Memories from the pubs in and around Folkestone, with contemporary newspaper reports.
Thanks And Acknowledgements
My thanks go to Kent Libraries and Archives - Folkestone Library and also to the archive of the Folkestone Herald. For articles from the Folkestone Observer, my thanks go to the Kent Messenger Group. Southeastern Gazette articles are from UKPress Online, and Kentish Gazette articles are from the British Newspaper Archive. See links below.
Paul Skelton`s great site for research on pubs in Kent is also linked
Other sites which may be of interest are the Folkestone and District Local History Society, the Kent History Forum, Christine Warren`s fascinating site, Folkestone Then And Now, and Step Short, where I originally found the photo of the bomb-damaged former Langton`s Brewery, links also below.
Paul Skelton`s great site for research on pubs in Kent is also linked
Other sites which may be of interest are the Folkestone and District Local History Society, the Kent History Forum, Christine Warren`s fascinating site, Folkestone Then And Now, and Step Short, where I originally found the photo of the bomb-damaged former Langton`s Brewery, links also below.
Welcome
Welcome to Even More Tales From The Tap Room.
Core dates and information on licensees tenure are taken from Martin Easdown and Eamonn Rooney`s two fine books on the pubs of Folkestone, Tales From The Tap Room and More Tales From The Tap Room - unfortunately now out of print. Dates for the tenure of licensees are taken from the very limited editions called Bastions Of The Bar and More Bastions Of The Bar, which were given free to very early purchasers of the books.
Easiest navigation of the site is by clicking on the PAGE of the pub you are looking for and following the links to the different sub-pages. Using the LABELS is, I`m afraid, not at all user-friendly.
Contrast Note
Whilst the above-mentioned books and supplements represent an enormous amount of research over many years, it is almost inevitable that further research will throw up some differences to the published works. Where these have been found, I have noted them. This is not intended to detract in any way from previous research, but merely to indicate that (possible) new information is available.
Contribute
If you have any anecdotes or photographs of the pubs featured in this Blog and would like to share them, please mail me at: jancpedersen@googlemail.com.
If you`ve enjoyed your visit here, why not buy me a pint, using the button at the end of the "Labels" section?
If you`ve enjoyed your visit here, why not buy me a pint, using the button at the end of the "Labels" section?
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Saturday, 6 December 2014
Updates
6th December, 2014: Folkestone Herald Reports from 1963, 1964 and 1965 Added.
Royal George 1960s
Folkestone Herald 31-7-1965
Local News
A young woman asked Folkestone Magistrates on Tuesday
“Stop this man molesting me everywhere I go. He is making my life a misery”.
She told him that he had threatened to kill her. That was
one evening when she had been out with friends. Miss Sheila Leggett, of Bridge
Street, Folkestone, said he had called her over to him, and then started to
call her all the dirty things he could. “He started bashing me”, she went on.
“He grabbed me by the coat and swung me round. This is not the first time it
has happened. It has been going on for a long time now. My friends stood and
watched to see what would happen”. Miss Leggett had brought a private
prosecution for common assault against 22-year-old Eamonn McShane, of Pavilion
Road, Folkestone.
He pleaded Not Guilty, and finally the Magistrates bound
over both Miss Leggett and McShane to keep the peace in the sum of £5 each for
12 months.
Cross-examined by Mr. T. Hulme, junior, defending, Miss
Leggett agreed there were several people round the stalls in The Stade when
McShane assaulted her.
“Are you really telling us that all these people were
about and stood and did nothing while he grabbed you?” asked Mr. Hulme.
Miss Leggett: Only my cousin. She told him to keep his
hands off me.
She said that on previous occasions McShane had “busted
her nose in” at her home, and last year outside the Beach Hotel he had made as
if to hit her. She had defended herself that time by punching him on the face.
She had also punched the girl with him when the girl was funny with her. Miss
Leggett said she had danced with McShane at a dance last Wednesday. That was
after he had tried to throttle her and she had laid the complaint against him.
“The only reason I danced with him was to stop trouble”, she said. “No matter
what boy I talk to he comes up starting trouble”.
Mr. Hulme: Were you not, in fact, trying to persuade him
to plead Guilty today?
Miss Leggett: No. Since it all came out he has been
nearly on his knees to make me stop the case.
McShane told the Court that he had met Miss Leggett and
had taken her and her friend into the Royal George and stood them a drink. Miss
Leggett had then left him and joined her friends there. They left without him.
Later he went into the Jubilee Inn where he saw Miss Leggett and her friends.
“They laughed at me and took the Mickey out of me”, he said. Outside he took
her by the lapels of her jacket and pushed her, saying “Stay with your
friends”.
Mr. Hulme told the Court: I was going to say this was a
storm in a tea cup, but I do not think anyone had been drinking tea that
evening. The truth is these people had been out on a pub crawl and Miss Leggett
abandoned McShane for her friends.
