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South Pier
Admiralty Pier
Beach Street
 
The large hotel at the South pier, which opened in 1853 never had a
public bar so does not come within the limits of Barry Smith's original work. However, I (Paul
Skelton) think it such an important part of Dover that I am going to include
it along with these pubs below with photographs.
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Lord Warden Hotel, date unknown. |
On the other
hand, the title was reported on Commercial Quay in 1846-47. A "Lord Warden
Tap" was evident in 1847 but I have no address. A "Little Lord Warden"
was reported in Union Street in 1864 and the authorities were quick to close
it that year. Also another "Lord
Warden" in Snargate Street.
In 1862, the authorities pointed out that were twenty six licensed
premises between the "George" and the "Clarendon Hotel". But perhaps more
damning, that 115 to 120 Snargate Street contained four of those premises.
Even so, it did survive and it was 1868 before the licence was finally
suspended.
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Lord Warden postcards by kind permission of Dover Library. Above ILL/1752
below ILL/1115 |
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Above shows The Dining Room at The Lord Warden Hotel. Picture by kind
permission Dover Library
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From the Dover Express 20 October 1994.
HISTORIC Southern House the former Lord Warden hotel in
Dover's dockland - is gelling a facelift.
The massive building, hemmed
in at
the Western Docks by railway lines, is undergoing repairs and a
paint-up.
Owner Stena Sealink said it was still looking for tenants for
the property that is virtually empty. A spokesman said its policy was to try
to keep its properties in good order.
The Lord Warden, this week clothed
in scaffolding, was once Dover's top hotel and guests there included
Louis Napoleon and his family, Charles Dickens and a host of diplomats
and titled heads of Europe.
During the war years it became a
headquarters for the Royal Navy in Dover and in the days of peace was
the local headquarters of British Rail Board and the seat of the Dover
Collection of Customs.
Stena, who inherited the property via British
Rail and Sealink, at one stage was preparing to offer it for sale but
later decided to keep it.
It is next to the area zoned for development
under Dover Harbour Board's £100 million ten year plan for the
regeneration of the Western Docks.
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From the Dover Express 3 September 1998 by Bob Hollingsbee.
HOTEL SPLENDOUR PRE-1900: The former Lord Warden Hotel which once
entertained important guests from around the world, including Napoleon III
and his wife Eugenie.
SOON after joining the Dover Express in 1954 as a very raw junior (after a false start in engineering,
which I soon discovered was not for me), I realised what a rich source of
local history the files of a newspaper are.
So, when I heard the good news that the former Lord Warden Hotel, for
many years in recent times used as railway company offices, was to be taken
over by the Dover Harbour Board, I knew where to find a 'potted history' of
the building.
And that was a cuttings file I have built up over many years of Express
features written by members of the editorial staff over four decades I have
been with the paper, and before that back to the legendary local historian
and editor of the Express, John Bavington Jones.
In fact the year before I joined the staff there was a feature about
"The Building which knows 100 years of Secrets." It tells how the building
opened a century before, in 1853, having been built by the South Eastern
Railway Company as the Lord Warden Hotel.
It entertained a long line of
distinguished men and women from England and overseas and its fame for
entertaining soon spread throughout the world.
Commanding fine views along the coast, across the harbour and out to the
Channel it also had the advantage for passengers of having a covered
walkway at first floor level to the old Town Station which was just across
the street.
Also but a short step across the road on the seaward side of the hotel was a
station on the Admiralty Pier, and later the much grander Marine Station
which replaced it. The latter of course has now been converted in to a
modern liner terminal.
It was within the hotel walls that in March 1671 Napoleon III was
reunited with his faithful wife Eugenie after his release from Wilhelmshole
Castle, Germany where he had been kept since his surrender at the fall of
Sedan.
Charles Dickens was a regular guest and in a letter dated 1863 he described
mine hosts at the hotel, Mr and Mrs John Birmingham as "my much esteemed
friends," at the same time adding that they were "too conceited" with the
comforts of the establishment, especially when the night mail boat or
train was about to
start.
The hotel was owned at one time by Gordon's Hotels and later by Fredericks.
Between the wars the hotel still attracted a polished clientele and many
still recall the nights of dancing and eating in the
once celebrated ballroom. During the Second World War it played an
important military role as a rest and signal centre but by the end presented
a sorry sight for those who remember its past splendour.
Then it became offices for British Railways as Southern House, later had a
Customs role and then Stena took over.
