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161 Snargate Street
Dover
https://whatpub.com/arlington
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Photos are by Barry Smith. The one above is circa 1980.
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Above postcard, 1993s. Kindly sent by Graham Butterworth. |
Photo in 1993. By kind permission of Dover Library. ILL/4521.
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Photo by Barry Smith taken in 1994.
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Above photo, circa 2000, kindly sent by Geoffrey Hall. |
Formerly the "Perseverance" and the "Avenue", Paul Barrett
bought the property and following alterations, reopened it as a free house
with this sign in October 1981. Further alterations and extensions followed
in 1983.
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From information displayed on the wall at The Arlington.
The Official History of The Arlington.
This inn known by the name and sign of the Arlington was built in the
7th year of George I in 1721. Structurally the house remains much the
same, however its appearance has altered greatly over the years by way
of refacements and refurbishment.
Between the time of its founding and that of its first license the
property was utilized for a number of things by tradesmen of varying
descriptions. In 1721, it is described as the "New tenement of Joshua
Ridley commonly called a cutler of the port of Dover". Ridley lived here
between the years of 1721 and 1738 during which time he conducted his
trade from the house since he is recorded as a cutler of Snargate Street
throughout much of that period.
Joshua Ridley having died in that year of 1738, by the terms of his
will, passed the house and all it contained including a number of edged
weapons and long arms to his widow Naomi who at the time of receiving
her inheritance is described as a maker of 'slops' which was one who
traded in the manufacture of sailors clothes. The widow Ridley traded
under that description and is recorded here in 1741, 1746 and 1751, the
year in which she died and passed the house and her slops business to
her daughter Jessica.
Jessica Ridley carried on her mothers trade until 1756 when she married
Jacob Reuben, another slopsmaker of Dover and together they traded her
until her death in 1773. In the following year, he sold the house and
business to his brother Samuel who was also a slopsmaker. However, by
1776 the latter appears to have been running a marine chandlery from the
house as well as conducting his original trade. This situation remained
until Samuel Reuben's death in 1794 whereafter everything passed to his
widow Susannah. In 1795, she sold the property as a "marine store with
chambers over" to Ebeneezer Thornton a boat builder of Snargate Street
over the sluice.
He died here in 1817 of no apparent heirs and the property passed into
the hands of John Shipdem, notary town clerk, surrogate for the Cinque
Ports and registrar and agent for Dover harbour, who was to act as
trustee to the estate of Ebeneezer Thornton. In 1818 through Shipdem,
this house was purchased by Robert Walker a brewer and maltster of
Dolphin Lane, Dover. After carrying out alterations, Walker obtained an
ale license for the house and hung the sign of the Perseverance. In
November of that year with one, Richard Prebble installed as keeper the
Perseverance opened for business and the first ale was sold here.
Prebble kept the house as a tenant until 1823 when in that year Robert
Walker formed the company of Robert Walker and Sons and leased the
Perseverance to Joseph Chambers whose trade by strange coincidence was
that of slopsmaker. He kept the house and was recorded as a "slopsmaker
of the Perseverance beer-house, 161 Snargate Street" until his death in
1845, whereupon his son was granted the tenancy by James and Thomas
Walker. He served here until 1859 when George Watson took over. During
the time that he kept the Perseverance his brother John kept an inn
called the Golden Fleece at 56 Snargate Street.
In 1863, executors acting as trustees for the Dolphin Lane Brewery of
James and Thomas Walker sold out to Leney and Evenden brewers who were
part of the Leney brewing establishment at Wateringbury. In that year of
1863 after carrying out alterations to the house, a wine and spirit
license was obtained for it and the Perseverance became a registered
tavern. George Watson kept it until 1873 when he was succeeded by
Charles Bliss, innkeeper of the Duke of Cambridge Commercial Inn in
Snargate Street.
In 1881 Bliss was succeeded by James Gregory and he became the last
keeper to hold a license here under the sign of the Perseverance, in
1886 Alfred Leney of the Phoenix Brewery in Dolphin Lane carried out
further alterations to the house and upon the completion of these
changed the name of the house to the Avenue. It was leased to William B.
Mills a shopkeeper of 170 Snargate Street, however he died here after
keeping the house for only a short period. In 1889, the tenancy passed
to his daughter Mrs Amelia Reeves.
