Old Folkestone Road

Above two photos showing the King Lear on 31st October 1991. By kind permission of Dover Library.

All pictures above of King Lear circa 1980 by Barry Smith.

Above photo (July 2007) by Tony Wells, showing current owner Mr N McSloy sitting outside.

Built as a private dwelling in 1877 but transformed into a pub in 1937. That year Leney wanted the full licence of the "Bowling Green Tavern" transferred here. He was refused then and also the following January. His appeal to Quarter Sessions in April however proved successful. The premises had meanwhile been altered to conform with regulations and the public were welcomed from 30 April 1938. Today it offers the beverage of Whitbread.

Andrew Cuenca, I believe was a Dutchman and biker who was licensee of the pub from between 1982-87. He kept his Harley-Davidson in the porch for safety. I can remember going into the pub one Boxing day shortly after he was host and nearly fell over the bike. After talking to him for a while he told me that when he first got the pub he hadn't realised that he needed a licence to sell beer and after a visit from customs he was informed that what he was doing was illegal.

"How long will it take me to gain the licence?" he asked.

"About a week" came the reply.

"OK, no bother."

"But you won't be able to sell any beer or spirits", came the rather worried reply, "what you going to do."

"I'll apply tomorrow, shut the pub for a week, get on my Harley and have a holiday. And that's just what he did.

The pub was always very interested in sports for the locals, having I can remember both bat and trap teams, something that is non existent in the Dover area, being played mainly around Canterbury, but also housed a skittle alley and good number of teams.

Andrew Cuenca decided that the old alley, being outside and one of the very first to be built in the area needed to be improved, and so paid to have another built. This one was at right angles to the original and was completely enclosed inside a building that somewhat resembled a house. Indeed I am sure Andrew had other plans for the area and ended up living in the skittle alley a couple of years after it was built. I think that could well have been the first thoughts to build houses on the land.

Now closed, demolished and you guessed it... flats being built. Great to put even more people in that area, but what are they going to do for entertainment in the evenings and at weekends?

All photos below by Paul Skelton, 17 May 2008. The new buildings on the site of the former King Lear. The building on the right being that which housed the skittle alley. Close up of the only part (centre) that is left of the old building. View from the back of the site, looking up at the top of Shakespeare Cliff. The sea is the other side after a 300 foot drop where the grass meets the sky. Advert for new flats that now occupy the site of the King Lear.

LICENSEE LIST

GOLDING William Alfred 1939 end

LEWIS Barrington Edgerley 1939-42 end (Dover Express)

BURFIELD William Henry 1942-45 (Dover Express)

HOLMES L. 1948-49 end

PETERS Ernest William 1949-70 end

THOMAS Alfred C. 1970-75 dec'd

THOMAS Mrs Anna 1975-77

CUENCA Andrew 1982-87

BLISS Bob 1990

McSLOY Mr N 2007

From the Kelley's Directory 1950

From the Kelley's Directory 1953

From the Kelley's Directory 1956