The Dover Historian

Dover’s Building Societies

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Lorraine

Key – Dover’s different main building societies

In the 1840s, Europe was in a major economic depression, discontent was rife and the atmosphere revolutionary. In England, the Chartist movement, demanding political and social reform, were increasing and the Establishment were looking for ways to avert troubles. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s Consort, suggested that businessmen should set up Societies in order to improve or build working class dwellings using the 1836 Improvement Societies Act.

In Dover, Mayor William Clarke, (1845-6), set up the Dover Investment and Mutual Building Society – a Terminating Society. The first Terminating Society had been instigated by a Birmingham pub landlord, Richard Ketley. In 1775 he had set up a central fund for a limited number of his customers that paid a monthly subscription. When sufficient money was raised to buy a house, a ballot was held and one of the customers used the fund to purchase his home. He repaid what he owed over a pre-determined period while in the meantime, when further sufficient funds accrued, a second persons name was drawn and so on. Once all the members had a house, the ballot scheme was dissolved.

One of the Castlemount Cottages, Castlemount Road

At Buckland, Reverend Samuel Tennison Mosse persuaded a group of local businessmen to set up the Dover Cottage Building & Improvement Society. Sir Brook Bridges MP headed this and Rev. Mosse was the Honorary Secretary. They opened for business at 3 Snargate Street in May 1846 and their first major project was financing the building of five pairs of ‘model’ cottages in Buckland. This was followed by the building of Brookfield House, as a master’s residence for Buckland School. They then purchased of land from the Department of Woods and Forest and built Castlemount Cottages – the start of Castlemount Road on land owned by Robert Chignall, who built Castlemount.

Cowgate Hill cottages 2009

In June 1846, the Dover and East Kent Building Society (DEKBS) displayed their rules in the old Town Hall, then in Market Square, showing that it too was raising money in order buy land and build on which the investors could expect a lucrative return. This did not go down well with Dover Investment and Murtal Building Society (DIMBS) – who saw DEBKS as adopting all their ideas without adding anything new. The treaurer of DIMBS was solicitor Edward Knocker who made his views felt at a special meeting. Nonetheless, DIMBS did manage to sell 300 shares and then joined in with DEBKS. The chairman of DEBKS was Lewis Stride of the National Provincial Bank and the secretary, John Knocker – brother of Edward – was the manager of the London County Bank. The business attracted a number of wealthy depositors and with this, the DEKBS purchased much of the land on the west side of the then York Street. There cottages were built some of which still stand today on Cowgate Hill.

Both the Cottage Building & Improvement Society and DEKBS were embryonic forms of what became Permanent building societies. It was quickly realised that it was safer to spread the funds by lending to those who wished to purchase their own homes. On 12 March 1850, the Dover Permanent Benefit Building Society (DPBBS), absorbing the Dover Cottage Building & Improvement Society, opened for business with this in mind.

Dr Edward Farrant Astley chairman of the Dover & East Kent Building Society reconstituted 1855 – Dover Museum

In 1855, the DEKBS followed suit and was reconstituted becoming a Permanent Society (DEKPBS). Dr Edward Ferrand Astley was appointed chairman and Henry Strong Boyton, secretary. There were 18 directors one of which was Thomas Achee Terson and the Society operated out of Terson’s office, then 6 Castle Street.

Henry Strong Boyton was Louis Stride’s cashier at the National Provincial Bank and remained the secretary of DEKPBS until his death in 1916. For much of that time DEKPBS was referred to ‘Boyton’s!’ At the time the minimum contribution to building societies was usually 10s (50p) a month, which most working class people could not afford. So Henry Boyton introduced a 2s 6d a month saving scheme – the first in the country. Boyton’s (DEKPBS) were also one of the first Societies making direct loans to their women savers.

Richard Dickeson Trustee of the Dover and District Building Society 1861

The Dover and District Building Society (DDBS) was launched in September 1861 offering similar terms. The trustees included Richard Dickeson, Alfred Kingsford, James Worsfold and local architect Edward Wicken Fry. The secretary was Christopher Kilvington Worsfold, whose offices were at New Bridge. DDBS differed from their Dover rivals by giving priority to applicants wanting to borrow £200 or less. They also set limits on legal expenses so those clients knew in advance the full cost of their borrowings.

By the 1870s, problems were emerging that needed to be addressed by legislation. For instance, there was a tendency for the ballot winner of Terminating Societies to sell the property for a profit without any benefit accruing to the other members still waiting to buy. Some of the trustees of Permanent Societies gave themselves such huge bonuses that forced the business into liquidation with the savers liable for the debts. While, others failed to maintain sufficient reserves and they were unable to borrow to meet increases in demand for mortgages or /and increases in property/land prices.

Dover and District Permanent Building Society advert c1870s

The Trustees of DDBS were particularly vociferous for legal clarification that finally culminated in the Building Society Act of 1874. Terminating societies and their direct successors, Mutual societies – where the depositors and the borrowers were the same, were described. The Act also demanded that all new building societies were to be incorporated and existing ones on statutory application. Members, borrowers and lenders were freed from liability when societies were wound-up but trustees/directors were personally liable. Societies were allowed to borrow up to two-thirds of the amount secured by mortgages from the members but if they exceeded that, the trustees/directors were again accountable.

