Folkestone has always recognised the importance of green space, the necessity to give people a place of beauty to relax and unwind - a place for children to play in a safe environment. From the ordinary parks like the Recs in Canterbury Road and Stanley Road in Cheriton, to the more formal Kingsnorth Gardens (shown above), or the large Radnor Park, there is something for everyone. Most recently, the new Adventure Playground has been built for children in the Lower Sandgate Road. It is lots of fun, and more importantly, it is free! But even later, as I type this, the bus station in the centre of town is being demolished, and turned back into a park - which is what it was before they built the bus station. Not exactly sure why this decision was made, as it seemed to be a perfectly efficient place for buses to collect, and a safe place for people to board or dismount and change to another. No doubt it has something to do with money and upkeep.
But let's start with Marine Gardens. It used to run from the harbour right along beside the West Beach and into what is now called the Lower Leas Coastal Park. As you will see, it was a very popular area at one time, packed with people coming and going from the beach and entertainment, which included a fourth bandstand that Folkestone once had, the other three being one in front of the Grand Hotel, the existing one on the Leas, and one in the Pleasure Gardens, that surrounded the Pleasure Gardens Theatre on Bouverie Road West, which was originally built as an exhibition hall in 1851 and converted into a theatre in 1886.
I am not sure which year the bandstand in Marine Gardens was removed, but as you will see, they turned it into a round flower bed at some point, as they also did with the second bandstand on the Leas.
Marine Crescent, which is still there and other large buildings on Marine Parade consisted at one time of mostly small hotels and boarding houses to cater to the hordes of visitors that wanted a sea view and be close to the entertainment that was provided in that area. They would sit around in deckchairs, on benches or on the grass and listen to the various bands that would visit the bandstand. There were also various kiosks nearby for refreshments, a camera obscura for amusement, boats for hire on the beach and walking past Marine Crescent you could find the Bathing Establishment, that later was renamed The Marina for indoor swimming, and a bar and billiards for the menfolk. The Red Roof outdoor theatre next door,where you could watch Cardow's Cadets, or go across to the beach to another outdoor theatre to be entertained by the Pierrots. While on the beach, you might see a launch of the lifeboat from the lifeboat house rushing off to save some lives at sea. Then of course you could stroll down the Victoria Pier just past there, or go up to The Leas via the funicular lift, which hopefully will be open again soon.
Sadly, the latter plus Marine Crescent is all that remains of that wonderful area. Instead, all the entertainment was cleared away, including the later entertainment like the Rotunda, Outdoor Swimming Pool, Boating Pool, Paddling Pool and the Marine Gardens Pavilion, that morphed from a theatre to skating rink and later a few night clubs. The whole area was bare for a few years, then around 2022 a block of luxury flats called Shoreline was completed, right on the beach, and plans for more of the same right along and onto the harbour is in the plans for the future, and beyond the newly erected flats, the Lower Sandgate Road has been turned into the Lower Leas Coastal park, a very pleasant place to walk, and that leads into a childrens' playground with a pirate ship to explore, and swings etc. It is still a very nice area, but with a lot less to do and see. If you want to know more about the amenities that used to be here, check the West Beach, the Rotunda or the Pier & Switchback pages where there are lots of photos & information.
Dating from 1906, I would guess this was taken off season, because of the lack of people. Not sure if the young lady sitting on the bench is wearing a uniform of some kind, or whether that was the fashion of the day.
This was postmarked just a year later in 1907. I think back then, most of the buildings in Marine Parade and Marine Crescent were hotels. In the latter, you had the Pier Hotel at this end, and the Victoria on the other end for many years, with smaller hotels and boarding houses in between. I believe I read somewhere that the low building between all the hotels was at one time Tolputt's Timber Yard. Spotted beyond the far end of Marine Crescent is the Bathing Establishment, later called The Marina, and behind the bandstand you can see a shelter that used to be there with access from the beach, and you could go onto the roof via a staircase at the back.
This card, postmarked 1921 looks as if the photo was taken on a very cold day, in fact it looks like snow on the roof of the bandstand, Marine Crescent and on the bushes on the right. Those ladies look well wrapped up too, picking their way between the melted puddles in Marine Gardens.
