(Kingsdown)

Above picture kindly supplied by Sue Solley, date 1908.

Photos by Paul Skelton, left 12 July 2008, right 29 Sept 2011.

Photo probably taken in 2010. By kind permission of pub.

Above painting by Brian Petch, date unknown.

Above photo by kind permission of the "Rising Sun," date unknown.

Date unknown. By kind permission of Rising Sun.

This inn known by the name and sign of the "Rising Sun" was built in the realm of William III and Mary II in 1692.

When first built it was a dwelling house and was referred to as the "newly built tenement or messuage of Thomas Broadley." In 1703 Broadley sold the house to Isaac Pittock, fisherman who at the time was occupying the house and had been for some years. At the time of this transaction the property is described as ".... and all that messuage or tenement together with stable, other buildings, land and moorings close in the occupation of Isaac Pittock, situate and lying at the beach, undercliffe and being in Kingsdown.

This description of the house and all that belong to it remains much the same throughout history, except for the odd occasion when the outbuildings are listed as tanning-houses. This was where those that occupied the house hung the fishing nets that they had made to dry once they had tanned them. Isaac Pittocks wife Nyomi and daughters Susan and Sarah were all engaged in the trade of making and tanning nets during the time that they occupied this house, whilst he himself fished the surrounding waters and became a man of some affluence acquiring many small fishing vessels, which upon his death in 1731 he bequeathed to his widow and she in turn upon her death a year later made the same bequest to her daughters.

In 1735, Susan Pittock, spinster, married Daniel Ladd, a fisherman of Beach Street, Deal, who thereafter came to live in this house. In 1761, Sarah Pittock spinster who had continued to live here with her sister and her husband, died of a consumption disease and was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary at Walmer. Two years later her sister Susan Ladd passed away and in 1764 Daniel Ladd sold this house, all it contained and all that belonged to Stedman Finnis, a rigger and fisherman of Farrier Street, Deal. He in 1771 sold it for 180 pounds or lawful money of Great Britain and Ireland, to Richard Sutton, whose descendants were to figure in the history of the house many years later.

Sutton was a former mariner who during his time here traded under many guises connected with the seafaring trade. Not long after buying the house he advertised himself as a silmaker and fisherman, by 1775 he was trading as a sailmaker, rigger and fisherman, to which a year later he added the description of net making  and by 1780 had combined all these with that of a rope-maker. In 1784 he added one more trade to his list by obtaining an ale-licence for the house, "that he must take oath to keep in an orderly manner, from which he may suffer ale for the rightful tender, that he must not suffer ale to be tippled during divine services, nor from pots of illegal measure, nor from pots not having the county or district (Deal) stamp and that adulterated ales must not be suffered."

And so having agreed to abide by the terms of his license Sutton registered the house under the title of the "Rising Sun" and in the summer of 1784 opened the doors of this house and sold ale under that sign for the first time. Sutton was the first keeper to draw ale here at the "Rising Sun" and was keeper of it from 1784 until his death in 1801, throughout which he managed to carry on with one or more of his original trades as well as run the house. In that year of 1801, by the terms drawn in his will Richard Sutton bequeathed "his tenement or messuage hereto commonly called and known by the name of the "Rising Sun" to his widow Eliza.

The widow Sutton served here until her own death in 1804 whereupon her daughter Hannah inherited the house. Hannah Sutton died here a spinster in the parish in 1826 and because there were no legal or rightful descendants the "Rising Sun" passed into the hands of George Fitzgerald, surgeon at prospect Place, Deal who was to act as executor to the estate of Hannah Sutton. Instructions were given to comfort Kingsmill, an auctioneer of King Street, Deal to auction the house and its contents. In May 1827 whilst in the occupation of Joshua Mockett the "Rising Sun" came under the hammer and was purchased by Edward Thompson a brewer of Walmer for 275 guineas.

Joshua Mockett remained keeper of the "Rising Sun" until 1832 when he was succeeded by Robert Spinner who served here till 1839, at which date Edward Thompson tenanted the house to Harry Saffrey keeper of the "Fleur-de-lis Inn," Union Street, Deal. Saffrey served here until 1846 when he was succeeded by Robert Arnold who in December 1848 was granted a wine and spirit licence and the "Rising Sun" became a registered tavern.

The "Rising Sun" was to remain in the hands of the Arnold family for many years, when Robert Arnold died in 1863 his son William took over the house, whilst his brother Jarvis took over the running of the nearby "Zetland Arms." Another brother, Edward, who lived in the parish was a master mariner, William Arnold died here in 1881, whereupon his son William John Arnold took over and was here until 1905 by which time the Walmer brewery was in the hands of the company of Thompson and sons Ltd. in 1905 they tenanted the "Rising Sun" to Thomas Charles Harden who served here until 1929 being succeeded that year by Alec E. Sutton who was a descendant of the first keeper of the house.

Sutton gave up the house in 1936 to James Hylam, who was here many years to follow. In 1950 the Walmer brewery was taken over by Charrington & Co. of London. In 1982 they sold the "Rising Sun" as a Free House which remains today, owned by Ralph and Pam Charles.

LICENSEE LIST

SUTTON Richard 1784-1801

SUTTON Eliza (widow) 1801-04

SUTTON Hannah (daughter) 1804-26

MOCKETT Joshua 1826-32

SPINNER Robert 1832-39

SAFFREY Harry 1839-4

ARNOLD (Robert) Richard E 1846-May/63 (Beerhouse )

ARNOLD William May/1863-81 (Nephew of above )

HARMAN W J Mr Sept/1882

ARNOLD William John (son of above Arnold) 1881-1905

HARDEN Thomas Charles 1905-29

SUTTON Alec E 1929-Jan/1936

HYLAND James Jan/1936-Aug/43

BAGSHAW Mr C L W Aug/1943+

???? Pan & Arthur pre 1969

STEVENS Peter J & BRUNT M 1974+ Charrington & Co

CHARLES Ralph & Pam 1982-2011+

Peter J Stevens was also licensee of the "Mill Inn," Deal and the "Railway Hotel," Walmer.

From Bagshaw Directory 1847

From the Deal Telegram

From the Post Office Directory 1874

From the Post Office Directory 1882

From the Post Office Directory 1913

Library archives 1974

From the Dover Express