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| Guildhall, 1999. Credit Martin Easdown |
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| Guildhall, 2009. Credit Paul Skelton (from http://www.dover-kent.com/Guildhall-Folkestone.html) |
Licensees
Eileen Lewis 1987 1989
William Cox 1989 1990
Peter Hayes and Marie Lawton 1990 1994
Mark Bushell and Stephen Bushell 1994 1996
Graham Hill and Teresa Hill 1996 2000
Stuart Gresswell 2000 2002
Stuart Gresswell and Gillian Gresswell 2002 2004 +
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| Photo from Folkestone Herald |
Folkestone Herald
31-7-1987
Local News
Folkestone now has two Guildhalls. One, the historic
former Town Hall – the other, the town`s newest pub. The Globe public house in
The Bayle has been renamed The Guildhall. In a brief and very damp ceremony
the Mayor, Kelland Bowden, unveiled the new Guildhall sign to the cheers of
revellers and a trumpeter, before going upstairs to make a closer inspection of
the sign.
The mother of landlady Eileen Lewis, Maud, used to run
the old Guildhall pub, in Guildhall Street, which is now a Pizza Hut
restaurant.
Mr. Bowden said “I think it is appropriate that the name
of the old pub should follow Eileen. I used to use the old pub when I was
young”.
Landlady Eileen said “It`s a dream come true to have the
Guildhall back. I`m just pleased the opening went without a hitch. I was sure
that the curtain was going to get stuck on the sign”.
Folkestone Herald
7-8-1987
Letter
I was most interested to read your report on the renaming
of the Globe, and in particular reference to “the town`s newest pub”.
Whilst I appreciate Eileen Lewis` nostalgia for the old
Guildhall which she and her mother ran admirably for many years, I do feel that
the end result is wrong. I, like many others, regret the passing of the
Guildhall, but cannot help but feel that it would be better to have put the
Globe on the map, so to speak, which I am sure Eileen was capable of. Call it
what you will, it will always be the Globe, a much older “house” than the
Guildhall was, and can never be the Guildhall.
The earliest reference to the Guildhall is in August,
1870, when the then occupant Mr. Andrews applied for a spirit licence, and it
was quoted in evidence that he had occupied the house for two years without
complaint, thus giving us 1868 as the earliest known date for the Guildhall.
The Globe, however, could boast a much older history. The earliest reference to
it is in 1855, and two years later there is reference to the licence being
transferred to Sarah Hambrook from Thomas Maycock. This Mr. Maycock ran the
Globe as a wine and spirit merchant, but had a room referred to as the public
room, where drink could be consumed on the premises (this can be verified), and
there is evidence that he had done so since 1848, when the premises were
erected. Incidentally, there are still descendants of Mr. Maycock living in
Folkestone today. Indeed, Dr. C.H. Bishop states that the Globe is probably
built on the site of a much older inn.
So, to quote a reference elsewhere, it was felt by Eileen’s “locals”
that “a slice of history” had been lost with the closure of the Guildhall, a
much older “slice of history” has been lost with the passing of the name of the
Globe.
E. D. Rooney,
Mead Road,
Folkestone. |
| Photo from Folkestone Herald (Circa 1919) |
Folkestone Herald
28-8-1987
Local News
The recent renaming of the Globe public house in
Folkestone has roused a host of fond memories for one woman – she was born
there. Joan Mann, of Stanley Road, Cheriton, came kicking and screaming into
the world shortly after the First World War.
Her grandfather, Alfred Fox, was the licensee of the 19th Century pub,
now named the Guildhall, shortly after the turn of the century, and remained the
pub’s landlord through the First World War. Mrs. Mann
said “I remember my grandfather as a jolly old man, and very popular in the
pub. He was a teetotaller and it was only after his retirement in the early
20’s that he touched a drop or two of brandy. Mrs. Mann
supplied us with the photograph showing regulars and staff outside the old pub
and what a smart lot they are. Eagle-eyed readers might spot the
little white dog in the background.
Folkestone Herald
20-11-1987
Local News
Beer drinkers in Folkestone have passed a bitter
milestone in pint prices. This week the Good Pub Guide book was frothed up over
Kent regulars digging deeper into their pockets than most of Britain`s
pub-goers. The guide criticises a one third increase in Surrey, Sussex and Kent
during the year “pressing towards the £1-a-pint barrier which London has
passed”. But some pubs in Folkestone broke the barrier up to two years ago and
finding a brew in the area for less is a problem.
Folkestone landlords this week criticised the guide for
being out of touch and blamed high rates plus brewery increases for the pricey
cost of their pints.
Geoff Gosford, landlord of the Lifeboat in The Durlocks,
said “Prices are quite high, but so are the overheads. Folkestone rates are the
same as some London boroughs. Our beers can be expensive, but it is all real
ale. We recently had the legendary Conqueror here as a guest ale. It was £1.28
a pint but three pints of that beer was worth nine of any other. I haven`t had
one complaint about my prices”.
Eileen Lewis, landlady of the Guildhall on The Bayle (£1
a pint) said “Some pubs may take advantage and raise prices higher. But the
majority are very conscious of the cost of beer to their customers. It is not
publicans clamouring for expensive beer, it is breweries”.
Ken Holletts, landlord of the British Lion (£1 a pint)
said “I have not raised the price of beer since becoming the landlord. All
increases have been imposed by the brewery. Our prices are reasonable, and as
cheap as you`ll find in the town centre”.
Black Bull landlady Maureen Coles in Canterbury Road
(prices again in the £1 range) said “Rates and electricity and so on are all
expensive and brewery increases take their toll”.