In 1890, she handed over to Alfred Thomas Dane who served here until his
death in 1902 when his son William took over. He was succeeded in 1905
by William Norrington and he in 1907 by Edward Legrois who was here
until 1926 when in that year Alfred Leney sold out to the Fremlin
Brothers brewery of Maidstone.
They leased to Henry Frederick Partridge who was here until 1937 when he
was succeeded by William James Dolbear. On the 4th October 1940 the
Avenue closed and remained so for the duration of World War II, this was
due to its close proximity to the Docks and the danger of being shelled.
In 1945, Fremlins re-opened the house and it remained in their hands
until 1967 when the brewery merged with Whitbread Brewery to form
Whitbread Fremlins. In 1980, they sold the Avenue as a Free-house and
the name was changed to the Arlington. Today it is owned and kept by
Jeffrey Reynolds.
The Arlington
Kent's Smallest Public House
The Arlington
161 Snargate Street
Dover, Kent, CT17 9BZ
telephone (01304) 206 201
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From the Dover Mercury 25 February 1999 by Joe Harman.
Tipplers choice
DOVER has been credited with having as many pubs as there are days in
the year.
I was fortunate to pick up a licensing list dating from about
1870 when it was possible to say there were about 270.
Some were only
beer houses, where the wife brewed the beer and the husband went out to
work.
Snargate Street had at least 41 hostelries and the names changed
over the years.
The Arlington is the last in a long line and it was
formerly known as The Avenue, and before that The Perseverance which
seems to date from 1861.
At the other end was The Mitre which is listed
back in 1877. In 1929, it moved across the road when a large area was
cleared to widen the road.
The trams used to turn at the end of Snargate
Street into Strond Street which was always known as The George Corner.
It was some years later I discovered that at the turn of the century the
old inn was demolished to improve access for traffic.
Joe Harman
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From the Dover Express, 25 March 1999. By SERGIO NARDONE
Firemen praise landlord for stopping pub blaze.
FIREMEN praised pub staff for their actions in slowing
the spread of a fire.
On Saturday morning landlord Jeff Reynolds, 57,
was preparing to open his pub, the Arlington, in Snargate Street,
Dover.
But a barmaid discovered flames and smoke pouring out from the
third floor.
Mr Reynolds and a next door neighbour tackled the bathroom
fire using extinguishers.
The pair were not sure whether they had put out the flames as they were
forced back by black, noxious fumes.
They shut all doors and made sure
electricity and gas were switched off at the mains before going outside
to wait for firemen.
Two firemen wearing
breathing apparatus went into the pub - the smallest in Kent - to check
the blaze was
out.
The officer in charge of the operation, leading fire-fighter Darrell
Tonks, said: "The occupants did all the right things. Shutting the door
starved the blaze of oxygen."
Firemen believe the incident started when
a bathroom sewage compactor either burnt out or overheated. The bathroom
was badly damaged.
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Advert from the Dover Express, 27 February 2003.
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From an email received, 2 January, 2013.
Being someone who was brought up
in Snargate Street, The "Arlington" and it's previous incarnation of The
"Avenue" was well known to me. Indeed, The "Avenue" was my Dad's local and
one of the first pubs that I had a drink in.
When Fred Dunster died in 1980, it closed for a while until taken over by
Paul Barrett, as stated in your comments. My understanding was that the pub
was bought for Paul by his father, a successful businessman from West
London. I was curious as to the choice of name, associating it with the
cemetery outside Washington DC. When I asked Paul about this he replied
that the name had been chosen as the family home in West London was
"Arlington" something (I can't remember if it was road, avenue or whatever)
and they thought that this was a nice name, knowing nothing about the
cemetery. Another tale I heard was that, not long after reopening the pub when Paul
was living there alone, he was disturbed in the night by what sounded like
coins clattering against metal downstairs. Worried, he went down to the bar
but found nothing untoward. It was only later when he mentioned this to
another regular that he was told how Fred Dunster did not have a till as such
but threw that money he took into a tin box behind the bar at the foot or
the stairs to the accommodation above. Was this the ghost of the previous
landlord. Peter Addis, who took over from Paul Barrett who later moved on to be Landlord
of The "Royal Oak" at Nonnington. I haven't looked to see if you have that
already. Regards, Len Howell. |
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From the Dover Mercury, 21 August 2003
TRANSFORMATION: Carl Groombridge, chef at The Arlington Ref: pd 4446117
Delighting in good cooking.