Artizan, later Victoria, Dwellings – Dover Museum

Following the Act, DDBS incorporated to include Permanent (DDPBS) in their name, Christopher K Worsfold remained the secretary, and Edward Wicken Fry was the chairman. Their stated objectives now included the raising of capital to build housing for the working classes and in 1886 set up the Dover Artizans and Labourers Dwelling Company Ltd. Henry Hayward, a partner in Worsfold and Hayward, 3 Market Square was the secretary. The Company built the Artizans, later Victoria, Dwellings, in the Pier District. Costing £5,000 the dwellings was a large five-storey block of flats designed by Peabody Buildings in London and rented to local workers.

On 8 June 1883 the Dover and Folkestone Permanent Self-Help Building Society (D&FS-HBS) was established at Pencester Hall, 20 Biggin Street – where Marks and Spencer’s are today. The first secretary Mr H R Barker of Tontine Street provided the Folkestone interest. They later moved to Priory Place, Folkestone Road, then to A.T.Blackman’s offices in the High Street.

Victoria Park Advert Vernon Shone Market Square

Under the 1874 Building Society Act, the Dover and District Ballot and Sale Society, secretary G W H Toms, opened in 1890 at 21 Park Street. It had folded by 1905. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, a group of local businessmen, headed by architect and auctioneer, Vernon Shone of 6 Market Square, set up the Dover Mutual Building Society to built Victoria Park. The depositors and borrowers were mainly senior army officers stationed in Dover. The Society later advertised that it was incorporated under the 1894 Building Societies Act.

This Act came about following the collapse of the Liberator Mutual in 1892. That society had accepted more than a £1m of funds through their countrywide outlets – including one on Priory Hill. A former Liberal MP, Jabez Spencer Balfour, ran the scheme. He had lent money to companies that bought properties, at an inflated price, owned by himself. Of interest, Balfour was tried at the Old Bailey and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Part of his sentence was served in Langdon Prison, on the Eastern Heights, giving the place a certain amount of fame!

The 1894 Act required Societies to keep and present full accounts, to maintain lending at a manageable proportion to deposits and for them to be used for the purpose as laid down in the Building Society Acts. The Act also brought Mutual societies into line with the Permanent ones.

Dover Permanent Benefit Building Society 1891

By the beginning of the 20th century, Dover besides the different forms of building societies there were a number of Friendly Societies lending money for house purchase, to their members. In 1910, the Dover Oddfellows reported that 300 members were buying their own homes and a further 50 members had paid back their loans in full.

The post- World War I economy left little room for home buying and by 1929, just four of Dover’s building societies remained. They were the Dover Permanent Benefit Building Society (DPBBS), Dover and District Permanent Benefit Building Society (DDPBS), Dover and East Kent Permanent Benefit Society (DEKPBS), and the Dover and Folkestone Permanent Self-help Building Society (D&FS-HBS).

In 1931, in order to try to get savers to put their money in their Society, the DDPBS voted to change its constitution and introduced Paid-Up shares of £100 each. The idea worked and by 1939, their total assets were over £100,000.

Norman Sutton Vice Chairman of the Dover & Folkestone Building Society – Courtesy of Terry Sutton

On 5 March 1936 Thomas Achee Terson, the chairman of DEKPBS died and that year George Norman, son of George Madgett Norman – the Mayor at that time – joined Terson’s as an office boy. In addition, in 1936, the D&FS-HBS was renamed the Dover and Folkestone Building Society (D&FBS) and amended its constitution. Norman V Sutton, later editor of the Dover Express and father of newspaperman, Terry Sutton, joined the board of directors.

During World War II, much of the business of building societies was curtailed. Albeit, the expected withdrawals to pay for house repairs was offset by the 1941 War Damages Act as the Government provided grants for such repairs. Following the war the Act was extended but lack of savings and inflationary pressure took its toll on societies.

One such society was DEKPBS that celebrated its centenary in 1946. On the 30 December that year a special meeting was called and Sydney C Clout, announced that the assets were £108,984 7s 9d but that Society was to amalgamate with the Alliance Building Society of Brighton. The three other Dover building societies managed to keep going and in March 1950, the DPBBS, with offices at 32 Castle Street, celebrated its centenary at the White Cliffs Hotel. The night it was announced that its assets were £150,000.

Terson’s acquired 29 Castle Street in 1953 and the D&FBS moved in. The following year the firm’s sole principal was given as George Norman. In 1959 John S Lewis, Chairman of the Directors of the building firm of G Lewis & Sons, and of Messrs Lewis Brothers the motor engineers, Cherry Tree Avenue, died. He was also chairman of the DPBBS the office of which had moved to 49 Castle Street.

The following year, DPBBS merged with the Hastings and Thanet Building Society, which was later taken over by Anglia then Nationwide. March 1977 saw the 116-year-old DDPBS merge with Chatham Reliance, which in 1986 became the Kent Reliance Building Society. In April 1978, Dover’s remaining building society, the D&FBS moved to 35 Castle Street, which it owned.

Norman Sutton retired as vice-chairman of the D&FBS; he died in 1986. The former principal of Terson’s, George Norman, was chairman when, in March 1984, it was agreed by 354 votes to 13 to merge with the Yorkshire-based Bradford and Bingley Society who took over the premises in Castle Street . . . the Society had been operating ninety-nine years.

Published:

Dover Mercury: 18& 25 October & 01 November 2012

For further information on Castle Street : http://www.castlestreetsociety.co.uk

Posted in Building Societies - Dover's, Building Societies - Dover's, Businesses | Comments Off

Flashman’s of Dover

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Lorraine

George Flashman made all the furnishings in the old Council Chamber, Maison Dieu, and on completion donated the Lectern in 1868.

