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62 East Cliff
Dover
Above photo by Paul Skelton (18 Sept 2010). This now appears to be 63
East Cliff, but the location on the map below identifies it as the
location of the former "Sir Sidney Smith."
Above photograph. The house next door is listed as being 63A.
I believe the tell-tale identification is what is not holding the
lamp on the wall. My detective work suggests this used to be where the
sign hung.
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The above map shows the position of the "Prince Alfred" in yellow. Red
is the "Albion" and green is the
"Sir Sidney Smith" circa 1880.
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The above house and garages are now listed as being number 62, but the
gap either side of the building and shown on the map the same, suggests
a renumbering has taken place. |
Captain John Smith of the Third Guards Regiment built his
abode at East Cliff in 1791. He used chalk blocks purloined and fashioned
from the cliffs and surmounted them with upturned boats to provide a roof.
Perhaps the only building on the foreshore at that time. Other buildings
appeared after 1817. That hereditament passed to his son, Admiral Sir Sidney
Smith, on his demise there on 23 February 1804. Sir Sidney, at the time,
busy with the Channel Fleet destroying invasion barges in the French ports.
This pub which honoured his name can be traced to 1842,
when an inquest was held there on the body of John Nash, a drowned coast
guard.
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From the Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General
Advertiser, Saturday 25 June, 1842. Price 5d.
CORONER'S INQUEST
On Monday last an inquest was held at the "Sir Sydney Smith,"
public-house, before G. T. Thompson, Esq., Coroner for the borough, on
the body of John Nash, boatman of the Coast Guard service.
George Yates, boatman of the Lydden Spout station, deposed:- On
Sunday morning, about half-past seven o'clock, I saw a body floating on
the water near my station, which on inspection I knew that to be of
Nash. I then conveyed the body in a boat to the Casemate station, and
delivered it to John Berry, who also identified the same to be the body
of Nash, as did John Kalway, who saw deceased go from the shore in a
pleasure-boat, in the afternoon of the 7th instant.
Harman Gatton, gentleman, deposed - On the 7th inst. about 2 o'clock
in the afternoon, I went off for a sail in the "Gulnare," pleasure-boat,
accompanied by John Nash. We went as far as Lydden Sport, and on our
return back, about 6 o'clock, a squall of wind filled out mainsail, and,
the sheet being belayed, capsized the boat. Deceased got out and I
followed, when we began to swim towards the shore. Deceased called out
to me to keep on swimming. I turned round, but I could not see him; I
never saw him afterwards. He had been steering the boat during the day.
The accident occurred about a quarter of a mile from the shore, off
Shakespeare cliff, and I reached the shore without assistance.
The Coroner then addressed the Jury, who returned a verdict of
Accidental Death.
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From the Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General
Advertiser, Saturday January, 1843. Price 5d.
Last evening about 5 o'clock, an alarm was raised that a fire had
broken out at the "Sir Sydney Smith," public house at East Cliff. The
town engine was in attendance, and the fire, which originated in the
chimney, was extinguished without having occasioned much damage.
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From the Dover Chronicle, Saturday 7 November, 1863.
Friday Frederick HEWLETT v. Charles HILLS
A case of assault arising out of a quarrel over a game of bagatelle
at the "Sir Sydney Smith" on Tues evening.
From the showing of the
complainant's own witness, it appeared the defendant had received a very
great deal of provocation, and taking that fact into consideration the
Bench dismissed the case, and ordered the parties to pay the costs
between them.
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Duncan officiated in 1856 but the licence was surrendered finally by Miss
Emery in 1882.
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From the Dover Express and East Kent Intelligencer, 8 September, 1882. Price 1d.
THE SURRENDER OF SIR SYDNEY
It was reported that the licence of the Sir Sydney Smith public-house,
East Cliff, had been surrendered.
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There is also a "Sir Sydney Smith" in
Deal, spelling using a "y". Care should be taken that the two do not get
confused.
LICENSEE LIST
BATCHELLER William 1847
DUNCAN William 1856
EMERY Thomas 1858-May/80 dec'd (also plumber age 50 in 1871 )
  
EMERY Thomas Jun. May/1880+
(son of
deceased)
EMERY Miss Ellen 1881-Sept/1882
(age 28 in 1881)
From Bagshaw Directory 1847
From Melville's Directory 1858
From the Post Office Directory 1874
From the Post Office Directory 1878
From the Post Office Directory 1882
From the Dover Express
Census
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