ALBION (EAST CLIFF) Pubs of Dover

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Barry Smith and Paul Skelton

Earliest 1840

Albion

Latest 1998

57-58 East Cliff

Above shows a picture of The Albion date unknown.

The above map shows the position of the "Prince Alfred" in yellow. Red is the "Albion" and green is the "Sir Sidney Smith" circa 1890.

From the Kent Messenger, 22 May 1964.

Public house has "link" with ship.

THE ALBION INN SIGN

A copy of the crest of aircraft carrier H.M.S. Albion, which was "adopted" by Dover 10 years ago.

Dover's link with aircraft carrier H.M.S. Albion has just been cemented - by a public house.

The ship was "adopted" by the town of Dover more than 10 years ago, when she was newly commissioned. Since then she has been on active service in many parts of the world.

It was, in fact, while she was in the Far East last summer that Fremlins, the brewers, who own the Albion public house, East Cliff, applied for permission to use the ship's crest as an inn sign.

The Commanding Officer, Capt. C.D. Madden, readily agreed, but arrangements and negotiations with the Admiralty took nearly 12 months.

Now a copy of the crest - which depicts a lion sitting on a rock amid waves - swings outside the inn. It is painted in blue and greys, picked out with gold and red.

H.M.S. Albion is now in dock at Portsmouth - and a crew member, 19 year-old Keith Tidd, whose father is publican of the "Royal Standard" in Folkestone, is going over to check that the minor details of the sign are correct.

Below a photo by Barry Smith circa 1980.

Houses destroyed at East Cliff by The Albion. Illustrated by Gordon Nevis 7th December 1872. By kind permission of over Library ILL/697.

I have just managed to predate this public house from Barry's original research. To a time just after it was built according to the following article found in the Dover Telegraph, dated 15 August 1840.

From the Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser, Saturday 15 August, 1840.

EAST CLIFFE, DOVER

Sale of valuable building ground and premises.

MR. ROBINSON

Respectfully announces that he has received the transaction to

SELL BY AUCTION,

On Monday, the 17th day of August inst. at the "Shakespeare Hotel," in Dover, at two for three o'clock in the afternoon precisely, the undermentioned valuable property.

LOT 1. All that substantial and newly erected DWELLING HOUSE at East Cliffe, in the occupation of of Mr. Joseph Mays, with Skittle Ground and Outbuildings. These Premises are in good repair, and at a trifling outlay might be converted into an excellent Lodging-House, with a view of the Sea, Dover Harbour, &c. (having a right of way to the adjoining Passage,) are now used as a retail Beer-House, known by the sign of the "Albion," where an excellent Trade is carried on.

LOT 2. All that BUILDING recently erected on Round Down, near Shakespeare Cliff, and used as a Beer-House, where an extensive Business has been, and now is, carried on with the Persons employed on the S. E. Railway.

The above Lots present a sure investment, either for a Brewer or an industrious Man with small Capital wanting Business.

For Particulars and to treat for the Purchase, apply to the Auctioneer, Phoenix Fire Office, 18, Bench Street, Dover.

I believe the beer-house mentioned in lot 2 is the "Shakespeare Head."

A different brewer supplied from 1859 when it sold for £355. Five a.m. opening was permitted from 1898, which meant that it joined seventeen other pubs enjoying that dubious privilege. Another eighteen were opening at three thirty a.m. With respect to this house that concession was withdrawn the following year. Its close proximity to the sea and cliffs naturally attracted the attention of the smuggling fraternity and in our time, two flint cottages in the rear have been used as a cellar and decorated as a smugglers cave. This only held a beer licence till 1950 when it was granted a "full" license to sell beer and spirits. Some trouble in the past from cliff falls, necessitating the closure in October 1967 but reopening in June 1968, the cliff meanwhile being trimmed to prevent a reoccurrence. In keeping with its contemporaries, a great deal by way of alteration and modernisation achieved over the years, especially since 1975. One of Gardner's which passed to Whitbread. Was serving Fremlins in 1974.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday, 10 April, 1868.

INFRINGEMENT OF LICENSE.

George William Turner, the landlord of the "Albion" public-house, East Cliff, was charged with infringing his license by having his house open shortly before twelve o'clock on Sunday last.

Police-sergeant Stevens said he visited the house at the time named, and found a man sitting at the bar with a glass of beer before him, and another in a room, with a pint of beer. The men were both residents of Dover.