This postcard has really aroused my curiosity, I have enlarged it so you can see what it is that has me so curious. I will be interested to hear your thoughts about it on the guestbook page below. Just click it! I promise it's safe.
Two postcards the same, except one has been coloured, probably by hand, so chances are the colours are not true to life. The left card has been made a little wider, enabling us to see the two paths that led up to another path that went off to the Leas to the left, and to the Road of Remembrance to the right. I don't have a date for them, so can only assume the name of the latter road, as it was changed from The Slope Road to the Road of Remembrance in the early 1920's in honour of the thousands of men who marched down there from Shornclliffe Camp to board the boats to the Front during WW1, many of whom never returned. They also had the funicular lifts in operation at that time, Originally there were four lifts in Folkestone, the first of which is still there, but it used to be a double one with four cars going up and down but today it has only two, and was recently completely overhauled, so should be there for a long time. The next one was known as the Metropole lifts that ran in front of the two big hotels at the far end of the Leas down to approximately where the Mermaid Beach is today. It was destroyed during the war by soldiers. The fourth ran from the end of the Leas down to Sandgate. The ticket office was remodelled into a house, but that is all that is left of that one, except you can still see the pillars in Radnor Cliff Crescent where the track went over the road.
Marine Gardens again, not a clear photo. It says on the back it was Alumino Registered. I have a couple of these types of postcards where they have somehow incorporated aluminium (or aluminum, depending where you live) into the paper that gives the finish a silvery look. However, I feel it doesn't age well, and fades. You don't see them for sale very often, so I imagine the practice of making them this way died out pretty quickly.
This card of Marine Gardens always makes me laugh, and I call it 'The Gun Totin' Granny' as the lady standing looks as if she is holding a rifle and standing guard over the two children playing on the grass. I am sure it is probably a brolly or something, but I like my version of the interpretation better! You can see the Victoria Pier to the left of the bandstand.
1914
2019
Marine Gardens looking East here towards the bandstand. I enlarged it so I could read the sign round the neck of the fellow sitting on the bench. It reads 'Blind' so I guess he was hoping for donations, and maybe the three ladies were his daughters, hoping the benevolent people would give more as he had to support them too, or maybe not. My imagination is running into overdrive again!
Not quite the same angle, but by 2019 the low building between Marine Crescent and the next row of houses had gone, and is now a carpark.
Now this one helps a little towards the date that they removed the Marine Gardens bandstand, of course we can't be exact because we only have the postage date to go by, and the same cards were sold for several years. But the above card was sent to Paris in 1914, and it shows the bandstand gone. So I am now assuming the photo above that, was taken earlier, but just bought and posted on that date.
This undated card was taken from almost the same place as the card on the left, but the bandstand is still there, and it doesn't look as if they have added flower beds in front of the hedge yet. They must have removed that large bush at the same time as the bandstand. The latter looks in pretty good shape, but possibly they couldn't get enough bands to play in both the Leas and down there. In both of them you can see the tall masts of the ships in the harbour. These were probably the collier boats that used to bring the coal from up North, Newcastle possibly? Well, we all know the phrase "It's like taking coal to Newcastle" when someone does something totally redundant, meaning Newcastle already has an abundance of it there.
Neither of these were posted, but I would guess them to be roughly the same date. They both show off how beautiful Marine Gardens used to be, and on the right you can see the steps that led up to the roof of the shelter shown on the left. They both show the Bathing Establishment (Marina) just beyond Marine Crescent, and in between, the entrance to the Red Roof Chalet where Cardow's Cadets used to entertain. Note there is a child getting a donkey ride on Marine Parade on the far right.
I don't have a date for this one either, but my guess would be late 40's, but I am sure someone who knows their coaches would know, although some of those look older than others. The masts are gone from the harbour, so we must have moved into the age of steam. A putting green has been installed in Marine Gardens, nobody playing that day, but it does look rather wintery doesn't it? Possibly a dusting of snow.
