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19-21 Cannon Street
01304 205030
http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-eight-bells
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Formerly the "Metropole Bars"
It has now been bought by J W Wetherspoon and has reopened as the "Eight
Bells".
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From the Dover Express 5 December 1996, by Juliet Dennis.
PUB BID APPROVAL STUNS LANDLORDS.
Local publicans left reeling by decision to grant drinks licence.
A CONTROVERSIAL new watering hole has been given the green light to open
in Dover town centre.
Scores of landlords saw their objections to a new £650,000 pub in
Cannon Street quashed at an all-day hearing for a drinks licence at
Dover Magistrates Court.
Jubilant winner Wetherspoons plans to transform two derelict shops into
a busy all-day pub by April 1997, with projected annual takings of £750,000.
But the decision has stunned local publicans, many of
whom already struggle to stay in business amidst tough competition and
the lure of duty-free bargain booze.
Landlords packed the court room to hear the case and left fearing the
worst.
Jackie Bowles, landlady at the "Louis Armstrong" and chairman of the
Dover Licensed Victuallers' Association, told the Express: "It's going
to take a little bit of business from us all and push us over the top.
Struggling.
"We are already hanging on by the skin of our teeth and struggling to
fend off one bill, after another. My gut feeling is one of sheer
concern about what will happen."
Wetherspoons - who already have a pub in Maidstone and another opening
in Tonbridge Wells - claim they have never put rivals out of business.
Company spokesman
Eddie Gerschon said: "The landlords are saying Dover is not a place
worthy for a Wetherspoons, but that's a decision for the customers to make."
The firm revealed there will be space for 200 punters
to eat and drink, while 20-25
new full, and part-time jobs will be created.
The pub will ban all music, sell beer from 99 pence and serve food all
day. A third of' its space will be non-smoking, there will be disabled
access and cctv security cameras will be installed.
Dover town centre manager Kevin Gubbins gave his seal of approval to the
ambitious scheme after the hearing.
"It's excellent news," he said. "My belief is this will bring new
businesses to the town and demonstrate Dover is a place to invest in."
But he admitted landlords' fears that it may put them out of business
could become a reality.
"In the long run it is possible pubs could shut but that is the way of
the world," he
said.
"If I were a publican I would be relishing the news. This will bring
new people into Dover, it is simply not true there's only a finite
number of customers."
During the licensing hearing. Sgt Pat Gearing warned of potential
dangers and told how a bottle thrown from a window at the Maidstone Wetherspoons pub had narrowly missed a policeman.
She demanded assurances that the owners would work with police and that
customers would be barred from taking bottles outside the premises.
Magistrates' chairman Tim Martin said JPs would listen to any police
advice.
The pub - as yet unnamed - plans all-day opening Monday to
Saturday from 11am-11pm, and from noon-10.30pm on Sundays.
There will be no late licenses, magistrates heard, except on
Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.
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From the Dover Mercury 16 April, 1998.
Fifty brews in festival, at £1.39 a pint.
DRINKERS will be spoiled for choice when they order a
beer at Timothy Pilling's pub in Dover.
Mr. Pilling, who runs the "Eight Bells" in Cannon
Street, is staging a beef festival with up to 50 brews from all parts of
the United Kingdom on offer.
The festival runs on four days from Wednesday to Saturday, April 22
to 25, and all beers are priced at £1.39 a pint.
The beers include five specially brewed for the festival and another
called Sundance, which is sold in Wetherspoon pubs.
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From the Dover Mercury 17 May 2007.
Above
Steve Waymark, of The Eight Bells, with the Safer Socialising Award
pd1202044
A DOVER licensee has received a Safer Socialising Award for the
second successive year.
Steve Waymark, of The Eight Bells, is now the only person in Dover to
have the award, after others, presented last year, were not renewed.
Mr Waymark said he was delighted to receive the award, which is one
of a number The Eight Bells has received in the past few weeks, and paid
tribute to his staff for all their work.
Safer Socialising Awards have also been presented to Graham Stiles
for the Channel View guest house and the King's Head in Deal, Linda
Thompson for the New Inn at Sandwich, and Gary and Jane May for the Alma
in Deal.
M P Gwyn Prosser has congratulated the recipients for achieving the
high standards set by the award scheme which is run by the Dover
Partnership Against Crime (DPAC). These were only the second set of
awards to be presented.