LEAVING Archers Court School, Whitfield, at 16,
Carl Groombridge, now 28, became an apprentice in the kitchens of one of
the grandest hotels in the South East - the Imperial in Hythe.
Now he is chef at one of Dover's newest restaurants, which has been
transformed from a pub that claimed
to be one of the smallest in Kent.
Carl is installed at The Arlington in Snargate Street, having gained his
qualifications at South Kent College and a three-year stint at The
Fisherman's Wharf in Sandwich.
"It's a partnership with my brother Ian who's a builder and wanted a new
project," said Carl.
"After gutting it, we now have a 16-seater dining room and rumours of a
ghost in the cellar - but I've never
met him!"
The diners he meets include ferry passengers on their first or last port
of call on British soil. They are not all holidaymakers.
He said: "I've had a balloon salesman and a chap whose job was to go
abroad and drive dead people's cars home."
Meals Carl delights in preparing include lamb cutlets with caramelised
roast vegetables and a range of puddings.
"I've always liked making desserts, especially pastry, - and for the
perfect-pastry you need time and patience."
His wife Agnes works as PA at a big hotel chain's London office.
Back home in Shepherdswell, Carl belongs to a car club and enjoys time
trials. When it comes to cooking:
"Agnes and I like cooking meals together."
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From the Dover Express 8 July 2004.
TRADITIONAL FLAVOUR: Karl Groombridge hopes to entice people into the
former pub for a good meal. |
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THE Arlington for
many years was a favoured haunt for thirsty Dover Express staff, but a
growing number of fans are discovering a great little restaurant. IAN
READ met chef and the brains behind the venture. Carl Groombridge ...
STARTING up a restaurant in what was Kent's smallest pub is a daunting
task when you have to start from scratch.
But 28-year-old Karl Groombridge is building the Arlington, in Snargate Street, up with the
help of his family.
Karl is the culinary brains behind the former pub,
which became a restaurant in March 2004, while brother Ian took
care of the renovations to the building which dates from 1721.
He said:
"My mum keeps the books and the rest of the family have their input."
But Karl has sole responsibility for deciding on the menus and setting
the tone of the former pub overlooking Dover Marina.
"I am trying to
have a traditional flavour to the food although I do experiment
sometimes," he said.
"There is so much competition in the restaurant
business that you have to ensure you give value for money.
"I love
talking to customers so I can gauge what recipes work and how I can keep improving the food we
serve.
"At lunchtime, I am the chef and the waiter so I'm able to winkle
out their likes and dislikes. Your food has to keep evolving. You can't
stand still in this business."
Karl's week begins on a Tuesday when he
starts checking the meat and vegetables. The restaurant attracts yachties from the harbour and people having a slap up meal before going
on the ferry; as well as locals.
He said: "Sometimes we get people in
who don't realise we are not a pub any longer but hopefully we can
entice them in for a meal. All my food is local the furthest I go is to
Whitstable to buy my fish.
"I don't have time to do the Jamie Oliver
thing of going down the market personally every time but I do like to
see if
there are any new ingredients around when I do go out."
Karl has been in
the trade for 12 years, starting at the Imperial Hotel, Hythe, before
going on to the Fisherman's Wharf in Sandwich.
It took two months to get
the Arlington ready for business. The main bar had to be moved and the
place generally renovated. The walls are covered in drawings of Dover
scenes and Karl now wishes he had taken a bit more notice during his
local history lessons.
He said: "We don't make enough of our surroundings. We have got the
castle, but the town is in the midst of some of the most beautiful
countryside in Kent. We must make more of our assets because there is a
lot more to see around here."
When Karl and Ian renovated the pub they
didn't find any hidden treasure - just a lot of woodworm. But everything is shipshape and Dover fashion. Now everything
hinges on building a great reputation for the 17-seater restaurant.
He
said: "Everything is steadily moving forward but we will have to wait
for another five years to know if we have really been a success."
When
Karl isn't in the restaurant he spends his time at home with wife Agnes
in his home village of Shepherdswell.
He also does some time trial
rallying around the lanes between Dover and Canterbury as part of a
club.
Luckily, he has Sundays and Mondays off so he can have a bit of a
break from the frantic life in the kitchen.
He said: "It is good to
relax and do something different to unwind.
"I love working in our own
place. We will never make millions, but if we provide people with good
food and a nice experience I hope we can't go too far wrong."
Contact The Arlington on 01304 209444.