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In the picture, above, the Western Docks area, is
shown as it appeared in about 1865, when the Admiralty Pier extension was
being constructed. The Granville Dock had been drained of water
at the time. In the foreground is Strond Street with Holy Trinity
Church and the old harbour station on the right. There was no
Marine Station but the old town station can be seen linked by a
bridge with the Lord Warden Hotel - now Southern House. Two
early cross-Channel paddle steamers are in the outer, tidal dock.
Top left are the North and South Piers - and the open sea. There
was no Admiralty Harbour then. |
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This attractive old print above depicts the Lord Warden Hotel
and the pilot tower before the line to Folkestone was cut through its
base to the station platform on the Admiralty Pier. If the artist's
drawing is accurate it would appear that there was then no protection
from the weather or heavy seas breaking over the pier for passengers
waiting to board the little Paddle steamer operating across the Channel. |
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This picture above, is from the same series of
engravings, which were published in booklet form but not dated. It shows
one of the first boat trains of the old London, Chatham and Dover
Railway heading for the Admiralty Pier.
Information taken from John Bavington-Jones' book "A Perambulation of
the Town, Port and Fortress of Dover", 1906. (Reprint in The South Kent
Gazette, April 9th, 1980.) |
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The Shar's first step on English ground, showing the Lord Warden Hotel. |
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From the Dover Express. 1864.
Felony of a Kitchen Maid.
Louisa Skates a kitchen maid at the Lord Warden Hotel, was charged
with stealing a piece of mutton value 1s 6d from that establishment, and
Elizabeth Winter an elderly woman with receiving the same knowing it to
have been stolen. P.C. Irons saw the last named prisoner coming up the
area steps with a parcel containing the meat and upon enquiries it
turned out to be stolen. Mrs. Birmingham appealed to the clemency of the
Bench on behalf of the prisoner’s the first of who was sentenced to
fourteen days hard labour while the elder woman was dismissed.
From the Dover Express. 1865.
Resisting the Police.
Ann Stiff a woman of the town, was charged with drunkenness and
resisting P.C. Bowles at midnight on the previous night. The constable
said that about twelve o’clock on Sunday night he was on duty in
Snargate Street when he had occasion to speak to the defendant as to her
disorderly proceedings. He had already spoken to her several times when
he saw her go from the Lord Warden Inn opposite the Grand Shaft with a
pot containing something to drink and give it to a sentry who was on
guard at the foot of the shaft. She remained on the pavement and witness
had to tell her she must not loiter about. She then returned to the Lord
Warden with the pot and afterwards came out and stationing herself on
the footway defied him to remove her. He had to get assistance to convey
her to the Station House and she resisted with very great violence on
her way thither. The defendant seemed to have lost her crinoline in the
struggle with the police judging from the appearance of her dress. She
had nothing to say in her defence.
The magistrates said she would be fined 2s. 6d and the costs 6s. A
voice in the court, it will be paid. The money was then handed in and
the defendant on leaving the court was cautioned to be more careful of
herself in future.
Information kindly supplied by Joyce Banks.
More reading of Dover at
www.DoverHistory.co.uk
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From the Dover Express and East Kent News, 1 December 1939.
Mr. H Stanley Wharton, the Chairman, speaking at the annual meeting of
the Frederick Hotels, said in reference to the Lord Warden Hotel:- "After
the closing of the port of Dover we decided to close the Lord Warden
Hotel, the boat service no longer in operation, resulting in the loss of
the catering on the cross-Channel steamers to Dover. This hotel is in
course of being requisitioned.
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LICENSEE LIST
BIRCH Barzillia 1849 (Lord Warden Inn)
MACGREGOR or McGREGOR James 1853
HAIKES 1854
HASTIER Auguste 1856
BIRMINGHAM John 1861-70 dec'd
EVENDEN 1868 At this stage the liquor license was terminated, but the
hotel continued.
BIRMINGHAM A 1870 ?
BIRMINGHAM John 1874
SWAINSTON William Richard 1875-85+
SWAINSTON John P 1889-95
  
GORDON HOTELS LIM. 1899
AMANS J. A. 1901
BEAUMONT R. 1907
HARVEY A. 1908-11
GORDON HOTELS Ltd. 1923
MACMURCHY 1924
FREDERICK HOTELS LTD 1932-39
From Melville's Directory 1858
From the Post Office Directory 1874
From the Post Office Directory 1882
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1889
From the Post Office Directory 1891
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1895
From the Kelley's Directory 1899
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1923
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1924
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1932-33
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