West Cliff Shades 1970s

Folkestone Herald 13-2-1971

Annual Licensing Sessions

Police are keeping an extra careful eye on some pubs in Folkestone - particularly those popular among young people. This was revealed by Chief Superintendent W. Pullinger in his report to the annual meeting of the town’s Licensing Justices, on Wednesday.

He said that during 1970 licensed premises had been generally well-conducted. But he went on “As in most towns, certain premises require additional police supervision to ensure that the liquor licensing laws are not abused. This is sometimes due to slackness on the part of the licensee, or to popular premises attracting large numbers of young people”.

Mr. P.J. Baden-Fuller, the Chairman of the Justices, appreciated the difficulties licensees faced with young people. He said the Justices hoped that those licensees concerned would try to enforce the liquor laws, but added “It is so difficult to tell the ages of young people sometimes”.

Later, The Herald spoke to landlords of Folkestone pubs that are popular with youngsters – only to find they did not think they had a problem. Several of them agreed with Mr. Baden-Fuller that it was difficult to tell the ages ot some young cus­tomers. The answer to a difficult situation was, they agreed, firmness and rigidly follow­ing the maxim “If in doubt, don’t serve”.

At the Shakespeare, in Guildhall Street, Mr. Ron Balsom, the landlord, said “I have spent many years in London as a licensee, and the young people here are a lot different. I find them very reasonable and very well behaved. They certainly do not cause me any headaches”.

Mr. Alan White, landlord of the Prince Albert in Rendezvous Street, said “There is an occasional problem caused by young soldiers from Shorncliffe wanting a drink. You know who they are and you just have to handle the situation firmly. Trouble is caused when youngsters unused to alcohol have a few drinks and get a bit het up. A landlord has a duty to regular customers, and must make sure that kind of situation does not arise”.

At the West Cliff Shades, Christ Church Road, a spokesman said there were no problems worth mentioning, though there had been occasional instances of vandalism.

At the British Lion, in The Bayle, Mr. Gerry Hourahane said “It is difficult to judge ages, particularly those of foreigners. But if you ask them what year they were born they usually answer correctly without thinking”.

Another aspect of Chief Superintendent Pullinger`s report to the Justices was that hotels and restaurants are catering more for Continental visitors. The number of restricted licences granted to hotels, restaurants and other premises had increased, he reported. “This is no doubt due to more people requiring intoxicants for consumption with their meals, particularly in Folkestone, where the number of Continental visitors, especially day visitors from France and Belgium, continues to increase.

The report showed that 19 cases of drunkenness were dealt with by the police in 1970, compared with 16 in 1969, an increase “which does not reflect on licensed premises”. Fourteen cases of motorists unfit to drive through drink were also dealt with by the police – two fewer than in 1969. There are now 177 licensed premises in Folkestone. The police had no objec­tions to any licences being renewed.

In 1972 an account was published in the local press regarding a murder which took place following drinks at the West Cliff Shades. The victim`s brother has asked me to remove the accounts, and out of sympathy for him I have done so. Anyone interested to read the accounts will be able to see them here:
Folkestone Gazette 16-2-1972, 21-6-1972, Folkestone Herald 24-6-1972, 1-7-1972, Folkestone Gazette 26-7-1972 and 28-3-1973. 

Folkestone Herald 11-9-1976

Local News

A man claiming to suffer from fits who was found apparently fast asleep at ¡he entrance of a toilet, at West Cliff Shades, Christ Church Road, Folkestone, was fined £5 by Folkestone Magistrates on Tuesday - for being drunk.

David Norton Welling, of Castle Hill Avenue, Folke­stone, who denied the offence, was told that he had had time to bring medical evi­dence that he suffered from fits and had done nothing about it.

Folkestone Herald 21-5-1977

Local News

Katey, the border collie, is 17 dog years and 119 human years old, and a great favourite among the regulars at the West Cliff Shades pub, in Christ Church Road, Folkestone. Despite her great age, she still manages to run around and enjoy life. But someone, it seems, wants Katey killed. Katey has been reported to the RSPCA a number of times for being a traffic hazard. Then, earlier this month, a lady went into the pub at lunchtime and accused the landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kitson, of being cruel in allowing the dog to live, and stormed out. A week later, the pub had a visit from an RSPCA officer, who had received another complaint about the dog. The Kitsons have now asked for the opinions of their customers, and have asked them to sign one ot other of two petitions; asking for Katey to be put down, or aking to allow her to live out her remaining days. And the result has been emphatic. Nearly100 people have signed to say Katey should live, while nobody has signed to say she should die.

“Katey is very old and she shows a lot of the signs you would expect of a dog that age, but she is in good health”, said Mrs. Diana Kitson. “She does sometimes tend to wander out into the road here, and we are going to have to make sure that she does not do that in the future. We have had her for 15 years, and we want to keep her for a few more”.

Folkestone Herald 21-10-1978

Local News

A pub landlady and her customers were celebrating this week when they heard that the seal cull in the Orkney Islands had been called off.

Mrs. Diana Kitson, who manages the West Cliff Shades, Folkestone with her husband Robert, had campaigned against the cull by sending a protest letter to the Prime Minister. “I feel very strongly over this matter”, she said. “What annoyed me most was that about 4,000 three-week-old pups were to be slaughtered for their pelts. This would have been a terrible waste of life and only served to line the pockets of the hunters”. Mrs. Kitson was about to send a petition with 65 sig­natures to Mr. Callaghan when the news came that the cull had been called off.

South Kent Gazette 2-5-1979

Local News

Pub landlord Keith Hill pulled his last pint for at least 10 weeks on Saturday. The West Cliff Shades, in Christ Church Road, Folkestone, has closed its doors for extensive alterations to be done. The three bars will be knocked into one and inside toilets built.

Thirty-eight-year-old Keith, who runs the pub with his 30-year-old wife Wendy, says they will re-open in 10 weeks if all goes according to plan.

Folkestone Herald 14-7-1979

Local News

Regulars are angry be­cause of changes to their local pub. Some are so bitter they intend to drink elsewhere because, they say, the old atmosphere has been lost.

The new-look Happy Frenchman, formerly the West Cliff Shades, in Christ Church Road, Folkestone, re-opened on Wednesday after alterations and decorations work costing £48,000. Three small bars have been knocked into one and new Victorian-style furniture has been brought in. But many old customers are not happy with the only Courage pub in town, and they do not like the new name. One described it as grotesque.

Between sips Thomas Walker said “They have spent a lot of money here but have made it a sort of London pub. The old pub needed decorating but they have gone a bit too far. Before it was more of a family place where people met and con­versed in a close atmos­phere. Now this is lost be­cause it is more spaced out. The room is too big”.

Henry Harrold, of Burrow Road, Folkestone, doesn`t like the name. “The French have done their best to wipe out Eng­lish names, so I do not see why it had to be the Happy Frenchman, it should have been Englishman”, he said.

Jock, Charlie, Bill and George have been drinking at the pub for many years. Now Charlie and George are to drink elsewhere.They complained that pool tables, which were popular with the young people, have gone. “It is no longer an ordinary working man`s drinking pub”, Charlie said.

New landlord, Mike Burge, said on Thursday “I think most people are happy with the pub, and surprised at the change. It is hard to tell who are the old regulars; on the first night there were many people in the place. Today we have had many people from surrounding offices, who were highly delighted at the change. As to the pool table it was a company decision not to have one. The ambiance of the house would not benefit by having a pool table”.

Colin Bray, Courage (Eastern) Ltd's public rela­tions manager, said the name was changed because of Folkestone’s close links with France.