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| Photo from Folkestone Herald Folkestone Gazette
8-5-1963
Local News
Folkestone Magistrates
were told on Friday that the honorary treasurer of a local darts club had
gambled away subscriptions which had been paid to him by members and had then
given himself up to the police. Before the court was
40-year-old Francis Henry Long, of Royal Military Avenue, Cheriton, who pleaded
guilty to three charges of fraudulent conversion, and asked for 16 similar
offences to be taken into consideration. He was placed on
probation for three years.
D. Inspector Ivan Packman
said all the offences arose out of Long’s position as secretary/treasurer of
the Victoria public house darts club, Risborough Lane, Cheriton. It was
thought that, but for Long’s action in giving himself up to the police, it was
doubtful whether he would have come before the court. The committee
of the darts club had met the previous evening and expressed the wish that no
action should be taken.
D. Inspector Packman said
that at noon on Thursday, Long went to a police station in London and said he
wanted to give himself up for misappropriating £80 of a darts club’s funds. Asked if this
meant that he had spent the £80, he replied “Yes, that’s right. I started
gambling and lost. I tried to make up my losses and had no luck”. He was taken
to Folkestone police station where he made a statement, saying that each Friday
evening at the Victoria he used to receive the weekly subscriptions of 1/- each
from members of the darts club. The club’s financial year began on May 10th,
1962, and at the end of it he was due to repay the money to members, minus
what had been used for club expenses. He stated that until a fortnight ago he had kept
the money safely at home. He was out of work, and he decided to take £3 of the
money to gamble with. He
lost, and continued to lose, until all the rest of the money was gone. He
was very worried, and decided to run away. He walked to London and, after
spending a day there, went to a police station. He promised to repay all the,
money. D. Inspector Packman said that each of the three
charges was in respect of an amount of £2 5/6. With the sums concerned in the
16 other offences, the total amount involved was £47 7/-.
Long told the court he would like to make a public
apology to his friends. He would repay the money as soon as possible.
William Morton, of 29, Quested Road, Vice-Captain
of the darts club, told the court that it had come as a shock to the club. If
Long had not gone to the police they would have been able to help him. Mr. Morton then burst into tears,
saying “We’re not worried
about money. We just want to get him back”.
Placing Long on probation, the Chairman (Mr. H.R.C.
White) said that in view of what had been said to the court the magistrates
were prepared to take a lenient course.
Folkestone Gazette
27-11-1963
Townsman`s Diary
One of Cheriton’s pubs, The Victoria, in Risborough
Lane, is being modernised and the brewers, Messrs. Mackeson, would like to
incorporate in the hostelry anything linking its name with Queen Victoria. They have in mind, I understand, any
old photographs of the Queen when she visited Shorncliffe Camp, just in the
same way as last week’s Gazette showed one of Her Majesty leaving Folkestone
Harbour for France in the ’80s. “There is plenty of Victoriana in
the place which is now being removed to make way for a modern public house”, one
of those engaged in the work told me, but we should like to retain the link
with the Victorian days with anything belonging to period”.
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Folkestone Herald 21-12-1963
Local News
A complete transformation has been effected at the
Victoria Inn, Cheriton, a popular rendezvous for many patrons, including troops
from nearby Shorncliffe Camp. A comfortable, intimate atmosphere has been imparted
by the use of natural materials, by no means an easy problem, considering the
unusual height of the ceilings and the shape of the Victorian windows.
In the Albert Bar this difficulty was overcome by making
a feature of the beams to include concealed lighting. The bar has been divided
into areas of local interest where customers can sit, watch or play darts away
from the mainstream of patrons at the counter. The main server is emphasised
with vertical boards of Douglas pine, contrasting with the heavy horizontal
timber to the counter front and the drop ceilings above.
The Victoria Lounge has been divided into smaller areas
bu an arrangement of fixed seating, incorporating a screen featuring well-known
trade marks, which also provides illumination. Incorporated in the fireplace
surround are 12 silver Victorian coins, including 3d. and 4d. pieces, double
florins and crowns. Further interest is provided by a picture of young Victoria
in full regalia, and various other pictures from her childhood to advanced age.
The Victoria faces the future entirely new in design, yet
with the same friendly, courteous service one associates with the traditional
public house.
The new bars were informally opened by Cmdr. N.C.M.
Findlay (ret.), Managing Director of Messrs. Mackeson and Co., Ltd., who was
accompanied by Mr. R.A.R. Fanshawe, Assistant Managing Director.
Folkestone Gazette
1-2-1967
Local News
At the Victoria Hotel, in Risborough Lane, Folkestone, a
pile of pennies totalling £6 9s. was pushed over recently.
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