A spokesman for Whitbread, a major brewery supplying
Folkestone, said “Beer prices are cheaper in other parts of the country, but
Folkestone is no different, really, to most other parts of the South East”.
Folkestone Herald
15-7-1988
Local News
Thirsty summer drinkers in Shepway will have
to wait for all-day pub openings because of a Whitehall glitch. The Government has been forced to delay the controversial new licensing
laws until September 1. This has been
caused by a technical problem at the Home Office which means present “last
orders” for another two months. Then pubs
will be able to serve alcohol from 11a.m. to 11p.m. all week. But not all Shepway landlords reckon it will be worth the bother.
Horace Brickell from the East Cliff Tavern
said “It’s a great idea for some pubs, but for the ones in restricted areas,
like us, it’s not much good.
Where we are placed, it won’t make any difference and it will be a waste
of time staying open”.
William Taylor, landlord of the
Pullman Wine Bar and chairman of the Folkestone and District Licensed Victuallers
Association, said "There is some confusion, but no-one is forced to stay
open. They will be able to choose the hours that suit them.” Mr. Taylor said there were mixed feelings about the changes. “Pubs in busy areas are welcoming them but small, rural or out-of-the-way
places are indifferent. Personally,
I’m in favour. I think it will give flexibility to the licensee and the public. I don’t
think it will cause more drunkenness because people only have a certain amount
of money to spend each week. And I don’t mind the extra hours
involved because we will get extra staff which will help the dole queue”.
Barry Chamberlain from the White Lion in
Cheriton agrees. He said “I
think it’s about time change was made. Pubs will become much more suitable for
families, and will be more like restaurants. We will try to stay open all day. We are just about to redecorate the pub with the new freedom in mind”.
Michael Norris from the East Kent Arms told us
“I’ve accepted that the new laws are coming, although I have mixed feelings about them. I think it’s a shame we are not being allowed to stay open later at night
rather than all afternoon. Of course we
will be making full use of the new hours and will try to serve food all day.
It’s all right for us because we are so centrally placed”.
Eileen Lewis from The Guildhall in The Bayle
summed up the feelings of most landlords when she said “If I’m making money,
I’ll stay open”. She added
“It’s all right for more central pubs, but I can’t see us staying open in
winter. The brewery has asked us to give it a
three-month trial period. Like other pubs, we’ll just have to feel our way when
the change comes”.
Folkestone Herald
26-8-1988
Local News
Pubs in Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh will continue
with the time-honoured cry “Time, please” despite the big shake-up in pub hours
this week.
Some will “test the beer” with all-day opening, but most landlords
contacted by the Herald felt there wasn’t the demand, and that they would be
out-of-pocket if they had to pay staff to man empty bars.
Martin Foulkes, landlord of the Clarendon, Tontine
Street, Folkestone, said “I run a night pub really. I do not have enough customers
during the day to keep it open. It just would not make sense. On Fridays and
Saturdays I might stay open in the afternoon; it depends on how many people we have in”.
At the Guildhall, The Bayle, Folkestone, landlady Eileen Lewis said “I am
waiting to see how it goes. I might stay open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
but only if we are busy”.
The White Lion, Cheriton, is going to be open all day, every day except
Tuesdays and Sundays. “There are plenty of workers who finish their shifts in
the afternoon who will come here for a drink”, said the landlord.
Kent’s biggest brewery, Shepherd Neame,
welcomed tie change. Chairman Robert Neame said “It is a victory for common sense.
The new laws provide licensees with an opportunity to improve their trading”.
 | ||
| Photo from Folkestone Herald |
Folkestone Herald
23-2-1990
Local News
Landlord and lady Peter and Marie Hayes have taken over
The Guildhall pub on The Bayle, at Folkestone. The couple have managed the Park
Inn, Folkestone, for the last three and a half years. Now they are becoming their
own bosses by taking up a tenancy at the Guildhall.
Peter and Marie have become well-known for their friendly
service and hope regulars at the Guildhall will get to know them as well as
their customers at the Park Inn did. Marie said “We really want to say a big
“Thank you” to our old customers. We hope they will come and see us at The
Guildhall”. Peter added “There will be a big welcome for customers old and new
when they come here. It will be great to be my own boss; I`m looking forward to
the challenge”.
The present Guildhall pub used to be The Globe. The old
Guildhall has been replaced by Folkestone`s Pizza Hut. The Globe was renamed
when the landlady of The Guildhall moved there several years ago. The landlady
was Eileen Lewis, whose mother had run the old Guildhall for 40 years. Eileen
ran the Guildhall until her death last year.
Peter is from Northampton and Marie from Sheffield. Peter
said “We may have been here just a few years, but we have both known the area
for 15 years. We used to visit it quite a lot”.
Folkestone Herald
6-7-1990
Local News
Members of the Folkestone pub trade held a minute`s
silence in memory of one of the town`s best-loved landladies. They got together
to unveil a new bench in The Bayle dedicated to Eileen Lewis, who died at the
end of last year. Eileen, 58, ran The Guildhall in Folkestone. She was Chairman
of the women`s Licensed Victuallers` Association, and did a lot of work for
local charities.
Doreen Everson from the Brewery Tap said “A lot of people
thought a lot of Eileen – she is very sadly missed”.
Folkestone Herald
6-9-1991
Local News
Pub burglars stole £3,300 in cash and cigarettes when
they broke into a vending machine, juke box, charity box and fruit machine.
They also caused £2,500 damage at the Guildhall, in The Bayle, Folkestone.
Watercolour by Stuart Gresswell (ex Raglan and Guildhall)
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