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Custom House Quay
Strond Street
 
A "Ship" was listed in the census of 1545. Six beds and
stabling were shown but no address was given, the licensee at that time was
given as Hugh Brackett. Also shown was the "Ship Victualling House" with four beds and that was in Biggin Street
and the licensee being a Edward Foster. It is
recorded that Henry Rouse, innkeeper of the "Ship", died on 28 August 1697
and Samuel Foote, actor, died at a "Ship Inn" in 1777.
This hotel was active in 1799 with Worthington the host.
Before the "Lord Warden" days it was noted for receiving "crowned heads" and
other notable. Marshal Blucher was there in 1814. History has it that Wellesley,
the Duke of Wellington, was carried shoulder high to this amenity when
he returned from the low countries following Waterloo in 1815.
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From the Dover Telegraph, Saturday 23 November 1833.
The Duke of Devonshire arrived here on Thursday, and remains at Wright's
Hotel.
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From the Dover Telegraph, 21 December 1833.
The Bankruptcy issued
against Mr Charles Wright, of the Ship Hotel, having been appointed to
be worked at Sandwich, a meeting of the Creditors took place at the
"Antwerp Inn", on Tuesday when it was resolved to the Commissioners, to
appoint the meeting at Dover which would be more convenient to the
greater portion of the creditors. The Fiat, we understand, was
accelerated in consequence of certain members of the Bankrupts family
being able to enforce the payment of a Judgement Security, there by to
obtain for themselves an undue preference, to the injury of the other
creditors.- The debts are supposed to be between forty and fifty
thousand pounds which falling principally on the Town, have caused a
considerable sensation; but certainly no Panic, as stated by our
Canterbury contemporary.
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From the Dover Telegraph, 21 December 1833.
The CREDITORS who have proved their Debts under a Fiat of Bankruptcy,
awarded and issued forth against CHARLES WRIGHT, of the Town and Port of
Dover, in the County of Kent, Innkeeper, Dealer and Chapman, are
requested to meet the Assignees of the estate and effects of the said
Bankrupt, on Saturday, the 25th day of January, instant, at Twelve
o'clock at noon precisely, at the CORN MARKET room, at the "ROYAL
OAK INN", in Dovor aforesaid, in order to assent or dissent from the
said Assignees selling and disposing of the Bankrupt's household
furniture, plate, linen, china, books, prints, pictures, and other
effects, in and about the Ship Hotel, in Dovor aforesaid; and also all
the horses, carriages, harness, corn, hay, straw, utensils, and other
things, now being in and about the several stables, lofts, coach-houses,
and other buildings, late in the occupation of the said Bankrupt, and
now of his Assignees, and situated in Dovor aforesaid, the City of
Canterbury, Ewell, and Lydden, in the County of Kent, or elsewhere, to
any person or persons at fair valuation, each to be made by three
competent Appraisers, chosen by the said Assignees and the person or
persons becoming the purchaser or purchasers. To assent to or dissent
from the said Assignees employing a person or persons, to be named as
such meeting, to collect the outstanding debts of the said Bankrupt, and
to allow such compensation to the person or persons so employed, as the
said Assignees shall deem best and responsible. To assent or dissent
from Assignees commencing and prosecuting and actions, suits or
other proceedings at law or in in equality, against certain Debtors to
the said Bankrupt's estate, a schedule on whose debts, will be submitted
to the Creditors at such meeting. To assent or to dissent from the said
Assignees compounding with any or either of the said Debtors to the said
Bankrupt's estate, and submitting any dispute or question relative
therein to arbitration, to such person or persons , in such manner and
is such terms as by the said Assignees may be deemed expedient and
proper. To assent to or dissent from the said Assignees taking the
opinion of Counsel on any points arising out of the said Bankrupt's
affairs. To assent to or dissent from the said Assignees charging and
deducting out of the Monies which they shall receive on account of the
said Bankrupt's estate and effects, the expenses they must necessarily
be put to in managing the affair of the said Bankrupt. To assent to or
dissent from the said Assignees paying to a person to be named at such
meeting, such salary or compensation for his trouble in conducting the
Business of the Hotel aforesaid, as to the said Assignees shall appear
reasonable or proper. And also to assent to or dissent from the said
Assignees paying certain law and other expenses, amounting in the whole
to the sum of £19 6s. 8d. incurred in relation to the Bankrupts affairs
before the appointment of the said Assignees, a statement whereof will
be submitted to the Creditors at such Meeting, and other special
affairs.
MATTHEW KENNETT.
Solicitor to the Assignees.
Dovor, January 1st, 1834.
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From the Dover Telegraph, 21 December 1833.
HORSES FOR SALE
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION
BY MR. GEORGE HARRISSON,
AT THE REPOSITORY, in Town Wall Street, Dovor, Saturday, the 1st day
of March next, at Three o'clock in the Afternoon, those Two well known
RACE HORSES... SOBER ROBIN & FUSELLI;
(Unless legally claimed on or before Saturday), the 2nd instant, in
which case, public notice will be given, countermanding the sale.)
N.B. The above mentioned Horses were some months since, left under
peculiar circumstances, in the care of MR. WRIGHT, late of the Ship
Hotel, Dovor; and his Assignees wishing to deliver them up to the right
owner or owners, have caused applications to be made in several
quarters, but which have been wholly unattended to. They therefore now
give this public Notice, that the said two horses will be sold as above,
to defray their keep and expenses, unless on or before Saturday, the
22nd instant, a clear right of ownership be made out, to the
satisfaction of MR KENNETT, of Dovor, Solicitor to Mr. Wright's
Assignees.
