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From the Bexley Archives.
The 1845 rate book diverts from the
usual practice of noting beerhouses anonymously and declares this
property to be ‘The Lady Grey’. Anthony Smith owned the property and
four adjoining tenements and following his death in 1842 they passed
to his son Joshua Smith of Belvedere. In June 1887 Joshua Smith gave
his address as The Retreat, Essenden Road, Belvedere and signed a
23-year lease at £25 per annum to William Robert and Arthur Henry
Reffell, Brewers of Bexley.
In August 1890 William Atkinson who had been landlord of the
"Lady Grey" for some 8 years was convicted of permitting drunkenness
on his premises. Fortunately his licence wasn’t endorsed and the
brewers let him stay because he was old and this was his was his
only means of livelihood.
However Atkinson received a similar conviction in November 1891
for which the licence was endorsed and Messrs Reffells gave him a
notice to vacate the property by 9th January 1892. Atkinson’s
misdemeanours' were an all to regular occurrence.
Before the expiry date there was yet another similar conviction
and endorsement. Reffells shut the house up and obtained a suitable
new tenant in the guise of Mr Dowsing who was a member of the
Dartford School Board. The brewery though Dowsing being a respected
member of the community would be able to keep better order. However
when the brewery applied for a transfer of license the bench refuse
on account of objections from people who lived in the neighbourhood.
Thus it was at the annual licensing sessions with the house still
shut, but the licence still in existence that Reffells reapplied.
They stated that their long lease could be forfeited, which would
make them liable to damages if the property did not continue as a
pub. After all the pub had been in existence for a number of years
and served a clientele of poor fruit pickers.
In those days a licence could be lost if there were three
endorsements, but in this case there were three convictions and only
two endorsements. After much discussion Messrs Reffells’ Counsel
continued with the application as though it was for a new licence,
with Mr. Reffell as the tenant.
The Bench were mindful that no licence had been given direct to a
brewer before and accordingly refused a new licence.
There may have been damages to pay because after in December 1894
the Reffell brothers raised a mortgage of £300 at 5% from Dr Ernest
Rogers of Birmingham who was a nephew of Anthony Smith. The mortgage
was repaid after 18 months. |