The old Council Chamber in what was once Dover’s Town Hall – the Maison Dieu – was added in 1868. Flashman’s of Dover made the furnishings, many of which can still be seen. It was in the autumn of 1830 that George Flashman (1804-1885) opened a furniture making business at the corner of Market Square that was to dominate the east side of the Square for the next 150-years!

Born in 1804, George had served his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker in his birthplace of Chatham. He came to Dover in the 1820s eventually teeming up with George Killick and opening a small business in Last Lane, on the west side of Market Square. At about this time, Dover Harbour Commissioners were increasing their income by building superior properties along the seafront, of which Waterloo Crescent is still standing. Castle Street was also being built for the more affluent residents of Dover by a consortium of local businessmen.

George Flashman 43 Castle Street advert. Dover Telegraph 30.12.1843

With the latter in mind, George bought premises on the north-east corner of Market Square and opened a shop making high-class furniture to the customers’ specifications. on the premises. At the time George bought his property Castle Street was not accessible from Market Square but in 1836, George sold some of his land for £350 to the council. This, along with the acquisition and demolition of other properties by the council, enabled Castle Street to be opened into Market Square. George changed his address to Castle Street and his business, in the prime spot, flourished.

George married Elizabeth Bridgland and they bought 79 Castle Street, on the opposite of the road to his shop. A religious man, George was active in the Wesleyan Church and later was appointed steward of the Dover Methodist circuit. This was the highest post a layman could hold and he held it for twenty-one years.

Church Place at the end of which was Flashman’s workshop and deposiary on Dieu Stone Lane, which can just be seen. Dover Library

As his business grew, George opened a furniture depot in Market Lane and a cabinet factory in Dieu Stone Lane. Later an annex was built next to the cabinet factory for the depository. Always the businessman and recognising an opportunity, with the approaching wedding of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert on 10 February 1840, George erected a large Royal Coat of Arms on his shop front. Underneath was the dedication, ‘Congratulations to her Royal Highness Queen Victoria & his Royal Highness Prince Albert’. This attracted a lot of interest to his shop, from the elite members of Dover’s society and visitors to Dover. Soon his fame spread such that members of the Royal family were ordering furniture from Flashman’s of Dover!

Between 1859 and 1862 was carried out on the Drop Redoubt, on the Western Heights, exposing the Bredenstone, the remains of a Roman Pharos. From 1660 successive Lord Wardens had been installed near the location but the building of the fortifications during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) had buried the ancient ruin. On 29 August 1860 with all the pomp and ceremony that goes with the event Viscount Palmerstone, Prime Minister at the time, was installed as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Messrs Flashman were commissioned to erect a pavilion over the historic stone and the area where the ceremony took place.

Although a hard-headed businessman, George was well known for his generosity. On 3 March 1863 a fire, claiming three lives, devastated properties on the west-side of Market Square. George and Elizabeth took in and provided for one of the families that had been left homeless. Between 1852 and 1862, the Maison Dieu, then Dover’s Town Hall, was restored using the designs of Ambrose Poynter and carried out by William Burges. In 1867-8, the Council Chamber was added to the designs of Borough Engineer, John Hanvey in the style of Burges. George won the contract for the furniture and when completed he donated the lectern above.

Binfields, on the east side of Market Square, near to Flashman’s, c 1900. Dover Library

As the nineteenth century progress the number of exclusive specialist shops increased along the east-side of Market Square. Of note were Killick, Back and Son’s carpet warehouse, linen store and clothing and Binfield Brothers. The latter were wine merchants. They had established about 1850 in Last Lane opening their newly built Market Square premises in 1889. Their shop was faced with Minton tiles and emblazoned with the Binfield trades mark of a rising sun and provided both a wholesale and a retail service in wines, spirits and tables waters. Binfield’s own blend of ‘old Scotch’ was sought after around the world.

Elizabeth Flashman died in 1867 and in the census of 1871, George was listed as living in Buckland with members of his immediate family nearby. On 22 May 1885 Mrs Mary Tyler, George’s eldest daughter, laid the foundation stone for the extension of Buckland School. George had contributed £225 towards the building but this was one of his last acts of generosity for he died that year aged 81-years.

Flashman’s c 1900 with Royal proclamation – Dover Museum

By the time of George’s death the firm was well patronised by the elite of British Society. In acknowledgement to this George had replace the earlier plaque with one proclaiming that his company had been given a Royal Warrant. This was hung over the entrance to the shop. After George’s death his sons and son-in-law continued to run the business. In 1893 the company designed and built a new stage proscenium for theatre productions at the Connaught Hall but it was not until after World War II that theatrical productions were allowed to be staged in the Hall.

Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the Royal Warrant plaque was moved to the inside the shop and replaced by another proclaiming the different aspects of the enterprise. Their adverts proclaimed that they were high-class decorators, auctioneers and house agents and that their premises had an acre of floor space that would completely furnish a house. ‘The floor space was stocked with cabinets, curtains bedsteads, bedding, bedroom suites, linoleum, rugs, curbs and fire brasses plus over eight miles of carpets in stock, many being private patterns!’

Thomas Longley Landlord of the Star, Church Street. At his death, reputed to be the heaviest man on the Realm. Bob Hollingsbee

The firm were also funeral directors and in 1904 Flashman’s made the 7-foot (2.13metres) long by 2-feet 9inches (0.96metres) wide by 2-feet 5inches (0.74 metres) deep coffin for Thomas Longley. He had been the landlord of the Star Inn, Church Street. When he died, on 26 February that year, Longley was reputed to be the ‘heaviest person in the realm.’

