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| Walmer's Past |
| Walmer's Public Houses |
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According to the listings on
the Dover Kent Archives website, Walmer has, over the
years, had more than 30 local public houses. Today, most are
but dim distant memories.
For residents of Upper Walmer
where there are only two remaining local hostelries, the number
that used to serve their locality could come as something
of a surprise. We've selected some of Walmer's more interesting
pubs and their histories, but for even more information please
see Dover Kent Archives at http://dover-kent.com/2014-villages/Walmer.html.
Please note: If you are planning
a pub visit for a drink, remember this is a history
page. You need to check out our list of places to wine and
dine in Walmer and Deal, here....
(Click
on the images on this page for a larger version.)
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| Lower Walmer |
Admiral
Owen
The Strand, Walmer |
Apart
from the name, there are no known details - apart
from a local newspaper report of court proceedings
following an incident in the pub in March 1900.
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Alma
Tavern
25 The Strand, Walmer |
It
is believed this pub was in business from 1855 to
1963. It then operated as a bank until the 1970s
and, today, is a private house. |
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Army
and Navy
68 The Strand, Walmer |
This
pub seems to have existed from the 1850s until it
closed in 1908.
Today, the building is an estate agents. |
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Bricklayers
Arms
Originally 14 Dover Road, Walmer
(today, no:26 Dover Road) |
Records
from 1874 and 1882 suggest that this pub used to
be opposite the gates of the Royal Marines Barracks.
More recent research suggests the pub was in business
between 1855 and 1906. |
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Dolphin
Gladstone Road, Walmer
No longer standing and replaced by terraced houses
at 97-105 Gladstone Road on the junction with
North Barrack Road.
A Mr and Mrs Edward Minter are recorded as living
at The Dolphin, Walmer in February 1917. Presumably
they were the landlords having previously been
recorded in the 1911 census as Edward and Lucy
Minter and licensed victuallers of "The Shakespeare",
Ramsgate. Other records suggest the pub was in
business between 1874 and 1970 and was originally
called "The Good
Woman".
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| The
Dolphin |
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Drum Major/Cambridge
Arms
42 Dover Road, Walmer
Walmer's "Cambridge
Arms" was built in the mid-1800s and
still in business today. The pub was named after
the first Duke, a son of George III, who visited
Walmer Castle in 1839 as guest of the Lord Warden,
the Duke of Wellington.
In 1971, brewery owners Bass Charrington re-modelled
the public house. |
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The
Cambridge Arms
(photo: Paul Skelton) |
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| The interior
was decorated with Royal Marines relics and items
of historic interest and the pub's name changed
to the "Drum
Major".
This was shortlived and the pub reverted to being
the "Cambridge
Arms" again. In 2013, the name changed
once again - to the "Drum
Major". |
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Duke
of Wellington
Walmer Road (renamed The Strand in the 1840's) |
Found
in Pigot's Directory of 1828 and 1832, but not to
be mistaken for the "Duke of York" also
in Walmer Road, as both of these are found in the
same directory and with different licensees.
In 1832, the pub changed name to "The Stag"
(see below). |
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Duke
of York
Walmer Road
(renamed The Strand
in the 1840's) |
This pub was sold
for £370 along with another 11 public houses
in neighbouring villages in 1826.
The building also appears in Pigot's Directory for
1828. This also lists the "Duke of Wellington"
pub in Walmer Road, naming different licensees. |
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Fair Maid of Kent
Dover Road, Walmer
Dating from the 18th century, the "Fair Maid
of Kent" hotel experienced a varied history
until it closed in 1959. There was originally only
a public house on the site - "The
Royal Standard".
This was depicted on the 1876 Ordnance Survey map.
By 1906 there had been additions built either side.
Its role as a "high-class residential hotel"
continued until 1940 when it was requisitioned for
accommodating service-women, the Royal Marine Wrens.
After bomb damage had been repaired, the "Fair
Maid of Kent" re-opened for business by 1948,
but gradually declined in popularity until ultimately
being converted into flats around the early 1960s.