Looking back the other way again, you can see the lifts just beyond the Marina. You can't see it, but there would have been two double tracks at that time
I bought this as a photograph, and the only information that came with it was the name Folkestone, so this is a guess, but as I can see a path going towards the camera, and buildings behind, I am assuming this might be the dismantling of the Marine Gardens bandstand, because it doesn't look like the Pleasure Gardens bandstand, and the one demolished from the Leas would have had the Grand & Metropole hotels on one side, and no buildings on the other. What do you think?
Now we are heading right up to 1958 when we had a roller skating rink opposite Marine Crescent. That makes three roller rinks we have had in Marine Gardens at different times. The earliest was the Olympia, right next to the Victoria Pier, you can see pictures of that one on the Pier & Switchback page. Then there was this one, the photo dates from 1958, and I think for a short time it was open in the summertime while the Marine Gardens Pavilion had their summer shows going on. The roller skating went into there for the winter. I was a patron of the indoor rink when I was a child, it was fun.
When the Olympia was open down by the Victoria Pier, there was also another one called the County Rink just round the corner next to the London & Paris Hotel (below). In that one, they used to hold Roller Hockey Matches, which were extremely popular.
Marine Gardens & Marine Crescent again. Note the charabanc parked on the other side of the hedge
Who remembers the bridge in Marine Gardens on the left? It was further on from the Victoria Pier, and I suspect it was incorporated into the modern Lower Leas Coastal Park. Doesn't it look the same to you?
Let's have a few more pics of the Lower Leas Coastal Park, because it's beautiful! I took these pics when it first opened, I am sure it is even nicer now the plants have grown more.
The last few pics are the Adventure Playground, accessed from the Lower Leas Coastal Park. A great place for kids, and absolutely free. Places for picnics nearby, and the beach is within walking distance.
The Council have made some great improvements to the Coastal Park Playground since the above pictures. If you have Facebook, check out their reel page, you will find a couple of reels showing all the fun the kids are having today. https://www.facebook.com/FolkestoneandHytheDC/reels/
Zip Line
2025
View from the beach in 2025 showing Marine Crescent. To the left, and built right on the beach, are the luxury flats called Shoreline. The new builds up on the Leas appear to be mostly higher and higher blocks of flats. The Council love them because they bring in a larger amount of taxes from the same ground space it used to need for one large house.
2025
1914
This is Radnor Park, a lovely green space that has been in Folkestone for a very long time as you can see by the contrasting photos of the entrance on the corner of Cheriton Road and Radnor Park Road. The statue you see on top of the fountain was missing for many years. On the left is the original statue of Saint Eanswythe, who was an Anglo-Saxon princess and granddaughter of King Ethelbert of Kent. She is believed to have founded a nunnery in Folkestone around the 7th century, making her one of the earliest verified figures of an English saint. Her remains were rediscovered in 2020, confirming her identity as a significant historical figure in Kentish Christianity. Eanswythe's life and legacy continue to be celebrated in the region, with her relics being moved to the Church of St Mary and St Eanswythe, which was dedicated to her in 1138. The statue was broken at some point in history, and only replaced with a smaller one in recent years. It is lovely to see the fountain intact again. I don't know if the water works though. Also I can't read all the notices in the old photo except one which reads 'No dogs admitted unless led', also in those days they usually stopped you from walking on the grass, so no doubt one of the notices was about that.
Another thing that has been nicely preserved is the Park keeper's cottage at the entrance to the park, looks pretty good for well over a hundred years old doesn't it? Not a residence now though, it is a coffee shop. The sign in 2025 reads HatHats Coffee, who currently have a few locations across Kent, including a second one in the Lower Leas Kiosk.
1920
2025
Chris Keller kindly took the above closeup photos of the Radnor Park fountain a few years ago, while the statue was still missing in action.
1905
Appx. 1910
1946
Appx. 1910
2003
Appx. 1920
Appx. 1920
1924
1915
1904
2003
Showing one of the many walks through Radnor Park, showing the shelter in the background. Nowadays if you saw a fellow peeking through the bushes at a child you would have him arrested. In 1911, I guess they just took his picture!
1911
I suspect this is all that remains of that shelter in the previous photo. Not sure why some of the youth of today feel they have to deface every wall available, if they feel people will stop and admire it, they couldn't be more wrong. At least those scribblers are grown up by now, as it is 2026 when I am typing this, are they now teaching their kids how to do it?
