Folkestone Herald 15-5-1971
Local News
When 1,400 continentals visit Folkestone next Thursday
the doors of local pubs will be open to them all afternoon. On Tuesday local
Magistrates decided in favour of a second application to allow 17 pubs to
remain open especially for the visitors. They had vetoed a previous
application. The second made by publicans was amended to allow for a half-hour
break at 5.30 p.m. before their premises opened for the evening session.
Mr. J. Medlicott, for the publicans, told the Magistrates
that the visitors were delegates attending a conference in Bruges. One of its
highlights was to be a visit to England. He referred to a letter received by
Folkestone Corporation from the British Tourist Authority supporting the
publicans` application. The visit – by Dutch, Swiss, Belgians and Germans – was
a special occasion, not just a shopping expedition, said Mr. Medlicott. It had
been arranged by a Bruges tourist organisation which had particularly asked
that pubs should be open in the afternoon.
Police Inspector R. Sanders made no formal objection to
the application – but doubted whether the visit was a special occasion.
The Chairman of Folkestone Chamber of Trade, Mr. Alan
Stephenson, said later “The cross-Channel visitors` committee of this Chamber
is very pleased that this has been seen as a special occasion by the Justices. When one is reminded that this
extension is no more than happens in many market towns every week of the year,
it seems a fair request, especially as Folkestone’s image abroad could be much
influenced by the original decision not to allow the pubs to open”.
The pubs which will stay
open are; Jubilee, Ship, Oddfellows, Royal George, London and Paris, True
Briton, Harbour Inn, Princess Royal, Clarendon, Brewery Tap, Earl Grey, Prince
Albert, George, Globe, East Kent Arms,
Guildhall and Shakespeare.
Folkestone Herald 22-5-1971
Local News
About 1,400 Germans successfully invaded Folkestone
on Thursday to enjoy themselves. The visitors - members of the BMW enthusiasts’ club
- strolled about the town shooting local scenes with their cine cameras and
went shopping. Many
bought driving gear, ranging from tyres to goggles and crash helmets - but
fewer than expected went to the pubs. They were visiting Folkestone during an
international convention of their club, held this week at Bruges, in Belgium. Local licensees had gained extensions
of opening hours to cater for them. But it was the locals who patronised some
of the 17 town centre and harbour area pubs that stayed open.
At the Shakespeare, in Guildhall Street, Mr. Ron
Balsom, said “It was a complete waste of time staying open. I only had 13 Germans in all day”.
Mr. John Tobin, landlord of the East Kent Arms, in
Sandgate Road, said most of his customers had been regulars.
The Oddfellows Arms, in The Stade, was closed by
3.15 p.m. A
spokesman there said “It was a complete and utter waste of time”.
At the True Briton a spokesman said “We did very well - thanks largely to our
regulars”.
The
London and Paris, at the harbour, was busy, but a spokesman said the pub had
not taken a great deal of money.
However,
one very pleased landlady was Mrs. M.M. Lewis, at The Guildhall. “It has been absolutely fantastic”, she said, "We have teen completely packed
out with both German visitors and regulars".
Folkestone's publicity officer, Mr. Charles
McDougal, said “The original letter we received from Belgium about this visit
gave the departure time as 6 p.m. It was not until two days before the visit that we
learned otherwise".
Mr. Alan Stephenson, chairman of Folkestone Chamber
of Trade, said “These people wanted to come to Folkestone, and their visit gave
them an opportunity to sample the pleasures of the town as a holiday resort
rather than just a shopping centre”.
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| Photos from Folkestone Herald |
Folkestone Herald 14-4-1973
Advertising Feature
As a ceremonial bottle of champagne shattered
against the side of Folkestone’s London and Paris Hotel yesterday, at least one
of the invited guests half-expected to see the harbourside inn slip its
foundations, slide across Harbour Street, drop gently into the Pent Basin and
float off in the general direction of France.