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| The
Fair Maid of Kent Hotel in 1928 (courtesy:
Deal Library) |
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| Today the site houses
the Wellington Court flats at the junction of Dover
Road and Liverpool Road. |
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Granville Arms
Cambridge Road, Walmer
Dating from 1874 and closed in 2011, becoming
a private residence. It is said the pub took its
name from Earl Granville, a Lord Warden of the
Cinque Ports.
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The
Granville Arms
(photo: Paul Skelton) |
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Green Berry
23 Canada Road, Walmer
This is another pub that has changed its name
over the years. It was originally called the "Royal
Arms" (from 1874 until after 1913).
The name was subsequently changed to the "Green
Beret" in honour of the Royal
Marines. Their barracks were nearby and the name
signified the colour of their head-gear.
Following bombing of the barracks by the Provisional
IRA on 22 September 1989, it was later decided
to change the name of the pub to "The
Green Berry", primarily to reduce
property insurance costs.
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The
Green Berry
(photo: Paul Skelton) |
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Kings
Head
Walmer Road (today:
37 The Strand, Walmer) |
An
early reference to this pub is a Stephen Carter
as licensee in 1794. It was sold, along with another
11 public houses in neighbouring villages, in 1826
for the sum of £425. In 1837 the name changed
to the "Queen's
Head".
Pigot's Directory of 1840 refers to this pub in
addition to listing another "Kings Head"
and also a "Kings Arms", both in Deal.
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Life
Boat
Campbell Road, Walmer |
The
Deal History Society say this pub existed in 1878
but there's no other information apart from limited
records up to 1899.
Today, the building in Campbell Road is two cottages.
The renaming of "The True Briton" on The
Strand to "The Lifeboat" in 1976 revived
the name. |
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Lifeboat
16 The Strand, Walmer
Previously called the "True
Briton", this pub is considered
to be one of the earliest in Walmer with records
dating from 1787. It was renamed "The
Lifeboat" in September 1976 but closed
in 2008.
Among those present at the re-naming ceremony for
the historic lifeboatmen's pub were round-the-world
yachtsman Sir Alec Rose.
Also attending was Sir Norman Tailyour, Captain
of Deal Castle and patron of the Downs and Goodwin
Sands branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
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"The
True Briton", photographed in
(possibly) the 1920s |
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| The
pub had been used by generations of Walmer lifeboatmen,
and often survivors had been taken into the bars
to be given refreshment and dry clothes, so the
new "Lifeboat" name was seen as particularly
apt. |
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Lord Clyde
61 The Strand, Walmer
The early history of this pub is uncertain -
but the 1861 census suggests the pub was operating
around 1860. It closed in 2010.
The building was refurbished and opened as a French
restaurant, "La
Bouche", in March 2012.
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| The
Lord Clyde in 1900 with licensee Herbert Hilson
and family at the door. |
The
"Lord Clyde" in 2010
(photo: Paul White) |
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Lord Nelson
50 The Strand, Walmer
Closed in February 2011, the "Lord
Nelson" was considered to be among the
oldest pubs in Walmer. It was named the "Lord
Nelson" some time after a visit by Horatio
Nelson in 1801. A serious fire gutted the building
in 1870 and it was rebuilt. The Strand was previously
called the Walmer Road but was renamed in the 1840s.
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| The
Lord Nelson, named in honour of the naval
hero. |
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| Converted
and re-opened in 2014 as The
Lighthouse - offering musical and creative
events plus refreshments and a selection of local
ales and cider. website: www.thelighthousedeal.co.uk
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Lord Warden Hotel
3 North Barrack Road, Walmer
The earliest known reference to a Lord Warden
Inn is on a reprint of an 1873 Ordnance Survey
Map. The same map also shows the "Rising
Sun" to be not far away on the same road.
Later records show the pub remained open until
it closed in July 1961.
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The Lord Warden
Hotel in 1920.
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The
former inn - now a private property. |
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Military
Tavern
5 Canada Road, Walmer |
One
record refers to the pub in 1874 with licensees,
then, listed up to 1900. |
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Queens Head Hotel
37 The Strand, Walmer
Records show that in 1804 it was called the
"King's Head" and changed name to the
"Queen's Head" in 1837.
