Folkestone Herald 20 August 1982.

Advertising Feature.

Wine bars tend to have a snobby image where the customers prefer to discuss whether wine grown on a north or south facing slope is better, rather than drink. They've also got a reputation for being expensive, where a credit card and not a wallet is the order of the day. But Ian Fell and his brother, Mark, aim to change all that with the opening of their wine bar, Harvey's, in Sandgate Road, Folkestone. A wide variety of wines to suit everyone's pocket, with cheap and plentiful food, plus the cosy atmosphere of the cellar bar add up to a great night out that will not cost you a fortune.

Harvey's is situated in what used to be the basement bar of the Norfolk Hotel, now renamed the Langhorne Gardens Hotel, and taken over by Mark and Ian's parents, Doug and Audrey. The hotel is undergoing extensive renovations to change its image, under the watchful eye of Doug and Audrey Fell, both veterans of the hotel and licensed trade.

Ian, too, has plenty of experience to call on, beginning with three years learning the nuts and bolts at catering college. But the day-to-day realities of the trade were learnt at the exclusive Cafe Royal in London, where Ian spent seven years, ending up as deputy banqueting manager in charge of a £13 million a year turnover. That included a drinks bill of £250,000 a year! Despite the attractions of the Cafe Royal, Ian wanted to start up his own wine bar. He hunted for premises all over London, but his search was fruitless until his parents took over the Norfolk. The cellar bar presented an ideal challenge, so Ian came back to the town he was brought up in. London's loss became Folkestone's gain. “We felt there was a need for another wine bar in the town, and Harvey's gives us the sort of image we're looking for”, said Ian. The wine starts at 55p a glass or £3.30 for Ian's own label house wine. The selection is enormous, with wines from France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and California, and even champagne for that special occasion. There's food too, from toasted sandwiches, ploughman's lunch (75p) to a very reasonably priced, locally caught, trout, with peas and chips, at only £1.95.

Ian hopes to get the population of Folkestone drinking wine in a big way and plans to extend the wine bar later in the year to include a cosy seated area at the back for diners. Cocktails are also promised in the near future. It sounds like 1982 is going to be a very good year.

Folkestone Herald 24 November 1994.

Local News.

Drinkers at Harvey's Wine Bar in Sandgate Road, Folkestone, will be given a free packet of condoms with every round of drinks they buy next Wednesday evening (November 30). As part of World AIDS Week, November 28 to December 4, the wine bar is holding an AIDS awareness event between 9 and 10 p.m. on Wednesday with information about the disease, quizzes on condom use and HIV/AIDS awareness, with prizes for everyone, and free condoms.