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28 London Road
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Above postcard posted 1910. |
Above postcard, date unknown. |
Above photo, postcard 1910. http://roughwood.net |
Above photo 1925, by kind permission of Peter Macleod. |
Above photo, date unknown. |
Pigot's Directory of 1832 states the following name:- CASTLE being built
MOUNT EPHRIAM HOTEL.
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From the Maidstone Gazette and West Kent Courier, 27 February, 1827.
Commercial Inn and Tavern, Tunbridge Wells, to be let on lease or otherwise, and may be entered on immediately.
That well known established and much frequented Commercial Inn and
Tavern, with coach houses and stabling called the "Castle" situated on
the High Road from London, at the immediate entrance of Tunbridge Wells,
affording every accommodation for commercial gentlemen and visitors who
are in the habit of attending that highly admired watering place of
fashionable resort. The House from it capacious extent and it's
undeniable situation is capable of affording every accommodation to a
considerable magnitude and cannot fail of commanding a first rate of
business.
For particulars may be had on application (if left by letter post paid)
to Mr. Bramwell, Wine and Spirit Merchant, Greek Street, Soho, London;
or to Mr. Long, on the premises.
N. B. The above house is quite free from Brewers, Distillers, or Wine
and Spirit Merchants.
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South Eastern Gazette, Tuesday 8 June 1841.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS.
To be heard at Maidstone, in the county of Kent, on the 30th day of
June, 1841, at the hour of ten in the forenoon precisely.
THOMAS GATE COLLINGS.
Formerly of No. 1, Cavendish Place, Hastings, in
the county of Sussex, bookkeeper at the Swan coach-office, Hastings
aforesaid; then of No. 10, Bennett Street, in the parish of
Christchurch, in the county of Surrey, bookkeeper at the Bolt-in-Tun
booking-office, Fleet Street, London, then of the "Robin Hood" public
house, Icklesham, near Rye, in the said county of Sussex, licensed
victualler; then of the "Castle Hotel," Tunbridge Wells, in the county
of Kent, hotel-keeper and licensed to let horses; and late of 11 Croft,
Hastings, in the said county of Sussex, out of business or employment.
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Kentish Gazette, 10 April 1849.
TONBRIDGE WELLS. Felony.
On Tuesday night the stores at the "Castle Inn" were broken into, and
about nine or ten gallons of rum and various other liquors were stolen
therefrom. Two men, who had slept in the adjoining room were suspected;
one of them has been taken into custody; the other, who has been just
liberated from Maidstone gaol, is still at large.
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Kentish Gazette, 31 July 1849.
KENT SUMMER ASSIZES.
The business of these assizes commenced on Tuesday last. The Lord Chief
Baron was to have presided in the Nisi Prius court, but owing to the
illness of Lord Denman, the Lord Chief Baron went to supply his
lordship's place at chambers, and Mr. Baron Alderson presided up to
Wednesday evening; Mr. Serjeant Gaselee presiding in the Crown Court.
Wm. Linsay, Benjamin Wicker, and John Young, were charged with burglary
and stealing ten gallons of rum, four bottles of ale, and ten bottles,
of the value of £7 5s., belonging to Mr. John Vickers, at Tonbridge
Wells.
The Hon. Mr. Denman appeared for the prosecution.
Joseph Wooster, the present landlord of the "Castle Hotel," Tonbridge
Wells, deposed to missing some rum from his spirit store. There was a
hole in the ceiling large enough to admit a man; and in the loft over he
found five bottles secreted. He also found in a coach-house belonging to
a person named Waghorn, near the store, a broken bottle on the ground
with some rum in it.
Sarah Hickmutt, landlady of the "Castle Tap," Tonbridge Wells, deposed
to the prisoners being at her house on the 3rd of April; the prisoner
Young lodging there. Linsay and Wicker went away about twelve o'clock.
The next morning she saw the three prisoners in liquor; they had nothing
to drink at the Tap.
George Wimpole, ostler at the "Castle Hotel," said he saw the prisoners
on the night of the 3rd of April at the "Castle Tap," and again on the
following morning, when they appeared in liquor. He found a porter
bottle in Waghorn's stable.
William Waghorn corroborated the above, adding that the hole in the ceiling
bore marks of a man having recently got through it.
Charles Waghorn, a fly driver, deposed to Linsay frequently sleeping in
the stable in which his fly was kept; and on the morning of the 4th of
April he found the three prisoners there, they being in liquor. Linsay
poured out what appeared to be rum from a bottle, and wanted witness to
drink, but he declined; Linsay then poured out something else from
another bottle, which appeared to be porter. Witness told them to take
that "stuff" away, as he did not wish to get into trouble about it. He
then went into the loft and found a bottle, which he took into the
stable, where he accidentally dropped it. He believed it contained rum.
William Ferguson, police constable, deposed to searching the room Young
slept in at the "Castle Tap" on the 4th of April, and finding in a
cupboard at the foot of the stairs a hole in the ceiling which led into
a loft over the spirit-store. He there found five bottles (produced);
and in the spirit-store there had been some spirit spilt.
By the Judge:— To get into the spirit-store a person would have to get
into the loft by the hole in the ceiling of the cupboard, and then
descend by a hole in the floor of the loft into the store which is on
the same floor with Young's bed-room.
By Mr. Denman:— The lock of the door in the storeroom appeared to have
been forced open from the inside.
James Dadson said he found two bottles nearly full of rum, similar to
some that were shown him at the "Castle Hotel."
Some other witnesses having been examined, several bottles were produced
and identified by the prosecutor, as being similar to some in his store
on the 5th April.
