Hythe
Your magazine June 2017
This newsletter is compiled and edited by David Cowell who is totally responsible for content. If you do not wish to receive these newsletters please email UNSUBSCRIBE to him at david@davidcowell.net
Support your local Farmers' Markets
SANDGATE FARMERS MARKET January 2017 T
W
T
February 2017
S
M
S
M
T
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
F
14
S
5
6
7
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
12
13
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
19
29
30
31
26
T
S
M
1
2
3
4
2
3
4
8
9
10
11
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
14
15
16
17
18
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
27
28
26
27
28
29
30
31
April 2017 S
M
T
W
T
March 2017
W
F
S
T
1
May 2017 F
S
S
M
1
1
T
W
T
W
T
F
S
June 2017 F
S
S
M
T
W
T
F
1
S
2
3
4
5
6
2
3
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
28
29
30
31
25
26
27
28
29
30
30 July 2017 S
M
T
W
T
August 2017 F
S
S
M
1
T 1
W
T
September 2017 F
S
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
27
28
29
30
31
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
30
31
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
M
S
M
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
October 2017
1
November 2017 T
2
December 2017
W
T
F
S
1
2
3
4
T
W
T
F
S
1
2
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
29
30
31
26
27
28
29
30
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
26
31 Farmers Market
Art and Craft Market
Great range of bread, pies, biscuits, fruit & veg, meat, eggs, cheese and charcuterie, fish, cakes and quiches, preserves and chutneys and confectionery (stall holders may vary between markets).
REAL F
D. REAL CL
SE.
Shop Local. www.sandgatebusiness.org.uk
Sandgate Library is open Monday to Saturday 9:30am - 1:00pm (closed Wednesday) For more information call 01303 248563 (mornings only) Sandgate Library, James Morris Court, Sandgate High St. CT20 3RR
Dates for your diary
July 21 - July 23 CT21 5AS Hythe
2
W. MARTIN LTD. PET & GARDEN SUPPLIES 73 Cheriton High St.Folkestone.CT19 4HE PET FOODS & ACCESSORIES HUTCHES & RUNS ALL GARDEN REQUIREMENTS Large range of wild bird foods Seeds, bulbs, compost & fertilizers Vegetable & flower plants Concrete ornaments For a great pet and garden shop near you give us a call today on: 01303 275 223 or email wmartin4@btconnect.com
3
4
5
C a r i ta s C h a m b e r C h o i r Accompanied by Caritas Sinfonia
Music for Royals
27th May, 7.30pm St Gregory & St Martin, Wye, Kent TN25 5ES Tickets £10 from Wye News 07934 251881 All proceeds to Wye Church
6
George II © National Portrait Gallery, London
Featuring Handel’s Coronation Anthems
I am delighted to inform you that three electronic editions of The Sentinel are now published. We now produce a Sandgate, Hythe and a Newington version each month. If you would like to receive a copy of any please email me at: david@davidcowell.net and put the name of the version you require ie The Sentinel Hythe or The Sentinel Sandgate/ Hythe etc in the subject line.
Hythe Farmers’ Market takes place on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10am until 1pm. In the Methodist Church Hall, Chapel Street, Hythe,
No job too small
Parking is available nearby. For more information call
Please call to discuss your needs
(01303) 266118 or 268715
To advertise in three The Sentinels with circa 3580 targetted readers and growing please email me at: david@davidcowell.net for a rate card. Thank you. 7
8
Ticket prices [Friends] Prices (unless otherwise stated): Saturday 10 June Evening and afternoon concerts £12; lunchtime concerts £7. 7.30pm £21 & £15 Discounted prices for Friends of St Primavera Leonard’s Church: Evening and Chamber afternoon concerts £10; lunchtime Ensemble Mozart concerts £6. – Flute Quartet in Tickets available from Brandon’s Music C, K285b Haydn – Shop, 55 High Street, Hythe CT21 5AD Symphony No 101 in D ‘Clock’ Light lunches available in church after lunchtime concerts indicated by [L]. arr. Salomon Brahms – Piano Quintet in F minor, (01303 264429) and at church door prior
to each concert. Tickets for some concerts may be bought Thursday 22 June 12 noon [L] £7 [£6] on-line at http:// www.friendsofstleonardshythe.org.uk/ Just2 Harp Duo: Karina & Adel Programme.html. Wilson Free admission to those under 18 in fullInternationally acclaimed awardtime education.