Binding over Miss Leggett and McShane, Mrs. D. Buttery,
deputy Chairman, told them to keep out of each other`s way. “If you come up
against each other in that time you will forfeit the sum of £5”, she said.
Jubilee Inn 1960s
Folkestone Herald 31-7-1965
Local News
A young woman asked Folkestone Magistrates on Tuesday
“Stop this man molesting me everywhere I go. He is making my life a misery”.
She told him that he had threatened to kill her. That was
one evening when she had been out with friends. Miss Sheila Leggett, of Bridge
Street, Folkestone, said he had called her over to him, and then started to
call her all the dirty things he could. “He started bashing me”, she went on.
“He grabbed me by the coat and swung me round. This is not the first time it
has happened. It has been going on for a long time now. My friends stood and
watched to see what would happen”. Miss Leggett had brought a private
prosecution for common assault against 22-year-old Eamonn McShane, of Pavilion
Road, Folkestone.
He pleaded Not Guilty, and finally the Magistrates bound
over both Miss Leggett and McShane to keep the peace in the sum of £5 each for
12 months.
Cross-examined by Mr. T. Hulme, junior, defending, Miss
Leggett agreed there were several people round the stalls in The Stade when
McShane assaulted her.
“Are you really telling us that all these people were
about and stood and did nothing while he grabbed you?” asked Mr. Hulme.
Miss Leggett: Only my cousin. She told him to keep his
hands off me.
She said that on previous occasions McShane had “busted
her nose in” at her home, and last year outside the Beach Hotel he had made as
if to hit her. She had defended herself that time by punching him on the face.
She had also punched the girl with him when the girl was funny with her. Miss
Leggett said she had danced with McShane at a dance last Wednesday. That was
after he had tried to throttle her and she had laid the complaint against him.
“The only reason I danced with him was to stop trouble”, she said. “No matter
what boy I talk to he comes up starting trouble”.
Mr. Hulme: Were you not, in fact, trying to persuade him
to plead Guilty today?
Miss Leggett: No. Since it all came out he has been
nearly on his knees to make me stop the case.
McShane told the Court that he had met Miss Leggett and
had taken her and her friend into the Royal George and stood them a drink. Miss
Leggett had then left him and joined her friends there. They left without him.
Later he went into the Jubilee Inn where he saw Miss Leggett and her friends.
“They laughed at me and took the Mickey out of me”, he said. Outside he took
her by the lapels of her jacket and pushed her, saying “Stay with your
friends”.
Mr. Hulme told the Court: I was going to say this was a
storm in a tea cup, but I do not think anyone had been drinking tea that
evening. The truth is these people had been out on a pub crawl and Miss Leggett
abandoned McShane for her friends.
Binding over Miss Leggett and McShane, Mrs. D. Buttery,
deputy Chairman, told them to keep out of each other`s way. “If you come up
against each other in that time you will forfeit the sum of £5”, she said.
Globe (2) 1960s
Folkestone Herald 13-2-1965
Local News
Police statements about the responsibility of
publicans towards drunken drivers have brought protests from local landlords. Superintendent Frederick Coatsworth
said at Seabrook last week that licensees exerted a tremendous influence on
their customers and had a vital role to play in the prevention of offences
involving drink, especially where motorists were concerned.
Reaction from Mr. Reg. Gard, landlord of the
George Inn in George Lane, Folkestone, was “It just doesn’t make sense. We’re supposed to be
mind- readers now, asking customers their age to see if they are over 18. The only thing we can do is to refuse
to serve drinks to anyone who has obviously had too much. And, of course,
thirsty motorists could always wear a ticket around their necks saying “I’m a
driver. Please can I have a drink?””
Mr. Ron Letts, licensee of the Globe on The Bayle,
said “It’s ludicrous. Our job is to sell drinks. A fair proportion of my customers are drivers, and in
the nine years I have been here I have found they are generally responsible
people. On
the odd occasion, when you know your customer, it’s O.K. to say “Give me your
keys—you’d better take a taxi home”. But how can you say that to a perfect
stranger?”
Mr. Alec Wales, of the London and Paris, near the
Harbour, who is chairman of Folkestone, Hythe and District Licensed
Victuallers’ Association, put most of the blame on restaurants. “You cannot hold a publican
responsible for what customers drink”, he declared. “I don’t allow anyone who is
obviously drunk in my house, but when they can get served at a restaurant, what
can you do? I certainly don`t think the majority of drunks come from pubs”.
At Folkestone Brewster Sessions on Wednesday Supt.
Coats worth reiterated his opinion. “Licensees, particularly those whose
premises attract what is known as the motor car trade, have a vital contribution
to pay in regard to safety
on the roads”, he said. The
police are the first to realise in a town such as Folkestone that all persons
do not obtain their liquor in licensed premises. But, as responsible citizens, licensees can exert
a great
influence on their customers by always bearing in mind the effect which
alcohol taken in excess might have on drivers of a motor vehicle”.
The last word came from Mrs. Maud Lewis, licensee
of the Guildhall Hotel, chairman of the Women’s Auxiliary of the local L.V.A.
