42 North Street

Folkestone

Above photograph kindly supplied by Jan Pedersen, 1978.

Above photos by Paul Skelton, 27 June 2009.

Above shows a painting by Elijah Albert Cox R.B.A. (1876-1955) showing the "Lifeboat" at the top right of the street. The "Royal Oak" sign can just be seen opposite.

The house is reported to have been there in 1750 and belonged to a mariner called Richard Kennet. The census of 1861 shows Thomas Taylor living there with an occupation of schoolmaster, not sure if he taught chemistry and brewed his own beer, but in 1865 he was said to be a beer retailer.

Brewers George Ash bought the house in 1866 but was later taken over by Mackeson and Co.

Just before the first world war in 1913 the pub was recommended for closure due to redundancy, but survived this turbulent period.

The bar area was reputed to be one of the smallest for any of the pubs in Folkestone, with low ceilings of only seven feet high but in 1956 the floor area was increased by adding part of the house next door. This in turn allowed the pub to gain one of the last full licenses in the town to do so.

The longest serving licensee to date, Harry May, had a hobby of writing to the 132 lifeboat stations in the country asking for pictures of their lifeboats which were displayed on the walls. I believe the pictures are still there today.

The house closed for two years in 1980 but opened again in 1982 as a free-house.

LICENSEE LIST

TAYLOR Thomas 1861-70

TAYLOR David & Richard (sons of above) 1870

GRAVES Frederick 1870-71

HAISTE John 1871-72

GRAVES Frederick 1872- 73

HILLS Henry 1873-75

SHERWOOD William 1875

BORLAND James 1875-84

SALVATION John 1884-85

SMITH Lewis 1885-88

TOMSETT Charles 1888-89

HALL Thomas 1889-92

HALL Alice 1892-96

SETTERFIELD Alice 1896-1904

HARRIS William 1904-06

BEATON Elizabeth 1906-23 beer retailer

NEWMAN Frederick 1923-25

ROLFE William 1925-30+ beer retailer

STRINGER Percival 1930-32

JORDAN Harold S 1932-36

HAYES George 1936-39 ( Haynes)

SPENCER Harry 1940-48

MAY Harry 1848-81

GOSFORD Geoff & Marion 1982-90

WILKINS Barry & Teresa 1990-97

BROOKER Michael 1997-99

O`REILLY, Peter, Pauline and ELLIS Anthony 1999-2003

ELLIS Anthony and WOOTTEN Charles & Muriel 2003-04

ELLIS Anthony 2004+

EDSON Mike & Laura to 2010+

From the Post Office Directory 1930

From the Post Office Directory 1938

From the Kelly's Directory 1934

More Tales from the Tap Room by Easdown and Rooney

From More Bastions of the Bar by Easdown and Rooney