The building is thought to have served as a hotel
from 1847 to 1914 when it closed.
By 1921 the premises had reopened as the "Old
Comrades Club," later becoming today's Royal
Marines Social Club.
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The
Royal Marines Club (formerly The
Queens Head Hotel) |
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Rising Sun
North Barrack Road, Walmer
It is said that Noel Coward, when living at
St. Margaret's, was a "regular" at this
former pub on the corner of North Barrack Road
and Cheriton Place.
Early records suggest the pub existed in 1858.
It closed in 1911 and was demolished and rebuilt
as the Kings Hall Cinema. This later became a
dance hall and, today, houses an auto spares retailers.
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The site of the
former Rising Sun pub
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Royal
Exchange
20 Dover Road, Walmer |
First
mentioned as a beer-house in 1858, it closed at
the end of 1906.
It is now a private house. |
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Royal Standard
10-12 Dover Road, Walmer (originally Walmer
Road)
Several early records confirm the existence of this
pub. The Kentish Gazette for Friday 5 February
1813 has an account of a competitive event "to
be fought at the Royal Standard ... between the
gentlemen of Dover and the gentlemen of Walmer Road...
".
Pigot's Directories for 1828 and 1840 list it at
Walmer Road. And Melville's Directory of 1858 has
a listing but merely giving the address as Lower
Walmer. The original pub was demolished and rebuilt
around 1865 a few doors further up the Dover Road. |
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Once the Royal Standard,
then the Fair Maid of Kent and now Wellington
Court.
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| The pub had closed
by 1870, becoming the private residence of local
historian the Rev Charles Elvin. It remained a private
residence known as Wexcombe House and The Grange
until it re-opened as the "Fair
Maid of Kent" after World War 1. |
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Sir Colin Campbell
36 Campbell Road, Walmer
Records from 1862 and 1938 refer to the existence
of this pub.
It closed in June 1962, becoming a fish and chip
shop and, later, a private house.
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The Sir Colin Campbell
- now a private house
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Stag Hotel
7 The Strand, Walmer
The earliest known record for this pub is for
licensee Henry Snelling in 1832. The building
has had something of an "on-and-off"
history, changing ownership several times and
experiencing periods of closure.
The pub remains open today.
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The
Stag in 2008
(photo: Paul Skelton) |
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Victoria
Tavern
14 Gladstone Road, Walmer
This pub was originally The Wheatsheaf and is
thought to date from 1871. It later changed name
to The Victoria, possibly in 1881.
The photo is from 1952 and the building is now
a pivate house.
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The Victory Tavern in 1952
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Wellesley
Arms
44 Dover Road, Walmer
This pub faced the Royal Marines gate across
the Dover Road and was on the other side of Cambridge
Road to the "Drum Major" (formerly
"Cambridge Arms"). The site today
is a carpet and looring retailers. Early records
suggest the Wellesley Arms was in business in
1857; it closed in December 1911.
Earlier suggestions that this pub might have been
at Wellesley House in Walmer Castle Road have
now been discounted.
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Today's site of the
Wellesley Arms
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| (Click
on the images on this page for a larger version.) |
| Upper Walmer |
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Cinque Port Volunteer
287 Dover Road, Upper Walmer
Originally simply called the "Volunteer",
this pub is known to date from 1874 and changed
name some time before 1882 to be called the "Cinque
Port Volunteer." A list of licensees
suggests it was in business from 1871 until it closed
in 1949. It is now a private house known as "Cinque
Port House". |
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| The
"Cinque Ports Volunteer" circa 1900. |
Today's
Cinque Port House
(photo: Paul Skelton) |
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| There's
room for a bit of confusion about the pub's name
- as Pigot's Directory of 1840 lists a "Cinque
Port Arms" in Walmer. It seems likely
that it was the same building. |
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Drum Inn
203 Dover Road, Upper Walmer
Very possibly the earliest pub in Walmer, the Drum
Inn on the Dover Road is thought to have been built
in 1541.
It was demolished in 1970 to make way for road improvements.
