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2 Dover Road,
Waldershare
Tilmanstone
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Both photos above and sign below taken by Paul Skelton 24 December 2007.
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High and Dry sign left 2007, sign right August 1991.
Above with thanks from Brian Curtis
www.innsignsociety.com |
Above photo kindly sent by Pete day from Doncaster who says he used to
live there as a friend of the landlord, who had the pub renovated and
the restaurant built. Circa 1988. The event above was to celebrate the
opening of the new restaurant. |
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From the Dover Express, 14 September 2000.
A job well done
MATTHEW Westbrook was presented with a £500 cheque by Kent County
Council as a reward for completing the New Deal scheme.
The 23-year-old
from Whitfield took part in a six month training scheme, called
environment task force.
He is now a barman at the High and Dry pub, Waldershare.
Peter Brander, environment task force manager, said:
"Matthew has worked incredibly hard and deserves every bit of his
success.
"Completing the training takes a lot of dedication and I hope
he enjoys his new job and spending his reward."
Matthew's placement was
at Eurosafe Training, where he helped refurbish Minster Museum and St.
Paul's Church in Cliftonville.
He was trained in forklift truck driving,
first aid, and site safety.
He also received job hunting advice from the
scheme's organisers, Kent County Council.
Matthew said: "Thanks to New
Deal I was given the opportunity, training and time to find a job that I
will be happy in."
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Advert below appeared in the Dover Express, 12 May 2003.
Come over to the High and Dry.
THE High and Dry at 2 Dover Road, Waldershare is a treat just waiting to
be discovered.
Located just off the A256 between Dover and Deal, the pub
is run by Jeff and Dawn Goodwin assisted by their family. Son, Michael
presides over the new state-of-the-art kitchen, while daughters Maria
and Megan and Michael's fiancée Sammy help in the restaurant.
Dawn said: 'We took over the High and Dry nearly seven months ago and
have refurbished it from top to bottom, inside and outside. It's been
hard work, but well worth it. The pub has a really happy atmosphere."
The spacious bar area offers comfortable seating and there is separate
conservatory restaurant. Jeff has completely renovated the gorgeous
patio and
garden adding an attractive and secure play area.
There is a good range
of cask conditioned ales as well as Guinness and ciders on tap.
Traditional bar snacks are available and there is an extensive main menu
boasting a good selection of starters and entrées. Chicken, meat and
seafood are served with a choice of vegetarian options. You could try
lamb
shank with mashed potato and vegetables with a red wine and rosemary
sauce, delicious home made steak pie or you could select fresh seafood
medley. There is also a range of top quality steak dishes and grills
while the Sunday roasts, served from noon to 3pm, have also proved to be
popular.
Call Jeff or Dawn on 01304 820545 for details.
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Advert below appeared in the Dover Mercury 1 February 2007.
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Advert below appeared in the Dover Mercury 15 November 2007.
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Perhaps originally called the "Guildford
Arms" and after 1800 changed to the "Royal George" but
today and since the early 70's it is to be known as
The "High and Dry".
There are two stories that I have heard which may or may not be true regarding
the latest name change. The first being that one Christmas period when the road was cut
off by heavy snow, the brewery dray couldn't make a delivery for some time and
the locals, after a days work, made the trip to the then Royal George and drank
the pub dry.
The other story being from the mining fraternity. It is believed that there are
many mine shafts under Tilmanstone, all that used to regularly become flooded,
but it is rumoured that one passageway was never prone to flooding at all and
this was directly under the "Royal George," and so over time the mining locals
referred to the pub as the same "High and Dry." A similar story says
slightly the opposite that one passage under the pub was always flooding and was
referred to as the "Low and Wet." I believe the former myself.
Since I wrote the above I have now heard a third plausible explanation for the
renaming of the pub, indeed it seems this pub has changed name before and that
at one time it had a name like The Ship or something nautical. I was told that the pub was originally built from the timbers of
an old ship that had been wrecked along the shore probably near St. Margaret's.
This seems to be quite a long way to bring ships timbers to build a house or pub
in those days, but who knows. Being so far from the shore and so high above
water, it was locally known as the ship that was truly High and Dry.
