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St. Margaret's at Cliffe
Above photo date unknown, showing the "Cliffe Hotel" as it was known,
now the White Cliffs Hotel. It started life as a young gentleman's
boarding school run by the Temple family. A Mr Cripps turned it into a
hotel, hence the name Cripps Lane, which runs alongside the hotel. |
Above postcard, postmarked 1913, kindly sent by Graham Butterworth. |
Above postcard, date 1915, kindly submitted by Mark Jennings. |
Above showing an advertisement, date unknown. |
Above postcard, date unknown, kindly sent by Graham Butterworth. |
Above photo shows the "Cliffe Tavern" with owners Charles and Eva Groves
on VJ (Victory over Japan) Day. 15th August 1945. Charles was the Chief
ARP Warden in the village 1939-45. |
Above photo showing Mr and Mrs Grove in the window at the original bar
room circa 1930. |
Above photo showing Cliffe House when it was part of the "Cliffe
Tavern." Great place from which to watch a wedding at the church. |
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Above photo showing the then named Cliff Hotel in 1903 |
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From the Dover Express 6 July 2000
Old school re-opens as a new tavern.
THE historic 400 year old Tavern at St Margarets - once a school - has
re-opened as The ClyfIe Inn and welcomed its first guests.
Dover
District Council chairman, Frank Woodbridge joined the ceremony marking
the re-opening of the inn to the public.
The tavern, re-named The Clyffe
Inn, was bought by Andrew and Amanda Wedl, of The Character Inn group,
which owns The Royal Hotel at Deal for £300,000.
Refurbishment, costing
£70.000 so far, began in February and the bar and back garden are now
complete. The restaurant, specialising in seafood by chef Ian Jackson,
will be opened shortly. The inn dates back to the late 17th Century and
will he run by Amanda Sumner and Alex Evans.
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Pictures above and below by Paul Skelton 10 November 2007 |
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Above sign, 1973, kindly sent by Klaus Schmidt from Germany. |
 
Above photos by Paul Skelton. Left 2006, right 2008. |
The earliest note I have so far of this building serving ales is as the Cliffe
Hotel in 1889, but it was once a school house and is said to be about 400 years
old. Further information tells me it was a boys boarding school.
I believe this inn was called the Westcliffe around the first world war but do
not know when it changed name to the Cliffe Tavern.
Until relatively recently the Cliffe Tavern, also renamed the Cliffe Inn, at St Margarets-at-Cliffe had a
public bar, but is now a family run licensed restaurant and hotel and has
renamed again, this time being called the "Garden House Hotel and Bayleaf
Restaurant".
Parts of the building are reputed to go back to Elizabethan times.
Latest change of name is the the "White
Cliffs Hotel" it still houses the Bay restaurant. (2008).
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From an email received 6 October 2020.
The Weinreb brothers and the
manager of the "Cliffe" David Beattie (an ex Met officer of 10 years)
ran an appalling house and went bankrupt. Shortly after, their Deal
hotel caught fire.
In 1975 the "Cliffe" was purchased by Frank Westby, a London
businessman who also had a pub at Teddington (The Popes Grotto). The
"Cliffe Tavern" stayed closed for some months and was restored.
Frank appointed a manager, an Irishman named Cornelius O’Grady. He
stayed for at least 6 years and then went to run the Popes Grotto.
If you remember the cartoon
in the Daily Mail, Flook, Cornelius could have been the caricature
of the butler Vin. Frank then came to run the Cliffe.
The pub was very successful and remained so for many years. Frank
also bought the pub on the seafront at Kingsdown, the "Zetland Arms."
It was taken over by Gavin Oakley who had been very successful at
"Wallets Court," Westcliffe. I think he put his son into the Cliffe
and it eventually changed again.
Chris Richford. |
LICENSEE LIST
CRIPPS S G 1889-1900+
     
CRIPPS F P 1901+
CLARINGBOULD Frederick 1914+ (Westcliffe)
CRIPPS Mrs S 1923-24+  
WEINREB Arthur & BEATTIE David 1973-74+
WESTBY Frank 1975
 (owner)
O'GRADY Cornelius 1975-81
STOTHART Calvin & HOBSON Claire Feb/1998-July/1999
SUMNER Amanda 2000 and
EVANS Alex 2000
WEDL Andrew & Amada 2002+
HALL Christopher 2007 (Bayleaf)
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1889
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1890
 From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1891
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1895
 From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1896-97
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1898
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1899
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1899-1900
From the Post Office Directory 1901
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1923
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1924
Library archives 1974
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