Historic pub has weathered many storms

The Unicorn in St Dunstan’s Street has been welcoming punters for more than 350 years. The building dates back to 1593 and in 1664 Isaac Buesden was granted a licence to sell ales from the premises. He kept the house until his death in 1692, when it passed to his son Jacob who, in that same year, registered it under the title of The Unicorn.

In 1741 it was sold to Stephen Stokes who changed its name to The Star. However this proved unpopular and in the following year he changed it back. The pub changed hands many times and its reputation took a dive in 1799 when it was taken over by Thomas Patcher. After a number of incidents which saw the police called to The Unicorn, he was brought before magistrates and fined eight pounds for keeping “a disorderly and bawdy house”.

The inn has also faced challenges in modern times. In July 2016, landlord Lorenzo Carnevale had just touched down from a family holiday in the United States when he learned his pub was on fire. His uncle, who had been looking after the pub, was rescued and treated for smoke inhalation.

The fire - believed to have been started by a faulty electrical appliance, possibly a fridge - gutted the kitchen.

And just last month, the strong winds of Storms Ciara and Dennis damaged the pub’s famous sign. It has since been restored by Alderman Richard Parkinson.

It’s a tough climate for pubs - so let’s raise a glass to a true survivor!

■ Pictures and words used with kind permission of Paul Skelton, of www. dover-kent.com.

Picture: Edward Wilmot The Unicorn pictured in 1965

Alderman Richard Parkinson hanging the recently-restored pub sign, which had been damaged by recent storms

Picture: Rory Kehoe A crowd outside The Unicorn in 1925

In 2016, landlord Lorenzo Carnevale returned to find his pub had caught fire

Picture: Paul Skelton The pub sign in 1980