Thanks And Acknowledgements

My thanks go to Kent Libraries and Archives - Folkestone Library and also to the archive of the Folkestone Herald. For articles from the Folkestone Observer, my thanks go to the Kent Messenger Group. Southeastern Gazette articles are from UKPress Online, and Kentish Gazette articles are from the British Newspaper Archive. See links below.

Paul Skelton`s great site for research on pubs in Kent is also linked

Other sites which may be of interest are the Folkestone and District Local History Society, the Kent History Forum, Christine Warren`s fascinating site, Folkestone Then And Now, and Step Short, where I originally found the photo of the bomb-damaged former Langton`s Brewery, links also below.


Welcome

Welcome to Even More Tales From The Tap Room.

Core dates and information on licensees tenure are taken from Martin Easdown and Eamonn Rooney`s two fine books on the pubs of Folkestone, Tales From The Tap Room and More Tales From The Tap Room - unfortunately now out of print. Dates for the tenure of licensees are taken from the very limited editions called Bastions Of The Bar and More Bastions Of The Bar, which were given free to very early purchasers of the books.

Easiest navigation of the site is by clicking on the PAGE of the pub you are looking for and following the links to the different sub-pages. Using the LABELS is, I`m afraid, not at all user-friendly.

Contrast Note

Whilst the above-mentioned books and supplements represent an enormous amount of research over many years, it is almost inevitable that further research will throw up some differences to the published works. Where these have been found, I have noted them. This is not intended to detract in any way from previous research, but merely to indicate that (possible) new information is available.

Contribute

If you have any anecdotes or photographs of the pubs featured in this Blog and would like to share them, please mail me at: jancpedersen@googlemail.com.

If you`ve enjoyed your visit here, why not buy me a pint, using the button at the end of the "Labels" section?


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Sunday 22 November 2015

Updates

22nd November, 2015: Folkestone Herald Reports for 1998 Added

Black Bull 1990s



Folkestone Herald 11-5-1990

Local News

A fun charity evening at the Black Bull pub raised £573 for muscular dystrophy victim Tony Mathews. The money will go towards the maintenance of Tony`s wheelchair and a holiday in Disneyland. Money was also raised for Muscular Dystrophy. Special guests included Tony`s mother Helen Mathews, London marathon runner Ian Moore, and Cheriton shopkeeper John Tapping, who is buying Tony`s wheelchair. Tony will be getting his chair on Monday, and family and friends are now trying to raise enough money to send the 10-year-old to Disneyland. Anyone wishing to help can make donations to the Tony Mathews Appeal at the National Westminster Bank, Europa House, Sandgate Road.

Folkestone Herald 18-1-1991

Local News

Pub regulars are laying claim to strips of wallpaper as mementoes of their soon-to-close local. Drinkers at the Black Bull pub will be bidding for the decor in an auction tomorrow from 8.30 p.m. The next week builders will move in and start transforming the pub into a steak house and bar. Money raised from the auction will go to the William Harvey Scanner Appeal.

Folkestone Herald 25-1-1991

Local News

Crowds filled the Black Bull for a last big knees-up before it is turned into a restaurant. And the regulars at the Canterbury Road, Folkestone, boozer bought up all their favourite parts of the pub and managed to raise £622 for charity. Everything was auctioned off including the carpet and even the wallpaper.

Landlady Maureen Coles said “One piece of the carpet is on its way to Australia. One of our regulars bought it, and he`s going these, so if he gets homesick he can look at it and remember his local pub. It was great that the Black Bull`s last night was such a success”.

The money raised will go to the William Harvey Scanner Appeal and Barnardo`s.

The pub is being turned into an upmarket pub and restaurant.


Folkestone Herald 16-7-1998

Advertising Feature

Maureen Coles returned as manager to the Black Bull, in Canterbury Road, Folkestone, in October, 1997. She had worked at the pub previously, and having spotted its potential set her heart on running it. Maureen said “The Black Bull is a lovely pub. When I worked here before I knew that I could really make a go of it. It is a friendly, lively place where families can enjoy a few drinks and our superb food – at reasonable prices. Although it is large, the bar area has a very comfortable, relaxing atmosphere, making it feel very cosy”.

The pub boasts a separate dining area, ideal for large parties and families with small children. On the menu is a wide range of dishes. The famous 32oz. steak is very popular, as are the dishes available on the specials board, which changes often.

Maureen continued “We have found our “all for one” menu has been extremely successful because you can have a 3 course meal for just £9. You get a choice on every course, and all starters are £2, main courses are £5 and all desserts cost £2. Our two course Sunday lunch is also very reasonable. Our roast is all home cooked, we use fresh vegetables and cook our potatoes in the traditional way. You can then follow that with the sweet of your choice. It`s delicious and costs just £5. Children`s meals start from just £1.45. I have the support of extremely good staff, who are friendly and professional. I have worked hard to make the pub a success, and I am very pleased the pub has been highly recommended by the Kent Tourist Board”.

In the main bar area there are pool tables and a big screen showing all the major sporting events. The Black Bull also has a very large garden and barbecue area – an ideal place to enjoy a drink with friends and family on a sunny day.

Folkestone Herald 26-11-1998

Local News

Television smash Changing Rooms has got a lot to learn from the bar staff at Folkestone`s Black Bull pub. For the pint-pulling pair were more than happy to pool their tips money to give the pub`s restaurant a facelift while their landlady boss was on holiday.

Wendy Reeves and Liz Stanley, who work at the pub on Canterbury Road, decided it was time the eating area was revamped. And so, with the help of other staff and customers, they worked hard to finish redecorating before Maureen Coles returned from a two week holiday in sunny Spain. Liz said “The dining room area really needed brightening up and we thought it would be a nice surprise for Maureen”. Wendy added “Before we started it was grubby and tatty as it hasn`t been redecorated for years. The wallpaper was brown and we repainted it a light blue colour, with a butterfly frieze all around the edge. The night before we were expecting Maureen we stayed up until 4 a.m. finishing the painting and laying the tables in the dining room”.

Customer Duncan McLennan said “We are like a big family, so I was happy to help. I came in here one day for a pint and someone put a paintbrush in my hand – it was a case of all hands to the pumps!”

Maureen was astounded and when she saw what had been done she said “I was completely overwhelmed and couldn`t believe what they had done for me”.
 
 
 

Brewery Tap 1980s - 1990s



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”.