Princess Royal 1970s - 1990s

Folkestone Herald 15-5-1971

Local News

When 1,400 continentals visit Folkestone next Thursday the doors of local pubs will be open to them all afternoon. On Tuesday local Magistrates decided in favour of a second application to allow 17 pubs to remain open especially for the visitors. They had vetoed a previous application. The second made by publicans was amended to allow for a half-hour break at 5.30 p.m. before their premises opened for the evening session.

Mr. J. Medlicott, for the publicans, told the Magistrates that the visitors were delegates attending a conference in Bruges. One of its highlights was to be a visit to England. He referred to a letter received by Folkestone Corporation from the British Tourist Authority supporting the publicans` application. The visit – by Dutch, Swiss, Belgians and Germans – was a special occasion, not just a shopping expedition, said Mr. Medlicott. It had been arranged by a Bruges tourist organisation which had particularly asked that pubs should be open in the afternoon.

Police Inspector R. Sanders made no formal objection to the application – but doubted whether the visit was a special occasion.

The Chairman of Folkestone Chamber of Trade, Mr. Alan Stephenson, said later “The cross-Channel visitors` committee of this Chamber is very pleased that this has been seen as a special occasion by the Justices. When one is reminded that this extension is no more than happens in many market towns every week of the year, it seems a fair request, especially as Folkestone’s image abroad could be much influenced by the original decision not to allow the pubs to open”.

The pubs which will stay open are; Jubilee, Ship, Oddfellows, Royal George, London and Paris, True Briton, Harbour Inn, Princess Royal, Clarendon, Brewery Tap, Earl Grey, Prince Albert, George, Globe, East Kent Arms, Guildhall and Shakespeare.

Folkestone Gazette 19-5-1977

Local News

 

An alert store detective followed the landlady of a Folkestone pub from a chemist`s into a supermarket. And she stopped Margaret Gallagher, of the Princess Royal public house, South Street, for the second time within minutes.

Store detective Mrs. Mar­garet Bath said that on the first occasion Gallagher walked out of the Boots store in Sandgate Road, Folke­stone, with a bottle of moisturiser she had not paid for. Mrs. Bath, who works for Boots, stopped Gallagher, who was shocked. “Oh, no, I forgot’,' Gal­lagher had said. She was allowed to go back into the store and pay for the oil. But Mrs. Bath followed her into Tesco’s and watched her place several items of meat into a carrier bag and go past the checkout without paying for them. When stopped again in the road, Gallagher had said “I haven't done it again, have I? I don’t know why I did it”.

Gallagher denied, at Folkestone Magistrates` court on Tuesday, stealing beef, steak and lasagne worth £3.61. A regular shopper at the store, she was known by all the assistants, she said. And she had no reason to steal. She had over £40 in her purse and offered to pay for the goods as soon as she realised her mistake. She said she was shat­tered by the strain of run­ning the pub on her own for three months. She was being treated for an allergy and also suffered a bad back. “It was agony with the bags but there was nobody else to do the shopping for me”, said Gallagher. After completing some of her shopping, she went into the Guildhall for a relaxing Scotch.

But her doctor, Dr. Ganpati Saraf said that one of the conditions of her allergy treatment was that she should have no alcohol, which could lead to drowsiness, sleepiness and confusion.

Her cleaner, Mrs. Vera Laws said: “She changed in January. There was so much going on about the pub changing hands she was very forgetful. She sometimes had problems with the bar change”.

The court was told that Gallagher would soon be leaving the pub, after eight-and-a-half years.

Gallagher said: “I was in a dreadful state. They were talking to me as it I had done something criminal”.

Miss Diane Wray, defending, said that Gallagher had already paid for her mistake. “The stigma of this is penalty enough”, she said.

The case was found proved and Gallagher was fined £25 with £15 costs. She was given 28 days to pay.

Folkestone Herald 20-5-1988

Canterbury Crown Court

Three youths who beat up two men outside a Folkestone pub last December have been sent to youth custody, by Canterbury Crown Court.

