If you have your own memories of Folkestone, be sure to share them with us by jotting them down in the book below.
This page updated January 4, 2023
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1909
2014
Two aerial views of the harbour. I don't have an exact date for either, but do feel the one on the left is quite a bit older than the right. Both are fairly old though, because they each have that extra jetty that backs onto the viaduct, however, I don't know the year that was removed. The one on the right shows the Rotunda, but not as large as it was in its final days before demolition. It also shows the boating pool and swimming pool. The Marina or Bathing Establishment is still there too, which leads me to guess it was the 50's or 60's.
Judging by all the people, there was something interesting going on in the harbour the day this was taken, and it involved rowing boats, but I have no idea what it was all about.
The Boulogne boat leaving the harbour. Writing on the stern of the other one reads Walmer London.
The boat train chugging out of Folkestone Harbour station
A couple of collier boats moored against the quay in 1912. Now I don't know if this is where W. H. Pearson obtained his stock of coal and coke from. He doesn't have his prices listed on the card, but it gives you an idea of the variety that could be ordered from him. I decided to look up 31 Grace Hill on Google Street View, and as far as I can tell, it is the building directly behind the Shepway Building Contractors van.
A lot more modern, but I don't know how old this is. The sign is advertising The Hatch Terrace, now serving cream teas and pastries.
These photos of the station were taken in 2007 by Lee Pogson, when it was already showing signs of neglect.
But it got worse.....
Much worse :-(
Until everyone knew it just couldn't be saved
Putting artwork on the tracks didn't make it look any better
The Remembrance Line organisation fought hard to save the station and put forth plans to provide a Tram-train service to connect with HS1 services from and to London, provide a park and ride service to reduce traffic within the town and ease long stay parking, linking these to the award winning coastal park and, using the Leas Water Lifts, to the town centre.
They still haven't given up hope that this will happen. Traffic and parking is quite a problem in Folkestone already, and if they go ahead and build seafront housing, with a view to attracting London commuters, I do feel this will be a necessary addition, not only for meeting up with the London fast train, but residents will also welcome being able to get up into the town for shopping without having to worry about taking their car.
If you would like to learn more about the Remembrance Line, or to become a member, you will find them here: Remembrance Line
If you click on the link to the Remembrance Line website, you will see they were recently invited to view the work done on the harbour arm so far. They came away with the feeling it is being renovated with sensitivity, that the history of the past is not being totally ignored. A lot of work has gone into salvaging part of the station and canopy, and they are planning to re-create the Mole Cafe, run by the Jeffery sisters, mentioned on the previous page. Apparently it is not practical to put it back into its former location, but a suitable spot will be found. They are also planning to make the harbour arm open to the public, something that hasn't been possible for many years.
So don't be too sad, when one door closes another opens, and maybe our harbour, like the phoenix, will one day rise from the ashes.
This card was mailed soon after the war, in 1946. For those interested, the fishing boat on the right is FE21, and on the left, possibly FE37
We certainly know the name of the boat in the foreground, if not the number. Note the flag flying gaily from the top of the Shangri-la, I don't think they do that these days.
A newspaper illustrator by the name of Gourand sketched this picture of passengers arriving at Folkestone Harbour from Boulogne in 1874. You can see at a glance which have just made the journey and which are meeting people. It looks to have been a very rough crossing!
This is another of those 'Hold to Light' cards, it was the most fun they could have before the days of coloured photographs. Interesting that the card was made in Berlin, I bet that stopped when the war came.
Note the London & Paris Hotel, that building is still there. It was operating under the name of Gillespie's for a few years, but looking on Google Streetview for 2014, it looks closed, and the name outside has gone. However, there was a poster on the side, advertising the Ska Festival in August 2014, and it says the event is being sponsored by Gillespie's & The True Briton next door, which does look to be open.
When I was growing up, we always referred to the patch of sand here as the Little Sands, and we loved to play there as it was less crowded than the Sunny Sands. Mind you, there was a reason for that, it wasn't the cleanest place to play, the fishermen were not fussy what they threw into the harbour in those days, and a lot of it washed up onto the beach. This is the same beach that German artist Michael Sailstorfer said he buried £10,000 in gold bullion for the public to dig for as an art project, part of the 2014 Folkestone Triennial. We will never know if there was really that much to be found, because there was no obligation to tell anyone if you found some, so personally, I only heard of two or three pieces of gold being found. Maybe there is more down there yet if you want to get your spade out!
Above photograph Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images
Showing how the harbour looked in the late 40's or early 50's. The jetty you can see coming out from the left of the photo is no longer there, neither is the fish shed you can see behind that.
Judging by the cars in this one, I would guess it to also be 40's or even 30's. Note the double decker bus coming along Harbour Street, and the advertisement for Bovril on the building behind it.
Zipping right back in time again, this time we are in 1908, and as you can see, the public were welcome to stroll down there to watch the ferries coming and going. I really loved the way they dressed up to do so - in fact the upper classes dressed up each time they left the house in those days! On making inquiries, I was told the circle things on the top of the posts were railway signals.
