Victoria (3) 1970s - 1990s

Folkestone Gazette 5-10-1977

Local News

A fight between two groups of soldiers outside a Folkestone pub left a Coldstream Guardsman with a head wound open to the bone after he was hit in the face with a glass.

Canterbury Crown Court heard on Wednesday that the two groups of soldiers had been drinking in the Victoria pub, Cheriton. One of the groups was made up of Green Jackets celebrating their demob, and an alleged offensive remark to their wives was said to have led to the fight.

Appearing before the Court were Anthony Stevens, 24, of Ladywood, Birmingham, and Adrian Colin Hughes, 23, of Northolt, Middlesex. Both denied wounding Guardsman Geoffrey Lloyd with intent to do him grievous bodily harm and an alternative charge of malicious wounding.

Hughes, who later admitted common assault on Mr. Lloyd, was formally found Not Guilty of the two wounding charges by the jury on the direction of the Recorder. Hughes, who now works as a security guard at Heathrow Airport, was fined £50. The jury found Stevens Guilty of wounding with intent and he was given a 12-month prison sentence sus­pended for two years and ordered to pay £150 compen­sation to Mr. Lloyd and £150 costs.

Mr. Jeremy Fordham, prosecuting, said that when the guardsmen left the pub at closing time last December there was a fight between Hughes and Mr. Lloyd. Stevens joined in and punched Mr. Lloyd with a glass in his hand. The fight ended when Mr. Lloyd, bleed­ing from the wound which narrowly missed his eye, knocked Hughes over a wall. Mr. Lloyd later needed stitches in the wound which was laid open to the bone. Stevens later admitted to police that he had used a glass.

Still bearing a scar Mr. Lloyd, now serving in Northern Ireland, said he had drunk seven or eight pints of beer before leaving the pub. He denied making any provo­cative remarks to the Green Jackets or their wives.

Stevens told the Court he had been celebrating his discharge from the Army after buying himself out. During the day he had drunk about 18 pints of beer. He said that Hughes, who told him about the insult, followed the other group of soldiers when they left and he decided to go as well. Punches were flying when he got outside and, seeing glass on a window sill, he picked it up and threw a punch with it, not knowing who he had struck. “I acknowledge that it must have been me who cut Mr. Lloyd. I very much regret it. It was something that hap­pened in the heat of the moment. I did not intend to do him grievous bodily harm”, he told the court.

South Kent Gazette 28-3-1979

Local News

Police are hunting several men who attacked a barman in Cheriton on Saturday night. But fears that workmen from the M20 motorway construction site could be responsible have been scotched by both police and local landlords. The incident happened at 11.10 p.m. in the Victoria public house, Risborough Lane, when barman Brian Brown told customers it was time to leave.

A police spokesman said that Mr. Brown, who lives in Christchurch Road, Folke­stone, received a bleeding nose, cut gums and facial bruising. “Navvies” from the Danton Lane, Cheriton, motor­way site were blamed for the assault because the assail­ants had not been identified and one spoke with an Irish accent.

However, Police Inspector Peter Ford told the Gazette “We’ve had no trouble at all from the site. If the situation with site workers continues as it is then we shall be perfectly happy”.

Mr. Brown was unavail­able for comment at the time of going to press but the Victoria’s landlord said “This is the first time we’ve had trouble in the pub since I came here three years ago”.

Speculation that motorway workers could be a possible source of violence was scotched by landlords at: The White Lion in Cheriton High Street - “So far they’ve been perfectly well behaved in here”.; The Morehall, Cheriton Road “Nice lads ... no trouble whatsoever”.; The Nailbox, Shorncliffe Road – “A bit noisy, that`s all”.; The Cherry Pickers, Ashley Avenue, Cheriton – “We`ve had a few in, but they`ve been perfectly O.K.”.

Folkestone Herald 27-1-1984

Local News

Regulars at Cheriton’s Victoria pub have raised over £600 to help severely disabled children. On Friday, landlord Mr. John Darling presented a £660 cheque to Mr. Steve Atmore, chairman of Eversley House Parents’ and Friends’ Association. The money will help provide new bathroom and toilet facilities for the children’s hospital at Seabrook. About £350 was raised over the past year, the main fund raisers being the darts team. The rest of the money came from tombola and other competitions at the pub on Friday.

Folkestone Herald 30-9-1988

Local News

A Folkestone seaman who attacked a man who had upset his girlfriend was bound over for two years and ordered to pay com­pensation to his victim at Canter­bury Crown Court on Friday.

Louis Michael Bennett, 21, of Augusta Gardens, admitted assaulting Graham Noakes causing actual bodily harm in June. He denied charges of

causing grievous bodily harm and his plea was accepted.

Mr. Martin von Simson, prose­cuting, said Mr. Noakes was catering manager at the Cavendish Hotel and Bennett’s girlfriend worked there as a waitress. She complained to Bennett about Mr. Noakes` behaviour towards her and Bennett went to the hotel looking for Mr. Noakes. “He was not there and Bennett tracked him down to the Victoria pub where he punched him to the floor. Mr. Noakes was taken to hospital where he had bruises and a cut to his nose and complained of a broken rib, although this was not confirmed by medical evidence. When questioned by police Ben­nett admitted the attack, saying he lost his temper when Mr. Noakes made a provocative remark and pun­ched him three times.

Mr. Daniel Matovu, for Bennett, said there was a degree of provo­cation but added that the attack was not premeditated. “He intended just giving Mr. Noakes a verbal warning but hit the other man when he made a remark which in effect admitted the girlfriend's allegations”.

Folkestone Herald 27-10-1994

Local News

Pub landlord John Darling will be pulling his last pint at the Victoria pub in Risborough Lane, Cheriton, on October 31. The next day Mr. Darling, 54, and his wife Teresa, 48, will be pulling their first pints at the Duke`s Head, in Sellindge. After almost 20 years managing the Victoria, the couple have decided it is time to move on and run their own pub. “We started out in a pub at Maidstone and came down here in 1975. We have mixed feelings about leaving the Victoria. It`s quite sad, but we have good memories and this is a challenge. We have been managers for Whitbread until now, and with our new pub we will be self-employed, renting the pub from Whitbread. We wanted to be in the country and the pub in Sellindge came up, so we put in for it”.

The Victoria is being taken over by Gary and Marilyn Thrower, who currently run the Mill House at Canterbury.