Failed
DPAC chairman Graham Tutthill stressed that the awards were not
easily gained.
One pub which had received an award last year had failed
the assessment this year, and an off-licence which was due to receive an
award lost it following an incident.
He thanked the police, fire
service and trading standards for their help with the assessments, and
praised DPAC coordinators Karen Griffiths and Marie Alexander for all
their work with the initiative.
Violence
Mr Prosser said DPAC was leading the way, having been the first
partnership in Kent to receive the Safer Shopping Award, and then
receiving the Safer Business and Safer Socialising awards.
All five
awards were in the gold category, which is the highest that can be
achieved.
The award scheme not only embraces pubs and clubs but hotels,
restaurants, takeaways, taxi firms, cinemas, bingo halls, and off-sales
premises.
It aims to reduce violence, drug abuse, under-age drinking and
anti-social behaviour.
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From the Dover Mercury 7 February, 2002.
Pub rings changes
LIKE THE CLAPPERS: The equipment is presented to the Eight Bells
public house
SOME of the equipment which has been used to ring the bells of St
Mary's Parish Church for the past 100 years will now be used to decorate
a neighbouring property - a pub!
The bells are undergoing a complete renovation and new clappers and
ropes are being made.
The bell-ringers sometimes relaxed in the Eight Bells pub after their
ringing sessions and the suggestion was made that the old clappers and
ropes could be added to the old Dover items which already adorn the pub.
The pub owners, J D Wetherspoon, have made a donation to the bells
appeal fund in return for the items.
On Tuesday the vicar, Rev David Ridley, and members of the
bell-ringing team went to the pub to hand over the eight clappers and
six ropes to the pub's assistant manager, David Jenkins.
"The pub is our close, neighbour, and we always get on well with our
neighbours," said bells appeal secretary Peter Dale. "So when it was
suggested that the clappers and ropes could go to the pub we were very
pleased."
Contractors are due to move into the church on Monday to start work
on the bells which have been stripped and are ready for removal.
It is expected that the work will be completed by August.
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From the Dover Express, 9 August 2007. Report by Rhys Griffiths.
SMOKING BAN - PUBS FEEL THE EFFECTS A MONTH ON.
It has not been all doom and gloom. Some pubs and businesses have promoted themselves as
smoke-free alternatives for people who want to go out to eat.
The Eight
Bells in Cannon Street is one such pub that has embraced the new era.
Duty manager Louise Mack said: "The ban has been good for business and
we have seen food sales go up.
"People used to be put off because the
smoke would hit you when you came in, now we have got more families
coming in."
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From Your Dover, 27 February, 2008.
"Wetherspoon staff hurled abuse
at us"
EVERY week young mother Shelley Martin and her two friends used to
meet up for breakfast in Dover's Eight Bells pub.
But not any more after
they were asked to prove their age or they wouldn't get any food.
Now
the national JD Wetherspoon chain has got egg on its face following
the incident earlier this month.
Shelley 25, and her friends Diane Dixon
and Emma Stow, all from Deal, used to meet up in the town centre pub for
a coffee and breakfast.Diane is five months pregnant.
She said: "'We
have been doing it for years. The staff in there know who we are. We
weren't even buying alcohol. All of a sudden they were asking us if we
were 21. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted.
"When I
disputed it, I was treated like a teenage delinquent. The manager was no
help because he simply hurled abuse at us as we went out of the door."
Shelley said staff let them sit at a table before telling them they
wouldn't be served.
She said: "You can go into a pub aged 16 and order
food by law. I don't know why all of a sudden we were being discriminated against.
"Wetherspoon
claim they are festering a smiley, family atmosphere. On the evidence of
this they're not."
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said the company
had a Challenge 21 policy.
He said: "The policy is, if you can't prove
you are 21 you will not be served. The ladies may feel aggrieved, but we
would back our staff members."
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From the Dover Mercury, 8 January, 2009.
Drunk burglar stole beer from pub.
A DRUNK burglar who raided a Dover pub, stealing bottles of beer and
cider, has been given a suspended sentence and ordered to undergo
alcohol treatment.
John Dalzell, 21, of Milton Road, Dover, appeared for sentence at
Canterbury Crown Court having previously admitted burgling the Eight
Bells in Cannon Street, Dover, in the early hours of November 2.