Jason Keller, 17, of Warren Close, Folkestone, Peter Welsh, 20, of no fixed ad­dress, and Alexander Smith, 18, of Hollands Avenue, Folkestone, denied the charge. The jury cleared them of robbing David Collins and Nicholas McGuinness of a bottle of rum and 200 cigarettes.

Keller was convicted of assaulting Mr. Collins, causing actual bodily harm, Welsh pleaded Guilty. Smith was acquitted. The trio denied assaulting Mr. McGuinness causing actual bodily harm. Smith and Welsh were convicted and Keller acquitted. All pleaded Guilty to burglary at a Salvation Army hostel and Smith asked for one further matter to be considered. Keller was sentenced to 12 months, Smith to 14 months and Welsh to 16 months. All had been in trouble before.

Roderick Johnson, prosecuting, said the two men had been on a cross-Channel trip, then called at the Princess Royal pub. “It was outside the pub these men were sub­jected to a ferocious attack by a group of youths including the accused and their property allegedly stolen”.

Mr. Collins, 41, of Reachfields, Hythe, said he was kicked in the head. He grabbed his at­tacker round the neck and a struggle ensued.

Keller claimed one of the two men began fighting with Welsh then one attacked him. He began fighting Mr. Collins, then other men came out of the pub and he made off. He denied any assault or robbery.

Folkestone Herald 20-7-1990

Local News

Shepherd Neame has bought four pubs in Shepway from Ind Coope. It was part of a £5.85 million deal for 33 public houses in Kent, London and the south east. The pubs taken over in Shepway are: Britannia Inn, Shorncliffe; Harvey Hotel (sic), Folkestone; the Nailbox, Shorncliffe; and the Princess Royal, Folkestone.

Note: It was Railway Bell and not Harvey Hotel.

 

Folkestone Herald 9-3-1995

Local News

Two soldiers have been cleared of attacking a pub manager during a Christmas Day incident in Folkestone.

Barry Greaves, manager of the Princess Royal, was hit a number of times with a pool cue and ended up with a fractured jaw and a deep cut to the head after being approached by two men with Scottish accents, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Miss Caroline Knight, prosecuting, said on Christmas Day, 1993, there was a private party at the Harbour public house in Folkestone, to which other publicans were invited. Paul Provan and David Boyes, both Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders stationed at Folkestone, arrived. They were not invited, but were allowed in because one of them was the boyfriend of a member of staff and was a regular there. Mr. Greaves, who had been invited, arrived during the evening, followed shortly afterwards by his girlfriend, Barbara Day. But they had a slight disagreement and when the time came for them to leave she walked out first, followed by Mr. Greaves. From various people in the public house a picture was pieced together, said Miss Knight. One person recalled letting the two into the party, and in particular remembered Mr. Boyes, who was going out with a member of the staff. A customer remembered them both going out and coming back in with a pool cue. “This is a case where the defendants were arrested shortly afterwards, and the question of identification may be something to which you may have to pay close attention”, Miss Knight told the jury.

In evidence, Mr. Greaves told the Court he was aware of a number of people with Scottish accents in the pub that night. “Barbara arrived about 20 minutes after me, and she wasn`t very pleased with me because I hadn`t told her where I was going”, he said. “As we left she was still not happy. We started walking back to the Princess Royal. Two people came from out of the Harbour and said “What`s going on here?”, and I said “It`s none of your business”. I didn`t take any notice of who it was. Barbara had run up the Old High Street. I caught her uo halfway. We were both out of puff and we just sat down on a window ledge laughing and got our breath back. Then two men came up the High Street and said again “What`s going on here?” Barbara was stood in front of me. I was still sitting on the window ledge. At that point I didn`t see them. We were talking”, he said. “These two came up with Scottish accents and said “What are you two up to?” One of them pushed Barbara out of the way: one grabbed me by the throat while the other one hit me several times with a billiard cue”.

The two, neither of whom gave evidence, were cleared of wounding with intent and discharged.

Watercolour by Stuart Gresswell (ex Raglan and Guildhall)