Whitstable - "The Pearl of Kent"

Hi and welcome to my blog. 100th post!

For many Londoners who live in the South East of London it is just a short 60 minute drive to Whitstable. In recent years Whitstable has had a renaissance and the price of property, including the famous beach huts, rose by leaps and bounds.

It has a thriving fishing industry and a harbour. It is THE place for oysters, (hence its fame as the "pearl" of Kent) and has a fish market that sells a range of fresh fish. Oysters have been harvested here since Roman times.

There are numerous pubs and this first photo shows one of them: The Ship Centurion, which won the 2007 Kent "Pub of the Year" Award.

It's a British seaside town with real character. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Thanks for coming. The next issue will be in a couple of weeks. The Christmas Issue!

Alan






















St Alphege's Church, built in
the 1840s. It was close to
Remembrance day, hence the
poppies. Make sure you read
the sign to the right of the
memorial. A fine place to collect
your poppy!!
















The High Street
















The Royal Naval Reserve pub. Have a look at
the menu. Typical british pub fare!
















Another pub and hotel and a striking building.
The Duke of Cumberland






















Typical lane with the slatted
buildings that I love
















Oyster paradise. I believe you have to book
up far in advance to be sure of a table. If you
click on the link you can see a sample menu
















Kent beaches are mostly pebble. The wooden
breaks are known as "groins"
















Another view of the restaurant

















The oysters themselves, yummy - shame
about the cholesterol.....
















Part of the sea front

















Close up, though a bit of a face lift would be
in order for Stag Cottage. Spot the seagull
(its bottom!). Perhaps it's the only resident!











Looking over towards the harbour
















A sea of snails

















The colourful harbour. The other industry of
Whitstable apart from tourism, but which, of
course, adds to the tourist attraction












Sand and gravel















View towards the top end of the harbour






















Another example of the
traditional white slatted
house
















Whitstable Alley Ways grew as residents
needed more access to the sea from the High
Street. They were also convenient escape
routes for Kent smugglers of tobacco and spirits,
and people during the Napoleonic wars























High Street Oyster Bar
















Young seagull with its baby plumage

Fond memories of Herne Bay and Herne Village, Kent, UK

Thanks for coming to my blog.

Herne Village and Herne Bay in Kent have a special place in my childhood memories. When my Dad went abroad on unaccompanied postings with the RAF my Mother, my sister and I went to stay with my Dad's parents in Herne Village. This happened twice for 1 year each time and another time for 3 months. Plus this was where we went on holiday.

I have lovely memories so I got a lot of pleasure taking photos of places I remember since I was a wee lad!

These pictures of Herne and Herne Bay were taken on my recent trip to the UK.

Next time I'll show pictures I took of Whitstable, Kent - a fishing village which is an icon of a British seaside town and a refuge for many people who live in East London, as it was for us before we moved to Singapore.

See you then.

Alan
















The beginning and the end of the Herne Bay
pier. There used to be a middle!
















A close up of the end of the pier. Now with
wind whatsits in the background.
















The clock tower which was the world's first
free standing and purpose built clock tower.
It was completed in 1837.
















Herne Bay is a Victorian town with much of
it's lovely architecture still intact.
















Here you can see a line of Victorian terraced
houses on the seafront











The iconic beach huts.
















This landmark windmill is very vivid in my
menory. It stands out above Herne Bay on a
site where a windmill has stood for the last
600 years.













Standing proud!













An autumn rural shot off the Ridgeway, above
Herne Village.
















Classic village home, for the better off.
















Lovely slatted home, typical of this area.


















Herne village terraced homes.

















Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Herne Bay.
My parents got married here 60 years ago.
And I was an altar boy........
.......but not quite 60 years ago!

















St Martin's Church in Herne Village. It is a
traditional Norman 12th century Church.














St Martins Tower above the rooftops