that although Mr. Smith`s wife had been ill, he had been able to
obtain himself during the last month a petition signed by no fewer than 299
people of the district supporting the application. Of that number 99 were his
old customers, while some 200 people who had signed the petition were amongst
the inhabitants of the new buildings. Mr. Smith would tell the Bench that among
his very old customers there was a great demand for wine, and even among his
old customers, who knew that he had only got an off beer licence, he had been
asked continually for such medicated wine as port, Wincarnis, and Hall`s wine,
all of which required a licence. At Christmas time especially there was a big
demand for wines, even from his old customers, and he also got very big demands
from the inhabitants of new houses and from visitors during the summer. When they
found they could not get wines from him, many persons of the district had to go
about half a mile to get wines. There were no other licensed premises in that
particular area, and no licensed house could be built on the estate in future.
The Bench were used to seeing opposition from the Licensed Victuallers`
Association and from other people, but on this occasion there was no
opposition, and that in itself was significant, he suggested, and showed there
was need for the licence.
John Thomas Smith, proprietor of the Sportsman Tavern
said he had been for 3½ years in the business. He had been born on the
premises, and his father had been carrying on the business when he was born.
Since his father`s death his mother had carried on the business. On his mother`s
death, the property would revert to him, together with a brother. He had
himself obtained all the signatures on the petition, of which there were 299.
He had once been licensee of a house at Hawkinge, until he met with a serious
accident.
The application
was granted.
Folkestone
Herald 12-4-1930
Friday, April 4th: Before Alderman C.E.
Mumford, Alderman T.S. Franks, and Mr. F. Seager.
The Bench confirmed the granting of a wine licence to
John Thomas Smith for the Sportsman`s Tavern, at 57, Sidney Street.
Mr. B.H. Bonniface, for Mr. Smith, said that there was
no opposition to the application when it was granted at the adjourned annual
licensing sessions, and a petition supporting the application was signed by 299
people, 99 of them being old customers and 200 new residents.
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