From the Mercury, 19 August, 1999.

By David G. Collyer.

WAR HIT FAIR MAID TRADE

Above photograph shows "Fair Maids" outside the "Fair Maid of Kent Hotel" in 1944, these 'Mar-Wrens' (Royal Marine Wrens) served in the nearby South Barracks as clerks, typists, drivers and cooks. (Photo: South Eastern Newspapers Ltd.)

The Wellington Court flats at the junction of Dover Road and Liverpool Road were once a popular stopping place for both motorists and golfers, known as "The Fair Maid of Kent Hotel."

There was originally only a public house on the site, "The Royal Standard," as depicted on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map, with an ornamental garden shown to the northern side.

However, by 1906 there had been additions built either side during the expansive years preceding the First World War. These were most probably apartments with servants, accommodation, known today as service flats.

By 1925, the Deal Guide carried an advertisement for "The Fair Maid of Kent Hotel," A Chadwick, the proprietor, offered 'luxury without extravagance' at this 'high-class residential hotel.' Comfort was guaranteed and the cuisine - a la carte or en pension - had a reputation of high excellence. The establishment was registered with the AA and RAC and was a popular venue for those who wished to enjoy playing our local championship links.

In 1938, Kelly's Trade Directory lists Miss A. Chadwick as proprietress of the hotel, but like so many of the local hotels and boarding houses, by May, 1940 when the post-Dunkerque evacuation order was issued, the guests had all departed.

being situated opposite the Royal Marine South Barracks, it was not long before the building was requisitioned for accommodating the 'Mar-Wrens' (Royal Marine Wrens). Among these were some 'Boom Defence Wrens,' supposedly attached to Dover, but in reality involved with launching propaganda leaflets, by gas-filled balloons, from Kingsdown Golf Course.

After bomb damage had been repaired, the "Fair Maid of Kent" had re-opened for business by 1948, but gradually declined in popularity until ultimately converted into flats around the early 1960s.

MARINES IN COTTAGES

Although some accommodation for married Royal Marine officers and NCOs was provided within the barracks, when the establishment was at full strength, other property around the town was rented by the Admiralty. As well as private houses leased on "short term lets" permanent accommodation was shown on a copy of an old Ordnance Survey map (dated 1914, but updated c 1940). One portion of The beach backed onto King Street, Walmer, is overprinted "RM Married Quarters" as is HM Coastguard Station on The Marina. I understand, that as the Deal Station establishment declined, the Admiralty rented the old Coastguard Cottages to the Royal Marines.

Above photo shows five "Mar-Wrens" in the garden of Brunswick House which was used as their accommodation before the "Fair Maid of Kent Hotel" was requisitioned (Photo: Mrs E. Turton).

From the Kent Mercury 16 September, 1999

I was delighted to see the photograph of the Wrens in the garden of Brunswick House. I understand that 48 Wrens lived there.

Many years ago I owned the house, at 12 The Beach. before the war it was the retirement home of Lady Twinning.

The photograph was taken in the front garden. The back of the house is almost on Liverpool Road. I had the house about five years then sold it, in the early 1980s. It had been knocked about quite a bit, and had been converted badly into six flats and a cottage.

It became far more than I could handle and I was pleased to leave, but I have fond memories of it. I hope the girls have good memories of living there too.

It was named after the son of Queen Victoria, the Duke of Brunswick. Queen Victoria owned it and her staff lived in it when she visited Walmer Castle.

From the East Kent Mercury, 19 November, 1998.

ON FILE.

50 years ago: More than a ton of fish was caught in the annual festival of the Deal Angling Club. Over the weekend of fishing, 3,826 fish were caught, their total weight being 2,299 lbs.

On the Sunday stormy weather prevented any further fishing to go ahead, but in the words of L.A. Stevenson at the festival dinner and prize giving at the "Fair Maid of Kent Hotel," Walmer, on Sunday evening.

"We caught as much in Deal in one day as some others do in three-day festivals."

From the Dover Mercury, 13 July 2022. By Andrew Sergeant.

Parish council’s lost five year fight to stand on its own feet.

On March 12,1935, the Fair Maid of Kent, a hotel on Dover Road, hosted a dinner for the members of Walmer Urban District Council.

It was, in fact, a wake.

The council was being abolished; Walmer was being taken over by Deal.

This was the culmination of five years of increasingly bad tempered argument.

