DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Page Updated:- Friday, 15 October, 2021.

PUB LIST PUBLIC HOUSES Paul Skelton

Earliest 1866-

Welsh Harp

2014 (Name to)

Mill Road

Sturry

Welsh Harp 1900

Above photo, circa 1900, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Welsh Harp 1914

Above photo, 1914, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Showing a very wet and fed-up troop of the Royal West Kent Yeomanry, probably on summer manoeuvres, just before the outbreak of WW1. The pub would have been immediately to the right of the person taking the photograph. The terrace behind the troopers was known as Albion Cottages.

Above photo, 1915, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Welsh Harp 1913

Above postcard 1913, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, 1938, kindly sent by Tim Timpson.

Welsh Harp 1946

Above photo, 1946, kindly sent by Tim Timpson.

Welsh Harp 1972

Above photo, circa 1972, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Welsh Harp 1982

Above photo, circa 1982, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Welsh Harp 2010

Above photo 2010 by Chris Whippet Creative Commons Licence.

Welsh Harp 2014

Above photo 2014. It was then up for sale for £249,995.

Welsh Harp sign 1986Welsh Harp sign 1991

Above sign left, July 1986, sign right, July 1991.

Welsh Harp sign 1986Welsh Harp sign 2013

Above sign left, June 1995, sign right, 2013.

With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

 

The "Welsh Harp" is situated in a timber-framed building, 17th century or earlier re-fronted in 18th century. It gained a Grade 2 listing on 14 March 1980.

I am informed that the pub was up for sale at the beginning of 2013 for £250,000. It finally closed in 2014 and started operating as Marino's Fish and Chip Shop.

 

Kentish Chronicle 27 January 1866.

CANTERBURY COUNTY COURT.

Charles Harwood, Esq., held his monthly sitting as the Townhall, on Friday. There were but 50 plaint entered for hearing, and only a very few of these came into Court.

Small v. Llowarch,—The plaintiff in this case is a brewer and builder, residing in this city, and the defendant the landlord of a beerhouse belonging to the plaintiff at Sturry. The plaintiff sued the defendant for the amount of £8 10s., for the rent of the house and beer supplied.

Mr. Towne conducted the plaintiff's case and stated the particulars. It appears that the name of the beer-house is the "Welsh Harp," and formerly belonged to Mr. Hollands, of whom Mr. Small bought the lease, and as he could not get any money from the defendant who was the tenant, he gave him notice to quit. The defendant did not comply with the notice for some time, and on quitting the house he sent the plaintiff the key, and two or three small bills which the defendant had paid, and which he pleaded as a set-off against the present claim.

The defendant had paid £1 14s. 1d. of the amount sued for into court, for the rent of the home, and pleaded a set-off for the remainder of the amount—viz., £3 13s for fixtures, which he maintained the plaintiff had agreed to purchase of him, and £3 3s. 9d. for painting and papering the house.

The plaintiff denied any knowledge of the papering of the house, and with regard to the fixtures, he said he had agreed to purchase them of the defendant, if they were valued by an appraiser. The fixtures which he was charged for were included in the lease, and the engine and other fixtures which he would have purchased were taken away by the defendant, who took the license of the house and opened another house close by.

Verdict for the plaintiff.

 

Canterbury Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette, Saturday 8 September 1866.

St Augustine's Petty Sessions. Saturday. Annual Licensing Day.

The county Magistrates renewed the publicans' spirit licence today.

Applications were also heard for new licences, and, as well be seen by the following list, the majority of these were granted.

Applications refused, Frederick George, "Welsh Harp," Sturry.

 

Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, Saturday 16 August 1879.

STURRY. A PUBLICAN CAUGHT A SECOND TIME.

Thomas Hooker, late landlord of the "Welsh Harp Inn," Sturry, was summoned for keeping his house open during prohibited hours on the 27th July. The defendant did not appear, but sent his wife. Mr. George Collard appeared for the defence.

P.C. Burnett deposed that from instructions he received he went to the "Welsh Harp" on the 25th July in plain clothes and obtained lodgings there. On Sunday morning the 27th about a quarter to 11 a woman named Hammond was standing at the back door tossing up a penny in her hand, and said "I want half a pint of beer for my old man." Mrs. Hooker went to the back of the bar and poured out half a pint of beer and handed it to the woman Hammond, who gave Mrs. Hooker a penny for it.

Cross-examined by Mr. Collard:- He did not give any name when he took lodgings at the house. He would swear he saw money pass. The woman Hammond had been to the house to work on the Saturday and also on Sunday morning.

Mrs. Hooker stated that on Saturday, the 26th July, she and her husband were at this Court nearly all day, her husband being charged with an offence similar to the present one, and he was convicted. When they got home there was no beer in the house and they had to send out for some. At supper time there was scarcely any beer, and on Sunday morning there was not half a pint for witness to take after having her medicine. The woman Hammond came to the house to do witness's domestic work. Witness did not serve the woman with any beer on Sunday morning.

By Superintendent Walker:- She did not remember sending for a gallon of beer at a quarter to ten on the Saturday night. The beer was all gone by ten o'clock. They had now left the "Welsh Harp." She would swear she did not supply Mrs. Hammond with any beer on Sunday morning. She gave her a bottle of ginger beer.

The woman referred to as Mrs. Hammond was called, but said her name was Parks. She denied that she had any beer on the Sunday morning.

In reply to the magistrates' clerk witness said she did not ask for any beer for her husband, as he was not at home. She had nothing to drink at all that morning. She saw the policeman in the house and talked to him.

By Superintendent Walker:- She had no ginger beer there that morning, that she would swear. She would swear also that she did not take anything out of the house in a ginger beer bottle.

The Bench after deliberating in private came to the conclusion that the charge had been proved and fined the defendant £1 12s. 6d. including costs.

