Folkestone Then & Now Guestbook

Hi all. Great site. I found it when looking for pics of Folkestone in the 70s and 80s, which is when I used to go there on holiday. I still have one relative left in Folkestone. Also, my late uncle Trevor Crump used to work in, and run the Shoreline chippy in Tontine Street. I loved the area of the old High Street, Harbour/Beach and Tontine Street. Great memories, I'm glad I was there when it was still fab.

A few more snippets, this time for your transport page. On about the 14th row of photos the picture at Seabrook of the EK depot looks to be when it was new (1931) - it was built on the site of the old 'Sandgate' station on the branch to Sandling. It was never used as an alternate to the new Bus Station as it was only a garage, mainly for coaches but for some buses up to the mid-50s. The reason for buses using the square was because they had to move up from the pre-war terminal for country services which was at the harbour up till then, moving up due to threat of bombing/shelling. Buses would never be stabled there overnight - there was a large garage at Kent Road, Cheriton established from 1916. I can locate the date of the photo on the right even closer. The bus came to Folkestone (from Dover) in May 1962 and the Shorncliffe service was revised in June 1966 and would no longer stop where pictured. On the next row the phot on the far right is near certain to be at Herne Bay garage as this was the only depot to use 'Garage Only' display. Lastly, the centre photo of FFN 446 is owned by a friend of mine and is still active and I was driving it only just over a year ago! I may have also worked with your former husband as I was a conductor at Folkestone many moons ago. Small world! Hope this info helps

Interesting selection of photos of 'old' Hythe. We lived in St Nicholas Terrace and then Palmbeach Avenue at Palmarsh. A couple of points - the first photo of the partially collapsed tower on the ranges has answered a question I have posted on the Dymchurch Martello tower site. The two towers remaining once had A & D painted on their side (these were numbered 14 and 15) but these have long gone and no-one has any recollection of the letters. Your picture confirms the letters as you can see 'E' on the side. I think this was tower 19 which has now collapsed as you can see in the other photo. It does pose the question - why the gap between A and D? There were no other intermediate towers. Grove House is interesting as at one time one of the joint owners of Dymchurch fair lived there - one Ken Marks. His brother, Robin, lived somewhere off Twiss Road. As for the donkeys pictured on the beach these were kept in stables in Prospect Road and run by a Miss Twyman. I see you also went to Tofts! I have some tickets somewhere from gigs I went to in the 60s!

This image is thought to date from 1905-1915 and features a group of school children embarking onto a ferry from the south railway pier. The large number of spectators on the promenade marks this out as a special occasion. Please can anybody comment on the event and date?

hi.is there a jennifer sharp still out there.i went out with you for a few years.i live in beachborough rd you live just around the corner.you used to send your sister round to tell me your mum and dad have gone out so you could come round (lol now)

hi,great site , love just browsing through. i found on hotels page 3 you have a picture of "woodlands folkestone " this building is still standing, its at the bottom of earls avenue and is called tudor lodge number 63, its now flats

Hi, i was born in charles crescent in 1961 .We lived next door to the Garnets on one side and the Robinsons the other.The Brisleys lived opposite.My grandad came to live with my Dad when my parents divorced but i never knew who my grandmother was,anyone know?

did anyone live in connaught road folkstone on here in 1978 please or know of any info or community pages that may help as i am trying to trace somebody connected to family history? - thank you

Trying to touch base Christine I having grown up in and around Folkestone think I have something to add one side of my family were Birch from Sellinge cousin Les Birch known as Mr steam for the traction engines we as youngsters pretty much lived in the warren.

I was born in Folkestone hospital and lived in Hawkinge until emigrating to Australia in 1972.
I attended Hawkinge primary and Morehall secondary school.
My Grandparents lived on Albert Rd Folkestone. Tofts was the Friday Saturday night place to be. Remember seeing Osibisa at the Lea’s Cliff Hall where I met my girl friend of 18 months until I left under protest to Australia with my parents, I had just turned 17. Whilst I’m now 64 I still have fond memories of Folkestone

I was born in Folkestone hospital and lived in Hawkinge until emigrating to Australia in 1972.
I attended Hawkinge primary and Morehall secondary school.
My Grandparents lived on Albert Rd Folkestone. Tofts was the Friday Saturday night place to be. Remember seeing Osibisa at the Lea’s Cliff Hall where I met my girl friend of 18 months until I left under protest to Australia with my parents, I had just turned 17. Whilst I’m now 64 I still have fond memories of Folkestone

I have so many fond memories of afternoon trips from Hythe to Eastcliff sands. My favourite thing to on the way there was the swing boats near the sunny sands tea room. Does anyone have a picture of them?

Hi does anybody know if Noel Redding lived in Folkestone? I was told he lived in Foord Rd in the 1960's.I know about Seabrook but not Folkestone... thanks Steve.

We've just bought a house on the corner of Marshall street and Invincta road, Folkestone. We can tell from the deeds that it was some sort of shop. I'd be fascinated to know more.

We've just bought a house on the corner of Marshall street and Invincta road, Folkestone. We can tell from the deeds that it was some sort of shop. I'd be ficinated to know more.

I recall as a child (1960's) a fish and chip shop near the gas works, ? Broadmead Road. Lovely fish and chips wrapped in newspaper which we'd eat by the toll road. Can anyone confirm the fish and chip shop location please?

We’ve recently moved onto Cheriton Road and have been told by our local builders that our house used to be Cherrystone Sweet Shop, run by Susan Boxhall. Does anyone remember it? In renovating the place we discovered an old doorway from the porch to the living room that had been boarded up but had old cigarette ads on the glass. Other little clues such as hundreds of very old empty chocolate button packets, too 😆
Would love to hear memories of the place, if anyone has any

You have a picture of the harbor entitled 40 to 50's. It shows an RAF Air Sea Rescue Launch near the old wooden jetty. My Father Sydney William Smith operated such a launch for Harbor trips after WW2. In 45 to 47. It was called "The Black Prince". His Mother Mary Jane Smith was the Innkeeper of the Packet Boat Inn between 1869 to 1899. Her sons Harry and Robert apprenticed with the Railways and became Chief Engineers on the cross Channel Ferries in the 1890's.

My father and mother both worked in Vanes bakery in Totine Street. My father was a baker there until war broke out and my mother service in the shop. My father's name was William (Bill) Kimmings and my mother Margaret (Meg) Longhurst. My parents told me many stories of working there and how my father used to do the deliveries (after baking the bread) all over Folkestone. I know that when they married in March 1940 my father made their wedding cake with Mr & Mrs Vanes help. It was a skill that stayed with him until he died

Mum and Dad had a caravan on the Romney Marsh and as a family we came to Folkestone a lot, I remember Dad used to park on a green area at the top of the cliffs aboveThe Warren, where we would spend the day walking down into the Warren, playing games etc.

Just returned from a few days camping in the Warren and on walking into town from the campsite came across the large green area off Wear Bay Road, between the 2 Martello towers, I am sure this is where we used to park and picnic, I see that it is now fenced off with no vehicles allowed, can anyone else remember if this area was used by cars, this would be in the late 50's early 60's. Thank you