The defendant's only excuse was that the men represented that they had been for a long walk, and begged very hard that he would serve them with some refreshment.

It appearing that this was the defendant's first appearance before the Bench, the Magistrates ordered him to pay the costs only (7s.) which he did, thanking the Bench for their lenience.

From the Dover Express and East Kent Intelligencer, 13 February, 1874. Price 1d.

DEATH BY SCALDING AT DOVER

An inquest was held before Mr. W. H. Payn, coroner, at the "Albion Inn," East-cliff, to enquire into the cause of death of Edward William Claw, a child of one year and nine months old, who died after being severely scalded by pulling a teapot full of hot water upon himself. Mr. Wright was the foreman of the Jury.

Jane Claw, the mother of the child said: The boy was one year and nine months old. He could walk. On Friday afternoon I had occasion to go into a neighbouring shop to fetch an egg for the child. I left the child alone in the room. There was a fire without any guard. There was a kettle full of hot water and a teapot on the hob. I had not been absent more than two minutes, and when I came back the child was standing before the fire and the teapot was pulled on the floor and the water was all run out of it. The child was not crying, but I saw he was wet and I took his things off. He then cried and the skin came off his chest. The child's mouth was also scalded, and his tongue afterwards turned quite black. The child died on Monday afternoon at 3 o'clock. I believe the child died from the effects of the scalding. Once before I caught the child trying to drink out of the teapot. I did not get a doctor until Monday morning. Until then I thought the child would get better. The child died before any medicine came. I had dressed the wounds with oil.

Mr. Arthur Long, surgeon, Union Medical Officer, said: The last witness asked me to attend the child, and i saw the child about 12 o'clock, and found it suffering from an extensive scald on the chest and side, and the mouth was scalded inside. The child was almost dying then. It lived about three hours after then, and died from the effects of the scald. Death was hastened a good deal by the severity of the weather. The child was properly attended to.

By a Juror: I do not think the child would have been saved if i had seen it before. The people used the dressing very well, and did all that could be done.

The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death by scalding."

From the Dover Express and East Kent Intelligencer, 21 September, 1877. Price 1d.

ALLEGED BREACH OF LICENSING ACT

Elizabeth Ball, landlady of the "Albion Inn," East Cliff, was summoned for selling intoxicating liquors during prohibited hours, on the 16th September, to persons not being bonâ fide travellers.

Mr. Worsfold Mowll defended.

Police-constable Baker said about a quarter to eleven last Sunday he was on duty at the back of East Cliff, and he saw a man leaving the "Albion" public-house. He then went to the house, and heard someone talking inside. He pushed the door open, it not being fastened, and found a lady and gentleman in the bar, with some beer in front of them. The lady drank the beer. He asked the landlady what it meant, and she said that the people had been out in the country about six miles, and she thought there was no harm in drawing for them. He asked the gentleman where he slept, and he told him at Canterbury. He afterwards ascertained that he slept at Athol Terrace. The gentleman said he was a visitor from London, and thought the closing time was at eleven. He told the landlady that he should report the matter.

Mr. Mowll said, although it was an unusual thing, he should like to make an observation here, as he had been taken entirely by surprise by the evidence which the constable had given. He had been instructed by the gentleman who was on the premises at the time in question, who was a barrister, and he had sent him a written statement, but nothing had been stated about them having anything to drink. According to his instructions, it appeared that his client and his wife had been out in the country, and on their return called in to have a chat with Mrs. Ball, but did not have anything to drink. He (Mr. Mowll) should like to sift the matter entirely, and, therefore, asked for an adjournment till Monday. He should reserve his cross-examination in order that all fairness might be done to the constable.

The case was adjourned accordingly.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, 6 September, 1918

"ALBION" SELF-HELP CLUB PRESENTATION.

At the weekly meeting at the "Albion" Self-Help Club held at the "Albion" Inn, on Monday evening, a token of esteem was presented to the local host and hostess Mr. and Mrs. Tapsell, who are leaving the above Inn. The Chairman, Mr. W. J. Lyon, spoke of the great respect and esteem in which they were held by all members and friends, and said it gave him great pleasure to present the clock now standing on the table. In handing it to Host Tapsell, he wished him and his wife long life and happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Tapsell suitably replied Earlier in the evening. Miss A. Tapsell was presented with a vanity bag. The clock which was rosewood and ormula, was supplied by Messrs. Hart and Co., and bore the following inscription:- "Albion" Self-Help Club. Presented to Mr. and Mrs. J. Tapsell by members of the above and friends, as a token of esteem and respect September 2nd, 1918."

