Folkestone Herald 15-5-1971
Local News
When 1,400 continentals visit Folkestone next Thursday
the doors of local pubs will be open to them all afternoon. On Tuesday local
Magistrates decided in favour of a second application to allow 17 pubs to
remain open especially for the visitors. They had vetoed a previous
application. The second made by publicans was amended to allow for a half-hour
break at 5.30 p.m. before their premises opened for the evening session.
Mr. J. Medlicott, for the publicans, told the Magistrates
that the visitors were delegates attending a conference in Bruges. One of its
highlights was to be a visit to England. He referred to a letter received by
Folkestone Corporation from the British Tourist Authority supporting the
publicans` application. The visit – by Dutch, Swiss, Belgians and Germans – was
a special occasion, not just a shopping expedition, said Mr. Medlicott. It had
been arranged by a Bruges tourist organisation which had particularly asked
that pubs should be open in the afternoon.
Police Inspector R. Sanders made no formal objection to
the application – but doubted whether the visit was a special occasion.
The Chairman of Folkestone Chamber of Trade, Mr. Alan
Stephenson, said later “The cross-Channel visitors` committee of this Chamber
is very pleased that this has been seen as a special occasion by the Justices. When one is reminded that this
extension is no more than happens in many market towns every week of the year,
it seems a fair request, especially as Folkestone’s image abroad could be much
influenced by the original decision not to allow the pubs to open”.
The pubs which will stay
open are; Jubilee, Ship, Oddfellows, Royal George, London and Paris, True
Briton, Harbour Inn, Princess Royal, Clarendon, Brewery Tap, Earl Grey, Prince
Albert, George, Globe, East Kent Arms,
Guildhall and Shakespeare.
Folkestone Herald
4-10-1975
Local News
An almost continuous drinking session on Boxing Day landed 25-year-old
Patrick Daley, of Harbour Way, Folkestone, in jail. For he ended the day
fighting two policemen who were trying to take him to the police station. He bit one of the officers and punched and kicked at the other, it was alleged.
When he appeared before Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday, the
Recorder, Mr. Thomas Eastham Q.C., told him “We are determined to do what we
can to ensure that police officers are not subjected to this kind of assault”. Daley was then sentenced to three
months’ imprisonment for each of the assaults, to run concurrent, and a further
three months, consecutive, for breach of a two year probation order imposed by
Folkestone magistrates for possessing controlled drugs.
Mr. Daniel Robins, prosecuting, had told the court that Police
Constables Tingley and Venner were called to the Harbour Inn in Folkestone on
Boxing Day last year because of trouble there. “The trouble was caused by the defendant who was drunk and the officers
attempted to arrest him”, he said “He was violent in resisting arrest and threw punches and kicked at
P.C. Tingley and also bit P.C. Venner. Eventually, after a struggle he was placed in the
back of the police car where he continued to fight. At the police station he was still
violent and further struggling took place”. When he had calmed down later in the evening, Daley apologised for his
behaviour. He told the
officers “All I can say to you two guys is I am sorry”.
Mr. Ekled Tabachnik, defending, said Daley was living as a squatter
with a young married woman and her child. “It was Boxing Day and he had been celebrating rather too well with his family. He was very
drunk indeed”, he said. Although Daley had pleaded Guilty to both assaults, he
did not accept that he had bitten one of the officers, said Mr. Tabachnik. He had not
set out to assault the policeman, but had hit and kicked out and in the process
committed the offences. Fortunately, he said, no serious injuries had resulted.
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| Photo from Folkestone Herald 18-2-1978 Shows Harbour Inn 7-3-1943 |
South Kent Gazette
2-9-1981
Local News
Plans to knock together two pubs in a £100,000 facelift
have been approved by Shepway District Council. Brewers Whitbread want to turn
the True Briton and Harbour pubs in Folkestone into one, with a small bar and
restaurant upstairs. Downstairs there will be a large open bar in fisherman
style serving locally caught seafood. The scheme`s designers have also got a pat on the back from Shepway’s design architect. Both
pubs are of different ages, architectural styles and proportions. To combine
the facades well was a “considerable problem” but has been achieved with some
success. Building work on the pubs is expected to begin shortly and Whitbread
hopes to have the new single pub open in December.
Folkestone Herald
12-2-1982
Local News
Work of joining neighbouring pubs together in a £120,000
conversion to produce a building in keeping with the old harbour area of
Folkestone has almost been completed. The Harbour Crab and Oyster House,
formerly the Harbour Hotel and True Briton, in Harbour Street, reopens to the
public next Friday, February 19.
Old customers may recognise the exterior, now clad in
dark weatherboarding, but inside the design theme has captured the interior of
a harbour warehouse and ships` chandlers at the turn of the 19th
century.
Roy Pepperrell, Whitbread Fremlins design manager, who
planned the alterations, said “The idea was to provide something to match the
area, and it seems to have come through well. Folkestone`s planners have
congratulated us on the design and the Chamber of Commerce has expressed its
appreciation of a development sympathetic to the old harbour area, which they
feel has increased tourist potential”.