2005
This was another shelter that probably didn't survive over the years, as it looks to be made entirely of wood. It's also a nice view of the Pent Stream that runs right through the park. In fact it used to run right through Folkestone and empty into the harbour. It still does empty into the harbour, but over the years, it has been covered over in places and built on, like Tontine Street.
1921
Another very pleasant place to walk, and here you can see the stream coming down a waterfall,and under the path, watched by a fascinated child.
2005
But this looks like the same section of stream taken in 2005
2005
The same area taken from the opposite side in 2005. All the wooden railings have been replaced with metal. They don't look as attractive, but will probably last longer.
2011
2011
2011
and into the Coastal Park Playground....
Now if you are in need of some peace and quiet, with beautiful surroundings in the middle of your day, you should head to Kingsnorth Gardens, located on the corner of Castle Hill Avenue and Kingsnorth Gardens, just off Cheriton Road, and very close to Radnor Park.
The land for these sunken gardens was given to the town by Lord Radnor, who also donated the land for Radnor Park. Both were given on the understanding they would be used only for Civic purposes, no housing or commercial properly was to be built. Prior to being a Gardens, it was dug out to make the bricks to build the viaduct I believe, which is why they were left with a big hole. I for one am so glad they decided to build a sunken gardens in that hole, it is a perfect place for it, the noise from the hustle and bustle of the town is muffled in there, and I think it should be in every job description that employees spend an hour a day when the weather is nice, sitting on a bench, letting the peace and tranquility wash over them. They would be far more productive after that. So let's see what they have done with it over the years:
Kingsnorth Gardens had its Grand Opening on June 25th 1928. But possibly it was open to the public before that date. However, it was opened by Lady Radnor, or Lady Folkestone or Viscountess Folkestone, as she appears to have been known by all three titles. She was accompanied by her husband, Lord Radnor. I found a very comprehensive newspaper article in the Folkestone Herald dated Saturday June 28th 1928, which speaks about the Grand Opening having taken place the previous Wednesday, which is where I got the date of the 25th from. If you would like to see pictures and read the very long article about that opening day, along with the names of all the attendees, check out this page: https://www.warrenpress.net/FolkestoneThenNow/OpeningKingsnorthGdns.html
I confess I knew very little about Viscountess Folkestone, and mentioned it on a previous page. I heard from Shinjinee Sen, who had gone to an awful lot of trouble to satisfy my curiosity, and sent me so much information about her, I decided to put it on a page of its own, so if you are also curious about her life, here it is: https://www.warrenpress.net/FolkestoneThenNow/ViscountessFolkestone.html Thank you very much Shinjinee!
Undated
As you can see, long before 2022 when this picture was taken, the whole of Marine Gardens was swept away, along with the Marine Gardens Pavilion (later a nightclub), The Rotunda fun fair, the boating pool, the swimming pool and more latterly the Market. The Marina (formerly the Bathing Establishment), the Bandstand, the Victoria Pier, the Switchback, the Lifeboat House, the Camera Obscura, bathing machines etc. all distant memories. Nothing left at all until the building you see under construction in the distance called Shoreline, has been replicated all the way along to the harbour.
1930's
2011
The Ampitheatre
As we have strayed off to look at the County Rink, note that you can see the Shangri-La up on the hill. I don't know when those houses were built, but I have never seen a postcard showing that area without the Shangri-La in it. If you have one, I would love to see a scan please? I recently discovered that the square building opposite the Shangri-La used to be a small private school. More information about that on the Schools page.
1957
1959
2011
2011
2026
2011
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1953
1958
1958
1935
Jubilee Day, 6th May 1935 taken at night
Jubilee Day 6th May 1935 Taken at night
2011
2011
2011
Undated, guess late 50's
Undated, printed on canvass
2026
Undated
Undated
This one of course is not included with the small photos. It is a lovely size, and is a beautiful photograph of the Lily Pond. It is here with grateful thanks to Thomas Aspinall, Content Producer, Folkestone, Hythe & District Council for this, and his other contributions to this page.