Mr. Tapsell had been called upon to take work of national importance to Mr. W. H. Saunders, who had held the licence of the "Wheatsheaf" since December 6th, 1912.

I do have a little confusion over the Tapsell licensees.

Although my notes do say that the licensee, Eliza Souter was there from 1877 to 1893. The year 1893 seems to overlap with the 1892 for Mrs. Eliza Tapsell.

I was wondering whether Souter was Eliza's maiden name.

It seems strange that there were two Eliza's one after the other, and also, previous to that, there was an Elizabeth Ball mentioned at the house at the same time, who apparently moved to the "Duke of York," Snargate Street, in 1884. Either strange or my notes have an error.

From an email received 12 February 2011

Probate records show William Henry Tapsell died 13 September 1885 at Albion and left £50 to Eliza Tapsell which was 7 years before it changed to the 1892 Tapsell so from what you're saying it's possible that Eliza Souter and Tapsell are one and the same... interestingly when she died 7 October 1907 she left £2014! Which I would assume was quite a sum in those days...so the Albion certainly paid!

James Tapsell, who took over after his mothers death, died with his wife in a bomb where they lived in Dour Street, on 2nd October 1941.

Richard Ward

From the Dover Express, 30 October, 1970

CRASH goes the second pile of pennies at the "Albion" public house at east Cliff on Friday when £58 1s. was handed over to the National Lifeboat Institution. Left to right demolishing the plies of pennies and catching them in a blanket are landlord Reg Rowlen, former lifeboatman and artist Alf Whiting, veteran lifeboatman 80-year-old Fred Philpott, lifeboatman Tony Hawkins and Mrs. Ellen Philpott,

From the Dover Mercury 2 April 1998.

Publican may lose licence after objection to renewal.

A pub landlady who admitted breaching a court undertaking and a management agreement will lose her licence if an appeal fails.

Police objected to the renewal of Angela Ryan's licence for the "Albion" public house at East Cliff, Dover, at a hearing on Thursday, claiming she was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence and could not exercise proper control.

The justices refused to renew the licence, which expires on Saturday, but agreed to extend it pending the appeal.

Miss Ryan took over the licence in 1994 when the former licensee Michael Ryan was jailed for nine months for a £97,000 fraud.

Detective Chief insp Alan Scott, who interviewed Miss Ryan at the time, said he was concerned Miss Ryan would still be involved in running the premises.

"Miss Ryan has no experience of running a pub, had not attended a training course and did not intend to do so," he said. Miss Ryan told me she and Mr. Ryan were not blood relatives but were having a physical relationship.

DCI Scott said he was surprised when, at the transfer hearing in 1994, Miss Ryan said they had the same father. "She said under oath that the relationship with Mr. Ryan was finished and she had no intention of ever seeing him again."

Other police officers gave evidence that when they attended the pub in August 1995, September and December 1997, Mr. Ryan was there, but Miss Ryan was not. She was shopping or visiting her mother who was ill.

Sunday Telegraph journalist Jo Knowlsey, who wrote a two page feature on bootlegging in Dover last August, said on one of her visits to the pub the place was "heaving," mainly with men from the north of England.

"Customers were dashing in and out with holdalls and some were asking if anyone wanted to buy fags or booze. They said they were smugglers from Liverpool. "She said nearby residents claimed their lives had been made hell by noise, swearing and vans being loaded up in the early hours.

During a joint operation involving Customs and police in December 1997, the pub was raided and most of the men were found to have at least £400 cash on them. One had £1,000 in a waist bag.

Miss Ryan denied giving any undertaking to the court concerning Mr. Ryan. "He has lived at the pub for the last four years since coming out of prison," she said. "Nobody told me to get him out."

She was aware people tried to sell duty free goods in the pub but she barred them. When she was away from the pub she delegated her duties to Mr. Ryan, but he denied he controlled her.

Licensing sergeant Pat Geary: "Every time you have left these premises you have breached the agreement and the undertaking you gave Miss Ryan: "Yes."

1998 saw the pub close for a short while and when it again opened in April 1999 the name had miraculously changed to the "First and Last." However, there used to be a "First and Last" just two doors away, previously the "Prince Alfred" that closed in about 1976.

LICENSEE LIST

MAYS Joseph 1840+

LEWINGTON Thomas 1847-55+