Woolcombers Street

A victim of Hitler war damage, the majestic Burlington Hotel as viewed from the long gone Promenade Pier, (the pier disappeared in 1926). The hotel appears to be on the seafront, but the camera lies. Most if not all the building was on the landward side of what we know today as Townwall Street, as will be seen by the aerial picture below of about 1929, (below).  In the centre is Woolcomber Street and extreme right, with Marine Court in front, can be made out the foundations of the gasometer of the old Trevanlon Street gasworks.

American tanks await shipment to the continent in front of the damaged Burlington Hotel.

War damaged Burlington Hotel

These were an integral part of the "Burlington Hotel", once the "Clarence Hotel", where building commenced in 1864 at a cost of £750,000. It was renamed the "Imperial Hotel" in 1867 when the lease changed hands. It reached five storeys high and boasted 240 rooms. The stables were in the same street but were later replaced by garages in rear of the hotel.

Never a viable proposition, it closed in 1871 and following extensive alterations, reopened in 1897 as the "Burlington Hotel". In 1924, the owners, Frederick Hotels, closed down and opted instead to invest in the "Lord Warden Hotel" which was better situated to cater for cross channel passengers.

The "Burlington Hotel" was used for many and varied activities after, with the bars now integrated into the Burlington Mansions complex which it became in 1931 when converted into fifty flats.

It was an early casualty of world war two. The tower was struck in 1940 and shortly afterwards, in October 1940, another struck the huge water tank on the roof. It seemed inconceivable that the five bombs which hit the hotel on 7 September 1941 could have been delivered from one plane so it was presumed that the bombs had been chained together. Howbeit, the structure was left in such a dangerous condition that dynamite had to be employed to partially self destruct.

Post war, fire on the upper floors in January 1946 resulted in further damage and demolition of the whole then proved necessary. That took place in 1949, together with 8 Camden Crescent, the contractor paying £130 for the privilege.

Dover Corporation paid £4,575 for the site in 1951 and an additional £315 for the liquor licence. Thus, in 1955, the licence of the "Burlington Buffet" was transferred to Watney, Combe and Reid, brewers, who later used it at the "Dover Stage Hotel".

The post war years saw redevelopment of the whole area.

LICENSEE LIST

WAINE 1877-8 (Burlington Hotel)

WAIN Leonard 1899 (Burlington Hotel manager)

FALKNER R. G. 1901 (Burlington Hotel)

SALE Lewis William 1903 (Burlington Hotel)

COLES William Henry 1916-22 (Burlington)

FREDERICK HOTELS LTD. 1923-24

NEWMAN Mr 1923-24 (Burlington Hotel)

CLARK Herbert 1927-37 (Burlington Bars)

MASON C. W. 1931 (Burlington Bars)

WATSON George William 1933-6 end (Burlington)

MOORE William 1937-40 end (Burlington Bars)

From the Kelley's Directory 1899

From the Post Office Directory 1922

From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1923

From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1924