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Marine Parade
4-5 Waterloo Crescent to 2025
Clock Tower Pavilion, Union Street 2026+
Dover
01304 206262
https://rcpyc.org.uk/
https://whatpub.com/royal-cinque-ports-yacht-club
Above photo, showing the original Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club in 1893. |
Above photo showing the view from the balcony, date unknown. Kindly sent
by Paul Wells. |
Above photo showing the same building just before demolition after WW2.
Kindly sent by Paul Wells. |
Above photo, Saturday 15th July 1905, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe The
Highland pipes and drums are those of the Gordon Boys' Orphanage, which
was located at 56, St. James' Street, Dover. The Gordon Boys' Orphanage
was one of a number set up in the late-Victorian period, which honoured
the name of General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, who had been killed at the
fall of Khartoum on 26th January 1885. In the same years, local
philanthropist, Thomas Blackman, set up the Gordon Boys' Orphanage,
which looked after the welfare of around 50 young lads. At the age of 15
most of the boys went into trade apprenticeships, or joined the army.
The Gordon Boys' Orphanage closed just before the outbreak of WW2. |
Above the front of the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club in 2006.
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Above is shown the back of the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club in 2006. |
Above photo, 2017. |
Not really one for being with public houses, so not in the original Barry
Smith's list, but I am adding this one as it does have a long history, although
I am still researching.
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Dover Express 1st August 1941.
At the Dover Licensing Sessions on Monday, the Magistrates’ Clerk said
that an application had been received from the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht
Club for permission to close the premises temporarily owing to present
conditions-------------
This was allowed.
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From the Dover Express, 2000
By TERRY SUTTON
Yacht club protests to landlords.
A SENIOR member of Dover's Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club has protested to
landlords Dover Harbour' Board claiming that the port authority's
property tenants are subsidising dock
users.
The club house, which occupies a central position on the sea front, pays
£15,500 a year rent.
The harbour board says this is about half the
independent rental valuation on the property.
Barry Sheppard has written to Board chairman Adam Broadbent following
the consultation meeting held with stakeholders last month.
That meeting
heard, that the Harbour Board had a policy of a .six to eight per cent
return on its port investments but that there was no such restriction on
its financial return on waterfront property.
Mr Sheppard, a Vice
chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce, believes this policy is flawed. He claims it will restrict the future development of the seafront.
He
says: "The opposing policies of running the port on 50 per cent of
general commercial rates of return while expecting maximum returns from
the property portfolio means that businesses are subsidising the
users of the port. The town is
being drained of opportunities."
He says the town and port should work
together and it was important the whole area should be improved for the common good.
He has sent a copy of his letter to John Prescott, deputy
prime minister, who has a hand in the appointment of members of
Dover Harbour Board.
Dover Harbour Board's property general manager Bill Fawcus, in response,
revealed that a court case is pending to work out an independent rental
valuation of the club's premises.
Mr Fawcus emphasised the court case was
not a bid to force the club to quit the premises, although the lease had
expired.
He said the current independent annual rental valuation on the
yacht club premises, as a club, was £33,000 but as offices
would be £40,000.
"We want to see the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club to continue and we have
made a number of suggestions to assist the club, including the accepted
offer of a £12,000 interest-free loan," said Mr Fawcus.
He also revealed that the club was seeking a further three years' agreement at the
existing rent which, he says, would, amount to a £50,000 subsidy over
the three years.
"But we can't continue to subsidise the club as we have
done,"
says Mr Fawcus.
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From the Dover Mercury, 17 May, 2001.
Yacht club to close after rent increase
By CLAlRE ROBINSON
DOVER'S Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club Will close at the end of June.
The decision came after Dover Harbour Board demanded a huge rent
increase of nearly £13,000 a year - from £15,000 to £21,725.
The Cinque
Ports' commodore, Ken Duprey; said the club could not afford to pay and
would close until alternative premises were found.
Deputy commodore
Barry Shepherd said: "The club could close indefinitely. Once an
association is fragmented it's very difficult to bring it back together
again.
"The yacht club IS a huge part of Dover's seafront. It fits in
well with the shops, hotel and restaurant, but soon it could all be
offices, and the seafront will lose its atmosphere."
The club has been
at its premises at Waterloo Crescent, Dover, since 1947. The
announcement of its closure comes after a four year wrangle over rent
between RCPYC and DHB. The dispute was taken to Canterbury County Court
in March, when a final sum was decided.
