South Kent Gazette
15-6-1983
Local News
A former pub landlord was found
dead in a pool of blood in a graveyard on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. John Knight,
aged 63, was found by a resident of a nearby estate that backs on to St.
Michael`s Church, Tenterden.
On Friday his wife Joan said from
the couple`s home at Kingstone Court, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, he was a
well-known and well-liked man around the town. Mr. Knight spent many years as a
publican in Folkestone. Around 1971 he took over at the Brewery Tap in Tontine
Street. He then moved to the Valiant Sailor, which he left nearly 18 months ago
shortly after a fire wrecked the pub. For a year Mr. Knight took on the lease
of the bar at Folkestone`s Courtland Hotel.
Police are investigating his
death and there is to be an inquest. A post mortem has been held but there are
no suspicious circumstances.
Chairman of the Folkestone and
District Licensed Victuallers` Association, Mr. Vic Batten, said he was
shattered to hear the news. Mr. Batten, who runs the Jubilee pub, added “He was
a well-known and a loyal member of the licensed trade”. When Mr. Knight moved
to the Capel pub a lot of his customers followed him even though it was out of
their area, said Mr. Batten.
Fellow publican and friend of Mr.
Knight, Mr. Stanley Dawkins, of the Ship, Folkestone, said “John was a great
man, and his customers thought the world of him”.
The funeral is likely to be in a
few weeks` time.
Folkestone Herald
24-6-1983
Local News
The funeral of publican John Knight was held on Tuesday. Relatives and friends gathered to pay
their last respects at St. Michael’s Church, Tenterden. It was at the church that Mr. Knight,
63, of Kingston Court, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, was found dead in a pool
of blood two and a half weeks ago. Police are investigating his death and there is to be an inquest.
His widow,
Joan, is distraught by his death. She said she would like to have a memorial
service for him in Folkestone in about July. Mr. Knight spent many years as a
publican in Folkestone. He took over the Brewery Tap in Tontine Street in
1971, later moving to the Valiant Sailor at Capel. He left there nearly 18
months ago shortly after a fire wrecked the pub, and for a year took on the
lease of the bar at Folkestone’s Courtland Hotel.
South Kent Gazette
6-7-1983
Inquest
A former pub landlord badly in debt slashed his wrist and
died on the grave of his two former wives. John Knight, aged 63, former
landlord of the Valiant Sailor pub at Capel, killed himself at St. Michael`s
churchyard, Tenterden, late on June 7. His partly-clothed body was found in a
pool of blood with his left wrist slashed. The rest of his bloodstained
garments lay around him.
His third wife Joan told Coroner Mr. Ralph Vaughan she
had no idea of his financial troubles. It was only after his death that she
discovered he owed money to Whitbread brewery, the Inland Revenue, VAT
authorities and his bank. Mrs. Knoight told the inquest at Tenterden “He was a
nervous man and would never worry me with unpleasant things. He never talked
about his financial problems”.
Mr. Knight`s body was found by the grave, where his first
two wives are buried by a resident of a nearby estate, Mr. Colin Roberts, who
was putting potato peelings on a compost heap when he looked over his garden
fence and saw the body. A police search uncovered a bloodstained razor blade
between cigarette papers in Mr. Knight`s jacket pocket.
Consultant pathologist, Dr. Noel Padley, said Mr. Knight
died from lack of oxygen as a result of blood loss from his wrist. Dr. Padley
said cuts above one eye and along the jaw were probably caused by Mr. Knight
falling on some nearby barbed wire.
Mrs. Knight, of Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, said her
husband`s manner was strange a week before she last saw him. He said he was
going to visit his brother at Kingston, Surrey – the first time they had been
separated in their three year marriage. Mr. Knight had been taking sleeping
pills and showed her how to deal with the boiler, a task he always did. “I
think he was preparing for his death”, she said.
A few months before the couple left the Valiant Sailor
last May, a fire wrecked the bars. Mrs. Knight said this disturbed her husband
greatly and he would wake up some time afterwards saying he could smell smoke.
Mr. Vaughan`s verdict was Mr. Knight took his life while
the balance of his mind was disturbed.
Mrs. Knight said her husband was a kind and caring man.
He always played Father Christmas for the children of Capel and would help
anyone in trouble.
Before taking on the licence of the Valiant Sailor Mr.
Knight used to run the Brewery Tap in Tontine Street, Folkestone. After leaving
the Capel pub he had the lease of the bar at Folkestone`s Courtland Hotel for a
year.
Mrs. Knight plans to hold a memorial service for her
husband in Folkestone in a few weeks.
