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Picture source: Bob Pearce

The Royal Standard was situated on City Walls. This pub closed in 2007.

This pub has reopened as The Pig In The Wall.

Bob Pearce (November 2012)

Henry Biles, an Eling man, was landlord here from the 1870s through until the early 1900s, when his son William Biles took over management. In those days, before the extensive land reclamation, the pub stood on the seafront. He was tragically killed in a storm on 15th December 1906 when he was walking along the Platform (promenade) in front of his pub when a sudden squall knocked him off his feet. Newspaper reports of the inquest show that he fell headlong over the side, hitting his head on the sea steps and rolling into the sea. His head was bleeding profusely and he was unconscious. A witness who tried to help stated that Henry was a large man and he couldn’t get him out alone. He called two others to help. The three men dragged him out as quickly as possible, attempted to give him artificial respiration and fed him brandy. They took him into the pub and called a doctor, but when the doctor arrived he pronounced Henry dead. The post-mortem stated that he had died of “syncope following asphyxia” (drowning).

Sue Ballard (July 2017)

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