World War I and the depression of the 1920s seem to have passed Flashman’s by. On 1 November 1930, the firm held its centenary celebrations by which time their workshop on Dieu Stone Lane was extensive. The also had large retail outlets Folkestone and St Margaret’s Bay as well as Dover. Headed by Chairman and Managing director, Clement Flashman. The business claimed that they could cater ‘from the cradle to the end.‘ There was every reason to believe this as their clients were amongst the wealthiest in the land.

Flashman’s advert circa 1930, Note the extensive premises and their proclamation on the wall.

During his speech that night, Clement showed a large Crown with wreaths and ribbons beautifully carved out of mahogany. It was part of a bedstead that the company had recently made for the Royal Family. However, acknowledging changes in public taste and the economic climate of the time, Clement added that the firm was increasingly making smaller, compact utilitarian furniture at considerable less cost but still more than the man-in-the -street could afford to pay.

Even though the economy sunk to even lower depths, because of their clientele base, Flashman’s could weather it. Albeit, Arthur Binfield put his wine shop on the market in 1937. The business sold for £4,300, Arthur died in 1966 aged 74.

Flashman’s Depositary, Dieu Stone Lane. Kent Messenger Group

Unlike World War I, the Second World War had a devastating impact on Flashman’s not only from the business perspective. On 31 March 1941, their furniture depository, in Dieu Stone Lane, was damaged by fire following a shell attack. Another shell totally wrecked the building on 4 October 1943. That year their main premises in Market Square suffered from shelling that seriously injured a passer-by. The shop and adjacent buildings suffered further war damage and the latter had been demolished by 1945. In their place, a NAAFI Institute, built of Nissen huts and capable of accommodating 1,500, opened on 19 March 1945.

In 1953 Dolphin House, comprising of flats and eight shops were built on the bombsite. Flashman’s refurbished their shop and when the economy started to recover, in the 1950s, the firm did their best to respond. By 1956, they boasted of largest stock of furniture, carpets etc. on the south-coast and published a 36 page illustrated catalogue, free by post. Albeit, very few people could afford to buy bespoke furniture and the stop-go economy was taking its toll on the furnishing business (See the Turnpenny story)

Market Square, during Construction. Flashman’s can just be seen on the left. Dover Library

New shops opened on the east-side of Market Square but were very different to their pre-war counterparts. Elizabeth’s was Dover’s first coffee bar and was seen by parents as a ‘safe’ place for teenagers to enjoy ‘expresso coffee’ and other teenagers company. My memory is of a later era and a restaurant providing conventional meals but with speciality ‘snack’ foods that I loved. The owner, Douglas Horne, was attracted by the Wimpy franchise. It was in 1954 that J Lyons opened the first UK Wimpy fast food outlet in London, the concept having been imported from the US. Soon Wimpy bars were opening up throughout the country, usually franchised to local entrepreneurs. Douglas Horne bought into the scheme and the Wimpy franchise opened on the east-side of Market Square on Tuesday 29 November 1966 with Hugh Gordon as manager.

Flashman’s Royal proclamation now in St Nicholas Church, Leeds, Kent

Two years before, in November 1964, Flashman’s had closed its doors for the final time. The building was soon after demolished to make way for a proposed £250,000 modern skyscraper with a two-storey department store at the bottom and ten-storeys of flats above. In the event, a supermarket, with flats above, was built. British Heart Foundation Charity has occupied the shop premises since 2005. However, Flashman’s furniture still fetch high prices at auctions.

Flashman’s Royal Coat of Arms, St Nicholas Leeds, Kent. Thanks to Brian Hardy

Before demolition the Flashman famous Coat of Arms were removed and eventually found its way to St Nicholas Church in Leeds village, near Maidstone. The church guide states:
‘Under the tower arch is an early Victorian royal coat of arms carved in mahogany by Mr Flashman, who owned a furniture shop in The Square, Dover. It once stood over the entrance to this shop. It was given to Leeds church in 1968’
The plaque below the Arms adds:
‘The Royal Arms presented by their daughter in memory of Albert & Florence Cheeseman, Choirists of this church for many years. December 1969’

Published:

Dover Mercury 31 October,07 & 14 November 2013

For further information on Castle Street : http://www.castlestreetsociety.co.uk

Posted in Businesses, Flashman's of Dover, Flashman's of Dover, Market Square | Comments Off

Willard Sawyer – Founder of the World’s First Factory for Mass-producing Cycles

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Lorraine

St James Street- circa 1840. Drawn by George Shepherd. Dover Library

Back in 2006 I was asked by the then Dover Town Council for a list of deceased locals whom I felt should receive some sort of recognition – a plaque or similar. I presented my list, but possibly due to a change of regime, it was not acted upon. One of those that featured was Willard Sawyer, who lived and had a factory in St James Street, Dover, in the middle of the nineteenth century. He is generally recognised as the ‘first truly professional maker of man-powered vehicles’ – the velocipede cycling machine. Further, by inventing new techniques he opened the world’s first factory for mass-producing cycles – here in Dover, England!

