Bouverie Hotel 1970s

Folkestone Gazette 25-4-1973

Local News

Hooligans smashed six windows in Folkestone and Hythe over the bank holiday.

A temporary bus stop sign was thrown through a win­dow of the Bouverie Hotel in Bouverie Road East. Landlord Mr. R.P. Lord estimated the cost of replac­ing the glass at about £100.

Folkestone Herald 8-4-1978

Local News

Thieves with an eye for a quick profit escaped with £26 from a Folkestone town centre pub at the weekend. They did it by conning a fruit machine. It happened at the Bouverie Hotel where the tricksters achieved an astonishing 500 per cent profit by feeding 10 pence pieces into the machine’s 50 pence change slot. For every 10 pence spent they got five in return.

A spokesman at the Hotel said this week “The police say that people doing this pick one town at a time. However vigilant local landlords are there are times when we get busy and these people can get away with it”.

Chairman of the local Licensed Victuallers Associa­tion, Mr. John Mees, said he had not received any com­plaints about the fruit mach­ine fiddlers. But, he said, he was thinking of raising the mat­ter at a meeting of the LVA.

South Kent Gazette 3-10-1979

Local News

Bob Lord had an open heart operation earlier this year which saved his life. And thanks to the staff at the National Heart Operation Hospital in London he celebrated his family’s 50th year at the Bouverie Hotel, Folkestone, last week. Family, friends and relatives from Britain and Holland gathered to toast the special golden jubilee. And nurses at the London hospital tele­phoned to congratulate them.

On September 24, 1929, Bob’s father Percy took over as landlord of the hotel. When he died in 1968 Bob carried on the business with his wife Joan. Over the years the couple have seen many changes in the town but the hotel has remained the same. It still has its five original bars — lounge saloon, bottle and jug, public and smoke room.

One of the oldest and most regular customers, Mr Ely Ivory, who was landlord before the Lord family took over, was also at the hotel to join in the festivities. Other regulars, including members of the Regents football team, of which Mr Lord is president, gave the couple gifts and thanked them for their hospitality over the years. The Lord children, Peter, aged 29, and Penny, aged 26, came down from London for the jubilee. Peter, a former Harvey Grammar School head boy, is now a director of a computer business, Penny is a stewardess on Concorde.

Bob has traced the history of the hotel back to 1853 when it was a coach inn. He still remembers the last horse leaving the premises in 1949.

“At one time there used to be stables for more than 30 horses here”, he said.

 

Photo from South Kent Gazette