Op 35
winning harp duo, play variety of music to include traditional, classical, Scottish, contemporary and jazz
Saturday 24 June 5.00pm £7 [£6] Verano Quintet: Ben Uden, Richard Williams, Phillip Scott Moore, Adam Young (guitarists) & Emmanuel Webb (violin) Awardwinning local young musicians perform exciting repertoire from South America, Spain and elsewhere Saturday 1 July 7.30pm £12 Folkestone Choral Society (Programme to be advised)
9
KEVIN Plastering & Building Services Painting & Decorating Wall & Floor Tiling All aspects of building work undertaken Kevin 07948045255 Free Estimates
Fully 10
Obituary Long-term Hythe resident Marcus Little passed away on Friday May 5th. Marcus had lived in Marine Parade most of his life, first coming to Hythe with his mother and grandparents in the early 1960s. During this time the family provided lodgings to Colin McInnes, writer of Absolute Beginners, as described in the April edition of the Hythe The Sentinel. He was always interested in the town and was an active member of the Twiss Road allotments which enriched his firmly-held vegetarianism. Marcus was a familiar figure at the Hythe Cricket Club boot fairs, offering a wide selection of antiques and curious items for sale. His appreciation of the unusual also lead to an exploration of experimental music. He will be sadly missed by his many friends and acquaintances. The funeral arrangements are yet to be confirmed. editor's note In the April article entitled Literary Hythe: right-and-tight-and-sound refered to above, I said how Colin McInnes could often be seen tending the pocket handkerchief sized garden that looked out to the Channel; cutting the small lawn with nail scissors. Despite his failing health Marcus telephoned me and said he believed that Colin cutting the lawn with scissors was the product of his experience in the army.
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
FOLKESTONE QUAKERS MEET IN SANDGATE We gather at
ST. PAUL’S CHURCH HALL on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month at 10.30am Anyone is welcome to join us. A Quaker Meeting for Worship is very simple and may be just what you need. It is a coming together in silence in which we ponder the deep issues of life without the constraints of pre-fixed beliefs. Anyone can share a heartfelt thought in the meeting. We don’t answer it or discuss it - we just receive it. In some meetings no-one speaks at all. The meeting ends with handshake and chat over coffee or tea. We also hold house discussion groups and monthly social coffee chats. Quakers have always been prepared to speak out on social issues and act on their convictions, resulting in the practical and social action that we have been known for over the years. www.eastkentquakers.org.uk
Marcus was indeed generous of spirit.
11
12
The Historic Houses Association (HHA) represents over 1,640 of the UK's privately and charitably owned historic houses, castles and gardens. These are listed buildings or designated gardens, usually Grade I or II*, and are often outstanding. Many are considered to be iconic symbols of Britain's unique heritage. Around 500 of these properties open their doors to visitors for days out, special tours, school visits, film locations, weddings and events, or as memorable places to stay. 24 million people a year visit HHA Member properties and there are over 45,000 Friends of the HHA. Members range from iconic stately homes such as Blenheim Palace, Highclere Castle, Castle Howard, Knebworth House, Longleat and Burghley House, to more intimate houses such as Traquair in Scotland, Treowen in Wales and Belle Isle in Northern Ireland. Most are still private family homes. The Association was established in 1973 to help owners conserve these wonderful places in the interests of the nation and carries out important lobbying, advisory and marketing work on behalf of Member properties.
13
ÂŁ11.00
Concessions available at most performances
14
15
www.aridzonaawnings.co.uk For the finest German engineered awnings and glass rooms Installed by a Kent based family company.
Call Sam Ruddle for a free survey on 0330 6600949
16
If you have any photographs of the area either current or past do send them to me by email and I will feature them in future editions.
Paul worked at Crundens and since its closure has provided this excellent service.
If you just have prints do drop them round to Clyme House (see back page) and I will scan.
