DOVER TAVERN Pubs of Dover

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Dover, March, 2021.

Page Updated:- Wednesday, 31 March, 2021.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Barry Smith and Paul Skelton

Earliest July 1957

(Name from)

Dover Tavern

Latest Sept 1997

(Name to)

1 Bench Street

Dover

From THE BUILDER February 20 1959

Above: A general view from the north. The entrances to both the bars are situated under the porch. The sign post was made by yacht fitters to the architect's design.

Dover Tavern sign left, October 1991, sign right, Jan 1991.

Above with thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com

'THE DOVER TAVERN' Bench-street, Dover

for Ind Coope & Allsopp, Ltd.

Architects : RILEY & GLANFIELD

D. LLOYD, ARIBA, Assistant in Charge

Quantity Surveyors: FLEETWOOD, EVERSDEN & Partners

General Contractor: R. J. BARWICK

THIS public house, which the brewers required to have a nautical atmosphere, contains about 1,000 ft. super of drinking space, snack bar facilities in the saloon, an unusually large amount of fixed seating, a bottled beer store on the ground floor and a cooled cellar.

Above: Details of the saloon bar window and the sign which was painted in permanent plastic materials by Peter Hands.

The site is subject to flooding and special foundations were also needed to carry the new 9 in. boundary wall adjacent to the adjoining walls which had brick foundations spreading 3 ft. on to the site. The foundations for the new wall were 'Z' shaped to avoid adding to the load on the brick foundations. Other construction was in load-bearing brick with floors reinforced concrete suspended above the cellar and the first floor is supported by steel columns bearing on the brickwork. One 4-in. steel column in the saloon bar supports the main beam which is incorporated in the thickness of the ceiling.

The domestic character of the front elevation is due to the town planning ruling that it must have three storey frontage harmonising with existing buildings. The odd shape of the public bar was arrived at because the local authority required the side road to be widened and the bar is set out on a centre line to accommodate the road angle.

In the saloon bar the architect designed the fireplace with its free standing circular flue, also all the counter fittings including the combined advertising and lighting fitting above the bar. In the public bar the dart board is surrounded by cork tiles to the architect's design.

Above and below, shown two views of the bar area.

Sub-contractors and Suppliers:

Bricks, R. Passmore & Co., Ltd.;

structural engineers, R.C.L., Ltd.;

metal windows, W. James & Co., Ltd.;

felt roofing and asphalt, Val de Travers, Ltd.;

electrical installations, J. W. H. Pemble;

cellar flaps, Haywards, Ltd.;

ironmongery, Parker, Winder & Achurch;

cellar sump pump, Jobson & Beckwith, Ltd.;

heating and hot water, J. Wontner Smith, Gray & Co., Ltd.;

slate front to saloon fireplace, Bow Slate & Enamel Co., Ltd.;

applied lettering, Ward & Co.;

sanitary fittings, Alfred Olby, Ltd.;

duct covers, Dover Engineering Works, Ltd.;

hand lift, Marryat & Scott, Ltd.;

granolithic cellar paving, Johnson Floor Co., Ltd.;

sign post, Buckleys (London), Ltd.;

joinery and bar fitting, R. J. Barwick;

linoleum, Inlaid Rubolin Flooring, Ltd.;

seating and beer pumps, Gaskell & Chambers (London), Ltd.;

clocks, Baume & Co., Ltd.;

curtains and carpets, Catesbys Contracts, Ltd.;

refrigerated cellar and shelves, J. & E. Hall, Ltd.;

front elevation trough lighting and neon sign, Oldham Sign Service, Ltd.;

fans, Woods of Colchester, Ltd.;

lighting fittings, Troughton & Young; Falk's; Heffer;

boat model in snack bar, J. Prangnell

Above: The saloon bar with the free-standing circular flue to the fire place on the right.

Above: The snack bar attached to the saloon bar. A boat model hangs under the roof-light.

Floor Plans of the Dover Tavern.

Dover Tavern circa 1980 photo by Barry Smith

Above shows Dover Tavern between 1980 and 1994

December 1994 reopens

Built on the former site of the "Guildhall Vaults", a plaque in the wall commemorates that fact with the dates 1690-1943.

An outlet of Ind Coope and Allsopp, (now Ind Coope), it opened on 4 July 1957.

