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120 London Road, Temple Ewell
Kearsney/River
  
01304 822016
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Above photo by kind permission Dover Library ILL/63. Please note, it was
then referred to as the "Railway Hotel, date unknown. |
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HIGH NOTE: Catherine Woodward and Francis Gorham outside The Railway Bell Ref: pd 91977
Dover Mercury 2/May/2002
Old pub's owners ring the changes
TWO centuries of hospitality and a return to an earlier name were
celebrated at The Railway Bell pub, Kearsney, on Tuesday by owners
Francis Gorham and Catherine Woodward, and their customers.
Francis explained: ''A lot of regulars still called the pub by its old
name, even though it had been The Pickwick since May 1983, when it had
been bought by Whitbread as part of its Wayside Inn chain.
"The place
has got to be couple of hundred years old, and an old coaching inn, and
it's had a number of names in that time.
"With the coming of the railway, tradition has it that there was a bell
at the pub which would be rung 10 minutes before the train was due at
the station across the road and that's how it first came by the name of
The Railway Bell."
Francis and Catherine already own the Lydden Bell and they plan to make
The Railway Bell chime with people's tastes in pubs today.
This will mean no loud music, no swearing and a new menu with good food,
freshly prepared throughout the day.
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From the Dover Express, 23 October 2003.
DAREDEVIL pub patrons have managed to raise over £2,000 for charity
by bungee jumping in the dark. The brave jumpers, regulars of the
Railway Bell pub in London Road, took the 200 foot plunge to raise money
for the Kent Air Ambulance on October 10. The crane and launch basket
were set up in the pub's car park, with participants falling towards
tarmac at an alarming speed before being bounced back up by the bungee
cord. As well as the sponsored jumpers taking part, bungee enthusiasts
from around the county were also attracted to the event, making the
night a busy one for all involved. Pub manager Deborah Whitehouse
(right, holding Tee-shirt) was
thrilled with the event's success.
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Photo above and below by Paul Skelton 10 November 2007 |
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Built at the time of the laying of the railway track through River,
Kearsney and Temple Ewell to London from Dover and known unofficially by
locals as the "Kearsney Bell" due to a "Lydden Bell" being a few miles up
the road at Lydden.
Originally the "Railway Bell" and also referred to as the
"Railway Hotel" and then "Pickwicks"
(May 1983) but now reverted back to the "Railway Bell" again.
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From the Dover Express and East Kent News. 31 March 1939.
The West Street Foxhounds will meet at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, April
6th - Bell, Kearsney, (by invitation).
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From the Dover Express and East Kent News. 4 July 1952.
NEW SITE FOR "SUICIDE SEAT"
The Chairman, Alderman A. J. Fenn, reported to the Works Committee on
Tuesday that he and the Borough Engineer had agreed that the only
suitable alternative site for the seat at the bottom of Whitfield Hill
was by the Railway Hotel.
At its last meeting the Committee had agreed that the seat should be
removed from the bottom of Whitfield Hill after one member had said it
was almost suicidal to sit there.
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From the Dover Mercury, 18 August 2005.
Pubs bid to open round the clock.
TWO of Dover's pubs and a 'supermarket' have asked for the right to serve alcohol 24 hours a day.
Under the Government's new licensing regime, all pubs, clubs and businesses serving alcohol and hot food after
11pm,
and offering public entertainment, can ask for variations in the times they serve alcohol.
The Britannia pub in Townwall Street, and the Railway Bell in London
Road, Kearsney, have applied for licences that would allow them to
serve alcohol at all times of the day and night.
And Tesco in Whitfield wants to offer its shoppers the choice of buying
alcohol whenever they visit the store.
Both licenses cite very different reasons for their applications,
dismissing any thoughts of round-the-clock binge drinking.
Sarah Webb, licensee of the Britannia near the harbour, said: "We are looking to cater for people who work
shifts and do not want to go to a nightclub. We know from our
customers that many would like a quiet drink, outside
normal hours."
Francis Gorham, licensee of the Railway Bell, said his application was
not about keeping the pub open 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
He added: "This is about being able to decide, as responsible
licensees, a suitable time to close the pub. One night that could be
3am, another 11pm."
Deadline
Following the August 6 deadline for licence applications,
the district council has received 480 applications out of an expected
650 for the Dover district.
Many pubs have applied for longer hours, especially at weekends. The Flotilla and Firkin, in Bench Street, wants to close at 3am on
Fridays and Saturdays, while the Old Endeavour, in London Road, has
applied to stay open until at 2.30am on Fridays and
Saturdays.
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LICENSEE LIST
DOWNS Richard 1874+
DOWN George 1882-1900+
        
TERRY Edward 1913+
FURNEAUX A 1914
WESTON J 1923-32+ 
GORHAM
Francis &
WOODWARD Katherine 2002+
From the Post Office Directory 1874
From the Post Office Directory 1882
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1889
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1890
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1891
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1895
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1896-97
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1898
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1899
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1899-1900
From the Kelley's Directory 1899
From the Post Office Directory 1913
From the Post Office Directory 1914
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1923
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1924
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1932-33
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