Laufmaschine invented by Baron Karl Drais from the original Patent Papers 1817. Scotford Lawrence

In the evolution of the bicycle, the first human propelled machine was
invented by Baron Karl Drais (1785-1851) in Mannheim, Germany in 1817 and patented in France in February 1818. Called a Laufmaschine, in Britain a Hobby Horse, it consisted of a horizontal bar supported by two wheels of equal height, which the cyclist stood astride propelling the machine by his feet. Enthusiastic amateurs or craftsmen made these on a one off basis.

Willard, born in Romney about 1808, is first recorded living the Dover town directory of 1838. In the 1841 census, he is listed as living in Chapel Street, in St Mary’s Parish. There he worked as a carpenter but five years later, he opened the Dover Velocipede Works at 20 St James Street.

Reflecting his carpenter background, Willard’s velocipede or ‘manumotive carriage’ as he called them, were built partly of wood, had four wheels – like a stagecoach, and was propelled by treadles below the rear wheel axles, with tiller style steering. An advert of 1850 states that Willard was producing four different types of velocipede. First class, costing between £15 and £25, second class £10 to £14, third class £5 to £9 and a velocipede for two costing between £15 and £35. Even the cheapest third class machine was very expensive in those days.

Velocipede presented to Edward, Prince of Wales. Illustrated London News 17.04.1858 p404

Nonetheless, there were enough wealthy folk around to ensure that Willard’s machine was a success. Indeed, he produced one of three velocipedes that were on show at the Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace in 1851. Apparently, he rode the machine to London and back for the occasion! At the exhibition, Willard ‘was received with a very flattering distinction’. Then in 1858, Edward, Prince of Wales, on a visit to Dover, called at the factory and ‘inquired minutely as to the capacity, price, &c of a machine’. Afterwards Willard built a special carriage for the Prince costing £30 and capable of going 8 mph.

Willard’s velocipedes were assured of widespread acclaim and orders came in from mainland Europe, India, Australia and California. Besides the Prince of Wales, Willard counted the Emperor of Russia, Prince Imperial of France and Crown Prince of Hanover, amongst his customers. The Hon. J.C Skeffington wrote, ‘I cannot speak in terms to highly of the convenience and comfort of such a mode of travelling, when one can run off 60 miles in a day, and feel as little fatigued as if one had gone on foot a dozen.’ It is recorded that this gentleman travelled 526 miles in twenty days on one of Willard’s velocipedes.

Velocipede c 1860 acquired by the Science Museum 1937

Another, equally, enthusiastic customer having condemned the poor state of the roads, did add that, ‘The rattling and shaking of such slight machines is dreadful at the speed of anything over seven or eight miles an hour, and if driven constantly at this rate cannot last long.’

Unfortunately, the attitude in Dover was far from positive such that in 1856, Willard applied to the council to cancel his lease. He wrote that his living depended on the hire and sale of velocipedes, ‘but since a decision of the {Magistrates} Bench had declared them a nuisance,’ he was unable to obtain a livelihood. He added, that he wished to move to some locality where they were not regarded as nuisances.

It would appear that Willard had a change of heart for in 1860 he produced a pamphlet describing the different type of machines he was producing in Dover. These included the Sociable, which has seats for six people including two drivers. In his range there was the Racer, the Tourist and Traveller, the Promenade, Visiting Carriage, the Ladies Carriage and small machines for youths and children. The prices varied between £3 and £40.

Velocipede – Severn Valley Railway

Railway companies saw the potential of velocipedes for use in track inspections and became known as ‘Rail Bikes.’ In use from around 1860 until the 1950s they worked, as one would expect, like a bicycle but with extra power from ‘rowing’ the central drum. National railway velocipede rallies are still held.

Times 23.04.1937 p4 telling of the acquisition by the Science Museum of Willard’s velocipede

Albeit, it seems that Willard ceased production in Dover about 1865 and by 1871 he was living at Kent Terrace, Deal. Ten years later, he was living with his son, a photographer, on the Strand, Walmer. By this time, the sleeker boneshaker, introduced from France in 1868, had superseded the four-wheeled velocipede and by 1887, Willard’s factory had closed. An advert for an auction following the closure includes 50 velocipedes.

Willard died in 1892 and was buried at St Mary’s Church, Walmer and his workshop in Deal is now the Maritime and Local History Museum. On 19 September 1899, Dover’s Mayor, Sir William Crundall (1847-1934), organised Dover’s first motorcar exhibition at the Crabble Athletic Ground. Members of the Automobile Association drove down from London for the event and 25 or 26 vehicles of various types took part in a grand parade round the cycle track. The assorted vehicles included a velocipede – a modern day quadracycle – that was probably made by Dover’s Willard Sawyer!

That is not the end of the story, for in 1937 the Science Museum acquired a four-wheel velocipede c 1860. At the time of the purchase, the Times stated that Willard Sawyer was ‘the best-known English maker of velocipedes.’ The caption at the Science Museum, when I saw the Velocipede, read, ‘made by pioneering cycle maker Willard Sawyer of Dover!’

Published:
Dover Mercury: 14 June 2007

Posted in Businesses, People, Sawyer Willard - Founder of the World's First Factory for Mass-producing Cycles, Sawyer Willard - Inventor of the Velocipede and founder of the World's First Factory for Mass-producing Cycles, Vehicles, Willard Sawyer - Founder of the World's First Factory for Mass-producing Cycles | Comments Off

Burlington Hotel

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Lorraine

Burlington Hotel from Promenade Pier. Dover Library

Burlington House, a 12-storey office block built in the 1970s and demolished in 2016 on Townwall Street, was named after Burlington Hotel. This once stood further along Townwall Street on the corner with Woolcomber Street but was devastated during World War II. Nonetheless, the story of Burlington Hotel, and its predecessors, is part of Dover’s annals and as interesting today as it was in its heyday.

