4th December, 2015: Folkestone Herald Reports for 1999 Added.
I will now be taking a break from posting until the New Year
Friday, 4 December 2015
Earl Grey 1980s - 1990s
South Kent Gazette
4-1-1984
Local News
Penalties for swearing in a public house have helped
raise £75 for mentally handicapped children. Publicans Sandy and Joe McIvor
have kept their ears pinned back during 1983 to make bad language pay. For any
time a customer cussed it cost them 10p, and the money, including £1 notes has
been dropped into a gallon whisky bottle on the bar of the Earl Grey in the Old
High Street, Folkestone. Sandy and Joe has a smashing time to free the money
from the bottle. It was handed over to Andy and Sue Lilly, from the Mencap
residential home in Bouverie Road West to help boost the charity`s general
funds for children at the home. Cases of soft brinks were also given to the
home by Mr. Ian Browne , of manufacturers Canada Dry and Rawlings.
Folkestone Herald
28-2-1986
Local New
A pub landlord has been cleared of a charge of handling
stolen wine.
Joseph McIvor, of the Earl Grey, Old High Street,
Folkestone, denied dishonestly receiving the wine. And he was acquitted with
two other defendants after the judge directed the jury to return a Not Guilty
verdict. Judge Margaret Cosgrave said the prosecution had failed to show the
wine was stolen. In the dock with McIvor were landlord of the Priory Hotel in
Dover, David Hossick, and West Malling restaurateur Enrique Martinez.
The Maidstone court earlier heard from prosecutor
Nicholas Beddard how, in August, 1984, more than 1,000 cases of wine meant for
Waitrose were stolen from a lorry in Essex. It was alleged that a month later
some of the wine was on sale in Kent. He claimed McIvor collected up to 180
cases of wine from a pub in West Malling. He later sold some to Hossick and
Martinez. All three denied knowing the wine was stolen when interviewed by the
police. Some of the wine went to Dover and the Earl Grey. When Hossick was seen by the police, he said
he bought 20 cases of Waitrose wine from Joe McIvor at £1.20 a bottle. He said
he was told it was bankrupt stock. Later he said he had bought 100 cases from
McIvor. Martinez told police he had bought the wine from “Joe”, who had a pub
in Folkestone. McIvor told police he had paid a man he did not know £1,800 in
cash for the whole consignment of 180 cases.
Folkestone Herald
24-6-1988
Local News
Pint-size grandmother Jeanne Robey is clean, well-dressed
and politely spoken. Yet she is
banned from at least five pubs in Folkestone alone. As soon as she walks into the bar,
customers and publicans threaten her, call her names, refuse to serve her, and
then demand that she leaves. Her crime? The 5ft 2ins gran works on a P&O cross-Channel ferry.
The 46-year-old grandma was a geriatric nurse for eight years before accepting
a job with the ferry company last May when money ran short.
Now, the extra cash in her pocket has meant that Jeanne has to pay
heavily in another way. Once a bar assistant and regular in a
handful of pubs in Folkestone’s town centre, she is now booted out of those
same drinking holes, threatened with vicious beatings and vulgar jibes.
This week, after hearing of her story, the Herald insisted on checking
the facts.
On Monday, usually a quiet night, Jeanne and I walked into The Earl Grey
in the Old High Street and quietly asked for a drink. Minutes later we were
hand-clapped out of the pub. Even before we reached the counter, a
young man sitting in the comer got up, and told the landlady “Don’t serve her,
she’s a scab”. The landlady then refused to serve us,
saying “You’re not welcome in here. I’m on strike and it’s against my morals to
serve you”. We left.
At the Portland in Langhome Gardens, landlord Brian Godfrey immediately
refused to serve us, saying “Jeanne, you know you’re not allowed in here”. When asked
why, he said “She causes too much aggravation”.
But the worst treatment came at the Bouverie Arms at Cheriton Road,
Folkestone. As soon as we walked through the door, a customer sitting near the
doorway, yelled “F.... scab” at Jeanne. As we walked
towards the bar, he continued swearing and shouted “You’re not allowed in here.
Get out”. We were refused drinks at the bar, and as we walked out, a customer
threatened “If you come back, I’ll get the whole pub to walk out.” Genuinely
afraid, Jeanne left immediately. I then asked the man why he treated Jeanne
like that. He said “She’s a scab. She knows she’s not allowed in here. This is not a
pub for scabs. If she stays in here, I’ll get the
whole pub out. I’ve done it before, and I know they’ll walk out again if I told
them. Scabs don’t drink in here”.
Jeanne was convinced we could drink at The Imperial, in Black Bull Road.
She’d worked there as a barmaid and had known landlord Mr. Vic Clark as a
friend for 20 years. She was wrong. As we walked in, the pub went quiet.
The landlord told Jeanne “I can’t serve you. I’m on the line. I’ve got the boys
in here”.
