A brief history of Broadstairs
600BC to 2003AD
In Roman times the Isle of Thanet was indeed an island, being separated form the
mainland Kent by The Wantsum Channel. The Romans actually built forts at each
end of the channel, Reculver to the north and Richborough to the south. These
are now sites of historic interest and the remains are tourist attractions. In
AD449 the Viking Hengist actually landed near Ramsgate at Pegwell Bay. Today
there is a replica Viking long ship on display at Pegwell Bay. This replica was
actually rowed across the North Sea in 1949 and landed at was then called Main
Bay in Broadstairs - now renamed Viking Bay in honour of this event. In June
2005 this longship was returned to public display at Pegwell Bay having been
completely restored by Tommi Nielsen & Co, a firm specialising in maintaining
historic sailing ships. This restoration was funded jointly by the Heritage
Lottery Fund and Thanet Council.
In the middle ages St Peters was a thriving farming community and had a nearby fishing village which became what we now know as Broadstairs. Its name being derived from the Anglo-Saxon word Bradstow which means a broad place.
Much later shipbuilding became of great importance for
Broadstairs and in 1538
George Culmer built the first pier and York Gate to protect his shipyard which
was on the site currently occupied by The Pavilion and Garden on the Sands.
The York Gate is the archway which can be seen near the bottom of Harbour street
today. Shipbuilding continued in Broadstairs until 1824 when the business
transferred to Whites on the Isle of Wight.
In 1850 Whites donated the first lifeboat to Broadstairs, sorely needed because
of the treacherous Goodwin Sands. These boards mounted on the Harbour building
show all of the rescues of the lifeboats based in Broadstairs. Today the modern
lifeboats are based at Margate and Ramsgate.
Smuggling was almost as important an industry as anything else in the area and the men of St Peters became
very good at outwitting The Revenue Men! This was very profitable because of the very high duty payable on tea, spirits and tobacco - not much change there now for the latter two! There were many tunnels and caves which were used by smugglers to hide their contraband.
The tourist industry started in the early 19th century, Broadstairs being
popular with the gentry after 1829 which the then Princess Victoria spent her
summer at Pierremont Hall. Charles Dickens was also a regular visitor, hence the
museums and festival named after him.
The growth of the railways brought more and more people to holiday at
Broadstairs, and encouraged the development of many schools and convalescent
homes. Broadstairs and St Peters continued to grow into a thriving residential
area and a major holiday resort.
In recent times Broadstairs
as a major holiday centre for one or two week summer breaks has declined but the
town continues to thrive, sometimes despite the best efforts of the local
Council! It has adapted well to serve short stay and day trip visitors although
it still retains a healthy number of hotels and guest houses. There are a number
of events each year to attract visitors, perhaps the most well known being the
week long events of the Dickens Festival and Folk Week, and Water Gala Day.
Some Famous Residents
Broadstairs and the surrounding areas have has some very famous residents in the
past. Here is a short list of some:-
Sir Edward Heath - born in St Peters and an old boy of Chatham House School, and
a very enthusiastic member of the Broadstairs Sailing Club. Until quite recently
he used to return each year to conduct the Broadstairs Carol Concert.
Jack Warner - actor famous as Dixon of Dock Green
Walter Richard Sickert - artist
Annette Mills - associated for many years with the childrens TV series Muffin
the Mule.
Alfred Charles Harmsworth (Lord Northcliffe) - newspaper magnate.
Frank Richards (Charles Hamilton) - author creator of Billy Bunter.
Sir Samuel Luke Fildes - artist.
Thomas Russell Crampton - engineer and the museum named after him.
Joss Snelling - known as The Famous Smuggler.
James Henry Summerson - aka Uncle Mack - With his Minstrels he entertained
hundreds on the sands, pier and promenade between about 1900 and 1948.
Sir Edmund Vestey - with his brother William founded Vestey Brothers, Union Cold
Storage Co Ltd and Blue Star Line shipping.
Bruce Robinson - b. 1946 in Broadstairs he is an actor, writer and film
director. His films include The Killing Fields and Withnail & I.
Some Famous Visitors
There have been many other famous Visitors to the town over the years, here are a few:-
John Buchan - author of The Thirty Nine Steps, said to have been inspired by the
steps leading from North Foreland to the beach.
Oscar Wilde - stayed at The Albion Hotel.
George Bernard Shaw - in his young days applied for post of keeper at the North
Foreland lighthouse, but was rejected!
Wilkie Collins - stayed at The Albion Hotel with Charles Dickens, it is said
that the North Foreland lighthouse inspired the title of his detective novel The
Woman in White.
Douglas Fairbanks & Mary Pickford - spent their honeymoon in Broadstairs.
George Eliot - with Herbert Spencer came for 'a discreet holiday'.
Hans Christian Andersen - visited Broadstairs with Charles Dickens.
Some Infamous Visitors
There have also been a couple
of rather infamous visitors or residents in Broadstairs' past:-
Arthur Tester - lived at Naldera a 20 room mansion in the North Foreland Estate.
He was a member of the British Union of Facists and apperently a german spy
during the mid 1930s. It has been said that his esccape from England was via the
passage from the North Foreland estate to the beach and then by boat. It has
also been suggested that when John Buchan wanted an ending for his 39 Steps
novel he borrowed the story of Arthur Tester's escape!
Dr Herman Goertz The Manston Spy - rented a bungalow called Havelock in Stanley
Road Broadstairs in 1935. He was foolish enough to leave his spying equipment in
the bungalow while on a return visit to Germany which was discovered by the
bungalows owner.