During the Napoleonic Wars, (1793-1815), a canal was built for defensive purposes along what is now Townwall Street. The canal had the effect of drying out the marshy ground on the landward side. On this land, between what are now Russell Street and Woolcomber Street, Madame Sarah Rice had a mansion built. She was a formidable lady and called her home Clarence House. Nearby, before Castle Street was built, was a donkey stable providing tourists rides along the beach. Unfortunately, the donkeys had a liking for Madam Rice’s flower garden and it was said that she was one of two local personages on which Charles Dickens (1812-1870) based the character of Betsy Trotwood, in David Copperfield!

Edward Rice – Liberal MP for Dover 1837-1857. Dover Museum

Sarah’s son, Edward, was the Liberal MP for Dover from 1837-1857 and the prime mover behind Dover’s great harbour that we see today. However, following the death of Madam Rice, in 1841, her mansion was sold and the Clarence Hotel Company bought the land. Most of the Directors were London based excepting two. One was Steriker Finnis, a local businessman who ran the town’s main timber yard and the other, Rowland Rees, the Chief Engineer to the Harbour Commissioners. The Bankers were National Provincial, then in Snargate Street but were, at that time, acquiring land at New Bridge where they built what is now New Bridge House.

Imperial Hotel Woolcomber Street c 1867. Dover Library

The company planned to raise a capital of £75,000 through 7,500 shares at £10 each and call their new hotel, the Clarence. John Wichcord, a famous architect of the time and the designer of the Grand Hotel, Brighton – the target of an IRA bomb in 1984 – was commissioned. The Clarence Hotel, Dover was, by all accounts, magnificent but after three years, it was still in the process of being built. By that time five-storeys, with 240 rooms had been completed so in June 1865, the Hotel was officially opened. Unfortunately, not only was the building uncompleted, the owners had financially over-reached themselves. Shortly after the grand opening, they lease the building to the Imperial Hotel Company.

Imperial Hotel Woolcomber Street sale notice 1873. Dover Library

The new owners completed the building programme and on 13 September 1867, it reopened as the Imperial Hotel. The total cost was £75,000 to build but it cost another £25,000 to furnish it, which put a strain on the new company. The hotel closed in 1871 and was put up for auction in 1873 with an opening price of £26,000.

In 1895, the abandoned hotel was purchased by Sydney, Richards & Co and extensively restored by the Fredericks Hotel Company. At one point, 600 men were engaged on the works and they were supervised by Albert E Addis a building surveyor. In 1945, he was reported living in retirement in Elms Vale Road. The refurbished hotel had 380 rooms on eight floors served by a ‘handsome lift’ and in total cost the operation had cost about £85,000.

Invitation addressed to Henry Martyn Mowll to the pening of the Burlington Hotel 1897 – Dover Library

Given the name Burlington Hotel, the massive building was opened by John Henniker Heaton, Member of Parliament for Canterbury, on 24 July 1897. At the time, Dover was at its zenith and the hotel was favoured by many visiting dignitaries including, in 1899, the delegates of the British Association of Scientists’ conference, held in the town. It was also said that Arthur Burr, entrepreneur behind the development of the Kent coalfield, had a flat there for several years while the Borough Coroner, Mr Sydenham Payne, favoured the hotel for inquests.

Burlington Hotel pre-World War I

Up to and including World War I, the hotel remained popular, especially with the military and naval personnel. Even during the post-war depression of the 1920s, it was a favoured venue for balls, dinners and galas. Therefore, it came as surprise to the town when Frederick Hotels decided to close it on 30 September 1924. The company had decided to invest in the Lord Warden Hotel, near the Western Docks, as they saw a better future in catering for cross-Channel passengers.

It was nearly two years before the hotel was sold and then it stood empty. In 1927, the Southlands Training College for Woman Students leased the building, while their college in London was being rebuilt. Southlands stayed until the autumn of 1929 and then C. W. Mason leased the building and converted much of it into American style apartments and business units. These became available in March 1931 and the whole was then renamed Burlington Mansions. In May 1937 the Mayor, Alderman George Norman, officially opened a ballroom, that proved popular locally.

World War II damaged former Burlington Hotel. Dover Library

The height, size, colour and the proximity to the seafront made the former hotel a target from the opposite side of Channel during World War II (1939-1945). On Monday 9 September 1940, a shell hit the upper floors causing a fire and the body of William McDonald aged 54 was later found. A few weeks later, on the afternoon of Sunday 20 October, the huge water tank on the roof was hit and part of the hotel collapsed into the then Liverpool Street. Finally, on Sunday, 7 September 1941, a Junken dive-bomber dropped its load and at least three hit the building.

Albert Decort, who had an apartment in the Burlington Flats. Dover Museum

The caretakers, Joseph Thomas ‘Tom’ Turner, 62, and his wife, Rosa, 65, died instantly. Special constable William Horn, 61, who lived in one of the flats and was the manager of Pippin’s tailor’s in Biggin Street, was killed. The floor of the Decort family flat gave way. At the time, Albert Decort was on the loo! Luckily, he managed to grab a water pipe as the lavatory fell into the void beneath. Afterwards dynamite was used to make what was left of the building safe but even then, it continued to be hit by shells.