Now a fourth, but similar to the first story has come to light. It seem that
this story was told to John Pitcher, a keen rambler (of the walking kind) and
CAMRA member. He says:- "I took some of our Diamond Pub guide leaflets into
the Golden Lion today (7 Jan 2008) and soon the talk got round to old pubs. I
met a chap called Gerald Gisby, I think that's what he said his name was, though
he's known in the "Golden Lion" as the 'Bosun'. He told me that the
"Guilford Arms"
changed its name to the Royal George some while back, but on D Day in 1945 was
re-christened the High and Dry, since it was drunk dry by yankie soldiers
stationed nearby. I said I would like to put him in touch with you. He claims to
have an old list of Dover pubs found in the 1950s behind wallpaper at the Crown
Eythorne, so might be useful if that's true."
Regarding the changing of the name from the "Guilford Arms," I
have now found this to be true. I also know it wasn't officially called the High and Dry until
at least 1974, although was unofficially called that before then, and may well go back
to D Day.
If anyone knows the real reason, or has any other theories about this I'd
certainly like to hear from you.
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From an email received 25 January 2010.
I have some
concrete information regarding the high and dry Waldershare formally
known as the "Royal George."
The pub was known to the locals as the high and dry simply because it
was high and dry. Not that it is very hilly but it does sit on a very
slight peak. This information has come from the horses mouth so to
speak.
My grandparents bought this pub in 1961 - 1966. The skittle
alley was already built but during this time, they
added a rear bar. At
the time the pub had approximately 4 acres of land of which my grandfather bred
100's of rabbits for meat, kept 100's of chickens and kept goats etc. as well as doing a fish round with a horse and cart.
I have two telegrams dated 1961 wishing my grandparents success in the
"Royal George." I also have a newspaper clipping of my grandfather
picturing himself and dolly the pony stating from the "Royal
George" Waldershare, and luckily I have a couple of pictures of them in the pub
too.
My grandparents names Ernest J J French known as Ernie and Joyce E
French, it would be an honour if their names could appear on your
website along with any information you require.
After owning the "High and
Dry ("Royal George") they owned the
"Crispin Inn"
in Sandwich. I need to look into this a little further for the exact
dates. However, I do have a 1970 diary printed on the front is with
compliments Ernie and Joyce French "Crispin Inn," Sandwich.
Phil French. |
This pub once had a skittle alley but unfortunately this now longer exists as it
was taken over by the building of the restaurant, but does still have a games
room that offers pool and darts.
At the end of 2007 the licensees applied for planning permission for the
erection of a two story and single story rear extension.
Not sure whether that went through or not, but the start of 2010 from the Dover
District Council's Applications report showed that someone had applied for a
change of use from public house to cider production, erection of a 2 storey side
extension, alterations to provide a shop, cafe and office space and construction
of vehicular access.
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From the Dover Mercury 4 February 2010.
CIDER BREWERY CONVERSION PLAN FOR VILLAGE PUB
PLANS to use a pub for cider production have been submitted to the
district council.
The proposal, at the High and Dry at Waldershare, would include a
two-storey side extension, and alterations to provide a shop, cafe and
office space.
Two jobs would be created, one fulltime and one part-time.
A spokesman for Green Oak Farm, which submitted the application,
said: "The proposal is to convert the existing public house into a small
cider production company. There will be apples being delivered for two
weeks throughout October and November, which will be washed, pressed,
stored, mixed and then taken off premises to be bottled.
"The aim of this proposal is to expand upon the use of the existing
public house and to offer a new market to both locals and tourists
alike."
The cafe will serve small meals only, such as cream teas, soups and
sandwiches, as well as drinks.
It is planned that the cafe area will double as a small meeting room
for local clubs such as the Women's Institute or Rotary Club, and as
well as a meeting place for the local community.
There will also be a historical display area where visitors will be
able to learn about cider making in Kent.
Private and educational courses will be offered for people interested
in making their own cider. The sales area will incorporate a
cider-tasting area. The building would be open from 9am to 11pm Monday
to Saturday with more limited hours on Sundays.
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From the Dover Express 18 February 2010.
PLANS TO GIVE PUB A MAKEOVER
CHANGES are to be made at the "High and Dry" public house, that
stands just off the highway at Waldershare, if entrepreneur Andrew Weld
is successful with his planning application to the district council. One
aim is to change the use of the pub for the production of cider.
Mr Weld, who has owned hotels at Deal and St Margaret's, wants to
upgrade the "High and Dry" by adding a two-storey side extension to
provide space for a shop, cafe and office space as well using the
property for the production of cider, using apples from a local orchard.
