circa 1964
Smyth & Co, Phoenix Iron Works, 101 Snargate St & 3 King St, Dover
1864 - Ismay and Smyth Iron Works, Snargate Street - there was an explosion seriously injuring people and causing damage
1866 - Ismay Thomas & Samuel Smyth dissolved their partnership - engineers, iron and brass founders etc., Phoenix Iron Works, Snargate Street and King Street, Dover
1868 - Samuel Richard Smyth - Phoenix Iron Works went bankrupt
1871 - Phoenix Iron Works up for sale
1907 Pikes - nothing listed between 100 & 103
12 June 1908 Dover Express -
1924 - New telephone subscriber, Channel Fuel Co. I am assuming that this is where the "Channel Garage" name came from.
1927 Pikes - nothing listed between 100 & 103
23 March 1928 - Advert
24 August 1928 Dover Express - Advert
5 April 1929 Dover Express - License Offences - F.H. Northover, Channel Garage 101 - 102 Snargate Street, Dover, was summoned for driving a motor vehicle without being licensed. Defendant did not appear.
PC Cloke, of Worth, said that ion the 19th March at 6.12, while on the Sandwich Road, Worth, he had occasion to speak to the defendant about driving his Chrysler. He asked the defendant for his license which he said he had left at home. When he produced his license eventually, it was found to have expired on 16th January 1929. Fined 5s
1931-2 Pikes - Northover, F. H. Channel Garage.
14 April 1933 Dover Express - A collision took place at the junction of Eastbrook Place and Castle St on Saturday afternoon between a motor car, driven by Mr Brentall, of Brissac House; Shepherdwell, and a motor cyclist Mr J Taylor of 102 Snargate Street.
16 February 1934 - Advert
1935-6 Pikes - Channel Garage
24 December 1937 Dover Express - Petroleum Storage - The Surveyor reported that an application had been received from Messers, Taylor Bros, for permission to store an additional 1000 gallons of petroleum at Channel Garage, Snargate Street, and for permission to fix two swing arms, making four in all. If the Council consented to that, it would have to be referred to the Minister of Transport for consent under the Restriction of Ribbon Development Act and the Trunk Roads Act. In view of action taken in connection with other applications, he thought that the extra swing arms should not be allowed. The Surveyor recommendation was adopted.
1938-9 Pikes - Channel Garage. Taylor Bros. Tel 660
1939-40 Taylors Garage
102 Snargate Street
7-13 Elms vale Road
9 December 1938 Dover Express - The Surveyor had reported that he had received plans from Mr J.F. Taylor (owner), for alterations to the Channel garage, Snargate Street, consisting of demolishing the upper part of the front of the premises and covering in the flat roof, widening and improving the entrance and constructing an office and convenience and new store room. Subject to the Minister of Transport giving consent under the Restrictions of Ribbon Development Act he recommended that the plans be approved. The Chief Constable stated that as the premises was licensed as a petroleum store it should be understood that the first floor should not be used for occupation or employment unless properly separated by incombustible material from the garage and he suggested that that should be attached as a condition. - Agreed.
28 February 1941 Dover Express - MOTOR LICENCE FRAUD - At the Dover Police Court, on Monday, before Messers W.B. Brett and W.G Jeffery and Mrs Morecroft.
John Taylor of 102 Snargate Street, was summoned for fraudulently using a Road Fund licence on 27th January and for failing to immobolise a vehicle left unattended.
Defendant wrote pleading guilty to both offences.
Chief Inspector Saddleton said that at 3.15pm on 27th January, P.C War Reserve Metcalf saw a motor vehicle outside the Channel Garage, in Snargate Street, bearing a road fund licence in respect of another car. The ignition key had been removed, but all the doors were unlocked. Defendant admitted being the owner of the car, and said that a licence was issued for a car that had broken down, so he transferred the licence to that car whilst the other car was being repaired. As regards the second offence, he said that every five minutes he had to go out in the car. Chief Inspector Saddleton added that the defendant was fined £2 in march 1938, for offences in respect of a limited trade licence, and in September, 1939, 10s for a lighting offence.