2026
Undated
Undated
1958
The above two photos are the same image, but the lower one has been tinted and pretty badly tinted at that. It wasn't a clear enough photograph to start with to make a successful coloured one. They both date from the early 1950's
I sometimes get photos sent to me that are too small and low resolution to enlarge, or are images that I used when my site was in its infancy, and because of bandwidth restriction had to be scanned small with also a low resolution, and possibly no longer have the original card to rescan. Here are a few, and I apologise for the size.
I was told this dated from the early 1900's, which can't be true as the park wasn't opened until 1928, so will leave you to decide how old it is.
This is a nice one of Kingsnorth at night. Perfect setting for a proposal. I was surprised to learn the gardens are open 24 hours per day. Amazing for these days. When it first opened in 1928 it closed at dusk. As far as I can make out, the biggest drawback to a visit is parking, there is only restricted street parking. There is parking in the Central Station nearby, but not sure of the restrictions there. There are also no public toilets or refreshments inside the gardens.
This a nice little photo that apparently dates from the 20's. So if true, this give you an idea of how it was originally designed. In the newspaper article of the Grand Opening (link at the top of this section) it mentions an existing tree that was already in the ground that the designer managed to incorporate into the new gardens. I am wondering if that large tree was the one mentioned?
This was dated 1933, and looks very bare indeed, no trees or bushes and no flower beds to speak of, I don't like it, do you?
Now we come to some smaller or lesser known gardens or parks that have been or still are in Folkestone at one time or another. We will start with the Pleasure Gardens, located on Bouverie Road West, it was the grounds that surrounded the Pleasure Gardens Theatre that was built originally as The National Art Treasures building in 1886. With its glass roof, it had a similar style to the Crystal Palace in London. In 1888 it was converted into an exhibition hall, known as the Exhibition Palace Theatre. On 4th April 1896 it was remodelled and was re-named Pleasures Garden Theatre, opening with a production of “A Trip to Chicago”, staged by Walter Sealby’s Company.
In June 1896 it became the first venue in Kent to screen moving pictures. In 1913 the foyer was enlarged enabling it to be used as a concert hall. The Pleasure Gardens Theatre became home to pantomimes, opera performances and touring productions from London. In August 1929 it was taken over by Walter Bentley. The Union Cinemas chain took over around November 1935, but live theatre continued to be programmed. In October 1937 Union Cinemas were taken over by the Associated British Cinemas (ABC) chain, and they continued the live theatre use.
In October 1956 the theatre was closed for structural alterations which included the removal of pillars and the lowering of the ceiling in the foyer/concert hall. It was equipped with the latest film projection equipment. It opened as a cinema on 2nd November 1956 and programmed foreign art house films. It was never a great success as an art house cinema, one reason being the huge 1,500 seating capacity. It was closed in May 1964.
It was converted into a bingo club which only lasted a short while and later in 1964 it was demolished. A large car park and office block was built on the site which is used by Kent police.
Contributed by Ken Roe Thanks to Alan F. Taylor for the above photo
Another garden no longer there is the East Cliff Rock Gardens. I think they had to do away with it because it was falling into the sea below. Probably helped along by the weight of some of the enormous rocks. But to be fair, the East Cliff has continued to slide even without the gardens. I think the path that you see on the far left of the picture has completely gone now.
Oops no, not completely, in 2019 you could still walk along there, but the little fence you can see just past the shelter is as far as you can go. I believe you could then turn to your right and continue on down to the end of the prom, but it was often closed because of landslips.
1952
1948
This one looks a bit strange. It looks like a dusting of snow over everything, yet there are people sitting around on benches and deck chairs as if it is a warm sunny day. Maybe it is just a bad photograph.
These three show the East Cliff in 2011 without the Rock Garden. Such a shame it had to go, it was so pretty.
However, they have fixed the problem of getting to and from the prom - or Coronation Parade is it is also known, they have built a series of steps up the cliff that work very well, not if you are in a wheelchair though, unfortunately.
These days, this is a common sign seen along parts of the East Cliff. Such a shame, and apparently it is happening all round the country.
