The exact year of opening of the Providence is unclear. In Pigot's directory for 1826/7 there is a listing for John Elgar pork butcher. Nevertheless we find in their 1838 listing that Mr. Elgar is a beer retailer in addition to his business as a butcher.

In 1851 an outbreak of cholera struck Sandgate. There were many deaths, amongst which sadly was Mr Elgar's wife, at the age of 50. Soon after that the house is perhaps for the first time given a name - The Providence. 

John was now retired and his daughter Ann Elizabeth ran the house. Although she ran a respectable establishment, she could not avoid the place cropping up in the newspapers. In 1859 she noted some linen missing from her cupboards and reported the theft to the police. The result was that two soldiers appeared in court accused of the misdemenanour. Their excuse was that they had found the items by the roadside on their way back to Shorncliffe Camp. They had taken them to Miss Elgar's house but found it closed. They went to the Sebastopol beerhouse, which was close by, where they procured a little beer on the items. They swore that this was only until the next day, when they intended to redeem them and return them to Miss Elgar. Their excuse was not believed and a verdict of fully proved was returned ad their received three months each with hard labour. Miss Elgar continued to run the house until c.1868.

March 1955, a coveted full licence was granted to John J Latchford who had taken over the Providence on 15th December 1953. John and Marg Latchford established the inn as a great favourite in Sandgate and in the 1970's extended the premises into the former Sea Breeze cafe at No. 47. Now run by their son John, and in the hands of Pubmaster, the Providence is a welcoming hostelry that is decorated in the 'olde worlde' style with horse brasses, dried hops, an open fire, Dickensian prints and old pictures of the pub and Sandgate. A most interesting exhibit is an old 1891 poster of the Alhambra Theatre. 

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Content for this page is taken from More Tales from the Tap Room by Martin Easdown and Eamonn Rooney