17
I am researching the history of Tynwald House in Hillside Street Hythe and would be most grateful if you could pass on anything you may know about the property. It is now a residential home for the elderly but has been a private dwelling in the past with owners such as Admiral Hall-Thomson and Charles Dynely Twopeny who was Mayor of Hythe between 1919-1922. Thank you. david@davidcowell.net
If you have any photographs of the area either current or past do send them to me by email and I will feature them in future editions. If you just have prints do drop them round to Clyme House (see back page) and I will scan and return them. 18
Celebrity Hythe – by golly, it does you good. by David Cowell The world celebrity is often used nowadays to categorise the media manufactured, marketing executive created, over night success where the skills of the managing agency seem to far exceed those of its client. It is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as a famous person, especially in entertainment or sport. This falls far short of what I want this article to address so I looked further for a suitable definition and found it as a famous or well-known person and gives synonyms such as distinction, note, eminence, stardom. So that is where this article will travel to find some of the Hythe residents who have been successful in their chosen fields both in the past and contemporaneously. At the start of the second world war, Hythe residents would have seen the familiar sight of Daphne du Maurier walking the byways of the township. Daphne, who was already receiving literary acclaim as the author of Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and two biographical works and her husband Tommy Browning lived in Hythe when he was posted to the Small Arms School as Assistant Commandant and they were given the Commandant’s House on Sir John Moore Avenue. The prospect of the impending Daphne du Maurier’s house in Hythe as it is today slaughter prompted her to say that “we ought to give up trying to make money, trying to be successful, trying to live by the values of the world and get back to simplicity in all things, kindliness and simple faith……selfishness is the root of all evil.” Today their quarters are divided into flats and a large part of the garden has been built over to house Sainsburys. In a letter to her sister Angela at this time Daphne wrote regarding the early days of the war in Hythe “It is heavenly here and I’m sure we should have loved it but for all this.” Then the following spring she wrote “This is a good place in the summer, anyway for the children and they seem so happy that I see no point in suddenly upheaving yet awhile. The kitchen garden too, bursting soon with produce! But of course if raids start I should shift. “ 19
continued page 20
By May 1940 Tommy had been posted elsewhere and Daphne and the girls, Tessa and Flavia, left Hythe for Hertfordshire. In 2010 the author of this article wrote, produced and performed in a production called Sandgate in People, Prose and Poems at the Chichester Hall. Hythe resident, the actor Ken Colley, generously agreed to play the part of the first narrator, the voice that leads the audience through the production. Ken did this with all the confidence and skill that 40 years in the business allows. It is very easy to think of Ken only as his appearance as Admiral Piett in two of the Star Wars’ films. He has the distinction of being the only actor, other than the main characters, to appear in more than one of Ken Colley drawing by Malc Ritchie the series and he still regularly makes appearance at Star Wars’ conventions where he is much sought after by the attendees. He has starred with many big names in the world of film prompting him to say that “in one year, I worked with Clint Eastwood, Gregory Peck, and David Prowse. I got a crick in my neck from always looking up toward the stars!” Ken is also a seasoned stage actor who has performed in Shakespearian productions as well as regular appearances on television programmes. He directed Ben Shockley in the horror film Greetings in 2007. Ben, whose real name is David White, was born and grew up in Hythe too and has an impressive list of film and television credits to his name. In the audience on that night in June 2010 was a fellow actor and Sandgate resident George Irving who recently played the eponymous role in Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. He is well known for the part of Doctor Anton Meyer in Holby City and Casualty. Following the production, the two enthralled the group that adjourned to a local watering hole with their reminiscences of their early days in the business. When hearing a comment that the Guinness family had been good to Dublin, the ribald Irish author and playwright Brendan Behan asked that those listening should remember that Dublin had also been good to the Guinness family. The same claim could be levelled at William and Henry Mackeson who opened their brewery in Hythe at the turn of the 19th century, A hundred years later the company introduced a milk stout for which their name is now synonymous. Although Whitbreads purchased the 20
continued page 21