Dovor, Feb. 5, 1834.
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Edward VII, at the age of 16 years, spent a night there.
The Ship Hotel was demolished in 1878 to provide a site for Messrs Bradley
Bros grain warehouse, but for some years previously it had been transformed
into a Convalescent Home.
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This picture is dated February 1871 and shows the dock being deepened
to accommodate bigger vessels. From the left the
buildings on the quayside are the old Ship Hotel, the Royal Mall Packet
Office, Northumberland House, Holy Trinity Church, the Harp Hotel and an
old convalescent home. |
"Worthington's Hotel and Ship Inn" stood with its front
facing the harbour, the Granville Dock was not so named before 1871, with a
rear entrance in Strond Street. That would be in 1838. From 1805 to 1833 it
was "Wright's Hotel and Ship Inn". Birmingham took over about 1844, staying
to 1865 and then becoming the owner of the "Lord Warden Hotel".
By all accounts, a busy staging post this one. In 1823,
mail coaches left here every evening at eight and proceeded to the "Angel
Inn", St. Clement's, London, another leaving that place at the same time
every evening for Dover. Every day also, at six and ten in the forenoon and
six in the evening, coaches ran to the Atlas Office. 8 Piccadilly; to the
"Golden Cross" at Charing Cross and the "White Horse" at Fetter Lane. By
reciprocation, coaches returned from those places every morning and evening.
Much of this establishment seems to disappear when a corn
store was erected hereabouts by Bradley brothers in April 1878. The hotel
was sold later, in January 1899, for £1,500. Part was then used as the
Railway Marine Offices up to 1914 when the new railway terminus opened at
the South pier.
I should have said earlier that the licence was renewed by
them as early as 1868. It may not have been demolished before 1947 or even
the early fifties. The annexe at one time was Admiral House, the Dover Naval
Headquarters and that may have survived to the 1960's.
Another house in Strond Street used this sign from 1872 and Pigot's
Directory 1832-33-34 mentions a Ship Inn and Family Hotel in Strond Street.
I am inclined to think these are one and the same and
the reports of the time became confused with the actual premises as shown
below there is mention of the same licensee in both in the same year (Paul
Skelton).
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From an email received 18 February 2008.
I do not know if you have heard of ‘Coopers and Cutters’, Janet
Worthington’s book on the Worthington family of Dover, but it’s a mine
of information on the family and well worth a look, if only for the Ship
Hotel. Its’ published by Phillimore, Chichester, 1997.
You will note from the book that there were two Lt. Benjamin
Worthingtons, R.N., Benjamin Jelly the father, commander of a revenue
cutter, and his son, also called Benjamin, (Lt. R.N. 1813), who with his
brother Henry, took over the Ship Hotel from Charles Wright in February
1834, when the latter became bankrupt.
Regards,
Alec Hasenson.
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In Janet Worthington's book 'Coopers and Customs Cutters', she
mentions an advert in the Kentish Gazette of July 29, 1796, that "the
Ship Inn has been taken over by T. Wright, late of King's Head, from Mr.
Harvey". It is not clear unfortunately which King's Head this refers to,
the pub or the hotel. I have not found this advert yet, but suspect I
was looking at the wrong page of that particular issue.
Alec Hasenson later wrote to me with the following:-
"I have managed to find the advert announcing
the take over of the Ship Hotel that Janet Worthington mentions in her
book!
She gave the right year but the wrong month as her reference in
the Kentish Gazette. It was actually published in the issues for August
5 and 12, 1796, not July 29th, or if it was, I missed it again, though I
don’t think so.
I scanned every single page till I found it in the
August issues. Interestingly the paper gives his name as Wrighte with an
‘E’ on the end. Perhaps that was a mistake on the part of the paper.
The above Hotel is not to be confused with the pub of that same name,
located at Kingsdown, Dover. Hotel and pub are both listed in Kelly's
Directory for Kent, 1903, a massive tome of over 1,000 pages, which I
had forgotten I had! The pubs alone occupy some 10 and a half pages,
each of two closely packed columns, making altogether, I suppose, near
one thousand pubs altogether. Hotels are far less numerous, and listed
separately - about 300 I would guess.
It occurs to me that the Ship Inn was always a rather prestigious
place in Dover. That being so, it seems more likely that whoever took it
over - Timothy Wright in this case - would have come from having
previously managed a Hotel rather than a pub.
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LICENSEE LIST
ROWSE Henry 1679 dec'd
WRIGHT Charles and Timothy 1796 Aug-1819 (Wright's
Hotel and Ship Inn)
WRIGHT Charles 1828-39
MILLINGTON John 1811 ?
WORTHINGTON Benjamin and Henry 1838-40+
(Worthington's Hotel and
Ship Inn)
WORTHINGTON Benjamin Jolly 1838 (Worthington's Hotel
and Ship Inn)
WORTHINGTON Henry 1840
BIRMINGHAM John 1844-54 (Royal Ship Hotel)
RUTTER John Sicard 1863-65
SIMS C. 1872 (Custom House Quay)
WATSON 1889
From the Pigot's Directory 1828-29
From the Pigot's Directory 1832-33-34
From the Pigot's Directory 1839
From the Pigot's Directory 1840
From Bagshaw Directory 1847
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