Fined five guineas for the first offence, and 50s for the second, and licence endorsed.
1 February 1946 Dover Express - In an article about a theft....... At 2.45pm on Saturday, 26th January PC Southey was cycling along Snargate Street, and saw six or seven sailors leaving premises, formerly known as Channel Garage, and they had something in their jackets. He could not find anyone at the premises, so informed Mr Floydd who found that a case containing 48 tins of stewed steak, which was kept at the store had been broken open and 20 tins were missing..........
21 March 1947 Dover Express - Advert
1948-9 Pikes - Channel Garage, J Taylor
12 November 1948 Dover Express - Firework starts big blaze - Snargate Street Fire - A firework is believed to have started a big fire which completely destroyed a part of the dyeing and cleaning premises of Messers Scott and Son in Snargate Street, on Friday night.
Part of the two upper floors were gutted and, but for prompt and efficient work by Dover firemen, there would no doubt the fire would have much more dangerous.
Afterwards the case of a spent rocket was fond among the debris on the floor. It had probably fallen through the roof and the floor above, A man later said that during the Friday evening he saw a rocket land in the vicinity of the works.
The fire brigade received the call at about 10.50pm but obviously the fire had been burning some while before that. Soon after the brigade arrived, flames 40ft high were shooting through the roof and lighting up the docks.
Occupants of neighbouring houses were evacuated from their homes until the fire was checked. Three or four rooms at the eastern end of each of the second floors were burnt out and valuable machinery destroyed, including some recently installed and not yet used.
Fortunately the damage to thousands of articles belonging to customers were very slight. A few carpets in a drying room were destroyed and a small quantity of clothing was damaged. But the majority of customers clothing and household linen was untouched.
This was due to quick action first by the police officer who discovered the fire, and then by Dover firemen under Station Officer J Smith. Divisional Fir Officer N Mountford arrived from Canterbury to take charge, but by that time the local firemen had the outbreak under control. Both he and other officers of the Kent Fire Brigade who later visited the scene, joining in with the firm's representatives in praising the work of the local firemen.
There was a good deal of wood in the construction of the building, while highly flammable chemicals used in dyeing and cleaning process, were stored in another part of the building on the ground floor. Adjoining the premises too, is the Channel garage with petrol pumps and numerous cars.
Mr A Andrews Scott's resident engineer, who lives in part of the building fortunately untouched by the fire, said he walked past the works about twenty minutes to eleven and noticed nothing amiss. Ten minutes later, Police Inspector Fred Wilkinson was passing and saw a thin whisp of smoke eddying from a first floor window.
He raised the alarm immediately, and though firemen were n the spot in a matter of a few minutes, by the time they arrived flames had burst through the roof. As the firemen got to work, P.C's Crush and Steggles groped their way through the dense smoke to rescue two of the firms vans which were parked in the yard behind the building. Then gave a hand moving the cars in the Channel garage to safety.
The firemen fought the flames from all sides and using their telescopic ladder, from above. They confined the blaze to the eastern portion of the building, and within an hour had it under control.
So effective had their work been, that at 7.30am when the forms employees arrived, most were able to start their normal work, while the remainder began clearing up the debris under the direction of the manager Mr Garland. During the weekend a number of staff at their own suggestion, worked on salvage and clearing up, and on Monday ordinary production work was in progress.
Two firemen were injured during the blaze. Fireman Wyatt injured a toe when his foot was jammed between the telescope ladder and the building, and Fireman Pain was burnt on the hand by molten metal.
18 August 1950 Dover Express - Advert
1956 kellys - 101/102 Taylor Bros. motor engineers
1959 - 19 kellys - 101/102 E Greesty, motor engineer
1969 trade directory - 101/102 E Greesty
1972 (BT) -
T.H. Motors, Channel Garage, Snargate St. Dover 2747
also Channel Garage, 94 Snargate Street. Dover 660