This being the case for the prosecution, the Judge said the burglary was
not proved, the evidence not being sufficient to substantiate that
charge, and therefore the prisoner must be tried merely for the robbery.
Each of the prisoners denied having committed the robbery.
The Judge then summed up with great minuteness, and the jury after a
brief consultation found all the prisoners guilty.
A previous conviction of felony having been proved against Young, he was
sentenced to seven years' transportation; Linsay and Wicker each six
months' imprisonment and hard labour.
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From the Kent and Sussex Courier, 12 January, 1934.
CAR ON RIVER BRINK.
A Ticehurst man and a young woman employed at a Tunbridge Wells hotel
had an alarming experience at Maidstone on Sunday evening, when the car
in which they were driving back to Tunbridge Wells from Bearsted crashed
through a barrier at the College horseway and overturned. The driver of
the car was Mr. Ivor Parley, whose address was given as Bournhurst Farm,
Stonegate, and he was accompanied by Miss Gladys Lloyd, who is employed
at the "Castle Hotel." The accident happened at about half-past five in
the evening. The car, an Austin Seven, came off the Ashford-road, and at
the cross-roads near All Saints’ Church, instead of taking the
right-hand turn into Mill-street. It went straight on, crashed through
the barrier spanning the brink of the College horseway, down the steep
slope, and finally hit the bank and rolled over. The driver realised the
danger of dashing into the river, and in attempting to pull up he
cannoned with the bank and the car over-turned. Mr. Parley and his
passenger were taken to the West Kent General Hospital suffering from
cuts to the head and face and slight concussion, but they were not
detained. Later in the evening they were driven home by Mr. Ben Brook,
of the "White Horse," Bearsted.
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Kent & Sussex Courier, Friday 7 March 1975.
Town Loses Another Hotel.
Tourist being turned away say critics.
Planners and "smart alick developers" were accused this week of
wrecking the tourist trade in Tunbridge Wells by building more
officers at the expense of hotel rooms.
One borough councillor asked angrily:- "Where are the visitors to
this town supposed to stay? Are we going to turn offices into
bedsits for them? Where are we going to rely on them bringing their
own tents?"
The row started at the council meeting on Tuesday, when proposals
to close the "Castle Hotel" and convert it to shops, offices and
flats was opposed by a large group of councillors. They failed, and
the hotel will go.
Later the South East England Tourist Board confirmed that more
visitors than ever are expected in the town this summer, and that
more hotel rooms are needed.
In the last few years at least five big hotels in the town have
closed while the demand for rooms has gone up and up.
Sales of the new borough guide, which has been on the market only
6-weeks, yet as already topped the 3,000 mark, gives some indication
of the interest being shown in Tunbridge Wells this year.
Mr. Fred Cubbage, research and development executive with the
S.E. English Tourist Board in Tunbridge Wells said:- "It does appear
that Tunbridge Wells does not have enough capacity for summertime
tourist.
Last year some visitors had to be turned away, and the board has
predicted that inland resorts like Tunbridge Wells will soon be much
more in demand.
Lights and Offices.
Mr. Cubbage emphasised that while towns like Tunbridge Wells
needed plenty of hotel rooms in the summer, they do not experience
the all-year demand of some coastal resorts.
At the council meeting, Councillor Ivan Robb urged councillors
not give planning permission to convert the "Castle Hotel."
He said the recommendation to go ahead with the work seem to be
part of a scheme by the council's planning committee to make
Tunbridge Wells all street lights and offices."
Councillor Richard Blackwell asked where visitors to the town was
supposed to stay and talked to "smart alick developers" floating the
planning of Tunbridge Wells.
Councillor James Perry, who runs the "St. Lo Hotel," said he was
sorry to see the "Castle" go, but knew of the heavy expenses
hoteliers were facing, particularly in the form of new fire
precautions.
A Mistake.
Councillor Mrs. Myrtle Streeten said one good reason for keeping
the "Castle" was that a hotel or inn had been on the site in 1806.
"I think it would be a mistake to lose it," she said.
Councillor W Symond said that the "Castle Hotel" did not pay. "It
had been in and out of the hands of the receiver for many years," he
said.
Councillor Bill Jempson said he could see no point in keeping
hotels open if they did not pay.
The chairman of the planning committee, Councillor Miss Patience
Thesiger sais a great deal of thought had gone into making a
decision on the "Castle" application and that the committee had
resisted plans to pull the whole building down.
She emphasizes that the "Castle" only had 12 rooms, and that a
condition of the application was that the neighbouring "Harwood
Hotel" should be enlarged and maintained as a hotel.
An amendment to refuse planning permission for the "Castle" was
lost by 24 votes to 14.
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LICENSEE LIST
JEFFREY Elizabeth 1828+
LONG Luke 1827-32+
COLLINGS Thomas Gate to June 1841 (also licensed to let horses)
TUTT Edward 1841+ (age 30 in 1841 )
HICKMUTT Sarah 1849+ (Castle Tap)
WOOSTER Joseph 1849-May/52
WOOSTER Thomas May/1852+
GADD Richard Ross 1858+
BRAYNE Benjamin 1862+
SANTER Charles 1873-81+ (age 41 in 1881)
JEWELL Sarah V Mrs 1882+
URQUHART William E 1891-1922+
EVERETT R M Major 1930+
GUILFORD W J 1938+
HICKMOTT Roy 1975+
https://pubwiki.co.uk/CastleHotel.shtml
From the Pigot's Directory 1828-29
From the Pigot's Directory 1832-33-34
Kent
and Sussex Courier
South Eastern Gazette
Census
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