Above showing the "Northern Belle," reputedly Margate's oldest pub.

Above photos by Chris Whippet printed under the Creative Commons License.

Photos taken on 1 June, 2007 from http://www.flickr.com by John Law.

Above photo, May 2021, kindly taken and sent by Michael Mirams.

Above photo, May 2021, kindly taken and sent by Michael Mirams.

Above photo 2023.

From Wikipedia 26 May 2013.

Northern Belle was an American transatlantic ship which ran aground near Thanet, England on January 5, 1857. No lives were lost, thanks to heroic rescue efforts, in blizzard conditions. However, another ship sank en route to the scene, the Margate lugger "Victory" was lost with a crew of 9.

The Northern Belle set out from New York, crossing the Atlantic, only to run into trouble at Thanet, so close to its destination of London. At 3 am, on a bitter-cold morning, it became apparent that a ship was in some peril in local waters near the little harbour of Broadstairs.

The ship had been cast ashore on a dangerous ledge of rocks below the Foreness Point, at Kingsgate, between Broadstairs and the coast of Margate. On seeing the plight of the Northern Belle's crew, the Coastguard had sent warning to Broadstairs, and so despite the severe conditions prevailing, the Mary White and Culmer White lifeboats were hauled overland by horse-drawn trailer, against the blizzard, to a point where they could be safely launched.

After the event, one of Margate's oldest pubs, the "Watermans Arms" was renamed the "Northern Belle", and timber salvaged from the shipwreck was used to renovate the pub. The original wooden beams and davitts, which became bar posts, are still visible today. The pub is still called the "Northern Belle" and is Open 2014+ daily. During the Second World War and the Cold-War years, the pub was used by American airmen. (Margate historical society).

From http://ghostpubs.com

HAUNTED

This traditional old pub people called after an American transatlantic ship, the Northern Belle that ran aground in 1857, with foundered near Thanet. No lives were lost, thanks to heroic rescue efforts in blizzard conditions. However, another boat sank en route to the scene of the disaster. The Margate lugger, Victory, was lost with a crew of nine. The Victory had set sail to help the stricken ship. However, was struck by a tremendous sea and capsized. All the crew perished within sight of hundreds of the town’s people, watching from the shore and cliff top. Inside the Northern Belle are a series of small rooms with a narrow bar, low beams hung with small pewter pots and a wooden floor. It exhibits ghostly manifestations, these include a woman with a very pale face wearing a white shroud, witnesses see her, in the bar and cellars (once used by smugglers). The proprietor, Robert Edward Brockman, first recorded this ghost in 1869. Many have observed it since; several of the men, who drowned in the rescue attempt in the Victory, had used this pub, with among those that haunt it.

From the https://theisleofthanetnews.com by Kathy Bailes, 8 May, 2021.

A taste of Cambodia comes to Margate’s oldest pub.

Khymer Kitchen comes to the Northern Belle, showing Simon Allen at one of his "Pop-up" kitchens. By Jodie Nesling.

Margate’s oldest pub is set to re-open with a Cambodian restaurant upstairs, making it only one of seven restaurants in the UK to offer the South East Asian cuisine.

The Northern Belle and restaurant Khmer Kitchen will be run by new publicans Neang and Simon Allen who moved to the town two years ago.

Former publicans Ray and Sharon Summers, who had been at the helm for some five years, handed the keys back to brewer Shepherd Neame last month.

Neang had extensive experience cooking in her native Cambodia before moving to the UK to run restaurants in 2011 and describes the food of her homeland as “the undiscovered gem of South East Asian cuisine.”

Simon has worked all over the world running clubs and restaurants including venues in LA and New York City. He also has years of film and TV industry experience.

He said: “We first came to Margate around seven years ago and tried to move but the property fell through – we ended up in Somerset for a time and now we are back. Margate has always been a place of migration.”

He added: “After moving we hosted very successful pop-ups at the "Rose in June," and "London Tavern" - we were looking for a venue and this is just perfect.”