For the London and Paris is no ordinary English
pub. Landlord Brian Scott and his attractive wife Sheila are not only geared
for the Common Market - they have entered it. Continental visitors are immediately attracted by
the Les Routiers plaque in the window of what used to be the public bar. For the uninitiated, the sign adorns
4,000 stopping places - most of them on the Continent - in which road travellers
are made welcome. It stands for prompt service, good quality at reasonable cost and a
welcoming atmosphere.
That the London and Paris is the only pub in
Folkestone bearing the sign is testimony enough to the standards which Brian
and Sheila have achieved. The long bar, familiar to locals and holidaymakers alike, has
disappeared to make way for the London Bar – a pleasant, gaily decorated
sanctuary for the discerning, with London show posters festooning the walls. In
the corner is a salad bar which is expected to prove a popular innovation
during the summer months. The alterations, which give the bar a new dimension,
have the professional touch. Hardly surprising, really, since Brian has spent
much of his life as a theatrical master carpenter, working behind the scenes at
some of London`s biggest hit shows. Brian still keeps his hand in at his old
job and recently lent his talents, in an advisory capacity, to the Rita
Tushingham drama, Mistress of Novices, at the Picadilly Theatre. Margaretta Scott, one of Miss Tushingham’s co-stars in this production, was due at
the London and Paris yesterday to officially open the revamped London Bar.
As yesterday’s guests discovered, the London and
Paris has really brought the Entente Cordiale to Folkestone. Even the sign outside, with a London
view on one side and Paris on the other, reflects the pub’s dual personality.
Inside, visitors can turn left for a touch of the Cockneys and right for la
Belle France. The Paris Bar, like its next-door neighbour, has a fair
smattering of wall posters – this time in French. These are not just
decorations, for the customers are just as likely to be speaking in French as
English! In recent months, since the London and Paris was awarded the coveted
Les Routiers sign, more and more French customers – many of them long distance
lorry drivers – have found their way to the pub at the harbour. That they keep
returning is the finest possible recommendation for the quality and price of
the food and drink on offer. Mind you, there have been problems. Brian and
Sheila are still wrestling with one of them. Frenchmen drink wine like we drink
water – and they don`t expect to pay very much for it. Which is one of the
reasons why Brian is trying to get his brewery, Bass Charrington, to supply a
suitably inexpensive vin ordinaire. He said “Even with our limited French we
know that the Continentals are surprised to find that they cannot get a glass
of wine for a few pence”. This, however, is one problem which will not arise
today. To mark the new alterations, the brewery is providing a free glass of
wine to anybody ordering a meal in the London and Paris. With the Continental barriers coming down, Britain is expecting
a rush of visitors from the other side of the Channel. One thing is certain. Those coming through Folkestone harbour
won’t have to travel very far before feeling at home. The odds are too that the well-thumbed English-French phrase
book behind the bar of the London and Paris is going to look a little dog-eared
before the season is over
Folkestone Herald
19-8-1978
Local News
An argument over drinks led to a pub landlord being punched in the mouth by one of his customers. At Folkestone Magistrates’ Court
on Tuesday, Robert McCrudden, 21, of Rendezvous Street, Folkestone, admitted
causing actual bodily harm to Mr. Clive Simpson at the London and Paris public
house, Harbour Street, on June 3.
He was given a three-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Mr. Michael Batt, prosecuting, told the court that McCrudden had
resented Mr. Simpson telling him not to keep the staff waiting for an order and
was barred from the pub after an argument. McCrudden returned to the bar, where he had been
having a meal with his girlfriend and some friends and punched Mr. Simpson in
the mouth. During a
tussle which followed on the floor Mr. Simpson was struck in the eye, Mr.
Batt said.
In a statement to police McCrudden had said: “I’ve got an uncontrollable temper and
it's got me into trouble before”. He
said that he had lost his job as assistant manager of a butcher’s shop because
of the pub incident.
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