SUN Pubs of St Nicholas at Wade

DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Page Updated:- Thursday, 12 January, 2023.

PUB LIST

PUBLIC HOUSES

Paul Skelton

Earliest 1847-

Sun Inn

Open 2021+

The Street

St Nicholas at Wade

01843 841646

https://whatpub.com/sun-inn

Above photo, date unknown, kindly sent by John George.

Above photo, circa 1920s, kindly sent by John George.

Above photo, date unknown, kindly sent by John George.

Above photo circa 1960.

Above photo kindly sent by Peter Checksfield, 2014. Showing the "Bell Inn" on the left and the "Sun" on the right.

Sun Inn at St. Nicholas at Wade, 2010.

Above photo kindly supplied by Peter Checksfield, 2014.

Sun Inn sign May 1986.

Above with thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com

Above sign left 2004, sign right 2014..

With thanks from Brian Curtis www.innsignsociety.com.

Above aluminium card issued June 1951. Sign series 3 number 35.

It is possible that a hostelry existed on the site of the present "Sun Inn" as long ago as the 18th century.

Builder and Thatcher Stephen Wales opened a beer shop in a dormer-windowed cottage on the site in 1850's.

By 1862 the building was known as the Sun Inn.

The present "Sun Inn" was built around 1900 by the now defunct East Kent brewery. The Restaurant at the rear was built on the site of a 16th Century granary.

There is an unsubstantiated story of a court martial staged in the pub during the first world war, which resulted in the convicted man being executed in the garden at the back. The village was teeming with soldiers during the war, but as yet the story has not been verified.

A person who is researching the Keeler family says that their grandmother mentioned an incident that happened at the pub to a soldier who shot himself while cleaning his rifle when he was billeted at the pub during WW1. The lady was 8 years old at the time and unfortunately no longer with us to gain further information from. Further information from another person says there was a bullet hole in it many years ago.

The pub was famous in the 1960s for its Knicker Bar, which sported ladies underwear of all shapes and sizes from around the world. The pub was closed and sold by Whitbread Fremlin in 1981, to reopen soon afterwards as a free house.

Thanet Times, Tuesday 30 March, 1965.

There is no other business like a pub.

Once you've been in the public house trade, and find that you like it, you can never go back to anything else, says Mr. Frank Reeves, mine host of the "Sun Inn" at St Nicholas.

Mr. Reeves, who has been the licensee of the "Sun Inn" for nearly 6 years, before moving to St. Nicholas ran a grocery business at Hampton, Middlesex.

"I could never go back to grocery or any other trade now that I have started in a pub," said Mr. Reeves, who added that he had known publicans leave trade, but return to it because they missed it so much.

Commenting on having a public house in a village, Mr. Reeves said that when he and his wife, Sheila, decided to quit the grocery business they set out with the sole purpose of taking a pub in a village.

"Although Hampton is nearer London, it's still has a lot of village charm, and before we left we decided that, rather than go to a town, we would like to stay in a village, with all its atmosphere," he added.

The long hours worked by Mr. Reeves leaves little time for outside interests, but he's still tries to keep in touch with his favourite hobby of motoring.

He is president and a founder member of Hampton and District Car Club and, although he has not participated in one of the club's rallies since he moved to St. Nicholas, he reports that he hopes to go back in the not too distant future to take part in one.

Thanet Times, Tuesday 14 June 1977.

Angry pub landlords in talks on beer shortage.

AS beer supplies in Thanet dry up in the strike by Whitbread-Fremlln's draymen, the tenants of 330 public houses in east Kent are to hold a mass meeting at the "Granville Hotel," Ramsgate, this (Tuesday) afternoon.

Mrs. Enid Howard, landlady of the "Sun Inn," St. Nicholas, said:- "We are extremely angry. The brewery has broken its agreement."

Thanet Times, 2 August, 1977.

The "Sun Inn," St Nicholas at Wade is now under sole management of Enid Howard.

Hungry and/or thirsty customers still required no experience necessary!

Old and new customers welcome.

A la carte menu in our Restaurant, lunch and evening, 6 days a week.

Sunday evenings only.

For table reservations phone Thanet 81665.

Bar Snacks and Ploughman's etc. always available.

20 August 2020 licensees Tony and Wendy Wooller moved out and are taking on another pub in Stoford, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, called the "Swan." I believe their daughter is going to move into this pub and run it in the not too distant future.

I am informed that the licensee from the "Bell" over the road has taken this one on and it's reopened again on 27 August 2021.

LICENSEE LIST

WALES Stephen 1847-82+ (age 70 in 1881)