Dover Corporation, using Compulsory Purchase Order, on 26 April 1949 bought the decimated building. They invited tenders to demolish it and accepted an agreement where the contractor paid the council £130 as long as they kept all the salvaged material. Demolition began in August and was completed by mid December that year. In 1951, the Corporation bought the land on which the hotel had stood for £4,575.

Burlington Hotel c1920. David Iron Collection

Following the widening of the junction between Townwall Street and Woolcomber Street, a petrol station, on the corner, was given planning approval in 1996. British Petroleum funded an archaeological survey undertaken by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust and they uncovered the foundations of the former Burlington Hotel. They also found evidence of Norman development of Dover below which was sand and gravel of the silted up earlier Dover harbour. By the time of archaeological dig, the Hotel’s namesake, Burlington House, was coming in for much criticism and in 2007 was officially condemned.

Published:
Dover Mercury: 05, 12 and 26 July 2012

Posted in Buildings, Burlington Hotel, Burlington Hotel, Societies, Culture and Entertainment | Comments Off

Viaduct and the Pier District

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Lorraine

Pier District late 19th – early 20th century. Dover Museum

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Pier District – the area around Dover’s Western Docks – was aptly described by Pierite and former headmistress of Dover Girls’ Grammar School, Lillian Kay (1914-2013), as ‘a rabbit warren of houses, alleyways and rows or pubs.’

Originating in the 15th century, the Pier District evolved on reclaimed land. Towards the end of the 19th century the Dover Harbour Board (DHB) along with Dover Corporation and the two railway companies that served Dover, decided make the harbour, then on the Western side of the bay, more accessible. The two railway companies were the South Eastern Railway Company, which operated the line through Shakespeare Tunnel to the then Town Station in the Pier District, and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway Company, the owner of Harbour Station also in the Pier District.

Sir William Crundall- Thirteen times Mayor of Dover and Chairman of Harbour Board 1906-1934

In 1891, an Act of Parliament was obtained for the construction of the Dover Commercial Harbour then, in 1895, this was upgraded to the Admiralty Harbour. It was quickly recognised that on completion the new harbour would turn Dover into a major port. On 1 January 1899, the two railway companies joined forces and operated under a single Management Committee. In the meantime they were in discussion with both the council – which was under the leadership of thirteen times Mayor, Sir William Crundall and DHB, which Crundall was a member becoming, Chairman in 1906 to 1934.

It was agreed by all to demolish part of the Pier District in order to create railway sidings, loco sheds and an approach road from the town. To help the justify demolishing such a populous area, the council set up the Pier Dwellings Committee. The Committee justified the demolition by saying that the area was slums and recommended paying £37,000 to purchase of the houses from the Harbour Board. Further, as the proposed new road would cross a series of railway tracks the council, in October 1900, decided to build a viaduct. The cost of this was estimated at £106,000 but the railway companies did agree to pay part.

The council submitted a Bill to Parliament that included a Spur from the proposed Viaduct to Archcliffe Road and the widening of Limekiln Street, Bulwark Street and Beach Street. This, they estimated, would mean the demolition of 400 homes. The result was the Dover Corporation Act of 1901 and the general populace of Dover were sold the idea through the local press. The media extolled the virtues of the project by labelling it the ‘Pier improvement scheme.’ Although the potentially displaced Pierites made their anger felt, the council, local press and general populace felt that there was plenty of cheap accommodation in Dover and they could move.

Pier District – 1907. Dover Library

However, what was a cause of concern was the cost of the scheme to local ratepayers. To 30 November 1903, it had cost some £6,000 and that was just the beginning – the Viaduct itself was yet to be built. It was this that put the scheme on back burner and the powers of the Act ran out of time. Two years later the Corporation promoted another Bill through Parliament for the extension of the time for the erection of the Viaduct. Included in the Bill was a scheme to improve the drainage on Maison Dieu Road and Folkestone Road.

The Admiral of the Fleet, George, the Prince of Wales, opened the new Admiralty Harbour on 15 October 1909. This galvanised the council and railway companies into pursing what was, by then, called the Viaduct Scheme. By this time it was recognised that housing for the potentially displaced Pierites may be a problem, so it was agreed to build 24 ‘workmen’s dwellings’ on Beach Street, close to the Town Station.

Application was again made to Parliament, but the token number of new dwellings was not acceptable to the Local Government Board (a Government Ministry). Nonetheless, as dwellings became vacant roofs were removed. To add weight to this, the Dover Medical Officer of Health produced a report showing that all the proposed houses for demolition were unfit for occupation.

Richard Barwick. Mayor 1921, 23, 26 & 1927

The Pierites made their displeasure felt, in 1911, through the ballot box. They chose Independent Richard Barwick, founder of the building firm that had been involved in the Admiralty Pier construction, to pursue their demand for homes. At a public meeting on 16 January 1912, the Viaduct plans were rejected by the large majority of the townsfolk.

The council responded by balloting all ratepayers and won 2,387 to 1,706 but only half of those eligible voted. Nonetheless, the Corporation successfully promoted the new Act through Parliament, which enabled them to demolish a large swathe of the Pier District. The Act included the Viaduct proposal – a route to the Town and Harbour stations that were free of railway crossings. The total cost was estimated at £82,087, of which £40,000 was to be borne by the railway companies. They, as part of the deal, would gain a large stretch of land for sidings following the demolition of 311 homes and for each and every household in Dover 1½d would be added to the rates.

