From the Whitstable Times, 12 July, 1902.

ST. AUGUSTINE’S PETTY SESSIONS.

Saturday, July 5th.— Before Lieutenant Colonel Dickenson (to the chair), Captain T. Lambert, Mr. J. Bowes, Mr. W. A. Lochee, and Mr. French, C.B.

THE TANKERTON HOTEL.

Mr. R. M. Mercer, on behalf of the proprietor of the new “Tankerton Hotel,” Whitstable, applied for the final order for permission to sell Intoxicating liquors.

Superintendent Jacobs stated that since the provisional order was made he had inspected the building, and found that a place was being fitted up which the foreman of the works said was to he a bar. According to the original plans (produced to the Magistrates) this was not specified, and he therefore raised an objection.

Mr. Mercer said it was quite true that no bar should be erected, and the place which the Superintendent had referred to was not to be a bar, but was going to he covered in with glass and used as an office, similar to that at the “County Hotel,” Canterbury.

The Bench granted the order, but requested it to remain at the Clerk's Office for a fortnights in order that the building might be carried out and finished according to the plans.

From the Whitstable Times, 13 September, 1902.

WHITSTABLE.— THE TANKERTON HOTEL.

Mr. B. M. Mercer applied to the Bench for the issue of the final order in respect to the “Tankerton Hotel,” Whitstable. Mr. Mercer handed in the plans and he asked the Magistrates to grant the licence.

The Bench granted the application.

From the Whitstable Times and Tankerton Press, Saturday 12 February 1916.

Change of Name by Deed Poll.

I, Esme Mary Penn, heretofore called Esme Mary Lutke, of "Tankerton Hotel," Whitstable, have taken the name of my Ancestor, William Penn, Quaker, founder of Pennsylvania.

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, Saturday 29 April, 1916.

WANTED.

Housemaid-Waitress and Chambermaid; must have good references.

"Tankerton Hotel," Whitstable.

From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, 7 May 1938.

WHITSTABLE LICENSE TRANSFER.

The Magistrates at St. Augustine's Petty Sessions, Canterbury, on Wednesday morning, granted the temporary transfer of the license of the "Tankerton Hotel," Tankerton, from Mrs. E. M. Strang to Mr. John M. Bathgate, who it was stated had bought the freehold.

From the Faversham Times, Saturday 25 February 1939.

MOTHER'S ORDEAL IN WHITSTABLE BLAZE.

FAMILY STRUGGLE THROUGH CHOKING SMOKE.

TANKERTON CLUB SERIOUSLY DAMAGED.

Fire which broke out at the "Tankerton (Country) Club" on the Marine Parade, Whitstable, at about 12.25 a.m. on Sunday, practically gutted the dance room, but good work by the Whitstable Fire Brigade, under Chief Officer G. W. Fisher, confined the blaze to that one portion of the building, the other rooms, although smoke-blackened, being saved.

There had been a reunion dance at the Club on Saturday night and at the close the debris of carnival novelties lay thick on the floor. These provided inflammable material which helped the blaze to spread rapidly and it is believed that the outbreak, which started near the orchestra stage, was caused by a cigarette carelessly dropped among the litter.

At the time there were only a few members on the premises - a knot of people who had stopped behind chatting after the dance. The first intimation that anything was amiss was when Mrs. Clare opened the dance room door, saw the flames and screamed. Mr. John Crowther said "My first though then was for my wife and child John, who is 19 months old was asleep in the bedroom. I had to run through the burning dance room. As I dashed through a great sheet of flame swept the whole length of the ceiling. Groping through the dense smoke, I reached the bedroom and found my wife with John in her arms. I managed, by half carrying and half-supporting them, to get them pout through the main entrance. Roger, the Alsatian, who is devoted to the baby, and who was with him in the bedroom, followed us. Once outside, however, Roger apparently thought the child was still in the bedroom, and ran back into the burning building. I rushed after him and managed to grab him by the collar and haul him out again."

Mrs. Crowther told a graphic story. "I was in the kitchen" she said "when I smelt burning and then saw that the dance room was ablaze. I made one dash for the bedroom, gathered up the baby, wrapped him in a blanket and struggled through the smoke to the door. When I opened it, however, I was met with a terrific blast of heat and smoke. I slammed the door against it and thought I was lost. Then my husband came running in and got us out. As we struggled through the choking smoke and heat coughing and with water running from out eyes. I could feel John slipping out of the blanket, but we got out just in time. When we reached the fresh air, I was on the verge of collapse."

Mrs. Crowther and john were cared for by friends during the night.
The firemen got the outbreak under control within half an hour. The roof is largely composed of asbestos, which had the effect of confining the heat in the enclosed space, so that it became intense. The glass could be seen bubbling in the windows and a heavy iron ventilator grill in the ceiling dripped molten metal. Although the flames did not reach the bar lounge, the heat was such that the walls and woodwork were badly scorched. The premises were built with the idea of adding further storeys at a later date, but the effect of the heat on the steel girders will make it impossible unless they are replaced.

Valuable assistance to the firemen was rendered by Police-Sergeant Wraight and P.C.'s Thurlow and Brenchley, who had just met near the Troc when their attention was called to dense volumes of smoke pouring from the Club.

The building is owned by the Tankerton Club Limited and is leased to the Tankerton (County) Club, of which Mr. Crowther has been Secretary since it opened about 18 months ago.

Many residents and visitors will recall the sight of the Alsatian mounting guard over its young master in the perambulator outside the Club premises during the summer months, and on occasions seeing the dog leap right over the perambulator.

As a child, 70 years ago, (1951) my family would stay at the Tankerton hotel each summer and also for Christmas. Mr. Jarman was the manager, as very regular customers I played all over the hotel with one of the sons of the family, Barrington. We played snooker and darts in the public bar when it was closed and hide and seek in the rabbit warren like corridors.

My father was a gentle man with a gentle sense of humour. On Christmas morning the guests would go downstairs to find all the stags heads which decorated the foyer wearing scarves and a cigarette in their mouths. At night guests would put their shoes outside the bedroom doors for cleaning. Some days they may find one black and one brown shoe in the morning, while on others a completely different pair, theirs may be upstairs and around the corner! I now live in Sydney Australia and looked up the hotel because I always remember the weather, according to my mother, on the east coast was “bracing” Our weather today is a very chilly 19 degrees which reminded me of many days on an icy Tankerton beach.

Jenny Parker, Narrabeen. N.S.W.