For Walmer, a disaster apparently averted had finally come to pass.

Legislation in 1929 had required county councils to propose to the Government changes in their areas “with a view to forming more effective areas for administrative purposes”.

For some municipal boroughs this felt like a green light to think big.

Deal council’s ‘bid’ to Kent County Council was particularly breath-taking.

Why not let them take over not only Walmer but also Sholden, Great Mongeham and Ringwould?

This was deeply objectionable to all concerned.

For Walmer councillors Deal’s rudeness in failing to consult before proposing the abolition of their council merely rubbed salt in the wound.

They rolled up their sleeves for a fight.

At the heart of their campaign was a local referendum.

The council’s manifesto contrasted “efficient and economically managed Walmer” with indebted, congested, poorly-served Deal.

The two districts had no real community of interests.

Walmer schools, then county-run, also pitched in.

Why on earth would they want to be entrusted to Deal’s parsimonious care?

In December 1930, to nobody’s great surprise, Walmer residents rejected Deal’s proposal almost unanimously: 2,015 (98%) voted against, and only 35 in favour.

In March next year the County Review Committee passed judgement: although Walmer UDC was too small to constitute a “good government unit” in the Government’s terms, it was not the right time to make any significant extensions to Deal’s boundaries.

Walmer had won a battle, but could it win the war?

Not if Deal could possibly help it, and reverse the decision through intensive lobbying.

Now the gloves really were off.

In December Walmer restated its position to the county councillors.

Whereas Walmer was a well-managed district with a contented population, Deal “has no friends among its neighbours...local government lacks efficiency...a disunited Council.. .deliberations conducted with acrimony-unsatisfactory sanitary conditions.. .(etc etc)”.

Not to mention “the cheap and vulgar seafront entertainment” Deal depend on for revenue, and “the lack of taste it displayed in its shelters, pavilion and other works”.

The Mayor of Deal condemned the statement as “scandalous, scurrilous and libellous”.

But the County Council continued to side with Walmer.

Fortunately for Deal the shadow of Central Government now fell across the proceedings.

The next stage was for Deal’s proposal to be considered by a Ministry of Health inspector at a public enquiry in Maidstone.

And all Deal had to do at this stage was to show that they had established a “prima facie” case - that their proposal at least merited investigation.

When the inquiry finally took place in August 1932 Deal’s barrister made much of the argument that “no-one walking down the front could tell when he left Deal and went into Walmer, and vice-versa”.

Sure enough, after a further delay of almost a year, the Minister decided that, a “prima facie case” had indeed been made.

At this point the County Council now effectively threw in the towel, but objections to the Ministry of Health from Walmer and its allies meant there had now to be a full blown local inquiry.

This took place in October 1934 in the Winter Gardens Theatre - today’s Astor Community Theatre.

For the Mercury it was in fact “the biggest event in the history of Deal and Walmer”.

Barristers for Deal and Walmer battled it out for two days, calling expert witnesses and locking horns on pretty much everything.

The public seats were largely filled by sometimes noisy Walmer supporters.

For the chairman of the Walmer Council “the inquiry clearly demonstrated two things: the amazing unpopularity of the scheme, and the marked failure of Deal to prove any advantage to anyone but themselves”.

But he must have known the game was almost up.

Sure enough, in January 1935 came the Minister’s decision that Deal would indeed take over Walmer (and also Sholden and Great Mongeham).

As a result the population of the borough rose from 15,400 to 21,200.

The area within its boundaries more than doubled.

In the March local elections Walmer became simply ‘South Ward’, with six of the 24 seats on Deal Council.

Deal had attempted to absorb Walmer in 1862 and again in 1888; they had finally succeeded.

In turns secretive and patronising, smug in its possession of a Charter, the Council had not covered itself in glory nor made an obviously compelling case.

The Clerk to the Walmer Board, writing angrily to the Mercury in July 1934, had spoken for many at the time (and many before and since): “The time has come to speak plainly about this act of odious tyranny.

“It is not that Deal has any merits or Walmer any deficiencies.

“It is merely that small units are being sacrificed throughout the country to a centralising policy from Whitehall.”

What goes round comes around.

In 1974 Deal Borough Council was in turn abolished, and the area was subsumed within Dover District Council.

In 2021, Walmer Parish Council took advantage of recent legislation to re-brand itself as Walmer Town Council, reflecting its growing population.