From the Dover Express, 2 September 2021.

Work begins on transformation of Gillespies seafront pub.

A LANDMARK on Folkestone seafront is currently undergoing a facelift after plans to completely revamp the building were approved.

The eye-catching black and white chequerboard design of Gillespies pub in Harbour Street has recently been painted over and returned to a neutral colour after the building was bought up by the owners of the Harbour Inn next door.

Gillespies was finally purchased in 2020, eight years after it initially went on the market.

Up until now the building has been known as a popular yet notorious watering hole, but its new owners are in the process of transforming it into a seafood restaurant with nine hotel rooms above.

Applicants L&B Pub Company Ltd own the neighbouring Harbour Inn as well as a number of other pubs and restaurants in the town, and say the former Gillespies building is in need of major renovation as the external render is in poor condition, timber lintels need to be replaced and its flat roof is in extremely poor condition.

Planning application documents explain: ‘The applicants have purchased this building to restore the fabric of the building, to use the ground floor as a seafood restaurant and bar, with an open kitchen, with further kitchen space and storage in. the basement, and to create nine guest bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, three on each of the upper floors.

"The roof would be for the use of guests staying in the guest bedrooms only, and not open to the public."

Restoration work includes the reinstatement of two ground-floor windows, the replacement of UPVC windows with new ones more in keeping with the original windows, and the removal of paint from the render to reveal original mouldings of the decorative render.

The building is currently surrounded by scaffolding, and the building's original "London and Paris Hotel" signage has bee restored.

The hotel was one of the building's first uses dating back to 1887.

It is hoped the refurbishment and subsequent opening of the hotel and seafood restaurant will create 30 jobs.

Further planning documents were submitted to the district council last week to confirm the finishes of some of the building's smaller details, such as the window frames and other joinery.