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No
longer a landmark:
The Drum Inn was demolished in 1970. |
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| Locally
the road is often referred to as Drum Hill, a name
thought to derive from use of a drum each morning
to summon military masons building Henry VIII's
castles to work. Following the Great Storm of 26-27
November 1703, the inn provided a refuge for a number
of survivors from vessels lost on the Goodwin Sands. |
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Endeavour
Dover Road, Walmer |
Research by historian
A J Langridge in 1977 mentions the "Endeavour"
in Dover Road but unfortunately there's no further
information. |
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Hare
and Hounds
Dover Road, Upper Walmer
Despite major changes to some of its architecture,
a pink-painted house on the Dover Road at Upper
Walmer provides enough clues to reveal its former
role as a local pub with records confirming its
existence between 1882 and 1934.
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| The
former "Hare and Hounds" in Upper
Walmer |
As
it is today - a private house with rounded
gable |
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| Gone
is the advertisement for local brewers Thompson
and Sons to be replaced with a Dutch gable. However,
the original door and window shapes remain and the
adjoining terrace is still recognisable. |
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Glen
Hotel
Walmer Castle Road, Upper Walmer.
A former licensed country house hotel at the
junction of Walmer Castle Road and St Clare Road.
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| Artists
impression of The Glen Hotel from a 1979 advertisement. |
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Queen
Adelaide
Church Street, Upper Walmer
The role of the building as the former Queen
Adelaide pub is recalled in today's private dwelling
of Adelaide House at 22 Church Street.
The photograph of the pub in 1902 shows a delivery
horse and cart operated by Christopher Terry and
Co. Records so far found suggest the pub was operating
in 1847 and closed in March 1913.
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| Outside
The Queen Adelaide, Walmer in 1902 |
Today's
Adelaide House (photo: Paul Skelton)
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Rattling Cat
Dover Road, Upper Walmer
There is some doubt about whether this building
on the Dover Road between Church Street and Gothic
Close was ever a pub. Whilst there is a popular
belief that it was an old coaching inn, one researcher
into the pubs of Walmer and Deal, Steve Glover,
has not been able to find any evidence to support
this. He says the building was definitely called
the "Rattling Cat" on the 1948 land registry
but was called "St Clairs Cottage" around
1800. A plaque on the front suggests it was built
in 1703. |
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| Possibly
a pub, possibly a smugglers den? (photo:
Paul Skelton) |
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The house is not short of other claims to a dramatic
past. It is said that it served as a staging post
for smuggling with, reputedly, the remains of
old tunnels linking the beach and the old parish
church and secret hiding places underneath the
building itself. Steve Glover says there are three
Gothic arches in the basement that might be entrances
to blocked up tunnels.
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Railway Hotel
85 Station Road, Upper Walmer
Once part of the Thompson and Sons local
brewery chain, "The Railway" was, more
recently, owned by Faversham-based brewers Shepherd
Neame. The pub closed in March 2016 and the
building sold at auction. Plans by the new owners
propose demolition and construction of housing
on the site. Earliest records suggest that the
pub was in business in 1882.
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The
"Railway Hotel"
circa 1905, |
"The
Railway" in 2014.
(photo: Paul Skelton) |
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Thompson Bell
335 Dover Road, Upper Walmer
Originally the "George
and Dragon" and possibly dating
from 1828, this Upper Walmer pub was renamed the
"Thompson Bell" after its owners, Thompson's
Brewery of Walmer closed in 1981.
The bell from the Brewery was removed when the
brewing stopped in 1974 and relocated at the public
house.
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| Once
"The George and Dragon" it's today's
"Thompson Bell" |
"The
Thompson Bell" in Upper Walmer (photos
by Paul Skelton) |
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| More about local pubs |
| "The
Old Pubs of Deal and Walmer (with Kingsdown and
Mongeham)" by Steve Glover and Michael
Rogers (published by Nick Evans, 2010; ISBN-13:
9780954525293, ISBN: 0954525299) |
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| Deal
Kent Local History Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/218005898282290/
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This page was updated on September 5, 2016