However, as the Bill was going through the due process, the Local Government Board included a condition that all Pier people displaced over the previous 15 years should be re-housed. Consequently, the original intention was modified and it was agreed that the council would build 90 houses to replace 311 to be demolished. Other problems included access to Harbour Station and Archcliffe Fort but modifications to the design dealt with both.

Vaiduct Proposal Map 1900

On 15 April 1913 the council accepted tenders for the construction of the Viaduct, they included, Messrs Lambrick and Co. £14,480, for the ferro-concrete construction and Messrs Dick, Kerr and Co. £2,892 for a tramway along on the Viaduct. The latter tender was later transferred to Messrs Paramours Ltd and the tender of Messrs Landbrick and Co. was increased by £1,000 on 22 July 1913. Demolition of homes and the Cinque Port Pilots’ Tower was started immediately. The following day the Local Government Board held an Inquiry on the housing conditions of the Pier District and evidence was openly hostile to the demolition proposals.

Estimated costs of the Viaduct scheme 13 January 1912

The Local Government Board did not give the support that was hoped for ans on 29 April the whole question was decided on a resolution by Alderman Baker, who moved that the tenders were not to be accepted. The vote resulted in a tie 11-11, the Mayor William Bromley gave his casting vote in favour of carrying out the scheme. That year saw Edwin Farley, another Independent, elected Mayor. Nonetheless, work was in hand, the ferro-concrete spread bases for the Viaduct were laid and the approach to Admiralty Pier was finished. On 3 July 1914 the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies paid £40,000 towards the scheme but on on 4 August World War I broke out and all further work was stopped.

The Borough of Dover, under the Defence of the Realm Act, was part of Dover Fortress, which meant that the military were in charge. Although local or parliamentary elections were suspended by a ruling of the Privy Council, councillors continued in office. Mayor Farley was re-elected in November 1914, 15, 16, 17 and 1918 and some works did take place. In 1917 the Council were unable to carry out any new works and in the autumn were prohibited from further proceeding during the War with the Pier Viaduct works. These had already been greatly delayed by the effects of the War; and the contractors for the ferro-concrete, who completed that portion of the work in May, claimed £11,000 as a result of the delay, and finally accepted, on 17 October, a sum of £5,000 in settlement.

Viaduct Scheme – Cross Section.

Following the War, the Viaduct scheme was given priority and in the Pier District 400 houses and 30 pubs were demolished. Designed by L G Mouchel and Partners of Westminster the Viaduct, made of reinforced concrete, was 1,000-foot long (305 metres), the approaches 45-foot (approx.13.7 metres) wide between parapets with a 30-foot (9metres) carriageway sided by 7-foot 6- inch (2.3 metres) footways with two stairways leading up to it. It was supported on pillars on the spread bases and made up of two bowstring girder bridges with span of 67 and 70-feet (approx. 19 metres). The main booms had an overall length of 74-feet (22.5 metres) and 77-feet (23.5 metres) respectively.

Originally, the road was to be surfaced with wooden blocks but in the event, asphalt slag on cushion concrete was used. The plan included an overhead conductor wire so trams could terminate at the Lord Warden Hotel but this was abandoned as a waste of public money. The testing of the crossbeams was carried out with sandbags weighing 41 tons and men standing on them.

Opening the associated Strond Street footbridge 1925, left Mayor Barwick next to, probably, William E Boulton Smith, the Town Surveyor and responsible for all the works. Richard Barwick

On 9 January 1922, the Mayoress, Mrs Richard Barwick, opened the Viaduct to traffic by which time the population of the Pier district had fallen from 4,000 to 2,000. The Ministry of Health had replaced the Local Government Board and with their subsidies augmented by council finance, some of the displaced Pierites moved into newly built houses on the Ropeway Meadow, Aycliffe. This was on former military land and the Corporation using local contractors, that included Barwicks, to build the new homes.

Pier District 1935 showing the Viaduct. W Fuller – Dover Library

The Viaduct was hailed as a success as it provided the access for which it was designed. However, the narrowness of Snargate Street caused traffic jams that were eventually rectified following an Act of Parliament in 1928. That Act authorised DHB to demolish all properties on the seaward side of the Street, below its junction with the then Northampton Street.

The residents of those properties, together with the remaining former residents of the Pier District who been displaced, had to wait to be re-housed until after 21 April 1930. On that date, the Coalition Government introduced the Housing Act that provided subsidies to rid the country of slums. The country was in a deep depression and the Act was aimed at getting the economy moving again.

St Martins House, Hawkesbury Street – all that remains of the pre-war redevelopment of the Pier District

Under the scheme, the Pier District was rejuvenated with blocks of aesthetically pleasing flats built on Limekiln Street, near the Viaduct in 1935 – one still remains. These were followed, in 1936-7, by utilitarian flats in Seven Star Street and on the site of what had been the Sailors’ Home but had been replaced by the Dover Patrol Hostel on Wellesley Road opened in 1923.

Demolition of the original Viaduct in 1973.

In April 1972, large cracks were reported and the Viaduct was declared unsafe and closed to traffic. Demolition was started the following February and a temporary viaduct erected. Start on the permanent Viaduct did not begin until 1976 and cost over £1m. It was again modified, in the 1990s to bring it in line with the new A20.

Published:
Dover Mercury: 10 & 17 March 2011

Posted in Port and Transport, Viaduct and the Pier District, Viaduct and the Pier District, Wanton Destruction | Comments Off

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