Donna East, prosecuting, said that police were alerted by a call
reporting three men leaving by the fire door and getting into a taxi.
Police went to Milton Road where they arrested Dalzell in a back
garden.
In total, 14 bottles of cider and four bottles of lager had been
stolen. Some bottles of cider were recovered.
Dalzell told police that he had been out with his brother and another
man but that his brother had gone home. He said that a man called Tony
had told him it was easy to break into the Eight Bells and he added that
he had been "very drunk and very stupid".
He also admitted breaching an eight-month suspended sentence for
affray. But Mr Recorder Peter Morgan said that he was prepared to accept
recommendations in a pre-sentence report.
Good references
The Recorder said that he had read good references from Dalzell's
family and had taken into account his plea and the fact that he had not
made excuses for his actions.
He sentenced Dalzell to four months, suspended for 12 months, with
nine months supervision. He was also ordered to undergo alcohol
treatment and pay £11.16 compensation with £150 costs.
Pub cuts drink and food prices to beat downturn.
PUB manager Stephen Waymark is reducing the prices of five drinks at The
Eight Bells in Dover, but he is still making sure his staff serve
alcohol responsibly.
The price cuts at the Cannon Street pub are set to nm indefinitely.
The pub will also be offering five meals at all
times for £2.99, in addition to its regular menu.
"People enjoy' going
to the pub;' said Mr Waymark. "However, I appreciate that the economic
downturn means that they now have to be more careful
with their money.
"I believe that my new food and drink prices will allow people to visit
the pub without it costing them too
much. Unlike most sales that start in January, the pub's offer will not
be ending within days and will run
indefinitely."
The Eight Bells will offer a pint of Greene King IPA for 99p, a bottle
of San Miguel for 99p, a bottle of Blossom Hill Rose for £4.99, a single
measure of Sailor Jerry rum (and a mixer) for £1.29 and a bottle of Jacques cider (750ml) for £3.99.
The five £2.99 meals are cottage pie,
chips and peas, ham, eggs and chips, sausage, baked beans and chips,
spicy tomato pasta, jacket Potato and tuna mayonnaise with a salad.
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From the Dover Express, 9 April, 2009
Barred from Bells after coffee clash
Report by Kathy Bailes
A STORM in a coffee cup has seen a dad-of-three barred from a Dover pub
and a complaint made to Kent Trading Standards.
Teetotaller Chris Holman
says he was booted out of the Eight Bells after a squabble erupted over
just what was in his cappuccino. Mr Holman, who had popped into the town
centre pub for a cuppa after his mother's funeral, claims the spat
followed his discovery that instant coffee was being used in the
cappuccino machine.
Mr Holman, 46, of Durban Crescent, said: "I had been
to my mum's funeral and then went to the Eight Bells and asked for a
cappuccino. I paid £1.29. When I got it I noticed there was no froth and
when I tasted it, it was like the milk was off. I went back to the girl
who served me and told her it wasn't right."
Mr Holman was given a
replacement coffee but says this tasted just as bad as the
first one. He said: "When I went back to the girl she told me they had
run out of beans and had put instant coffee into the
machine.
"What I wanted to know was why I was paying £1.29 when normal coffee is
sold for 95 pence at the pub.
"I asked for my money back and that's when
it all got nasty."
Unemployed Mr Holman, who had been his mum's main
carer until she passed away, claims landlord Stephen Waymark told him he
had already wasted two coffees before slapping the cash in his hand and
making a comment about his mother's death.
Incensed at the outcome, Mr
Holman complained to Wetherspoon's head office
and to Kent Trading Standards.
He said: "When I called the head office
they told me an area manager would look into it.
"I then got a letter
saying my views would be passed to the area manager but I was barred by
the landlord and they would not overturn that decision."
A spokesman for Wetherspoon's confirmed a complaint has been made. He said: "This
gentleman has been barred. The manager says it is because he swore at
staff.
"In terms of the coffee we will look into it but can't comment at
this time."
Kent Trading
Standards confirmed a complain has been made.
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From the Dover Express, 17 September, 2009.
First time in top guide Delight for pub at place in
bible.
Report by Rhys Griffiths
A PUB in Dover has made its first appearance in the Campaign for Real
Ale's annual Good Beer Guide.
The Eight Bells, in Cannon Street, which is part of the Wetherspoon
chain, joins 16 other pubs from across the district in the 2010 edition
of the beer lovers' bible.
