the fab four – the lighthouse – 10 year anniversary

The Fab Four – Folkelife takes a moment to celebrate four traders who have been at Folkestone Harbour since 2015.  As they mark 10 years of trading, and we wanted to know what those first moments were like.  The Fab Four are: Simon and Jess from The Lighthouse Champagne Bar, and since 2022, The Tasting Rooms;  Bernie and Emma with the Big Greek Bus, which has now grown into Cavells Mediterranean Lounge; Alison Abbott started with Go Dutch, moules and frites, and Dutch pancakes – poffertjes and now has Shesells Seashells; and lastly Mark Babbins with Sole Kitchen, then adding on Harbour Coffee, The Fish Shack and Sailbox.

the lighthouse champagne bar

Simon Robinson: “We came down to the Arm with our other hat on.  My wife, Jessica, and I run a graphics business and do a lot of signage for events.  We work up in London a lot, but have always been based in Folkestone.  Anyway, we came down here to do some of the signage and wanted to know what was going on.  There were about 6 pop-up businesses here and were there any more spaces going?  Jess and I were particularly interested in the Lighthouse but Diane Dever (the curator at the time) said that there was no way we’d get in there.  The place was derelict, and there wasn’t the money to spend on getting it ready to be open for the first season.  I suggested that we spend our own money on it, would that be ok?  Now, the Lighthouse is a listed building, so any plans for tidying it up and doing anything with it have to go to the Listings people for permissions.”

the perfect idea

“Everyone thought we were mad.  Even Sir Roger thought we were mad.  Our idea was to put a Champagne Bar in here, and naturally everyone assumed that it would be all sparkly and posh and not for ‘normal’ people.  Well, that wasn’t our idea at all.  What we wanted to do was to make this space accessible, and use the original glazed bricks in here, and enjoy this space as it is.  If you can imagine you’ve been shipwrecked, and you’ve been abandoned here in this lighthouse and all you have are a few friends and loads of bottles of champagne… Well, you’re going to have a good time aren’t you?  You might not be wearing your best clothes; they could have been damaged in getting to this place of safety. But you are going to have a good time with the champagne, because that was a scary moment, so let’s just enjoy being alive!”

work starts

“Well, when the Listings people heard that was our plan, they said that we had to protect the glazed bricks that line the walls and make sure none of the original interior was damaged with any decoration we were going to use.  We reassured them that we wanted to use these glazed bricks, and wanted the original decor to be on show, and that is what swung it for us. I can remember Diane walking up here with a letter in her hand for Jess and I, and with a wry smile, said we had permission. That came through about 2 or 3 weeks into the first season and we started to clean up the inside so we could create our plan.

“To start with we had an outside bar, and because there wasn’t any electricity or anything, we’d use whatever we could to get ice and the booze up here – wheelbarrows, trolleys, anything with wheels basically.”

sold out in an hour

“We opened up here, not really expecting anyone to come along, and we’d sold out within an hour!  So, off we went to restock and that’s pretty much how it’s been.  It’s a place that’s not glitzy, but it is special, and has a very loyal set of customers that have supported us over the past 10 years. 

“After those heady 10 weeks of the first season it was full steam ahead to get the inside ready for 2016.  Our idea, which translated into our name for the decor – Shipwreck Chic.  The wood is weather-worn, and the copper lining of the bar comes from the bottom of the wreck to build the bar. It’s important to keep the integrity of the Lighthouse.  This is a wonderful structure.  It’s been here for a hundred years, and we want it to be here for hundreds more.”

Read more about The Lighthouse and The Tasting Rooms from team Simon and Jess.