Folkestone Herald 12 February 1982.

Local News.

Work of joining neighbouring pubs together in a £120,000 conversion to produce a building in keeping with the old harbour area of Folkestone has almost been completed. The Harbour Crab and Oyster House, formerly the Harbour Hotel and True Briton, in Harbour Street, reopens to the public next Friday, February 19.

Old customers may recognise the exterior, now clad in dark weatherboarding, but inside the design theme has captured the interior of a harbour warehouse and ships' chandlers at the turn of the 19th century.

Roy Pepperrell, Whitbread Fremlins design manager, who planned the alterations, said “The idea was to provide something to match the area, and it seems to have come through well. Folkestone's planners have congratulated us on the design and the Chamber of Commerce has expressed its appreciation of a development sympathetic to the old harbour area, which they feel has increased tourist potential”.

Bar customers will be able to purchase seafood snacks, and in the Fish Basket Grill, 54 customers can be seated for cooked fish meals with seafood salads and steak dishes. Fish will be bought daily from local catches, and lobsters crabs and oysters will be on the menu, with draught ale from handpumps and popular wines.

Folkestone Herald 26 February 1982.

Local News.

A trumpet fanfare heralded the opening of a new pub restaurant at Folkestone Harbour on Friday. Colour Sergeant Jon Yates and Corporal Jan Zawada, of the Royal School of Music at Deal, provided the musical welcome for the first customers. Brewers Whitbread Fremlins have spent £120,000 converting two pubs, the True Briton and the Harbour Inn, into the Harbour Crab and Oyster House. Builders and staff had worked until late into the previous night putting the finishing touches to the revamped building. Top brewery officials, including managing director John Kidson, local dignitaries and business people attended a special opening lunch.

Welcoming the guests retail trade director Alan Wyman said “As you are probably all aware this particular part of Folkestone, which has got a number of attractive features, has been somewhat neglected in the past. My company felt that, in view of the standard of amenities in the rest of the town, it was about time somebody started to do something in the harbour.” Mr. Wyman said he hoped the venture has helped even if only in a small way, to alleviate the local unemployment situation. Harbourmaster Jim Ewing took part in the opening ceremony by unfurling naval signal flags representing the word harbour.

The new pub and restaurant, which specialises in seafood, is employing 21 staff, 17 of whom have fulltime jobs. Both managers Mike and Lynda Daniells are from Folkestone and previously managed the Royal Oak at Newingreen. It is possible that if the place, the third of its type to be opened in Kent, is a big success, more staff will be taken on.

Folkestone Herald 24 December 1982.

Local News.

Pub managers Mike and Lynda Daniells returned from holiday to find they were unemployed. Whitbread Breweries Ltd. had sacked them without any prior warning. And they were barred from entering the Harbour Crab and Oyster House, which they had been running since it opened.

Last Thursday an industrial tribunal upheld the Daniells' claim for unfair dismissal after hearing only evidence from Whitbread. The couple were awarded compensation totalling £3,300.

In an interview with The Herald on Monday, Mr. Daniells said “They said it was a clear cut case of unfair dismissal without even hearing our side of the story”. Mr. and Mrs. Daniells moved into the Folkestone pub and seafood restaurant in February. Previously they ran the Royal Oak Motel in Newingreen, also owned by Whitbread. “The Crab was something of an experiment for Whitbread, with a bar downstairs and a seafood restaurant upstairs”, said Mr. Daniells. “It soon became apparent to us that it wasn't working. Young people drinking downstairs would not go up to eat, and those who came to the restaurant would get up there as fast as they could”. A long and detailed letter expressing the Daniells' views was sent to the company and relations between the managers and Whitbread went from bad to worse. Stock taking on October 8 showed £400-worth of stock was missing. “We wanted to put the matter in the hands of the police, but Whitbread refused to let us”, said Mr. Daniells. “We left for a holiday on October 8 and when we returned on the 25th we found a letter telling us we were dismissed”. Whitbread was in breach of its grievance procedure which states verbal and written warnings must be issued before dismissal is considered, he said.

The tribunal result delighted the couple, who felt their reputation had been tainted by the events. “The man acting for Whitbread made it clear the company was not accusing us of taking the money, but felt it was our fault it was missing, Mr. Daniells said. They lived at the pub, so the sackings made them homeless as well as unemployed. Now they are living with Mr Daniells’ parents at Downside, Folkestone, and he is making every effort to get another job. “The whole thing was so petty. It was obvious they wanted to get rid of us and used the stock-taking business as an excuse”.

A spokesman for Whitbread refused to comment.

Folkestone Herald 14 January 1983.

Local News.

Burglars raided the Crab and Oyster bar in Harbour Street, Folkestone, on Tuesday and got away with a haul of spirits and cigars worth £300.

Folkestone Herald 8 April 1983.

Local News.

A man who burgled the pub where he worked was given a three month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday. Duncan Cousins broke open cigarette and fruit machines at the Harbour Crab and Oyster House, Folkestone, stealing cash and goods worth £535.60. And he refused to name an accomplice known to have been involved, the town's Magistrates were told.