Mr Duprey said: "This has had a
devastating effect on the club. We've had a huge decline in membership
and problems in recruiting and maintaining staff. Funds which should
have gone into improvements have been spent on the court case.
"A total
blight has been cast over us
and we are unable to plan any future. There is continuing concern over
the club's fate. These points have been brought to DHB's attention and
despite their publicly declared policy to help us survive, their
attitude has been uncompromising.
They're only offering us impractical
alternatives. "This attitude is even more difficult to understand when
the Board, now turning over some £58 million, is dealing with major port
users and reducing harbour charges when the companies are faced with
Channel Tunnel competition and the loss of duty free."
Bill Fawcus of the harbour board said: "We have provided a variety of
options to the club. The rent increase was not set by us, but by the
court. We've offered to continue the club in whole or in part, and they
could still rent one floor of the premises if they wished.
"The club gets a 40 per
cent discount off what would normally be paid and we hope it remains
open."
The RCPYC was founded in Dover in 1872 by the Duke of Connaught
who was its first commodore for 60 years. The Queen Mother is the club's
president and the Duke of Edinburgh its patron. The Duke visited the
club last year for the Little Ships memorial trip to Dunkirk.
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From the Dover Express, 7 August, 2008.
CAMRA TOASTS LIFEBOAT CREW.
Donation: Coxswain Stuart Richardson receives CAMRA cash at the Royal
Cinque Ports Yacht Club.
DOVER'S lifeboat has been given a cash boost thanks to the generosity
of the district's beer drinkers.
The £500 donation was raised at the Campaign for Real Ale's annual
winter festival at Dover town hall in February.
CAMRA members met some of the lifeboat crew at a reception in the
Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club last month.
But the volunteers very nearly missed the handover because they were
out at sea providing assistance to sailors who had got into trouble in
the Channel.
Stuart Richardson, coxswain of the Dover lifeboat, said: “It was a bit
embarrassing to be late to the presentation but I'm glad we made it
eventually.
“I am very pleased the local CAMRA members have chosen to support us
so generously.
“I'll be arranging a relief coxswain for next February so I can go to
the festival and sample a few ales myself.”
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From the Dover Mercury, 23 September, 2020.
Club appeal for flagpole history.
A new flagpole is installed at the "Royal Cinque Ports Yacht
Club," an appeal for information on the history of the previous pole
has been made.
Commodore of the Dover club James White and senior trustee Brenda
Stewart unveiled a plaque commemorating the new flagpole on Bank
Holiday weekend, and despite sailing being postponed members all
joined the celebration by having a fun evening in the club house.
But this saw the end of an era for the club. Honorary secretary
Judith White said: "The previous flag pole was erected in 1947 - an
old timber ship’s mast which later rotted over the years, eventually
being condemned.
"One theory is that it was removed and restored from the original
club house which was bombed during the war. The Gateway Flats now
stand on that site. The curator of the "Royal Cinque Ports Yacht
Club" archives welcomes any further information if anyone one knows
what happened."
■ If you have information on the old flagpole, please email
honsec@rcpyc.org.uk
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Come 2026, the premises changed venue once again, this time to the Clock Tower
Pavilion, Union Street.
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From the
https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Sam Lennon, 31 December 2024.
Plans revealed for new clubhouse for Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club
in Dover.
A new clubhouse will offer views over the English Channel from
its own roof top terrace.
Plans have been submitted for a new base for the Royal Cinque Ports
Yacht Club (RCPYC) at Dover’s Western Docks, which have undergone
major changes over the last few years.
A CGI of the planned new clubhouse for the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht
Club in Union Street, Dover. Picture: CAD Solutions.
CGIs of the proposal show a single-storey building with a flat roof,
which will be accessed by members as a viewing platform.
It is planned for Clock Tower Square, in Union Street, where an
existing building next to the Clock Tower will be converted and
extended.
Application agent CAD Solution, of Eastry, said in a design, access
and heritage statement: “The proposals allow the RCPYC to move to a
new suitable location with a minimum of required rooms/areas for the
club to continue to offer members a clubhouse venue.
“The extensions to the building allow the overall floor area to be
adequate to suit the membership numbers when holding a function.”
The design of the exterior of the new building would match the
recently built marina facility buildings, namely the Dover Sailing
Club building, the Dover Marina office and public toilets.
