BREWERS ARMS Pubs of Margate

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Margate, November, 2025.

Page Updated:- Friday, 14 November, 2025.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Paul Skelton

Earliest 1837-

Brewers Arms

Latest 1968+

94-96 (130 in 1849) High Street

Margate

Above photo, circa 1913, in Cobb's Margate brewery livery, with licensees, Mr & Mrs Thomas Ames, standing outside their pub. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo showing the "Brewer's Arms." Date unknown. The pub was bombed during WW2.

Above showing a map of 1873.

Above photo by Suzann Foad circa 1941.

The Brewers Arms stood on the site of where W.H Smith is today. As you can see in the photograph the pub is a Cobb & Co house, however the origins of M J Harlow mineral water manufacturers started from the Brewers Arms. Early bottles produced by the company had the address of the Brewers Arms embossed or acid etched on the bottle. Like the photograph the bottles are exceptionally rare.

The photograph is from the Margate Historical Society collection and belongs to Mick Twyman. Mick has no objections to anyone copying this photograph so please feel free to copy and add your collection. There is a file in the Margate Museum in the archive of all the Old Margate pubs both past and present which is no longer accessible to the public.

The Brewers Arms, which dates to c. 1837, was sited in Margate High Street. Interestingly, an advert for an auction in the Kentish gazette mentions "For sale, Brewery Plant with malt and hop stores, stables, dray lodges, cellarage, also Free Ale and Spirit House adjoining known as the Brewers Arms". In 1867 the High Street was renumbered. The Brewers Arms up to 1867 was 130 High Street, then it became 94 High Street.

One Landlord, Michael James Harlow, was a Margate policeman and mineral water manufacturer. Michael had started his business at the Brewers Arms in 1878 after 21 years in the Force and Harlow's Ginger Beer bottles are highly collectable today.

I am led to believe that there may have been two Mr. Harlow's at the pub, probably father and son, as the ages given in the census don't tally with the above information.

In 1941 much of Margate High Street was destroyed by enemy action, three people were killed opposite the Brewers Arms. The pub escaped damage to carry on business until the early 1970's when it became W H Smith.

Above photo showing a codd bottle of Michael John Harlow who was licensee between 1875-1896, kindly sent by Tony Ovenden.

One time Cobbs tied house. Cobbs were founded in 1673, but Whitbread took them over early 1968 and closed the brewery later that year. However, I believe this was also in the 1830 to 50s an independent brewery called "Bishop's Brewery" owned and run by licensee and brewer Henry Bishop.

Kent Herald, 22 May 1845.

Margate. Coroner's Inquest.

On Tuesday afternoon and inquest was held at the Town Hall, before G. Thompson, Esq., and a highly respectable jury, on the body of Ann Jones, age 50, who died under circumstances reflecting on the conduct of the police, under whose charged the deceased was, but which impression was entirely removed by the evidence of the witnesses who were examined.

The first of whom was the husband of the deceased, who stated his name to be James Jones; was of no profession; resided at St. Luke's, London; was with deceased tramping the country; he left her well on Saturday evening at Emerson's lodging house; heard on Sunday morning she was in the station house, charged with being drunk; proceeded there and found her in the cell, lying on the floor, with a broom under her head; was quite insensible; called again and found her in the same state; she was afterwards removed to the lodging house, where she died soon after being brought there.

William Figgins deposed that he was at Mr. Bishop's in High Street, drinking a pint of beer, during which time the deceased came into the tap-room and sung two or three songs; did not see her drink anything of her purchasing; but saw her drink out of several pots that were on the table, belonging to those present; she left the house before I did.

Maria Griggs, on being sworn, stated that on Saturday evening, about nine o'clock, she was in the High Street, when she observed the deceased from towards Bishop's; noticed her falter in her walk and then stagger; went up to her and found her insensible; assisted her to the step of a door; did not think her drunk at the time; had not been there long before Gibbs, police-constable, came up, and thought it advisable to take her to the station house; she appeared to me to have lost the use of her right side; and never spoke; did not know where she lived or would have taken her home; the constable first put her on the shoulder of a man, and afterwards got a barrow and took her to the station house.

Police-constable Gibbs stated that on Saturday night, about 9 o'clock, he was in High Street, when his attention was called to the deceased, who he found sitting on a step supported by two women; found she was a stranger, and thinking she was the worst for liquor, procured assistant, and took her to the station house on a barrow; kept her in an upright position all the way; when in the station house she vomited a great quantity of fluid that smelled strongly of rum, so much so that no one could stop in the place; the barrow was an open one, such as is used by porters.

Inspector Merchant stated that he saw the deceased when brought to the station house; she appeared very drunk, and was on the floor; her bonnet and cap were taken off; she was searched, during which time she was violently sick; smelled strongly of rum; her head was raised on a broom with a cushion over it, and a rug thrown over her; she appeared then to sleep; was attended to 12 times during the night; in the morning, finding she had not spoken, directed the doctor be sent for; the husband imagined that she had been ill used by some navigators, and stated that when she was in one her drunken fits she would not speak for two or three days; he had offered the husband to take her away if he liked; but he declined, thinking she would soon recover.