The "High and Dry," at one time popular with Tilmanstone colliery
workers, is so named, according to legend, because the coal seams
beneath the pub were higher than the rest and therefore suffered less
from the ingress of water.
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Above photo kindly sent by Stuart Kinnon. July 2010.
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Same pub shown August 2011. It now looks like the building has been
turned through 90 degrees.
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From www.thisiskent.co.uk, 6
August 2010.
INNOVATIVE Eastry farm-owners Andrew and Amada Wedl will
create jobs, a museum and a chance for students to see chemistry at work
when they set up a cider production site at their Waldershare pub.
Andrew Wedl, 56, and wife Amanda, 42, have been given the green light by
Dover District Council to have their own cider making business at the
"High and Dry" pub on Sandwich Road, close to Tilmanstone.
The couple, who bought the pub last year, will run a restaurant and bar
and have a country store to sell the Kentish brew and other local
produce, arts and crafts.
There are also plans for a museum charting apple-growing and
cider-making in Kent through the years and the planting of specimen
trees on site so guests can see where their cider comes from.
The apples for the cider will also be local - grown at Andrew and
Amanda's 1,500 tree orchard at their Green Oak Farm.
The exciting venture will provide five jobs with the possibility of more
as business grows.
Dad-of-two Andrew, who owned The Royal hotel in Deal and the White
Cliffs in St Margaret's before buying the pub, said: "We have a small
farm where we have planted out an orchard purely for growing cider
apples.
"We both come from the catering and hotel industry and wanted to go back
and create our own produce. That way we know the history of it so it
won't be organic but it is all Kentish produced with organic principles.
"We wanted somewhere to make our own cider and that has to be licensed
so we bought the High and Dry and applied to change it to the cider
works and shop and to have a sort of museum so we can show the progress
of apple-picking through Kent and cider-making. We are going to get some
old cider making kit and have story boards."
Once the £200,000 cider-making kit has been bought and set in place
local schoolchildren will also be able to visit.
The former St Margaret's holiday park director said: "The chemical
process is part of the bio-chemistry curriculum on the current GCSE
programme. We hope to invite children over and they can see the process
of fermentation and see bio-chemistry at work. We can also go along the
lines of explaining about sensible drinking."
And if those plans weren't enough Andrew and Amanda say they are going
to make Kent's first sparkling cider from their produce and will
eventually expand the site for people to hold small parties and
receptions. Visitors will also be able to buy their own cider-making
kits, trees and produce from local farms and artisans.
Andrew said: "It's quite exciting. It's a new challenge, it's
interesting and we will be making something from our own produce.
"There will be five jobs to start with but we will grow."
The couple say the store and restaurant, which will serve local produce,
will be open for Christmas and, if they can get the first press of
apples soon enough, The Cider Works will also open for the festive
season.
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From an email received 21 October, 2016.
The name high and dry.
My dad worked down Tilmanstone colliery from 1919, he told me the story
of when he worked in the Beresford seam about 500 yards below the
surface. The mine was composed of roadways, with workings of these main
roads. There was an inundation of water which did threaten the lives of
all the workforce, but they made their way to the high ground and the
water reached a level then stayed there. That is when the pub became
known as the "High and Dry" by the workers.
There was a similar event in the bad winter of 1963, I think, when the
snow blocked the roads and knocked out power lines, including those to
Tilmanstone colliery, trapping the men underground in the Millyard seam,
1000 yards below ground. The pumps stopped and the water rose rapidly in
the Beresford seam above them, again it rose quickly and then found a
route away, leaving the access shaft side clear of water. The power was
restored after some 16 hours and the men got out safely, the pumps were
started etc.
This near disaster introduced new practices to all coal mines insomuch
that they had to organise ways and means of turning the winding engines
without power, most would put mine cars full of water on the cage and
bring the men out on the other cage, the water filled mine cars
gravitating to the bottom of the shaft and lifting the men to safety.
The mine cars were then taken off in the pit bottom and the process
repeated till all men were out (Gravity winding procedure).
Mick David.
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LICENSEE LIST
BRADLEY Mr 1983-88 (also "Coach
and Horses" in 1988)
CONNELLY Trevor 1988-94
GOODWIN Jeff & Dawn Nov 2002-2006+
PORTER Jim and
BEST Jo 2007
Closed 2010
Nov 2011 name changed to "Cider Works."
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