What the existing site looks like now, next to the Clock Tower at
Dover’s Western Docks. Picture: CAD Solutions.
Dover Harbour Board (DHB), management team for the Port of Dover
authority, has submitted the application to Dover District Council.
The existing building is currently unused and has been offered by
DHB to the RCPYC on a long lease basis as part of the relocation of
the clubhouse.
This is as the lease of the club’s existing base in Waterloo
Crescent, less than half a mile away, runs out.
Dover Western Docks and its immediate seafront area have transformed
beyond recognition over the last few decades.
Changes particularly occurred since the hovercraft and catamaran
services ended in the 2000s and were speeded up over the last decade
by a massive redevelopment of the area.
This was through the £250 million Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR)
project, the Port of Dover’s single biggest investment.
The drastic change to Dover’s Western Docks after the infilling of
Granville Dock, as shown in 2022 and 2024.
That has included the opening of a new walkway, the Marina Pier in
2019, the Marina Curve, and Clock Tower Square in 2021.
DWDR ended last month with the infilling of Granville Dock with
neighbouring waterways Tidal Basin and Wick Channel.
This is to make space for vehicles when they are checked when the
new Entry/Exit System (EES) is launched, expected in 2025.
The Clock Tower itself was originally built in the 1870s as
Granville Dock was being created.
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From the
https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Sam Lennon, 23, March 2025.
Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club clubhouse at Dover harbour approved
despite ‘looking like toilet block’
A new sailing club pavilion has been approved despite being compared
to looking like a nearby public toilet block.
Councillors approved the redevelopment and extension of the building
set aside for the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club in Dover.
An application was submitted by Dover Harbour Board on the club’s
behalf - which has been granted a long-term lease to run the site.
Located next to the historic Grade II-listed clock tower at the
Western Docks, the bid sought to convert and extend a building into
a timber-clad clubhouse.
The planning committee of Dover District Council (DDC) unanimously
agreed on the scheme at its meeting on Thursday (March 13).
But the proposals drew split opinions ahead of councillors meeting
to discuss and decide on the plans.
Resident Ross Miller had earlier said in response to the application
on DDC’s planning portal: “The proposed cladding matches the nearby
modern toilet block rather than the other stone buildings of the
same period.
“Overall this is a poor design that detracts from rather than
complements the associated properties.”
The planned extension for a new yacht club pavilion overlooking
Dover Marina has been approved. Picture: Google.
There were 11 letters to the planning portal objecting to the
scheme, including from the town’s civic group Dover Society, and 12
supporting it.
Those against said the design was not in keeping with the area’s
historic buildings.
A letter from the Dover Society said: ”The proposed extension does
not fit at all. It is completely out of place with the adjacent
heritage structures and detracts from them, completely destroying
the character of the site.
“If this timber-clad design is to be used at all it would be better
sited next to the Marina Control building and toilet block.”
Those in favour said it was a good location for the yacht club
adding it was a good design and consistent with future development.
Vicki Esson commented: “I cannot wait to have a new clubhouse nearer
the marina. It will be great for the visitors, customers and staff.
John Foord said: “It is a welcome addition to the Marina Curve.”
Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the
Public Notice Portal.
The planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the scheme
without even feeling the need to discuss it.
Cllr David Cronk (Lab) commented: “I cannot see a problem with it.”
Dover Harbour Board (DHB), the management team for the Port of Dover
authority, submitted the application to DDC.
The existing building is currently unused and has been offered by
DHB to the RCPYC on a long-term lease basis.
Dover Western Docks and its immediate seafront area have been
transformed beyond recognition over the past few decades.
Changes particularly occurred since the hovercraft and catamaran
services ended in the 2000s and were accelerated over the last
decade by a massive redevelopment of the area.
This was through the £250 million Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR)
project, the Port of Dover’s single biggest investment.
That has included the opening of a new walkway, the Marina Pier in
2019, the Marina Curve, and Clock Tower Square in 2021.
DWDR ended last month with the infilling of Granville Dock with
neighbouring waterways Tidal Basin and Wick Channel.
This is to make space for vehicles when they are checked when the
new Entry/Exit System (EES) is launched, expected later this year.
The Clock Tower itself was originally built in the 1870s as
Granville Dock was being created. |
I believe they finally moved into their new premises in October 2025.
LICENSEE LIST
PODEVIN Joseph George (Secretary) 1899
From the Kelly's Directory 1899
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