Pleasure craft moored in front of the Royal Pavilion Hotel in 1970. Note the garage between the hotel and the London & Paris, I believe it was called Auto Pilots.
I took this one of the Pilots Tower when I was there in 2014, I had heard its days were numbered, so wanted to get a shot of it before it was too late.
I took this from the car park that I had to park my rental car in most nights, as the lot at the Burstin was full. Warning if you are staying there at busy times, don't pay ahead of time for parking, because it doesn't guarantee you a spot, and they don't refund you if you can't get in. Park first, then pay!
Another Facebook page Kent 999s got some good shots of the demolition crew doing their job
Legends of Folkestone on Facebook had the same idea, and got a photo before it was too late.
Here we go..
In no time at all, you wouldn't have known it was ever there, completely down and cleared away.
Now a few more photos the likes of which you will never see down there again. Here we have a double header leaving the Harbour Station.
Another one heading over the viaduct, this time an engine is pushing from behind.
This one must have an extra heavy load, as it has a triple header, necessary to pull it up the steep incline
Now we are really popping back again. In the harbour, moored in front of the Royal Pavilion Hotel are the Collier Sailing Ships. On the other side of the railway like can be seen a couple of Paddle Steamers. Then right in front, on the Stade, can be seen a Brewer's dray loaded with barrels of beer. The one thing the harbour was never short of in those days was pubs!
This says 'View from the Quay', but I think it is more likely from the pier.
Things you see when you haven't got a gun! I am told this is a seagull, it is stored here, and is brought out each year as part of the Triennial. This is what I learned about it: “Gulls are the most conspicuous non-human denizens of Folkestone”, Mark Dion declared after his first site visit. Dion’s staffed mobile unit made in the shape of a seagull provided information about these often unloved birds. ‘The Mobile Gull Appreciation Unit‘ functions as a clearing house for information about the evolution, ethnology, natural history, environmental status and folklore of these remarkable animals’. Folkestone is lucky to be host to a rather rare type of seagull – the Mediterranean Gull – which is found in larger numbers here than anywhere else in the UK. A Field Guide to the various local gull species, produced in collaboration with local gull enthusiasts was distributed from the Unit.
Mark Dion’s artwork incorporates aspects of archaeology, ecology, detection, and systems of classification by which people have tried to bring order to the world."
I rather like the seagulls, and made friends with one on my balcony at the Burstin, but when he thought it would be a good idea to try to come into my room, the friendship was over!
This is a ship that would have been laid up against the jetty that is no longer there.
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This old card has an assortment of Paddle Steamer, Sailing Ship and Fishing Boats.
I love this card of the harbour. The sun is going down, and the boys on the Stade are watching for the last of the fishing boats to come in, maybe their Dad. Should be in bed, but Mum hasn't yelled yet.
Good view of the swing bridge in action in this one. The operator of it must have had a full time job, so many tall sailing ships, and so many trains in a day, it must have been very well used.
Even though the colour of this card would have you believe it is much later, the scene in actual fact dates from 1887. It shows the swing bridge, a couple of paddle steamers, and you also have a good view of the St. Andrews Convalescent & Nursing Home, and St. Peter's Church up on the Durlocks.
The harbour was a busy place in 1913. Paddle steamers and fishing boats coming and going, plus a couple of boats moored against the Railway Company's jetty for repairs.
Another one showing the Sunny Sands before it was developed. The fellow that wrote on the back of this 1922 card said "So sick on the way over, I wished the boat would go down!" Anyone who has suffered seasickness will understand, because being sick doesn't relieve it, the motion is still there - it's horrible!
When I was growing up, you were allowed to walk down the East Head if you had the courage, and many people would fish from it. But I guess someone must have fallen in at some point, because there is a barrier preventing access these days.
Just outside the harbour, next to the Royal George, they have installed these fountains. The children love them in the hot weather, and at night, they are beautiful colours.
They are a great addition I think. I took these pictures while trying to prevent the seagulls from stealing my whelks at the same time! They are a lot cheekier these days, I guess it's because they don't have an abundance of fish to purloin the way they used to!
They are nice looking birds though, just a little scary when they are hungry.
I remember many a boy would jump into the Harbour from here when I was a kid. Not me though, it was never clean enough in there for my taste! You have to admire those little flowers growing out of the wall behind the sign. Who needs good soil and ideal conditions, there's a crack in the wall, let's grow! Note the catamaran below.
I have no idea what they are, but those hardy little things might even survive a Manitoba winter!
I know, everyone takes this shot, but I don't care, it's nice, even if it's not as artistic as some I have seen, where everything is black & white except the phone box.
Back to other people's photographs. This dates from 1921. Just look at the black smoke spewing from that ferry, Folkestone's air has to be a lot cleaner these days.
This card has really faded, but I wanted to add it, as I had never seen one include those steps on the left before. It dates from 1916
Another interesting view of the Inner Harbour sent to me by Mike Vernol
This photograph leaves you in no doubt as to the necessity of having a swing bridge in those days.
A romantic artist's rendition of the harbour by moonlight. Not very accurate, but a pretty picture nonetheless
Cars loading onto the boats for the Monte Carlo Rally. On the left is 1937, and the one above and on the right are from 1935. I have had the one on the right a very long time, and had made a note with it 'Riley - Miss Anderson'. But now I am not sure if she won that year, or whether that is her car mid air. Is that a Riley?
