Bear Incident File No. 004 — district composite
| Location | Tontine Street, Folkestone |
|---|---|
| Approx. incident date | Early spring 2011, date disputed |
| Barred status | STREET-WIDE REVIEW PENDING |
ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHS
Tontine Street has combined shops, pubs and later cultural uses over a long period. Dover-Kent entries include the Brewery Tap at No. 53, the Bank at No. 46, later bar premises at Nos. 2–8, and more recent names at Nos. 60 and 61. Warren Press also records that the site adjoining the Brewery Tap became a beer garden before later redevelopment and use as a memorial garden.
Record note: Dover-Kent Folkestone list; Warren Press, Tontine Street and Brewery Tap material.
The Dover-Kent list records the Old Buoy at 46 Tontine Street from May 2019, following the Lime Bar name, and marks it open in 2021 and after.
The three surviving Fighting Talk copies were recorded here. They show the Bear at the Folk Karaoke Battle booth, displaying the John Barleycorn Must Die vest and later appearing in the pub with two crates. View the recording register.
The Bear presented a clipboard headed “Tontine Barrel Census” and requested access to all stillages between the harbour and the junction. No council department recognised the form. It contained one question: “Is barrel cheerful?”
When challenged by a landlord, he said the survey would conclude with music and began Widecombe Fair. A second landlord arrived during verse four. The Bear described this as an encore audience and started again from the beginning.
Barred by two premises, forgiven by one that had not barred him, and barred there upon clarification. Clipboard retained as found property.
A minicab office camera recorded a figure carrying what may be a clipboard or a tea tray. The exported file was named bear_final_FINAL2.avi and disappeared during a computer upgrade.