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Plans submitted to transform derelict The Princess Royal pub in South Street, Folkestone

By: Oliver Leonard oleonard@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 11:22, 08 December 2023

Updated: 13:02, 08 December 2023

Eye-catching images reveal how a historic but derelict pub will be brought back to life.

Plans have been submitted to restore the The Princess Royal in South Street, Folkestone, which has been a public house since 1845.

Plans to restore The Princess Royal in South Street, Folkestone, have been revealed. Picture: FHSDC

Currently covered in scaffolding and graffiti, the building will be transformed with renovations taking place inside and out. An extension will also be added.

Floral rooftops, lighting and outside seating will all be installed.

The boozer, formally known as the Engine Inn due to its proximity to the former harbour railway line, stopped trading in 2015.

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The Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) is behind the ambitious project, which could be completed in 2024.

The firm is led by former Saga boss Sir Roger De Haan, and is also responsible for the transformation of the harbour arm, and the new homes being created along the seafront.

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The site has been derelict for many years with scaffolding surrounding the building. Picture: Google

Sir Roger, chairman of FHSDC said: “The plans to refurbish and restore The Princess Royal is another important step in our work to breathe life into some of the most historic and significant parts of Folkestone.

“We want to do everything we can to bring it back to its former glory and make it a central hub of the community once more and feel these proposals achieve that.”

Architects from A IS FOR_ are behind the designs.

The team say they want to repair and rebuild the existing external fabric while improving its “energy efficiency, whilst the existing floors will be restructured using timber joist construction with the extensions to the existing building constructed in CLT and clad in glazed tiles”.

Sir Roger De Haan says the plans are an 'important step in work to breathe life into some of the most historic and significant parts of Folkestone'. Picture: FHSDC
The pub stopped trading in 2015. Picture: FHSDC

The site of The Princess Royal has been occupied by different public houses since 1845.

Situated at the lower end of Parade Steps on South Street, it took its current title in 1856 in homage to the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (Princess Victoria).

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Duarte Lobo Antunes, director at A IS FOR_ said: “This is our first retrofit project and we’re excited to work on restoring this cherished and historic gathering place.

“A lot of thought has been put into the designs to ensure that we retain the original charm and characteristics of the public house, whilst adding modern elements that will make it an attractive and popular establishment once more.”

The pub is a stone's throw away from the new London & Paris Hotel, which was formerly Gillespies.

FHSDC and A IS FOR_ now seek to secure planning permission in 2024, with works to commence on the restoration and retrofit shortly after.

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