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4 St Margaret's Street
Canterbury
Above photo circa 1939, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. |
Above map 1874 identified by Rory Kehoe. |
Above photo March 2019, kindly taken and sent by Rory Kehoe. |
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A coin bearing the letters EW has been found from the "Three Kings,"
date as yet unknown.
Above token said to be dated between 1648-72, kindly sent by Mark Reed. |
I believe the full address would have been St. Margaret's Street.
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Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser, Monday 11 September 1865.
Application for New Licences.
Mr. George Pontoon, landlord of the "Three Kings" beer shop, St
Margaret's, made an application for a spirit licence, but the
magistrates refused to grant it.
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Canterbury Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette 15 September 1866.
At the City Petty Sessions on Thursday, it being the annual licensing
day, the following applications for new licenses were refused:-
G. Ponton, the "Three Kings," St Margaret's,
There are now 168 licensed houses in Canterbury besides beer shops and
refreshment houses."
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From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. 14 September 1867. Price 1d.
ANNUAL LICENSING DAY.
Thursday week was the day fixed for renewing licenses to innholders and
hearing applications for new licenses. The numerous innkeepers in the city
were instructed to attend at the Guildhall at eleven o'clock, and by that
hour the court and its approaches were thronged by them. There was a general
complaint made that this class of persons should be kept out of their
business for so many hours—the actual work of renewing the grants not
commencing until half-past two o'clock; the professional gentlemen who were
engaged to support the applications for new licenses having had the usual
courtesy shown them by the magistrates of having their cases heard before
other business was despatched. Details of the business appended:— Mr. White, from the office of Messrs. Farley, Callaway, and Farley, objected
to a license being granted to Mr. Ponton to sell excisable liquors at the
"Kings," in St. Margaret's. He stated that the population of the district
was a resident one, and including as it did persons who carried on extensive
businesses it was very undesirable that the application should be granted.
Besides the premises did not contain accommodation other than for
"tipplers." Application for license granted. |
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From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. 30 November 1867. Price 1d.
George Ponton was summoned for having in his house (“The Three Kings”) on
the 29th of October, a half-pint measure, and others of smaller capacity
deficient.
Defendant pleaded guilty; and was fined 2s. 6d. and 9s. costs.
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No.4 was a very old building which, for the first half of the 19th
century, operated as a bakery run by Southee Ware. George Ponton took over
No.4 in the mid 1860s and in 1866 applied for a beer licence but was turned
down. He applied again in 1867 and this time was successful, so the "Three
Kings" commenced trading, albeit briefly. The "Three Kings" appears on the
(attached) 1874 OS map as a PH but probably, by this time, it had closed.
There is some indication that No.4 re-opened as a bakery, again all but
briefly. What is certain, is that No.4 was demolished c.1880 in order to
make way for the current 1882 building, designed by John Green Hall and used
by him as his architectural practice until his death in 1887 aged 52. His
partner, Mr W. Jennings, continued to use No.4 as an architectural practice
for some years. It's now (2019) a coffee shop and pastry restaurant.
LICENSEE LIST
PONTON George 1865-Sept/1866 (license refused)
PONTON G 1868+
Canterbury
Journal, Kentish Times and Farmers' Gazette
Greens
Canterbury Directory 1868
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