 

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, Saturday 13 September 1879.

THE "WELSH HARP," STURRY.

Mr. F. J. Till applied on behalf of Mr. Holden, the owner of the premises, for the renewal of the license of the "Welsh Harp," Sturry. Mr. Holden had got rid of the tenant who had been fined for misconducting the house, and he now asked to have the license granted to Thomas Thorner.

The Clerk said it would be necessary to give the usual notices as a fresh tenant had been obtained, and consequently the case must be postponed until the adjourned day.

The Chairman intimated that the bench would have great objection to renewing the license if the internal communication which at present existed between the "Welsh Harp" and the adjoining cottages were not done away with.

Mr. Holden said he would take great care that whatever internal communication there might be should be stopped. He added that no complaint had ever reached him as to the conduct of the house, and was astonished when notice of the objection came to him.

The bench gave permission to Thorner to carry on the business until the adjourned session.

 

From the Whitstable Times, 8 June, 1901.

STURRY. ANNOYING A PUBLICAN.

Herbert Hall, & youth, was summoned for refusing to quit the "Welsh Harp," Sturry, when requested to do so on the 19th May.

William Linden Uden, the landlord, stated that between 8 and 9 p.m. defendant came in and asked for a glass of beer and then begin to call Mrs. Uden names. She and witness requested him to leave and as he refused they sent for a policeman.

P.C. Hopkins stated at a quarter past nine he was called to the "Welsh Harp" to eject defendant. Prosecutor asked him to leave and he replied that he should stop as long as he liked as it was a public house. After allowing defendant a quarter of an hour to drink up his beer witness ejected him. He then tried to get in again. Defendant denied that he was drunk or swore and said he only called prosecutor "Old Buck," a name he had gone by for years.

Supt. Jacobs said that defendant lived between Canterbury and Sturry. Prosecutor’s house was one of the best conducted ones in the Division, but defendant and other young fellows went over there on purpose to annoy him.

The Chairman said he could quite believe it.

The Bench imposed a fine of £1 including costs.

 

From the Whitstable Times, 10 May, 1902.

ALARMING ACCIDENT.

An accident that caused considerable excitement occurred here on Monday, when a runaway Cavalry horse from Canterbury Barracks dashed into a grocer’s cart standing outside the two new houses near the “Welsh Harp.” It appears that the horse bolted just as it had come out of the barracks with a number of others, all remounts from the Cavalry Depot, going out for exercise. The young soldier riding it completely lost control of the animal. He tried to pull it up, but it would not answer the rein, and came along at a wild pace. One of Messrs. Clarke and Theobalds’ carts was standing near the “Welsh Harp” in charge of a boy, while the carter had gone into a house to deliver goods. The runaway collided with the cart on the right bend side and turned it over, the boy falling underneath, while the soldier was thrown to the ground. Mr. H. Pierce, who was standing outside the public-house at the time, seized the reins of the cart horse and assisted the boy in extricating himself. Fortunately neither the boy nor the soldier was seriously injured, though both were in great peril for the moment. The cart was smashed, and of coarse its contents, consisting of eggs and groceries, were scattered all over the road. The Cavalry horse, which was badly cut about the forelegs, was taken back to the barracks, and the driver of Messrs. Clarke and the Theobalds’ cart, with the lad returned to Canterbury.

 

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, 2 March 1907.

THE WELSH HARP, STURRY.

This house was also objected to by the Magistrates.

Mr. Mercer appeared on behalf of the brewery, Messrs. Bigden and Co., of Faversham.

Superintendent Jacobs elated the tenant of this house was Henry Wilson. It was a beer-house. The rent was £12 a year. There was stabling for four horses if necessary, but it was used for a coal shed now. The rates amounted to £4 and the assessment was £24. A general roadside trade was done. Witness admitted that during the last few years a considerable sum of money was spent on improving the premises.

Mr. Mercer pointed out that in four years upwards of £400 had been spent on improving the house. The trade done averaged 188 barrels a year.

 

From the Whitstable Times, 9 September, 1944.

Shock For Licensee.

WELSH HARP ENTERED.

While sleeping downstairs during the early hours of Sunday morning. Mr. Ernest Joseph Jackson, licensee of the "Welsh Harp," Sturry, was awakened by the sound of someone trying to enter the premises by way of a window.

Mr. Jackson got up and went to meet the intruder. Striking out at the unknown, he fell and broke a leg. Nothing was taken and the marauder escaped.

 

Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, Saturday 18 March 1950.

Wine licences were granted to the "Hog and Donkey," Chislet, and the "Welsh Harp," Sturry.

Plans for structural alterations at the "Bear and Key," Whitstable, were approved.

 

 

After Marino's fish and chip shop I believe it became a Pappa's chip shop for a couple of years, then I have heard it was operating as the "Coffee and Alehouse" but by 2017 it had reopened again with the simple name of "The Pub." This never lasted long as in November 2017 it had changed name yet again, to the "Middle of the Road."

 

LICENSEE LIST

SMALL Mr to 1866 Kentish Chronicle

GEORGE Frederick 1866+

HOOKER Thomas to Sept/1879+

THORNER Thomas Sept/1879+

JARVIS John 1881+ (also General Labourer age 21 in 1881Census)

DENNETT James 1882+

UDEN William Linton 1891-27/Aug/1901 (age 70 in 1901Census)

WILSON Harry 27/Aug/1901-18+ (age 48 in 1911Census)

JACKSON Ernest Joseph 1930-44+ (age 77 in 1939)

https://pubwiki.co.uk/WelshHarp.shtml

 

CensusCensus

Kentish ChronicleKentish Chronicle

 

If anyone should have any further information, or indeed any pictures or photographs of the above licensed premises, please email:-

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