Although it has been a popular
town centre watering hole for many years, this is the first time it has
been recognised for the quality of its authentic real ales.
The pub was converted from a former cinema and takes its name from the
bells of St Mary's Church opposite.
Pub manager Stephen Waymark said: "I am delighted that The Eight Bells
has been recognised for the quality of its real ales by CAMRA members.
"We offer our customers an excellent range of real ales at all
times, including those from regional brewers and microbrewers, as well
as hosting two major annual beer festivals.
"Our staff work hard to ensure that the real ales are kept in firstclass
condition at all times and the pub's inclusion in the guide highlights
this."
Entries to the annual beer guide are compiled by CAMRA members and
represent the best places to get a quality pint.
A spokesman for CAMRA said:
"The Eight Bells deserves its place
in the Good Beer Guide.
"It is our belief that if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real
ale, then everything else in the pub, including customer service,
quality of food, decor and atmosphere, are likely to be of an equally
high standard."
Dover and Deal lead the way in the district, with four and three pubs in
the guide respectively. Other inclusions include the district pub of the
year, The "Berry" in Walmer, The "Coastguard" in St Margaret's Bay, and the
"Fleur de Lis" in Sandwich.
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From the Dover Express, 1 April 2010.
BEER FESTIVAL
BEER-LOVERS can treat themselves when a 19-day ale festival comes to
a Dover pub.
The Eight Bells in Cannon Street will have tasty brews from countries
including South Africa, Hawaii and Belgium.
The pub will offer up to 45 beers, including new, seasonal and
speciality beers.
Some beers have been brewed exclusively for the festival.
It will run from Wednesday, April 7 until Sunday, April 25 and all
beers will cost £1.89 a pint.
Pub manager Stephen Waymark said: ·People can enjoy a superb
selection of international beers."
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From the Dover Express, 22 April 2010.
BREAKFAST IS SERVED AT PUB
PUB punters who fancy a bite will be able to order food at The Eight
Bells in Cannon Street even earlier from next Wednesday.
The town pub will open its doors at 7am to serve breakfasts.
Alcohol will not be served until 9am.
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From the Dover Mercury, Thursday 11 February, 2010.
PUB BREAKFAST.
A DOVER pub is opening two hours earlier from next week to serve
breakfast.
The "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street will open its doors from 7am,
seven days a week, from Wednesday.
At present the pub opens at 9am. Alcohol will not be served before
9am.
As well as the traditional breakfast, the menu includes porridge,
fruit and yogurt.
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From the Dover Mercury, Thursday 27 May, 2010.
PUB BRINGS IN WORLD CUP WINES.
A DOVER pub is hosting a wine festival with a World Cup theme in the
run-up to the football tournament.
The "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street will be serving five wines from
World Cup-winning countries, as well as the official FIFA wine from the
host nation South Africa.
The six wines have not previously been served at the pub and will
complement up to 16 additional wines that will be available during the
whole festival - which runs until Thursday, June 10, the day before the
World Cup kicks off.
The festival wines on offer are Porta Nova Pinot Grigio Selezione
Azzurri 2009 (Italy), Rio Sol Cabernet Syrah (Brazil), Etchart Malbec
Privado 2009 (Argentina), Denbies Cellarmaster's Choice Chalk Ridge
(England), Loosen Brothers Dr L Riesling (Germany) and Nederburg Rose
'Twenty10' 2009 (South Africa).
The English wine has been produced exclusively for Wetherspoon by
award-winning winemakers Sam Harrop and John Worontschak.
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From the Dover Mercury, 23 September, 2010.
GOOD BEER PUTS PUB IN GUIDE
A DOVER pub has been praised for the quality of its real ale by
members of the town's Campaign for Real Ale branch.
The "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street, is listed in CAMRA's Good Beer
Guide 2011, which was published on Thursday.
Branch members chose the Wetherspoon pub following regular visits to
check on the quality of the real ales on offer. They also took into
account customer service, decor and overall atmosphere. The pub's
manager, Stephen Waymark, said: "I am delighted that The "Eight Bells"
has been recognised for the quality of its real ales by CAMRA' members.
"We offer our customers an excellent range of real ales at all times,
including those from regional brewers and microbrewers, as well as
hosting beer festivals.
"Staff work hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are kept in
first-class condition and the pub's inclusion in the guide highlights
this.