This is a park that is still there, and has been there for donkey's years, but unfortunately I don't have a single old photo of it. When I was a child I lived for a few years right opposite at 68 Canterbury Road, and spent a lot of time in this park, but didn't have a camera, which is a shame, because my childhood would count as a very old picture! LOL So if anyone has any old photos of the Canterbury Road park - or Rec as we used to call it, please share! I would also love any pictures anyone has of the Forrest's fun fair that used to visit here every year. I used to spend ages looking out of my bedroom window at the fellow that would dive off a very high diving board into a tub of water below. I could see him dive, but had to wait till he climbed up again to the top to see if he made it into the tub, as I couldn't see the landing. Loved that fair, but only got to go once each visit.
Only have one older photo of this park too. This is the Cheriton Park in Stanley Road. Also been there a very long time. In the top left photo, I can see one boy has a tricycle, does they other one have a toy lawn mower? If so it should have kept him busy for a while, there is a lot of grass to cut in there! Again, if anyone has any old photos of Cheriton Park, please let me have a scan.
On the card left, mailed in 1962, this area was named Tontine Gardens, and it not only had beautiful flower beds and benches, but also shelters all along to escape the rain, or the beating sun. In 2022 the gardens below were still there, but did not require as much manpower to keep them looking attractive, and the benches and shelters are gone, making it a less popular place to linger.
Now this one was mailed just four years after the above left, in 1966, the shelters and benches are gone, but there is a wall to sit on, and the gardens have been enlarged. What's the betting the sign said Keep Off the Grass, or words to that effect?
Sorry, this is a bit blurred, but I only had a small low resolution copy of it. It was called Harbour Gardens in 1965. I thought I would give AI a try at enlarging it for me, and the results were nice, but hilariously wrong. They put a castle into Harbour Way, and any building that didn't have a name was given one, the wrong one. I wouldn't dare put it online to show you, or people will be arguing 50 years from now as to whether there was a castle in Folkestone in 1965! Actually their version looked much nicer than the original, but we have to be factual.
This is what was installed where the Harbour Gardens used to be. A fountain, or splash pad for the kids to cool off in the hot weather. The way it is getting hotter every summer, I think this is a more practical idea than beds of scorched flowers.
Possibly some of you had no idea that these gardens ever existed, I know I didn't until AlanTaylor told me about them, and kindly let me use the sketch he has of them above. I cannot give you a modern photo of the area, as I have no idea exactly where it was, except that it was somewhere at the bottom of Cherry Garden Avenue - now which came first, the gardens or the street name? Alan told me the trees lining Cherry Garden Avenue in the old photographs were not cherry trees, but elms, that had to be removed due to dutch elm disease, so did the gardens have lots of cherry trees? If so, it must have been a beautiful place in the Spring, nothing prettier than cherry blossom.
Alan told me it was a very popular place to visit in the mid 1800's as it had live music, and you could take a picnic or buy food at the house in the picture, or even pitch a tent as someone has done on the left. Now was the pond the same Mill Pond that a few people today remember frequenting as children in that area? I am not sure, but would guess it to be likely. So if any of you can let me know exactly where that was located, I would appreciate it, because I don't think it is there today.
Another sketch of the Cherry Gardens, this time sent to me by Raymond Blanche. This looks like exactly the same sketch, but it has been flipped horizontally with the corners removed, and it has given us the date of 1850, so yes, the mid 1800's. You can see a couple of small huts in both images, so perhaps there was also swimming in the pond, and the huts were there for changing. Can't tell from the dots in the pond whether they are the heads of people, or ducks.
This is all I have at the moment of Folkestone parks and gardens. I do have more for The Leas, Hythe and other outlying places, but have put them on their own pages. If you have pictures of any more in Folkestone, please send me a scan and I will add it. But only public places please, I know a lot of you have gorgeous gardens, and I would love to see them, but I don't have the room to put them up!
There has been curiosity about that shelter, people wondering what was inside it. This is what Alan Taylor told me:
"It had a central hall 60 feet by 15 feet with toilets & cloak rooms at either end & promenade on the flat roof. It opened June 2nd 1906, concerts were held in the central hall, but in our time it was a shelter. The building was demolished by Jimmy Godden in February 1987."
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As you can see, the surrounding gardens housed a popular bandstand, a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon.
The Pleasure Gardens Theatre, with a modern photo of the Police Station beside it that is in situ now.
Page updated August 2026