Isn't this the most fantastic photograph you ever saw? It was sent to me by Gerry Jenkinson, who lives in the old Toll House, in the Lower Sandgate Road. He got it from a couple named Mr. & Mrs. Curry, who found it, among other Folkestone pictures in their Grandfather's belongings, and were visiting Folkestone to see how much was left of the places in the photographs.
This one shows the entrance to the Victoria Pier, so close, you can really get an idea of how it felt to walk through those turnstiles and stroll down the pier.
Look how many Mutoscopes they had positioned all around the entrance. Of course, we always called them 'What The Butler Saw Machines' For those too young to have ever seen one, you can find a good explanation of how they worked here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutoscope The large iron machine on the right is a scale, very popular for people wanting to know their weight, as there was no such thing as a bathroom scale in the early 1900's. However, under a magnifying glass, I could make out the word 'Sweetmeats', and it looks to me as if it was a combination of scale and sweet dispenser. I guess you had to weigh yourself first to see if you could justify treating yourself!
I am not sure what the machines on either side of the scale are, maybe someone can tell me, but you can bet your life they were designed to part the holidaymaker from his money!
The price to go onto the pier was pretty reasonable though, 2d - which would have been the equivalent of a little less than 1p. I doubt that price included the pavilion at the end though. You were probably only allowed inside there if you had a ticket to see the show.
If, when you have finished looking at the Pier & Switchback page, you would like to see more photos belonging to Mr. & Mrs. Curry, you will find a link to all 14 pictures from the Index page. To get back to the Pier & Switchback page, use your back button.
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