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Existed from at least 1821. In 1851 and earlier, Grange Road is numbered listed according to places, and is at Fort Place, Grange Road; at 131 Grange Road by 1856 through renumbering. Now abbreviated to the Fort **
Historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels.
Royal Fort, 131 Grange Road, Bermondsey - circa 1920
Kindly provided by Eric Stacey
Royal Fort, 131 Grange Road, SE1 - in July 2007
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
Residents at this address.
John Lockie, a descriptive London Street Directory in 1810 describes : Fort Place, Grange Road, Bermondsey, a part of the South side, about f of a mile on the Right from Bermondsey New road, near the Turnpike and Blue anchor road.
Francis Rockliff moved to Fort Place after 1818 but before 1821, and his occupation was a victualler. Before that he was a warehouseman. His son Charles gave Grange Road as his address when his children were baptised in 1837, 1838, 1839, 1841. In 1843 he was living in Blue Anchor Place as a victualler and in 1844 Providence Street. *
1822/Francis Rockliff/Royal Fort, Fort place, Grange road/../../Licensed Victualler Recognizances
1825/Francis Rockcliffe/Royal Fort, Grange road/../../Licensed Victualler Recognizances
1826/Francis Rockcliffe/Royal Fort, Grange road/../../Licensed Victualler Recognizances
1827/Francis Rockliff, Royal Fort, 1 Fort place, Bermondsey/../../Pigots Directory
1829, Francis Rocliff, Royal Fort, Blue Anchor road, Bermondsey/../../Robsons Directory
William Manktelow, the publican at the Horse Shoe, 10 Grange Road, was the son-in-law of Francis Rockliff. *
Licensed Victuallers Asylum 1831 - September 12, 1831 Morning Advertiser
The Governors and Committee beg to acknowledge the receipt of the following further Contributions since their last advertisement :-
Charles Rockliff, Royal Fort, Grange road, Bermondsey, in addition to two guineas, 1 guinea
1839/Francis Rockliff/../../../Pigots Directory *
1841/Ch Rockliff/../../../Post Office Directory *
1841/Charles Rockliff/Victualler/25/Surrey/Census *
1841/Ann Rockliff/../25/Surrey/Census
1841/Mary Rockliff/../4/Surrey/Census
1841/Laetitia Rockliff/../3/Surrey/Census
1841/Clara Rockliff/../6 months/Surrey/Census
1841/Ann Rutland/Female Servant/25/../Census
1841/Henry Wilkinson/Male Servant/15/Surrey/Census
1841/Mary Manns/Female Servant/10/Surrey/Census
1843/Chas Rockliff/../../../Kellys Directory
1848/John Nicholl/../../../Post Office Directory
1851/John Nicholl/../../../Kellys Directory
1856/John Nicholl/../../../Post Office Directory
1861/John Brook/Victualler/53/Newington/Census
1861/Jane Brook/Wife/53/Newington/Census
1861/John Brook/Son/25/Bermondsey/Census
1861/Mary Ann Brook/Daughter/16/Bermondsey/Census
1861/Jane Penfold/Grand Daughter/7/Folkestone, Kent/Census
1861/Matilda Pummell/Barmaid/17/Newington/Census
1861/Mary A King/Housemaid/32/Ireland/Census
1861/Robert Frampton/Pot Man/26/Bermondsey/Census
1869/John E Brook/../../../Post Office Directory
1877/Mrs Jane Brook/../../../Post Office Directory **
1881/Jane Brook/Licensed Victualler, Widow/73/St Saviours, Surrey/Census
1881/Jane A Penfold/Grand Daughter/27/Chelsea, Middlesex/Census
1881/Alfred Ball/Barman/29/Westerham, Essex/Census
1881/Frederick W Lewis/Barman/15/Camberwell, Surrey/Census
1881/Emily Willetts/Domestic Servant/28/Cranford, Middlesex/Census
1882/John Elias Brook/../../../Post Office Directory
1884/John E Brook/../../../Post Office Directory
1891/John Elias Brook/../../../Post Office Directory
1895/Mrs Fanny Jane Brook/../../../Post Office Directory *++
1899/Henry Waghorn/../../../Post Office Directory
George Gow was born 17 Oct 1868, at Calton, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
He was a hairdresser in Glasgow in the 1891 census. He married at the 5th
January 1892, Gourock, Renfrewshire, Scotland to my Great Aunt, Agnes Brown
(1863-1903). They had one daughter, Annie Crawford Gow, born 10 Feb 1893, in
Glasgow. Again in the 1901 census he was a hair dresser in Glasgow. *+
After the death of his wife Agnes in 1903 he moved to Sussex, England whwre
he remarried in January 1904, in Brighton, to Beatrice Baker (1865-1911). By
1906 he is listed at 131 Grange Road, Bermondsey. Records of 1906 to 1918
list George Gow as a publican at this address. By 1920 he is listed as a
retired publican at 155 Drummond Street, Bermondsey. He dies on the 31
Oct 1921, in Brighton, Sussex at 27 Bond Street, Brighton. *+
1910/George Gow/../../../Post Office Directory
1911/George Gow/Publican/42/Glasgow, Lanarkshire/Census
1911/Beatrice Gow/Wife, Assistant/46/Groombridge, Sussex/Census
1911/Ann Crawford Gow/Daughter, Assistant/18/Glasgow, Lanarkshire/Census
1911/George Samuel Gow/Son/3/Bermondsey, London/Census
1911/Alice Rose Chiles/Barmaid/23/Camberwell, London/Census
1911/Beatrice Louisa Dunn/Barmaid/22/Bermondsey, London/Census
1911/Emma Pearson/Nurse/62/Walworth, London/Census
1915/Alfred Stanley Wilkinson/../../../Post Office Directory
1921/Alfred Rubin/../../../Post Office Directory
There are two Pubs and the Off-license listed on your website that were once
owned by my Grandfather Charles Stacey about the 1920's. These were the
Feathers, 6 Dockhead Road, Bermondsey, The
Royal Fort, 131 Grange Road and the
Off License at
165 Church Street, Deptford. ***
1934/Rt H Pantling/../../../Kellys Directory
1938/Claude Pomeroy Tredwell/../../../Post Office Directory *++
1944/Charles V Powell/../../../Post Office Directory
My father, Fredrick Smith, took over The Royal Fort back in 1962 from two
old ladies. At the time there were only two people in that pub; by the next
few months my dad had the pub painted up and had games like a dart club and
skittles in the public bar. There were bands that played music at the
weekend; then he got the drag queens in and there it took off and The Royal
Fort was back on the map as everyone from all over london came to see the
shows and the drag queens did a lot of charity for the old people. We left
that pub in 1965 and The Royal Fort has never been the same. **
1965/F E Smith/../../../B T Phone Book [BERmndsy 1481]
* Provided By Rosie Marshall
*+ Provided By Leighton Passant
*++ Provided By Ewan
** Provided By Janice Mcfadden
*** Provided By Eric Stacey
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