Jeanne says she can count another four pubs in Folkestone who have also
banned her. Bitter Jeanne said “I have lived in
this town all my life. My father had a tobacconists shop in Tontine Street for
over 50 years. Now I am being threatened and always have to watch my back. It is
terrible that P&O workers have to be careful where they drink. Surely in
this free country, people who want to work should be allowed to without
recriminations”, she said.
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| Photo from Folkestone Herald |
Folkestone Herald 25-11-1999
Local News
One of Folkestone`s oldest
pubs, the Earl Grey, was badly damaged in a fire that left the roof in danger
of collapsing around the chimney. The police and fire brigade responded to
reports of smoke coming from the Old High Street pub in the early hours of
Saturday, and four fire engines arrived to fight the blaze. The landlady of the
pub suffered superficial injuries, but she was not taken to hospital. There
were no other injuries. No suspicious circumstances have been reported.
A spokesman for the Fire
Brigade said “We would like to emphasise that in the event of a fire we want
people to get out and stay out. A lady sustained burns while trying to tackle
the fire and endangered her life and ours in the process”.
The Fire Brigade prevented
the fire spreading to adjacent properties. It is not known when the pub will be
open again to drinkers.
Updates
This limited edition book is now out of print, but I have supplies available at only £10, including UK postage; 232 pages of stories and lavishly illustrated throughout.
Ideal gift for anyone with an interest in both local history and "The Local".
Ideal gift for anyone with an interest in both local history and "The Local".
 |
Royal George 1980s - 1990s
South Kent Gazette
1-7-1981
Local News
Two hundred pounds worth of damage was caused when a
stone was thrown through a window at the Royal Standard public house in
Canterbury Road, Folkestone, on Friday night.
The following night burglars broke into another
Folkestone pub, the Royal George in Beach Street. They escaped with £150 and
some cigarettes.
South Kent Gazette
17-2-1982
Annual Licensing Sessions
Publicans` applications for transfer agreed by the Bench
include: The Black Bull, Folkestone (music and dancing); Bouverie Arms,
Folkestone; Honest Lawyer, Folkestone; Old Harbour Crab and Oyster House
(extension to cover restaurant area); Royal George, Folkestone. Approval of
plans to alter Folkestone`s Pullman Wine Bar was given.
Folkestone Herald
9-12-1983
Local News
An application for planning permission to turn the empty Royal George
pub at Beach Street, Folkestone, into a restaurant has been made by Mr. Jimmy Godden,
owner of the Rotunda amusement complex. Representations should be made to Shepway District Council by December
16.
Folkestone Herald
6-1-1984
Local News
Amusement boss Jimmy Godden is planning to
bring a derelict pub back to life as a restaurant. Mr. Godden, owner of The
Rotunda, Marine Parade, Folkestone is seeking planning permission to do up the
Royal George pub at Beach Street. He
has put in a planning application to Shepway District Council for the
refurbishment of the building to form a restaurant with staff rooms and toilets
on the ground floor. The pub has stood empty for a number of years and is up
for sale along with the former Ark Cafe and other land in Beach Street.
Folkestone Herald
13-1-1984
Local News
Speculator and amusement boss Jimmy Godden is having talks with Shepway
District Council over the future of the Ark cafe on Folkestone’s seafront. Mr.
Godden, owner of the Rotunda amusement complex in Marine Parade, is already
seeking permission to do up the old Royal George pub in Beach Street and hopes
to open it as a restaurant, to be in operation by Easter. Mr. Godden
refused to reveal what his plans were for the nearby Ark cafe site, other than
saying it was likely that plans would be before the council by May. Asked if licensed
premises were envisaged for the site, all he would say was that any development
would be multi-purpose. “I always like to find out what I am allowed to do, and
then go ahead and see if I can do it. I haven`t decided yet what to do with the
site. This will be a matter for discussion with the council”.
The old Ark cafe was the subject of some local debate in the '70s when
it earned the nickname The Grotty Cafe. Despite the general condemnation of
the state of the building from councillors, the building, painted in an
uninviting shade of Admiralty grey, still had its loyal fans. As the debate
raged in council chambers, one customer wrote to the Herald to say he and
scores of others who used the Ark regularly were extremely upset about its
closure. The food was excellent, he said, the service area clean and tidy, and
the atmosphere was happy and relaxed.
Photo from Folkestone Herald
Folkestone Herald
20-1-1984
Local News
Plans by amusement arcade boss Jimmy Godden to transform the derelict Royal George
pub at Folkestone harbour into a restaurant were given the green light last
week. Mr. Godden, who owns the Rotunda, Marine Parade, Folkestone, is doing up
the single-storey building at Beach Street, to provide a kitchen, servery,
restaurant area and toilets on the ground floor. There will be seating
facilities on the first floor.