The cost was said to be £21,000 and it was described initially as a mariners pub with a ship's mast outside. That proved to be a nuisance and was later removed.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, 11 November, 1966.

Magistrates hear of public house assault of PC

Police constable Michael Marsh was punched in the mouth as he tried to break up a fight in a public house.

The officer grappled with the man - able seaman Robert Snelling - and struggling, they fell to the floor with Snelling shouting "I'll kill you. I'll kill you."

P.C. Marsh told magistrates about the struggle on Friday when Snelling, of Vancouver Road appeared on a charge of assaulting him.

Snelling pleaded guilty although he said he did not realise it was a policemen when he turned round and struck out. He was fined £20.

With Snelling on 29th October was John Donnelly, of 5 Selkirk Road. He pleaded not guilty to causing malicious damage - smashing four spirit glasses - in the "Dover Tavern." But the magistrates found the case proved and fined him £3.

Licensee, Mr. Harold Barraclough, 54, told the court that the two men went into the public bar at about 10.45 p.m.

He could see that Donnelly had had "enough to drink," and for that reason, and because Donnelly had been banned from the premises he asked him to leave, he said,

"Donnelly picked up a stool and made as if he was going to hit me with it." he dropped the stool and then attempted to get at Mr. Barraclough, who as behind the bar. Customers stopped him.

He said that Donnelly did lift the bar flap, however, and four glasses on it fell to the floor and smashed. He valued them at 10/-.

Mr. Barraclough went to the Market Square and told P.C. Marsh and another officer of the trouble. When he returned to the bar, he said, he heard one of the defendants say "we're going to get it for this. We might as well get our money's worth."

P.C. Phillip Carey said that when he went into the public house he saw two men fighting near the door and Donnelly was shouting abuse and struggling with other customers. He helped to quell one of the fights and afterwards asked Donnelly his name and address. The defendant replied, "I come from Folkestone." Later, at the police station, he gave his true address and, in answer to the charge said, "I did not break a thing while I was in there."

Donnelly told the magistrates, "When we went in there Mr. Barraclough started shouting. He shouted and annoyed us, like."

He said that he could not remember breaking any glasses. "When the fight started at all happened so quickly. I was trying to stop the fight because I knew both the men who were fighting."

P.C. Marsh said he saw both Snelling and Donnelly struggling with customers. He restrained Snelling, who was the worse for drink but not drunk. Then he turned his attention to another fight involving Donnelly.

The assault, he said, took place after he had led Snelling out of the bar. Snelling aimed several blows at him, one of which hit him in the mouth.

Snelling said: "I did not know it was you (P.C. Marsh) I just turned and swung out."

P.C. Marsh: "I was wearing full uniform, and my helmet at the time."

Snelling told the magistrates that the trouble started when Mr. Barraclough shouted at him to get out as they entered the bar.

Inspector Peter Broady said that Snelling was an able seaman in the Royal Navy, stationed at Plymouth. His Naval record, he said, showed that Snelling was "very prone to quick temper."

Closed for alterations and modifications early in 1988 but reopened on 4 March with the same name but a different sign. That depicted a table of fare, overlooked by Dover Castle. The brewer Friary Meux and the cost, said to be £71,000.

Tracey Gray emailed me to say "My mum and dad ran the pub when it was the Dover Tavern. Dad took it over around 1985 and was there for a few years when it was predominantly a Squaddies pub and he was there when the Zebrugge Ferry sank. Lots of the locals were lost in that tragedy.

After a short period under the Firkin Brewery the name changed to The "Flotilla and Furkin", but it has now changed name again to just the "Flotilla". (2007).

LICENSEE LIST

BARRACLOUGH Harold V 1959-69 end

CROUCH Harold J W 1969-70

STONE William L 1970-74 Allied Breweries (UK) Ltd

BAKER B L 1975

LAKE Brian Leslie 1975-76

KELLEHER Henry Patrick 1977-78

CLARKE Terence 1981

STROUD Christopher 1981

GATTON Alan & Pat 1885+

HODSON Gerald Gordon 1987

BESWICK Duncan 1990

Library archives 1974

If anyone should have any further information, or indeed any pictures or photographs of the above licensed premises, please email:-

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