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From the Dover Mercury, 28 October, 2010.
PUB BEER FESTIVAL BOASTS 50 REAL ALES
BEER enthusiasts will be able to enjoy a range of 50 real ales from
across the world during a 19-day festival at a Dover pub.
The beers on offer at the "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street have been
gathered from brewers in Sri Lanka, USA, Italy, Belgium and Holland, as
well as across the UK, including Jersey and the Isle of Man.
In addition the pub will be serving up to 10 draught ciders. The
festival, which started yesterday (Wednesday) and runs through to
November 14, will feature a number of beers brewed exclusively for the
pub, beers which are no longer brewed, but have been brewed again
especially for the festival, as well as speciality flavoured beers. All
are priced at £1.95 a pint.
The overseas beers on sale include Lion Stout from Sri Lanka,
Castagnale (Italy), Green Hop Blonde (USA), Palm Steenhuffel Blond
(Belgium) and Flying Dutchman Junibier (Heineken Brewery, Holland).
The UK beers have such names as Chocoholic, Black Squirrel, Purple
Haze, Double Espresso Wild Oat Stout, Hairway to Steaven, Ghost Ship,
Ginger Hare and Wheat Dreams.
Amongst the beers brewed exclusively for the festival are Straight
Flush from Clark's brewery, Once Bittern (Woodford's), Ribble Rouser (Thwaites),
Phoenix Rising (Maxim) and Vanilla Orchid (Highwood).
Pub manager Stephen Waymark said: "The festival will give people the
opportunity to enjoy a superb selection of UK and international beers,
together with draught ciders, at the "Eight Bells." It promises to be
great fun and I am certain that my customers will enjoy themselves."
Tasting notes on all the beers and ciders will be available in the
pub.
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From the Dover Mercury, Thursday 6 January 2011.
IT'S SALE TIME - AT THE PUB
MANAGERS or businesses in Dover have been welcoming people to their
January sales - and publican Stehen Waymark is no exception.
He has reduced the price on a number of drinks and meals at the
"Eight Bells" public house in Cannon Street in a sale which started on
Tuesday and runs until January 14.
"Department stores and shops hold their sales in January and I
believe that given the choice of a trip to a sale at the shops or a sale
at The "Eight Bells," most people would prefer a visit to the pub," said
Mr Waymark.
"The range of drinks and meals on sale is aimed at suiting a wide
variety of tastes. As always, the pub will serve customers responsibly."
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From the Dover Mercury, 14 July, 2011.
70p
CHEERS! PUB TO STAGE ITS FIRST CIDER FESTIVAL
A PUB in Dover is staging its first cider festival.
The "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street will be serving 12 different
ciders during the festival, which runs for 11 days from Thursday, July
21 until Sunday, July 31.
Pub manager Stephen Waymark said: "Cider is proving increasingly
popular with our customers and I'm sure they will enjoy the opportunity
to enjoy ciders not usually available in the pub."
The draught and bottled drinks are from a range of cider makers in
England and Wales, and also include one produced in France. They are
available at £2.25 each and tasting notes on each of them will be
available at the Wetherspoon pub.
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From the Dover Mercury, 22 September, 2011.
70p
EIGHT BELLS WINS PRAISE FOR ITS ALES
A DOVER pub has been acclaimed for the quality of its real ale, by
members of the town's Campaign for Real Ale branch.
The "Eight Bells" in Cannon Street, is listed in CAMRA's Good Beer
Guide 2012.
Local branch members chose the Wetherspoon pub following regular,
visits to check on the quality of the real ales on offer. They also took
into account customer service, decor and overall atmosphere.
A CAMRA spokesman said: "The "Eight Bells" deserves its place in the
Good Beer Guide 2012."
"It is our belief that if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real
ale, then everything else in the pub, including customer service,
quality of food and atmosphere, are likely to be of an equally high
standard."
The pub's manager, Stephen Waymark, said: "I am delighted that the
"Eight Bells" has been recognised for the quality of its real ales by
CAMRA, members.
"We offer our customers an excellent range of real ales at all times,
including those from regional breweries and microbrewers, as well as
hosting our own beer festivals.
"Staff at the pub work hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are
kept in first-class condition at all times."
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LICENSEE LIST
PILLING Timothy 1997-98+
WAYMARK Steve 2007-12+
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