The Northern Belle is Margate’s oldest pub and the community was saddened to see it close its doors during the pandemic. The traditional boozer will open up the first and second floors with new and intimate dining areas and up to four individual club rooms. They will be serving cocktails, cask and bottled beers and offer guests a bold wine list.

Dishes will include their signature dumplings which combine the flavours and ingredients of Cambodia but the couple will also looking to source local ingredients where possible.

The menu for their new restaurant adds a creative twist to traditional Khmer curries, noodle and dumpling dishes.

Simon said: “The vegan menu will incorporate many versions of Khmer dishes using Tofu, Tempeh, Seitan and seasonal vegetables – it will be as extensive as the usual menu.”

Khmer Kitchen at The Northern Belle, 4 Mansion Street, Margate, CT9 1HE, will open at the end of May.

From the https://theisleofthanetnews.com By Kathy Bailes, 7 September 2023.

Relaunch of Margate’s oldest (probably) pub – The Northern Belle.

Neville and Lee have invested in the Northern Belle to bring it back as a pub.

The Northern Belle has gone back to its roots as a pub after a short spell in use as a Cambodian kitchen, which shut in October last year.

It had been run by landlords Ray and Sharon Summers for some five years before they handed the keys back to brewer Shepherd Neame in April 2021. The couple now run the "Princess of Wales" in Tivoli Road.

Now the "Northern Belle," which is thought to be Margate’s oldest pub dating from 1680, is back thanks to investment from Neville and his partner Lee, who have been in Thanet since 2014 and have both been coming to Margate since they were children.

Neville said: “Me and Lee came to Ramsgate in 2014 and had a little holiday home. A few years later we moved there permanently as we love it down here. We’ve been in Margate since 2020 and it’s a great little community!”

Neville and Lee, who are involved in project management and property management in Kent and London, have invested in the building with some friends, to reopen the pub, upstairs accommodation and kitchen area. They also previously completed a project on a conservation building in Ramsgate High Street, transforming the derelict building that had been empty for more than 15 years and brought back all the original features.

Neville said: “We have spent four months renovating the Northern Belle bar and four upstairs bedrooms. We have brought the bar back to life and kept the original features and are quite proud of it. We thought the mural on the outside was great too and fits the local streets. This was done by our friend @thisisaliceskinner.

“We are thinking about having live music and karaoke, trying different things to see what works. We are also thinking about renting the space out for pop up bars with a theme. The pub will also be available for private hire, with or without the bedrooms upstairs.

“We’d like it to be an important place in the Margate community. After our trial openings on Soul Fest weekend, and Margate Pride, it definitely feels like people would like the pub to be open again.”

The Northern Belle is open now but the official relaunch takes place on September 15, at 6.30pm with singer Karl Dawson providing music for the evening from 8.30pm.

The bar team includes former 5 Star SOS Filthy House co-presenter Jonathon Turner and the Penny Leitch, who worked at the pub under its previous ownership.

The Northern Belle is at 4 Mansion Street, Margate. Current opening hours are Tues-Weds 3pm-9pm, Thursday 2pm-11pm, Friday and Saturday noon-midnight and Sunday 2pm-11pm.

Rescue of the crew of the Northern Belle from the Illustrated Times.

The Northern Belle is thought to be the oldest standing pub in Margate and the bar area and building incorporates timber from the wreck of the American Merchant Ship that it takes its name from.

It came about through combining two fishermen’s cottages, built about 1680, which stood right on the water’s edge, and was known as the "Waterman’s Arms" and, before that, the "Aurora Borealis." (I have seen no reference to a pub called that so far in Kent." Paul Skelton.)

Its current name comes from the ship which ran aground off North Foreland in 1857. It is said that as the crew were put up at the venue (then closed) the management decided to reopen the pub with its topical name.

To contact the team at Northern Belle: Instagram: @northernbellemargate

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550966183886

Thanet history with Martin Charlton: The Wreck of the Northern Belle, 1857