The scan I used to have of this card was so bad I had made some quip about it looking like the Titanic in the background, as I could see four funnels, but looked to be all on one ship. However, now it has been rescanned, it is quite obvious that we have two paddle steamers in the background with two funnels a piece! I wonder where Bayfield's Bazaars was in Folkestone. Paul Seward just told me it was in the High Street. (Old High St these days, but it was an old street even when Bayfield's was there!)
Another old one, taken from the Durlocks. Just look at all those houses that are no longer there.
While eating my whelks from Chummy's in 2011, I was leaning over the wall of the harbour, trying to hide them from the seagulls. The tide was out, and the two photos above are what was directly below. I don't know if it is still like that, but in 2011, you could see everything from a car jack to a very thick layer of shells, which had obviously been thrown over there by Chummy's as they prepared their seafood. Just hope nobody ever walks down there in their bare feet!
For all the arguing and squabbles as to who owns what, and what will eventually be done with the harbour, when it comes right down to it, we all know who really owns it don't we? You can see it in their faces!
Hoping someone can give me some information on this one. It was sent to me by Raymond Blanche, who tells me he bought the photograph at a boot fair. I would love to date it, and find out something about the boat in the foreground. I can make out the word Thyra, but that is all. It looks a bit big to be a fishing boat, so does anyone have any information on it please? Note the two ferries in the background too. Possibly someone who knows more about ferries than I do will recognise them, which would give us an approximate date. If I had to guess, I would say the one on the right of the picture was the Isle of Thanet, and the other one, possibly the Cote D'Azur, and would date the photo into the 50's or early 60's. Am I way off?
I absolutely love this photograph. It was taken by Charles Tully, 218 Lancaster Road, Notting Hill in 1910, and was sent to me by Roger Collier. I thought at first it wasn't Folkestone because of the wall curving round into the harbour. But I have come to the conclusion it is merely a bit of very clever photography, especially for the day. The wall is the Royal Pavilion Hotel, and I am not sure if it once curved around the entrance, but you can't see the road that runs between the wall and the harbour, those masts look very close don't they?
If you look closely at things in the background, you can see part of the old swing bridge that used to be in place back then, and up on the East Cliff you can see St. Peter's Church. It's a beautiful photograph showing the well dressed class of people who could afford to travel, and stay in a large luxurious hotel. Thank you so much for allowing us to see it Roger.
Update: Paul Seward found the following on the Shipsnostalgia.com website:
Spritsail and auxiliary engine, Sailing Barge Thyra, built and launched, Thursday, 18/12/1913, by Albert Alfred Hutson, Maidstone, for own account; Gross Registered Tonnage: 87.72; Net Registered Tonnage: 69.56; 25.97 x 6.00 x 2.01; retro-fitted, 1931, with 1 x 4 cylinder, 4-stroke, self-acting, oil engine, manufactured by The Bergius Company Limited, Glasgow; fitted, 1936, with new, 1 x 3 cylinder, 4-stroke, self-acting, 66 b.h.p., Model Type, Kelvin K3, oil engine, manufactured by The Bergius Company Limited, Glasgow.
Built and launched, Thursday, 18/12/1913, by Albert Alfred Hutson, Maidstone, for own account; transferred, 06/06/1929, to The London and Rochester Trading Company Limited, Rochester, (following acquisition of Albert Alfred Hutson, Maidstone); registered 'de-novo', 17/08/1931, following retro-fit with 1 x 4 cylinder, 4-stroke, self-acting, oil engine, manufactured by The Bergius Company Limited, Glasgow; requisitioned, 1940, on Commercial Service Charters, (CS), by Ministry of Shipping, (latterly, Ministry of War Transport), for Clyde Anchorages Emergency Port, (CAEP) operation; returned, late 1944, to The London and Rochester Trading Company Limited, Rochester; sold, 31/08/1966, to Maxwell Hayes, Eastbourne; register closed, 20/04/1970, following sale to French Owners. Fate and current whereabouts unknown.
Early hours of 01/06/1940, Auxiliary Sailing Barge Thyra, (Master E.W. Filley), arrived Dunkirk Beach, under tow by the Tug St. Abbs, along with the sailing barges H.A.C. and Duchess, similarly under tow. Believed to have evacuated 19 soldiers. (Source: The Evacuation from Dunkirk: 'Operation Dynamo', 26 May-June 1940, by W.J.R. Gardner)
Update: Paul Seward tells me he remembers one year the pallet cable snapping and depositing a car unceremoniously on the quayside. He also recalled many entrants calling into Autopilots for fuel and/or quick service. Paul also came up with a result from 1935 - 78. #109 Anderson, M. What would we do without Paul?
Let's finish this page with a slightly more modern one, hard to decide which to put up, as I think I still have enough to fill another page! It's finding the time! This was taken between 1962 and 1967 and shows the Morris Marine floating Shell filling station. I believe it closed because of the downtime when the tide was out, but I stand to be corrected on that.