Birchington
Birchington maps (2 available)
Map of Kent
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Birchington books (30 available)
- 1 photos on Birchington appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of Birchington
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Birchington and Kent
Birchington memories
Read and share memories of Birchington and Kent inspired by Frith photos
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Kent memories
Seaside holiday at Westgate-On-Sea
My earliest memories of the seaside are from the 1950's. We lived in Bexleyheath and - like most people - did not own a car in those far off austerity years after the war. For this reason our summer holidays were always on the nearby north Kent coast and we would travel by train!
Our family had two summer holidays in Westgate-On-Sea - each of them a fortnight staying in a hotel. I remember playing on the sand in St Mildrid's Bay and West Bay, a ride on an open-top bus, an evening in "Dreamland" at nearby Margate, and seeing Reculver Tower which vividly brought to life the history lesson I had at Pelham Road School in Bexleyheath! ...read more here
A memory of Westgate-On-Sea contributed by John Howard Norfolk
Westgate-on-Sea Pavilion
Westgate-on-sea pavilion will soon be a cherished memory. Thanet Council are choosing to dispose of it rather than installing a disabled access and disabled toilets. If anyone out there cares about this unique part of Westgate then pelase do not let it become a memory! Help please. Contact John Bunnett at TDC and ask him who will profit for the loss of this memory, not the people of Westgate, we again will be the losers.
A memory of Westgate-On-Sea contributed by Sylvia Mulley
Minster
My father, Reginald Miller, took me to Minster where my grandfather and great grandfather came from. I now live in Sydney, Australia but am coming over to England in September 08. Can anyone tell me about the Miller family in Minster? (I believe my father and his brother Bernard were billetted with their grandparents in the First World War). Please reply to bette02002@yahoo.com.au.
A memory of Minster contributed by Bette Schoots
The Mud Flood
Date Unconfirmed. After torrential rain, the topsoil off the fields at the top of Prospect Road slid down the hill to Monkton Road. Any houses which were not slightly above road level were flooded. Our house being a good foot above it, remained untouched but our neighbours in the farmhouse Eden Hall had mud under the doors and lost their carpets. It took a long time for the remains to be cleared. It was really quite a sight to behold.
A memory of Minster-In-Thanet contributed by Susie Southall
Extracts From Birchington & Kent books
Birchington is the westernmost of Margate’s satellite villages; the old quarter of this resort is more than a half-mile from the sea front. Neat flowerbeds surround the drinking fountain with its quaint spire, while in the background, just beyond Jenner’s garage and petrol pump, the name of the Smugglers public house hints at past activities of bygone residents.
An extract from from"Kent Living Memories".
Birchington is three miles west of Margate. The artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti lived here until his death in 1882,
and he was interred in All Saints’ churchyard. The drinking fountain in the centre of this photograph was given to the town
by R Grant JP in memory of his wife. On the left is Lloyds Bank, Jenner’s Garage, the Smugglers Café and, most important,
a fish and chip shop.
An extract from from"Around the Kent Coast".
This peaceful view of Minster
shows its pleasant old houses.
Minster has the dubious claim to
fame of being the site of the world’s
first fatal motor-car accident.
An extract from from"Thanet Pocket Album".
The original monastic settlement at Minster was founded in AD670,
overlooking Minster Marshes, then the open Wantsum Channel. This
late Victorian view shows the present buildings; they are of Norman age,
built as a grange of St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury.The buildings
have been used as a nunnery since 1930.
An extract from from"Thanet Pocket Album".
Built in the 1840s, this row of coastguard
cottages still stands, although Pegwell itself
has been engulfed by Ramsgate.
Smuggling was endemic in Thanet, and
the Revenue was determined to stamp it
An extract from from"Thanet Pocket Album".