The Clifton Hotel, Weymouth - now the Railway Tavern?

[phill100]

Would it be possible for someone who knows Weymouth to clear up a small mystery?

There is a pub situated opposite the Weymouth Railway Station, called "The Railway Tavern". Was that pub originally named "The Clifton Hotel"? Or, does The Clifton Hotel still exist in a street behind The Railway Tavern?

The background of the request is that a g grandfather (William Pruden) used to operate The Clifton Hotel (ca 1900 until after 1918) - and after asking locals about The Clifton when I visited Weymouth in 2006 was told that due to "a bad reputation" the pub was re-named. On the strength of that I photographed the pub - The Railway Tavern - from the railway station side.

In the 1911 census the pub's address (ie The Clifton) was given as 6 Queen St - which, on Google maps, appears to in a street behind the current Railway Tavern. Perhaps the pub used to (or still does?) stretch from in front of the railway station across to Queen St.?

Googling "The Clifton Hotel", on some sites, sites a Clifton Hotel at 6 Queen St.

I guess the other question is whether or not I need to visit Weymouth again to photograph the 6 Queen St. side (and if that is the case, do  need to know how good the food and drink is in either the Clifton or the Railway Tavern?)? (I wonder if it would upset current owners and patrons to know that a g grandmother (Cecilia Pruden nee Lewis) died in The Clifton>)

Many thanks

Phill

[hanes teulu]

phill100,
Can't answer your query about the the Clifton Hotel being renamed the Railway Tavern but Kelly's Directory of Dorset (1911 and 1915 editions) refer to a Clifton Hotel, Queen St, Weymouth but there is no mention of a Railway Tavern/pub/Inn for the same periods. The Clifton references are

William Robert Pruden, Clifton Hotel, Queen St & Wine Merchant, 4 Crescent St

Clifton Hotel, first class commercial house; large parties catered for, tariff on application (William Robert Pruden Proprietor), Queen St. T A "Clifton Weymouth;" T N 248 (wd that be an early phone no?)

regards

[phill100]

Many thanks Hanes Teulu,

That information is very interesting - also nice to learn that the establishment was a "first class commercial house"

The fact that there was no mention of a Railway Tavern at that time may suggest that the Clifton was indeed renamed.

Many thanks again

Phill

[behindthefrogs]

phill100,

Clifton Hotel, first class commercial house; large parties catered for, tariff on application (William Robert Pruden Proprietor), Queen St. T A "Clifton Weymouth;" T N 248 (wd that be an early phone no?)

regards

Not necessarily particularly early.  When we moved into our current house in the 1970s we had a four digit telephone number.  We still have the same number but it now has eight digits in front of it.  The prefixing numbers have been changed five times over time.

David

[ShaunJ]

The address of the Railway Tavern is 6 Queen Street

http://www.visitweymouth.co.uk/index.php?resource=377

[phill100]

Many thanks ShaunJ

That is the same address as the Clifton - I will now accept the name change as probably factual - and will have to visit Weymouth again sometime to photograph the Queen St side of the hotel.

I obviously missed the "visitweymouth" website when I Googled each hotel - easy enough to do I suppose.

Many thanks again

[hanes teulu]

Don't forget to photo 4 Crescent St also - where he was a Wine Merchant - if it still exists.

regards

[phill100]

will do,

thanks again

Phill

[Britman]

The Clifton Hotel had an entrance in Crescent Street also. I lived in Crescent St when I was in the Navy and the Clifton was my local, as I just used to go out of the front door and through the alleyway into the bar. It is where I met my wife, and we have been married now for 34 years. The landlord`s name when I knew it was Tom Bill, and his wife was Pat.