Robin Hood (Dover)
| Locality | |
|---|---|
| Coordinate | 51.1241, 1.3147 |
| Adm. div. | Kent |
| Vicinity | 40 Townwall Street; E corner of Townwall Street and Mill Lane |
| Type | Public house |
| Interest | Robin Hood name |
| Status | Defunct |
| First Record | 1840 |
| A.k.a. | Robin Hood Inn; Robbin Hood Inn |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-11-16. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2022-06-10. Photo used with the kind permission of Paul Skelton. Entry largely based on Barry Smith and Paul Skelton's page on the pub.
The Robin Hood on 40 Townwall Street in Dover was in business by 1840 and until early in WWII, when it was so heavily damaged during a German bombing raid that it never reopened. The building was demolished in 1957.
The pub was situated on a corner – evidently the eastern – of Townwall Street and Mill Lane. Its address was usually given as 40 Townwall Street, but 41 Townwall Street (1874), Mill Lane (1874), and St James Lane (1840[1], 1847,[2] and 1862[3]) also occur. Mill Lane would have been the lane running north from Townwall Street immediately east of the building in which the pub was situated.
In 1906, the pub was so thoroughly renovated as to be practically rebuilt, the frontage being fitted with mosaic tiles depicting Robin Hood. Early in World War II, the pub was badly damaged during a German bombing raid and never reopened. Permission to repair the extensive damage was denied by civic authorities in 1946 and 1949. A compulsory purchase order was made in 1954 and the building was demolished in 1957. In the late 1960s, many buildings on Townwall Street were demolished when the present dual carriageway was constructed, and hardly anything of the original Townwall Street remains.
Barry Smith and Paul Skelton's page on the pub includes notices of the pub found in local newspapers. The Robin Hood often hosted meetings of local associations and, on several occasions, coroner's inquests.[1] Lists of publicans can be found on Smith and Skelton's page[1] and Pub History.[3] The pub is indicated, as 'P.H.', on the early 25" O.S. maps listed below.
Gazetteers
- Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.
Sources
- The Closed Pubs Project: Kent: Dover: Robin Hood
- Kent's Public House Archive Site: Robin Hood, 40 Townwall Street, Dover
- Pub Wiki: Robin Hood, Townwall Street, Dover
- Roots Chat: Robin Hood Inn, Dover.
Maps
- 25" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.14 (c. 1865; surveyed 1862), No copy in NLS
- 25" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.14 (1898; rev. 1883) (georeferenced)
- 25" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.14 (1898; rev. 1883–97)
- 25" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.14 & 15 (1907; rev. 1906)
- 25" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.14 (1945; rev. 1937–38)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.SW (1899; rev. 1866–97) (georeferenced)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII (1876; surveyed 1871–72)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.SW (1899; rev. 1866–97)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.SW (1908; rev. 1906)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.SW (c. 1944; rev. 1938)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.SW (c. 1946; rev. 1938)
- 6" O.S. map Kent LXVIII.SW (1950; rev. 1937–38).
Also see
Notes