7-9 Little Fenchurch Street

Folkestone

Although the picture above shows what is deemed to be the "Dew Drop Inn" in Folkestone, I don't believe this is the actual image of the pub itself, but just a drawing of a traditional pub as one would like to visualise it. The 1936 postcard was kindly sent to me by Make Vernol who was enquiring about whether the pub ever existed. It most certainly did, but only between 1867 and 1875.

The first licensee, Joseph Bromley, originally from neighbouring public house the "Bricklayer's Arms" decided to leave that establishment and open the "Dew Drop" just down the road. Opening a new beer-house and coming from the old there was of course a lot of rivalry between the two pubs with fights from the drinkers and bad blood occurring between the two houses till his departure in 1870. The following licensee, John Johnson couldn't do much to remove the reputation the house had acquired and was followed by Thomas Dunn who found the same problem. However, after Dunn had departed in 1875, Godfrey Lepper, originally from the "Raglan" and who was actually forcibly ejected from the premises after he refused to surrender the licence when the pub was put up for sale in February 1867, took the reins in 1867 and changed the name to the "George III" soon after he gained licensee status.

LICENSEE LIST

BROMLEY Joseph 1867-70

JOHNSON John 1870-73

DUNN Thomas 1873-75

LEPPER Godfrey 1875 changed name to "George III."

From More Bastions of the Bar by Easdown and Rooney