Shepway
District Council has been looking at development plans for the whole of the
Beach Street area, including the former Ark cafe and surrounding land, which
Mr. Godden owns. The arcade boss has said further proposals are to be made to
develop the Ark, but he wants to get the Royal George sorted out first. Work
has already started to do up the old pub, which has stood empty for a number of
years. Members of Shepway`s Plans Sub-Committee passed an application for the
changes at a meeting last Tuesday.
Folkestone Herald
8-8-1986
Advertising Feature
A room with a view
is to be one of the welcome attractions for drinkers in Folkestone.
A new bar above The Old Royal George
Restaurant gives a panoramic view of Folkestone harbour. It will be named the
Skylight Bar, which refers to the breezy attic surroundings in which it is
situated. Husband and wife owners Danny and Tina Jordan
have been running the restaurant since last September. They felt that the attic
was going to waste and converted it into a pleasant drinking place which will
open officially this Saturday. A light
buffet and punch will welcome the first customers across the
threshold. The bar will have an intimate atmosphere with
subdued lighting, relaxing armchairs and bows and blinds
adorning the windows. Bar meals
will be an added attraction, with a tasty varied menu composed of chicken
in a basket, sea foods, salads and
fresh sandwiches. As well as the normal
bar service„ drinkers and light diners will have a waitress service if they eat on the patio
outside the restaurant. So on those cool summer days, a meal or snack outdoors will be just the tonic! Drinkers' taste buds are well catered for as the new bar is a free
house, with a wide range of beers, lagers and spirits. The Skylight Bar and Old George Restaurant are a boon for motorists as
they offer easy road access and car parking facilities are opposite. Shoppers, tourists and young trendies will all find themselves at ease in these
plush yet discreet surroundings. Its opening will bring a breath of fresh air
to Folkestone’s sea front.
Folkestone Herald
11-9-1992
Local News
Pubs are shutting down tomorrow (Saturday) for fear of
violence after an Anti-Nazi demo. Campaigners say they will demonstrate at
Folkestone Central railway station against an expected rally there by Nazi
skinheads. And some publicans, particularly in the Harbour area, are taking no
chances with their property and staff.
The assistant manager of the Royal George in Beach
Street, who did not want to be named, said “We could be in a prime area for
trouble and we are shutting all day. It is not worth staying open, even if only
a few hundred pounds worth of damage is caused”.
Landlady Sue Welch said her pub, the London and Paris in
Harbour Street, would certainly close during the day and possibly in the
evening. She said “The place could get wrecked. We can`t risk that”. Her son,
barman Alan, 19, said “There could be real danger. This is the area where there
is most likely to be trouble because Fascists from Europe may travel here by
Seacat”.
Some pubs and bars, such as Jolson`s in Tontine Street,
are definitely staying open. A member of staff, who did not want to be named,
said “We didn`t close when the bombs and shells came down during the war. Why
should we close now for a bunch of skinhead idiots?”
Other pubs are taking advice from the police and may make
their decisions tomorrow morning.
A spokesman at the Park Inn, next to Folkestone Central
Station, said “A lot of people are frightened by this. I know of some people
who say they won`t go into work at the town centre tomorrow. But we don`t know
if we will shut because we are not certain the rally will go ahead”.
Last Saturday anti-fascist activists leafleted the town
asking people to attend the demonstration. Anti-Nazi League member Kelvin
Williams told the Herald 4,000 flyers were handed out and 500 names taken on a
petition. He said “I`ve done a few of these in my time and I have never known
such a favourable response. My guess is there will be 400 people turning up”.
Last week a spokesman for the far-right Blood and Honour
organisation, which had hoped to stage a concert in Folkestone, said nothing
was now planned.
But Mr. Williams countered this week; “Our information is
that they will be mobilising in London to come down here”.
Jon Steel, a spokesman for Kent Police, said “People
ought not to be panicking because if there is any disturbance it will be
quashed very quickly. We will have whatever resources are necessary to deal
with whatever happens”.
 | ||
| Photo from Folkestone Herald |
Folkestone Herald 29-7-1999
Local News
The landlady of the Royal
George pub in Folkestone harbour is concerned that a recent Eco Day in the High
Street has portrayed her premises in a bad light. In an exhibit featuring the
“blackspots” of Folkestone, environmental group Friends of the Earth showed a
picture of wasteland next to the pub, highlighting the problem in an effort to
clean up the town.
However, according to
Sharon Collins, who co-owns the pub with her partner Gary Moffatt, the poster
was misleading and gave the impression that the wasteland belonged to the Royal
George, when in fact it didn`t. “We have a well-tended terrace outside on our
property, but the wasteland is nothing to do with us. People have got the
impression that it is our land and that we are responsible for the mess.
Friends of the Earth are quite right to list the wasteland as a blackspot. We
have been campaigning for years to get the area cleaned up”.
Efforts are being made in
other quarters to tackle the problem. Phillippe Esclasse, the town centre
manager, said “We realise that this is an area of concern. The issue is
complicated as the land is privately owned. However, we have contacted the
property owner and hope to see positive developments”.
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