Eighteen-year-old Cousins, of King's Road, Cheriton, admitted stealing the goods and money, which belong to Whitbread Fremlins Ltd. He also admitted stealing petrol worth £3.38 and asked for two similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Inspector Bill Wharf said Cousins, who was a porter at the public house and restaurant, had a night off duty on November 9. He went drinking at his workplace and when a convenient moment arose slipped through a staff door and hid in the cellar. Some hours after closing he returned to the bar and let a friend into the building. They broke open the machines and made off. The following morning he turned up for work and denied any knowledge of the theft. Police were called and after forensic tests Cousins admitted the offence. Between February 19 and 21 he was stopped by police at the wheel of a car. Both he and a friend smelt of petrol and police found a can and a length of rubber tubing in the car. Cousins was arrested and admitted stealing petrol from a car.

Mrs. Susan Watler, for Cousins, said he is due to start a new job as floor walker at the Rotunda Amusements. Acting the way he did cost him his job, for which he had good prospects, she said. He had been a porter for almost two years. For his own reasons he did not wish to involve anyone else in this matter.

Cousins was given a three month jail sentence for each offence, suspended for two years and to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay £546 compensation.

Folkestone Herald 24 October 1986.

Local News.

Customers at the Crab and Oyster public house in Folkestone had a quiet evening’s drink disrupted when a firework rocket smashed through the bar window on Monday evening, causing £35 worth of damage. A handful of customers were in the Harbour Street bar at 7.30 pm last Monday when a firework rocket exploded through the window, showering customers with glass as it landed at the bar. The Crab and Oyster's manageress, Mrs. Sandra Harrod, said “We were very lucky that no one was hurt. Two people had been sitting right next to the window, but 1 had moved tables shortly before the rocket explosion”. She added “It was early evening, so luckily there were not that many people in the bar. It could have been much more serious”.

Two youths were seen sitting opposite the pub with fireworks. One boy was described as aged about 17. He was wearing a black and white striped jumper and grey trousers.

Folkestone Herald 15 July 1988.

Local News.

A party of blind visitors were thrown out of a seafront pub on their first evening in town – because they had their guide dogs with them. Even before they reached a table at the Harbour public house, the group of five blind people and two sighted guides were told “You can't come in. We don't have dogs in here”. Shocked, one of the party, in Folkestone for the Royal Commonwealth Blind Bowls Tournament, told the landlord they were guide dogs, but only to be scolded “Not those either”. Disillusioned and upset, the group had to leave.

Visually handicapped Geoff Rawlingson, secretary of the England National Association of Visually Handicapped Bowlers, and his totally blind wife, Pauline, were among those banned from the pub. He said “It was absolutely disgusting. Their attitude was totally wrong. We're not second class citizens, so why should we be treated like this? I have been all over the world, and this has never happened before. It is not our fault we’re blind”.

The Rawlingsons had wandered from their hotel, the Burstin, to the local pub with friends including Alan Dyte, a blind charity worker and BBC broadcaster, and John Thomas, chairman and secretary of the Bristol Blind Bowls Club. All were on their first ever visit to Folkestone for the bowls tournament being held at Cheriton, and wanted to celebrate with a drink out. For two friends, laboradors Quaker and Illis were their eyes, but it was these two dogs Harbour landlord Robert Collins objected to.

Mr. Collins said: “It was a Saturday evening. The pub was extremely busy and full of youngsters. It was not fair on the dogs. We do not accept dogs on food premises, not even guide dogs”.

Now, after being contacted by the Herald, management at the pub’s Whitbread brewery have apologised. Area manager David Hespe said “Quite clearly the manager was wrong. He says he was under the impression that any dog - even guide dogs - were banned from the pub. He assumed wrong. This would never, ever be our policy”. The pub manager would be reprimanded and advised over the mistake. On behalf of Whitbread, Mr Hespe has now offered the party of seven a meal at their nearby pub, The Valiant Sailor.

Folkestone Herald 22 July 1988.

Local News.

A civic leader has apologised on behalf of the town for an amazing blunder which led to a party of blind bowling champions being ousted from a Folkestone pub. In the embarrassing mess-up, the manager of Whitbread’s Harbour pub in Harbour Street ordered the group at of the bar because they had two guide dogs with them.

It led to an almighty stir within the brewery and among officials at last week’s Royal Commonwealth Blind Bowls Tournament. But after reading of the incident in the Herald, Shepway District Council chairman Anthony Deighton offered the town’s apologies to bowlers at their farewell dance on Friday. And he went even further on Tuesday this week to attack the manager of the pub for what he described as a “stupid mistake”. He said “It seems ridiculous to think this happened while at the same time there is a television advert which shows a dog in a pub drinking beer. The council wants people to come back again, and obviously if they have a bad time here, they won’t bother. On Friday I apologised to the individuals concerned because it is the sort of thing that can mar a holiday. Luckily, they just shrugged it off”.

The brewers, Whitbread, offered the party a free meal at their nearby pub, The Valiant Sailor, as part of their apologies. Area Manager David Hespe said last week “The manager was wrong. Banning guide dogs would never, ever be our policy”.

Folkestone Herald 16 April 1993.

Local News.

A brown wooden pub sign bearing the words The Harbour, and worth £50, was stolen from outside the Crab and Oyster pub in Harbour Street, Folkestone.