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Above photos of the inside of the Arlington circa 2007. |
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From the Dover Express 26 May 2011. Report by Yamurai Zendera
CATHIE AND TRACIE LOOK FORWARD TO THE COMPETITION.
Sisters-in-law open new restaurant "The Arlington West Bistro"
IT IS a well-worn saying that you should never go into business with friends of family.
But that has not stopped sisters-in-law Cathie Arthur and Tracie West teaming up to open Dover
bistro The Arlington West in Snargate Street.
Cathie, 56, said: "I
wanted to do it but never had the opportunity. I had it in my head that
I was fed up going to different places to eat where I found the food not
very good and overpriced, I thought I could do better."
Prior to the
business, Cathie was working as a waitress in
Whitfield, while Tracie, 48, continues to double up as a secretary at an
electrical firm.
Mum-of-three Cathie said: "We started looking for
premises and we saw this place. It had been a restaurant before so
everything was there for us. We thought go for it it's either now or
never."
Cathie concentrates on front of house and Tracie on the
accounts. They employ two chefs.
Cathie said: "I love what I do,
interacting with people. We both knew it would be long hours initially.
When the restaurant starts establishing itself we'll have time off."
The women say they are not afraid of competition.
Cathie said: "I wish there were more restaurants here because you'd get
a few more people wanting to come to the area. Competition is good, if
you're slightly different it's not a problem. It's when you try to just
copy someone there are problems."
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After closing as a public house in 2004 the premises operated as a
restaurant/bistro till 2012 or thereabouts. It then closed and remained
dormant for a few years and finally opened as a micro-pub in September 2014.
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From the Dover Express, 5 June, 2014.
Pub history.
DOVER: Former pub licensee Pauline Crawley is soon to open a micropub at
161 Snargate Street - but before then she hopes readers of the Dover Express will help
her with the
history of the property.
She believes the premises were built about 1740 when it was used for the
manufacture of
fishing nets.
Later it became The "Avenue" pub and then The "Arlington," the name she
will retain for
the micropub.
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From the Dover Express, 26 June, 2014.
Arlington sign to be reinstated.
DOVER: A hanging sign will return outside a Snargate Street pub, if the
landlady gets her way.
Pauline Crawley aims to open a micropub in the former "Arlington" premises
and says she intends to reinstate the original "Arlington" sign.
She said: “I am curious about the name on the sign as it has a depiction
of a sailing ship on it.
“I’m wondering if there was a vessel of that name sailing into or out of
Dover at any time.”
The pub was once called the "Perseverance," the name of a ship that sailed
to America carrying migrants to the New World.
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Above photo kindly supplied by Graham Butterworth. |
LICENSEE LIST
BARRETT Paul 1981-83 end
ADDIS Peter 1983-87
REYNOLDS Jeff 1987-91
Changed to a restaurant March 2004
Karl Groombridge 2004
Closed as pub till September 2014
CRAWLEY Pauline Sept 2014-Mar/15 dec'd
CRAWLEY Russell May/2015+
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From an email received 20 March 2015
Pauline Crawley died
last weekend in Ashford hospital.
Apparently she went to St Savious hospital (Hythe) for a hip
replacement op - which as far as any knows went well - but she was being
sick after the operation - she was taken to Ashford hospital and had to
have an emergency operation on her bowels from which she never
recovered. I was told that significant parts of her bowel were 'dead'
(whatever that means) and it was not possible to do any sort of repair.
There is apparently going to be an inquest and they don't think the
hip operation had anything to do with her death.
Graham Butterworth. |
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From the Dover Mercury, 14 July, 2016.
Tiny pub to go under the hammer.
What is described as Kent’s smallest pub is going for auction.
The "Arlington," at Snargate Street, Dover, comes with a two-bedroom apartment upstairs.
The business was formerly called the "Perseverance" and
the "Avenue."
It closed in 2003 to reopen as a restaurant and then in 2014 it
became a micro-pub. It is now closed.
It is one of 154 lots listed for sale by Clive Emson, the land and
property auctioneers, ahead of its next sale on July 26.
It is being offered with a freehold guide price of £85-90,000.
Kevin Gilbert, auctioneer, said: “It is considered that these
premises might be suitable for a variety of future uses subject to all necessary
consents being obtainable.
“It has a cellar, small courtyard and the living accommodation
has views of Dover Marina.
We understand the premises have a full licence and could re-open as a pub.”
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