After Brewster Sessions she told the Herald “We all try to do our stuff. If we
think customers have had enough we tell them so. Irrespective of whether
they`re driving or not, I`m firm with them on the question of drink”.
Folkestone Herald 24-7-1965
Local News
Some three years ago Mr. Ronnie Letts, of the Globe
Hotel, The Bayle, Folkestone, revealed an unexpected flair for organisation. It
was suggested that an annual darts competition should be arranged for Cancer
Relief (as apart from research) and he undertook the task of running it. It
proved an instantaneous success, and in each of the last two years a very
useful sum has been realised through the co-operation of other licensed houses
within the area.
Next Thursday, commencing at 7.30 p.m., the semi-finals
and final of this year`s competition will take place at St. George`s Hall at
the rear of the Roman Catholic Church. A fitting venue, because the project has
the interest and active support of Father C.J. Walmsley, priest-in-charge at
the church.
The semi-finalists are Plough Inn A (holders of the
loving cup held annually by the winners), Cherrypickers Inn B, Star and Garter
Inn A (holders of the runners-up shield) and Richmond Inn A. There should be
some excellent sport, and, still more important, a generous addition to the
funds of the very worthy cause for which the competition is held.
Bouverie Arms 1960s
Folkestone Herald 13-6-1964
Local News
Two youths involved in a fracas at the Bouverie Arms
public house, Cheriton Road, from which, it was said, they had been banned, on
March 13th, were charged with assaulting the landlord, Mr. Harry
Elliott, at Folkestone Magistrates` Court on Tuesday. The youths, who pleaded
Not Guilty, were fined £3 each. Postle, however, chose the alternative of seven
days` imprisonment.
Mr. Elliott said that at about 8.30 p.m. on March 13th
the youths, Edward Postle (19), of 14, Samian Crescent, Folkestone, and Michael
Huntley (18), of 56 Bradstone Road, Folkestone, were in the toilets at the back
of his premises. A customer told him that there was a disturbance there and he
went to investigate. “When I saw them I turned round and walked back to the
door of the lounge bar”, witness said. “As I went in I was grabbed from behind
and pushed into the bar. Postle did this. The other one went for my son and
knocked him against the fireplace. I went to help him and there was a general
scrimmage. I called for help and a customer from the saloon bar came through
and helped me to get them out”. Witness said he was struck about the head and
in the ribs, and later went to hospital for an X-ray. His wife and son were
also involved.
The son, Jeffrey Elliott, said he stood at the door while
his father went to investigate. When they went back they were grabbed. His
father was pushed over the counter and he was pushed over the fireplace.
Eventually his mother came along and took a reasonably active part in the
scuffle. Witness
said it was Huntley who tackled him and Postle who assaulted his father.
Leslie Avis, landlord of the Devonshire Hotel,
said he was sitting in the saloon bar and on hearing two cries for help went
into the other bar. “I went through”, he said, “and there was absolute chaos.
Postle was pulling Mr. Elliott`s tie and his son was grappling with Huntley on
the fireplace”.
Huntley told the Court that he and Postle were
walking along the road to go to a cafe and met a girl outside. They wanted to
use Mr. Elliott`s toilets, so they walked up the passage by the pub. There were
a few cars parked there and they had to squeeze past a black car to get
through. He tripped and they both fell through the bar door. Mr. Elliott and
his son tried to push them out. Huntley continued “When we were pushed Postle
went for the son and I held Mr. Elliott and kept him away from the scuffle. I
could not have hit him as my hand was wrapped up in plaster. Mr. Elliott`s wife
came in and started hitting me over the head and kept saying “If you don`t let
my husband go I`ll call the police””.
Postle gave similar evidence.
Miss Gwenda Mann said she met defendants by
the Bouverie Arms and they went to use the toilets. When they had tried to
squeeze past a black car they fell into the bar doorway. The landlord came out
and pushed them back. She shouted “Please don`t fight”.
Folkestone Herald 17-4-1965
Local News
Irish Labourer Joseph O`Loughlin struck a costly blow
when he smashed the public bar window of the Bouverie Arms Hotel in Folkesrone
on April 3. He was fined £5 by Folkestone Magistrates on Tuesday for causing
wilful damage, and ordered to pay £45 for the cost of repairing the window.
Chief Inspector Frank Corke, prosecuting, said that
at about 11.45 p.m. the licensee of the Bouverie Arms, Mr. Harrv Elliott, saw a
man trying
to look through thej saloon bar window. He did not take much notice of him and the
man went away. Several minutes later, however, the public bar window, measuring
over 6ft. by 2ft. 6in., was smashed. Mr. Elliott left the hotel, and saw
O`Loughlin, the man who had tried to look into the saloon bar, in Millfield,
holding one of his shoes in his hand. He handed him over to the police, who
were told later by O`Loughlin “I did it because they said “Ignore him; he`s a
Paddy””.
O`Loghlin told the Court he had been drinking all
that day.
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