Folkestone Then & Now Guestbook

The pictures and postcards of Hythe are fascinating - particularly those of the Martello Tower. It was my great grandfather, Arthur James Glock, who first converted it in 1928. I would be very interested to see any additional pictures or documents that you might have. Please may I have a copy of the older photo of the tower?
Thank you

Anyone have any memories of Westbrook House School, Athelstan School or Feltonfleet School?

Anyone have any memories of Westbrook House School, Athelstan School or Feltonfleet School?

My great uncle, Alfred George Enderby, a gunner with the Canadian Field Artillery was stationed in the Ross Barracks at Shorncliffe Camp during the Spring of 1916. He was enrolled in the School of Musketry in Hythe.

At the moment, I am transcribing his diary that records his impressions of leaving Vancouver, British Columbia, travelling by train across Canada, crossing the North Atlantic on the HMS Missanabbie, and arriving in Plymouth in March of 1916.
He writes in detail about his impressions of Folkestone and the surrounding countryside.
He receives a weekend pass to visit his mother (my great-grandmother) in Leicester. She also comes to visit him on Easter weekend , 1916, and stays at Moore's hotel. They spend time walking around Folkestone.
Uncle Alf was only 25. Sadly, he was killed in action in Belgium in 1917.

I went to St. Mary's Convent, no longer there and was a regular at The Acropolis, Archie's, we called it. I went out with Archie for a time, my Dad not happy! Lived in the country, Lyminge, so Folkestone was exotic to me!! Anyone else remember Archie?

I went to St. Mary's Convent, no longer there and was a regular at The Acropolis, Archie's, we called it. I went out with Archie for a time, my Dad not happy! Lived in the country, Lyminge, so Folkestone was exotic to me!! Anyone else remember Archie?

I am the daughter of the late Jim (James) Fitzgerald who was caretaker and lollipop man at St Mary's school, Dover Road, Folkestone for 40 years. I would love to hear anyone's memories of my dad as he knew so many generations of Folkestone families.

Hello everybody from Folkestone,

I am from the Netherlands and browsing through some of the photos from my deceased grandfather I found an interesting one. He apparently participated in a "dance match" held in Folkestone in 1951.
The photograph shows a large advertisement reading "Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone represented by Barbara Morley's team Vs. The Hague".

My grandfather was from The Hague, The Netherlands.

The ad further reads: "Adjudicators include Guy Howard and Stella Williams - Friday 3rd August, 1951. Leslie Baker and his Music with Joyce Clark".

It would be great if somebody has more info about this event, I am guessing dance events like this one were held more often in your town. I am hoping pictures from that day survived the test of time showing my grandfather..

many thanks in advance.

Marvellous site.

Interested to find this site, I live in Cheriton 1950-1970. Was wondering about 26 Grimston Gardens as being an address referred to on a birth certificate. I know we never lived there - was it a nursing/birth unit before it became a language school?

So sad to see the open air swimming pool closed and concreted, I can remember swimming there in October!

David

I spent 6 very happy years in Folkestone as a boarder at Brampton Down School, to this day, I still think of the town as home. It was without doubt the loveliest town I have ever lived in.

Hello

My family are folkestoners going back many generations (grand-fathers side) my question comes from my uncle he recalls a bakery on Dover road.. could have been called "miles and sons" does anyone recall this bakery? My nan was a Miles and her father originally was a bakers assistant in Canterbury (census records)( john marsh miles)at some point this side of my family moved to Folkestone. I have searched photos online and records but cannot find the bakery. Any information would be gratefully received for my family tree. Thank you

Your history page on Hawkinge is amazing. My father, Michael, served as a pilot there from May 22 -May 26 with RAF 605 flying Hurricanes during the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk.

My grandfather Frank Michell was a drapery assistant in a shop possibly Tontine Street,. My dad used to talk about bombing when he would've been a small boy.id love to find out which shop it was.

My nan, Lily Milton, was injured in the Gotha Bomber raid. She had just turned 16 on May 11 and was working in Gosnolds as an assistant. She was buried under a pile of rubble and bodies and her nose was broken among other injuries. The manager of the store paid for her to go to a convalescent home, where I believe he also went, as she had some psychological injuries too. When she was in her 80s a German man proposed to her at her sheltered accommodation. She was highly indignant at the cheek of the "Hun"!

I do feel the town has been badly let down by the destruction of the Rotunda and the failure to use that space. Here in Southend our old Kursaal was demolished and became housing, Never Never Land closed, the pier burned down, and Peter Pan's playground languished. Things looked bad.
We now have Adventure Island, a thoroughly modern, well run popular "fun fair" and if only the same could be done at Folkestone it would revitalise your tourist industry. That is a huge waste of a site. As a little kid I loved visiting the Rotunda

I last used the Zig Zag path in the 1970s.You need to know where to look. Unfortunately the sign now says "access to viewing point only". I have a feeling the path became dangerous and is now out of use. The tea house path is an entirely different route

I lived in Folkestone from 1950 to 1975.I went to St. Nicholas Preparatory School, in Wiltie Gardens, Miss Squire was the Headmistress. I then went to Holywell and Folkestone College.

Hello, I have just found your site and will earmark it for later! You have one photo of the School of Musketry with a row of houses to the right. Of course (and sadly) the SofM is no longer there, but the houses (Military Terrace, built mid-1800s) are still going strong. I believe they're now listed buildings. My mother lived in one of them up to her death in 1998. I know Hythe well as I used to live there (1960s) and when mum moved there again in 1986 we used to spend a lot of time there, so I'm thrilled to see these photos, many thanks!

Hi Christine,
Found your site while researching my paternal grandfathers sister and family Leonard & Rosina Netherton nee Howard, I discovered lived in the Old Aerodrome Buildings, Dymchurch Road, West Hythe on the 1930 Electoral Register. Rosina died in 1931. The next mention of him and the airfield was in the Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald 04 February 1933 which noted that a Possession Order had been served on January 24th by the Council who declared it unfit for human habitation. By 1939 widowed Leonard was living with his single step daughter Rosina and another widowed lady called Emily Mount in Sunrise Cottage, Burmarsh Road which I found on Google Streetview although suspect the property has had some adaptions since then!

I was unable to find any information or photographs about the Dymchurch airfield on your site and thought you and readers might like to see what I found online about the old place. There is some interesting information at Pastscape
[www.pastscape.org.uk]
and photographs of the airfield at the Kent History Forum.
[www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk]

I would love to hear from any descendants of the Nethertons or anyone who has information on the family and why they lived on the old airfield.