William Pattison, assistant to Mr. Hunter, on being sworn, stated that he was called to see the deceased on Sunday morning about 10 o'clock, and found her in a state of collapsed, lying on the floor; she was as I should expect to find a person just recovering from drunkenness; I tried to rally her but could not; I directed her to be moved, and her damp clothes taken off, and to have some tea; when I was leaving the station I met Mr. Hunter, who saw deceased and confirmed my views; saw no danger, as she was evidently suffering under intoxicating drinks; saw her again in the evening at seven, at the lodging house, and found her dead; have since made a post mortem examination of the body; found a small quantity of fluid on the chest, with adhesion of the lungs, and slight inflammation of the intestine; found the vessels of the brain swelled and gorged with blood, occasion by the rupture of a blood vessel; the left ventricle contains one ounce of blood; which fully accounts for death by producing sanguineous apoplexy.

This being the whole of the evidence the coroner summed up, and observed that he could not see there was any blame attached to the police, on the contrary, he thought a degree of care had been exhibited to all the deceased, and from the evidence of the doctor there could be no doubt as to the cause of death.

The jury, coincided with those views, returned a verdict of "Died of Apoplexy."

Kentish Gazette, 15 June 1852.

Margate. To Brewers and Innkeepers for Sale by Auction.

(By direction of the trustees and executors of the late proprietor, Mr. Henry Bishop, deceased.)

At the "King's Head Hotel," Margate, by Mr. R. Jenkins. On Thursday, 24th day of June, 1852, at three o'clock in the afternoon precisely, all that newly erected and capacious brewery and plants, on the improved principal; with convenient malt and hop stores, large store sellers, dray and cart lodges, and outbuilding; commanding a large and and increasing public and private trade, and well known as "Bishops Brewery."

The plant, which is modern, and fitted by the best manufacturers, comprises a 7 barrel dome copper, a smaller open dome copper for short brewings, commodious and well-appointed liquor beck, mash tuns, underbeck, working runs, and cooling becks; wort pumps, engine spring water and other liquor pumps; malt-mill and all other needed conducting apparatus. Together with the free public house adjoining, and known as the "Brewers Arms" replete with every requisite for the retail trade, which from its celebrity and central situation, (being in the best part of High Street,) command an almost unrivaled run in beer and spirits. Containing the capital bar and spirit shop, bar parlour, back parlour, club room, taproom, three bed rooms, wash house, kitchen, yard and offices.

Any enterprising young man of practical experience, with a small capital, would find this an opportunity of rare occurrence to invest it, and enable him and a few years to realise a handsome independency.

N.B. There is also, immediately in rear, an enclosed piece of freehold ground, with stabling, cart shed, and 8 buildings thereon, having a frontage in Grosvenor Place, which the purchaser may have the option of taking at a sum to be named at the time of sale, if he declares his desires to do so immediately after the sale.

The rolling stock of household fixtures to be taken at valuation in the usual way.

For further particulars and cards to view, apply to Messrs. Brook and Martens, Solicitors, Cecil Square; Mr. John Woodward, Fort Paragon; or to the Auctioneer, Hawley Square, Margate.

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, 2 January 1875.

BOROUGH PETTY SESSIONS.

Mr. Charles Allen, of the "Brewers Arms," applied for a temporary endorsement of his license until the next transfer day, in favour of Michael James Harlow, and the application was granted.

From Reynolds's Newspaper (London, England), Sunday, June 7, 1896; Issue 2391.

MARGATE PUBLICAN'S SUICIDE.

Michael J. Harlow, landlord of the "Brewers' Arms," High-Street, Margate, committed suicide on Friday afternoon by shooting himself through the head. The deceased was formerly a well-known bookmaker and a member of several sporting clubs in London, but owing to heavy losses in connection with the turf he gave up his business some months ago, and since then he had been in a very depressed condition. It is conjectured that the unfortunate man had lost heavily through betting on the Derby.

Thanet Times, Tuesday 5 March 1968.

Publican goes on trial for receiving whisky' charge.

A Margate publican was sent for trial to Kent Quarter Sessions by Margate Court on Friday, accused of receiving 106 bottles of Whisky, 48 1/2 bottles of whisky and 11 cardboard cartons, belong to British Railways.

He was Henry Gulliver, of the "Brewers Arms" public house, High Street, Margate, who was given £50 bail to appear at Quarter Sessions on 1st April.

In the dock with him was Colin Richard Mandeville of St. Mildreds Road, Westgate who was charged with receiving 106 bottles and 48 1/2 bottles of whisky belonging to British Railways, between 29th December and 6th February.

For Gulliver Mr. A. J. Radford said his client wished to be tried by Margate Court but the magistrate (Mr. T. Eden) ruled that the case should go for trial.

Mandeville and Allen Joseph Paul Burns, of Grosvenor Place, Margate, were charged with breaking into the store of Birchington Engineering Co. Ltd. and stealing 9cwt of brass rods worth £200, between 27 and 31 January.

There were also accused of breaking into the store of Jean Joseph Vigon at Broadstairs between 17 and 20 January, and stealing 52 bottles of whisky, 25 bottles of gin, 10 bottles of rum, 11 bottles of brandy and 21 bottles of mixed spirits, plus a number of half-bottles of spirits, cigarettes and money to the total value of £450.

Both men were sent for trial to Kent Quarter Sessions commencing 1 April, and each was bailed in £50 with one surety of £100.

I believe the pub was forced to close permanently some time during WW2 due to bomb damage although the closed pubs project says it closed in the 1970 and has since been demolished. Local knowledge required here please.

LICENSEE LIST

BISHOP Henry 1838-51+ (also brewer age 50 in 1851)