Bar customers will be able to purchase seafood snacks,
and in the Fish Basket Grill, 54 customers can be seated for cooked fish meals
with seafood salads and steak dishes. Fish will be bought daily from local
catches, and lobsters crabs and oysters will be on the menu, with draught ale
from handpumps and popular wines.
Folkestone Herald
26-2-1982
Local News
A Trumpet fanfare heralded the opening of a new pub
restaurant at Folkestone Harbour on Friday. Colour Sergeant Jon Yates and Corporal Jan
Zawada, of the Royal School of Music at Deal, provided the musical welcome for the first customers. Brewers Whitbread Fremlins have spent
£120,000 converting two pubs, the True Briton and the Harbour Inn, into the
Harbour Crab and Oyster House. Builders and staff had worked until late into the previous night putting
the finishing touches to the revamped building. Top brewery officials, including managing director
John Kidson, local dignitaries and business people attended a special opening
lunch.
Welcoming the guests retail trade director Alan
Wyman said “As you are probably all aware this particular part of Folkestone,
which has got a number of attractive features, has been somewhat neglected in
the past. My company felt that, in view of the standard of amenities in the rest
of the town, it was about time somebody started to do something in the
harbour.” Mr. Wyman said he hoped the venture has helped even if only in a small
way, to alleviate the local unemployment situation. Harbourmaster Jim Ewing took part in
the opening ceremony by unfurling naval signal flags representing the word
harbour.
The new pub and restaurant, which specialises in
seafood, is employing 21 staff, 17 of whom have fulltime jobs. Both managers Mike and Lynda Daniells
are from Folkestone and previously managed the Royal Oak at Newingreen. It is possible that if the place, the
third of its type to be opened in Kent, is a big success, more staff will be
taken on.
Folkestone Herald
15-7-1988
Local News
A party of blind visitors were thrown out of a seafront
pub on their first evening in town – because they had their guide dogs with
them. Even before they reached a table at the Harbour public house, the group
of five blind people and two sighted guides were told “You can`t come in. We
don`t have dogs in here”. Shocked, one of the party, in Folkestone for the
Royal Commonwealth Blind Bowls Tournament, told the landlord they were guide
dogs, but only to be scolded “Not those either”. Disillusioned and upset, the
group had to leave.
Visually handicapped Geoff Rawlingson, secretary of the
England National Association of Visually Handicapped Bowlers, and his totally
blind wife, Pauline, were among those banned from the pub. He said “It was
absolutely disgusting. Their attitude was totally wrong. We`re not second class citizens, so why
should we be treated like this? I have been all over the world, and
this has never happened before. It is not our fault we’re blind”.
The Rawlingsons had wandered from their hotel, the Burstin, to the local
pub with friends including Alan Dyte, a blind charity worker and BBC broadcaster,
and John Thomas, chairman and secretary of the Bristol Blind Bowls Club. All were
on their first ever visit to Folkestone for the bowls tournament being held at
Cheriton, and wanted to celebrate with a drink out. For two
friends, laboradors Quaker and Illis were their eyes, but it was these two dogs
Harbour landlord Robert Collins objected to.
Mr. Collins said: “It was a Saturday evening. The pub was extremely busy
and full of youngsters. It was not fair on the dogs. We do not
accept dogs on food premises, not even guide dogs”.
Now, after being contacted by the Herald, management at the pub’s Whitbread
brewery have apologised. Area manager David Hespe said “Quite clearly the manager was wrong. He says he was under the impression
that any dog - even guide dogs - were banned from the pub. He assumed wrong.
This would never, ever be our policy”. The pub
manager would be reprimanded
and advised over the mistake. On behalf of
Whitbread, Mr Hespe has now offered the party of seven a meal at their nearby
pub, The Valiant Sailor.
Folkestone Herald
22-7-1988
Local News
A civic leader has apologised on behalf of the
town for an amazing blunder which led to a party of blind bowling champions
being ousted from a Folkestone pub. In the embarrassing mess-up, the manager
of Whitbread’s Harbour pub in Harbour Street ordered the group at of the bar
because they had two guide dogs with them.
It led to an almighty stir
within the brewery and among officials at last week’s Royal Commonwealth Blind
Bowls Tournament. But after
reading of the incident in the Herald, Shepway District Council chairman
Anthony Deighton offered the town’s apologies to bowlers at their farewell
dance on Friday. And he went
even further on Tuesday this week to attack the manager of the pub for
what he described as a “stupid mistake”. He said “It seems ridiculous to think
this happened while at the same time there is a television advert which shows a
dog in a pub drinking beer. The council wants people to come back
again, and obviously if they have a bad time here, they won’t bother. On Friday
I apologised to the individuals concerned because it is the sort of thing that can mar a holiday. Luckily, they just shrugged it off”.
The brewers, Whitbread, offered the party a
free meal at their nearby pub, The Valiant Sailor, as part of their apologies.
Area Manager David Hespe said last week “The manager was wrong. Banning guide
dogs would never, ever be our policy”.