Folkestone Herald
22-3-1985
Local News
A pub landlord claims his business will die if the
council does not demolish the fire-gutted building next door. Edwin Giles, 38,
landlord of the Brewery Tap in Folkestone`s Tontine Street, claims the Stokes
Brothers greengrocer`s is an eyesore, a health hazard and a ruin that will dry
up the pub trade he`s built up over the last two years. “The place stinks, it`s
making my cellar stink and it`s driving my customers away”, he said on
Wednesday. “The place should be demolished because it`s a health hazard. People
will come up Tontine Street and when they see it they won`t come any further.
We`re all fighting to make a living and we`ve got this eyesore. They should get
the bulldozers on it”, he added angrily.
Fire ripped through the timber-framed shop killing one
man and injuring two firemen last month. Mr. Giles said he was amazed the
council were prepared to leave the building in its current condition.
Greengrocer Bill Lane, who has rented the premises for
the last six years, told the Herald he was in the process of clearing out the
rubbish and shutting up the shop. He added he was attempting to sell off
undamaged goods but didn`t know when he would finally pull down the shutters on
the business.
A spokesman for Shepway`s Environmental Health Department
said no complaint had been received from Mr. Giles. “If a complaint is made to
us we will respond by visiting the site in the normal way”, he said.
Folkestone Herald
26-7-1985
Local News
A publican deserted his pub and locked the doors behind
him. At the weekend regulars at the Brewery Tap in Folkestone`s Tontine Street
found the premises closed at opening time. And brewers, Whitbread, say it could
be weeks before another tenant is found to take over. Edwin Giles, 38, has
experienced difficulty running the business since the departure of his wife,
Caroline, 36, and their four children. Caroline left her husband last month.
A spokesman for Whitbreads, Mr. John Norton, told the
Herald “The licensee has left unexpectedly, and we have no-one to run the
Brewery Tap. It is certainly an unusual situation which we hope can be resolved
as soon as possible”.
Earlier this year Mr. Giles and his family were evacuated
from the pub when the adjacent greengrocery store was set alight. Since then he
has complained about the burnt-out shop driving custom away. In March he told
the Herald “The place stinks, it`s making my cellar stink and driving customers
away. We are fighting to make a living, and we have got this eyesore”, he said.
Folkestone Herald
2-8-1985
Local News
Whitbread, the brewers, said this week that the Brewery
Tap in Folkestone`s Tontine Street would remain closed until a suitable tenant
could be found. Last week the Herald reported the disappearance of landlord
Edwin Giles. Since then the pub has remained closed to trade. A spokesman for
the brewery said candidates for the tenancy were being interviewed.
Folkestone Herald
11-11-1988
Local News
Two brave pool players became as bald as billiard balls for charity.
Builder Grant Leizert and cycle-shop work Nick Price, decided to part with
their locks after a suggestion over the pool table at their pub, the Brewery
Tap in Tontine Street, Folkestone. The 18-year-olds charged £1 a hack at
their hair, and raised £300 for Cancer Research.
Landlady Doreen Steinberg said “It was a great
evening and everyone had a good laugh. My daughter, Teresa McLoughlin,
is a hairdresser, so she tidied up afterwards, but one of the sponsors, fresh
from the Doner Kebab shop, bought along his own cutter - a huge knife for the
Greek meat. He gave Grant and Nick a real hair-raising time”.
Folkestone Herald
26-6-1992
Local News
A publican has failed to get a licence for bands to play
for most of the day up to midnight on his premises.
Martin Foulkes, of the Brewery Tap in Tontine Street,
Folkestone, asked Shepway Council`s entertainment licensing sub-committee for
clearance for live music from 11 a.m. until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
He also wanted the licence for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 7
p.m. until 10.30 p.m. on Sundays.
A letter of objection had come from the St. Michael`s
Street Residents` Association, who feared noise problems.
Mr. Foulkes told the committee “We would need to keep the
noise levels down anyway so people could talk to us at the bar. We are not good
lipreaders!” He said the hours of the licence would not be used every week but
would give customers more time to enjoy the music and drink up.
The sub-committee granted him an indoor licence for just
7 – 11 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, 7 – 11.30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7
– 10.30 p.m. on Sunday nights.
Folkestone Herald
27-8-1998
Local News
Three Folkestone watering holes have new owners after the
sale of more than 250 pubs owned by brewing giant Whitbread.
The Royal Standard and the Two Bells, both on Canterbury
Road, and the Brewery Tap at Tontine Street have been sold to Avebury Taverns.
Martin Foulkes, landlord of the Brewery tap, believes the
new ownership could have positive effects. He said “No changes are going to be
made to the pub for three months, but then Avebury Taverns are talking about
introducing some new beers”.
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