Woolcombers Street

Above shows the "Burlington Hotel" 1898.

"Burlington for sale, date unknown. Possibly 1931.

A victim of Hitler war damage, the majestic Burlington Hotel as viewed from the long gone Promenade Pier, (the pier disappeared in 1926). The hotel appears to be on the seafront, but the camera lies. Most if not all the building was on the landward side of what we know today as Townwall Street, as will be seen by the aerial picture below of about 1929, (below).  In the centre is Woolcomber Street and extreme right, with Marine Court in front, can be made out the foundations of the gasometer of the old Trevanlon Street gasworks.

American tanks await shipment to the continent in front of the damaged Burlington Hotel.

War damaged Burlington Hotel

The "Burlington Bars" were an integral part of the "Burlington Hotel", originally being built in 1864, the mansion and grounds belonged to the Rice family, the occupant at that time being known locally as Madame Rice.

In the early 1860s speculators acquired the property, and a company called the "Clarence Hotel" Company was formed, and they set to work to erect a huge building that it was expected would do big business. The hotel took over three years to build, but on the anniversary of Queen Victoria's Coronation in June, 1865, the flag which marked the completion of the tower was hoisted in the presence of a party of guests connected with the Clarence Hotel Company Ltd. That company was unable to complete their venture, and had to lease their undertakings in 1867 to the Imperial Hotel Company. Ltd.

 It was renamed the "Imperial Hotel" in 1867 when the lease changed hands. It reached five storeys high and boasted 240 rooms but only 200 were completed at it's opening. The stables were in the same street but were later replaced by garages in rear of the hotel. The Imperial Hotel Company provided the necessary funds for the completion of the building, as to which a correspondent of the day, writing to the press in September, 1865, regretted that the lack of funds had caused a standstill to an enterprise which would "give a tone" to Dover. Eventually the "Imperial Hotel" Co. completed the building and furnishing, being able to open it on September 13th, 1867, when Mr. Alfred Smee, F.R.S. Chairman of the Imperial Hotel Company, presided at a dinner at which Mr. W. R. Mummery, the Mayor of Dover, was present. The architect was Mr. J. Whichcord, and it was stated that, built in the Italian style, cost £75,000 to build and £25,000 to furnish.

It was estimated by the Chairman that if the hotel was always full the receipts (in those days) would be £60,000 per annum, of which £30,000 would be gross profit, and deducting £45,000 for rent and £15,000 for interest on capital (a mortgage to a well known insurance company), said the Chairman, it would enable an exorbitant interest to be payable to shareholders, as to which possibility he was decidedly optimistic.

Unfortunately, the hotel was not always full and never really a viable proposition, it closed in 1871 unable to meet the mortgage charges. Closed till 1897 and following extensive alterations at great expense by Messrs. Maple and Co. for the Frederick Hotels Company, reopened on July 24th, 1897 as the "Burlington Hotel". For some years afterwards it was successful, and during the visit of the British Association in 1899 housed many celebrated scientists who came to Dover.

In the war 1914-18 its ballroom was the scene of many Naval and Military dances. The late Mr. Arthur Burr, the Kent Coal financier, for several years had a flat at the hotel for use during his visits to East Kent during the works of exploration and boring for coal at the beginning of the century.

 On September 30th, 1924, the owners, Frederick Hotels, closed down and opted instead to invest in the "Lord Warden Hotel" from the Gordon Hotel Company, which was better situated to cater for cross channel passengers.

For over a year between 1927 and 1929, the building was used as the head-quarters of the Southlands Training College for Woman Students, whilst their permanent quarters near London were being rebuilt. Afterwards, the building was leased by the late Mr. C. W. Mason, and was the most striking of his various formations of flats in Dover. He also let portions of the buildings for various other enterprises such as a school and a bakery. Eventually, it was taken over by a London investor, who spent a considerable sum in improvements, and it was doing quite well as the Burlington Mansions until the war came along and put "paid" to such efforts to provide for the residential amenities of Dover.

The "Burlington Hotel" was used for many and varied activities after, with the bars now integrated into the Burlington Mansions complex which it became in 1931 when converted into fifty flats.

It was an early casualty of world war two. The tower was struck in 1940 and shortly afterwards, in October 1940, another struck the huge water tank on the roof. It seemed inconceivable that the five bombs which hit the hotel on 7 September 1941 could have been delivered from one plane so it was presumed that the bombs had been chained together. Howbeit, the structure was left in such a dangerous condition that dynamite had to be employed to partially self destruct.

Post war, fire on the upper floors in January 1946 resulted in further damage and demolition of the whole then proved necessary. That took place in 1949, together with 8 Camden Crescent, the contractor paying £130 for the privilege.

Dover Corporation paid £4,575 for the site in 1951 and an additional £315 for the liquor licence. Thus, in 1955, the licence of the "Burlington Buffet" was transferred to Watney, Combe and Reid, brewers, who later used it at the "Dover Stage Hotel".

The post war years saw redevelopment of the whole area.

LICENSEE LIST

WAIN Leonard 1877-Jan/1900 (Burlington Hotel manager)

HUTCHINGS George Dyley Jan/1900+ (Secretary to Frederick Hotels)

FALKNER R G 1901 (Burlington Hotel)

SALE Lewis William 1903 (Burlington Hotel)

COLES William Henry 1916-22 (Burlington)

FREDERICK HOTELS LTD. 1923-24

NEWMAN Mr 1923-24 (Burlington Hotel)

CLARK Herbert 1927-37 (Burlington Bars)

MASON C W 1931 (Burlington Bars)

WATSON George William 1933-6 end (Burlington)

MOORE William 1937-40 end (Burlington Bars)

Herbert Clark also ran the "Trocadero" between 1919 and 1934.

From the Kelly's Directory 1899

From the Post Office Directory 1922

From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1923

From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1924

From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1938-39