concern in the 1920s, brewing continued in Hythe until 1968 just a month before the company’s 300th birthday. Readers of a certain age will still remember the actor Bernard Miles telling us from our television screens that it "looks good, tastes good and, by golly, it does you good." The family vault can be seen at St Leonards Church and their buildings still sit at the western end of the High Street and now houses the popular antique and bric a brac shops. Their family home, The Maltings, has now been converted into apartments. They were probably the biggest employers in the area and underground tunnels provided the perfectly naturally refrigerated environment for storing the popular libation and served the local population well as an air raid shelter in the second world war. Like many businesses, the brewery prospered during the early 1800s as the military personnel used canal and martello towers to halt the threatened Napoleonic invasion that never happened. For most of his life, controversy surrounded Sir Francis Pettit Smith because of his claim that he invented the screw propeller and although the Hythe born inventor was one of a number who saw the alternative to the then ubiquitous paddle wheel, there is no doubt that Smith was the first to raise the necessary funds to take the idea from drawing board to full production. The son of Hythe’s postmaster, Francis Pettit Smith was born in the town on the 9th February,1808 and, as a boy, he made model boats and this interest accompanied him into his adult life. In 1836 he took out a patent as the result of his experimentation into propeller driven vessels. Cynicism accompanied his invention and it was not until Isambard Kingdom Brunel converted his ship, the Great Britain, from paddle wheel to propeller that it received popular support. This culminated in him being appointed the curator of the Patent Museum and in 1871 he was knighted. When the patent ran out on his invention he returned to farming and died in 1874. Brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey lived in Hythe until their late teens when they left for London. The former is a lyricist and producer and the latter a 21
continued page 22
multi instrumentalist and when they met Skye Edwards at a party and heard her sing, Morcheeba was born. They eventually signed to China Records and, in 1995, they released their debut record Trigger Hippy. A number of albums followed but in 2003 the band split up, citing creative and personal differences as the cause. They all went their separate ways but six years later they reformed and continue to perform together to this day with a dedicated Facebook and web site. If you do an iTunes search for Morcheeba you will find their song The Sea with Skye’s smoky voice creating a wonderfully evocative and captivating sound. It was written by the brothers whilst visiting Bar Vasa on the Sandgate Esplanade. No account of the people of Hythe would be complete without mention of the pivotal role played by the fortress that sits above the town and has done so for over a thousand years. Saltwood Castle and its occupants have made a significant contribution to local history over the centuries. A castle has been on or near the site since 488 CE but it was in 1170 that it achieved its first act of recorded notoriety. Owned by the King, Henry II, he had given it to a Baron, Ranulf de Bloc. At the end of that year, the four knights that murdered Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, are reported to have stayed at the castle the night before the deed was carried out. Following the assassination, the castle became the property of the Church but continued to be associated with the struggle between Church and State. An earthquake in 1580 made it uninhabitable and it was not until the 1800s that restoration work was carried out and the gatehouse has been occupied ever since. Luminaries such as Bill Deedes grew up in the Castle. Bill had the dubious distinction of being the only member of the Cabinet who was also the editor of a major daily newspaper (The Telegraph). Deedes would boast that a member of his family had been a parliamentarian every century since 1600. He was the inspiration for Evelyn Waugh’s hapless character William Boot in his novel Scoop and achieved even greater fame as the target of the satirical magazine Private Eye’s cutting humour in their Dear Bill series of articles which lampooned the husband of the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. In 1955 the historian Kenneth Clark purchased the property and it has been in their family ever since having been inherited by his son Alan who was described by one fellow member of Parliament as "the most politically incorrect, outspoken, iconoclastic and reckless politician of our times". Since his death in 1999, his widow Jane has continued the family’s occupancy. So attractive an estate and building caught the eye of the senior Nazi 22
continued page 23
officer, Hermann Gรถring who ordered the Luftwaffe not to bomb Hythe as he wished to live in the Castle should they have successfully invaded this island. How differently things could have turned out! And finally, a famous Sandgate resident was H. G. Wells who, having rented two properties in the village, eventually built Spade House. Space does not permit more about Wells in this article but you can visit an exhibition about him at the Sandgate Library. Any article restricted by space runs the risk of offending by omission and should there be famous Hythe resident who you feel should be acknowledged do let me know. This is the third of a series of articles about Hythe and the people from many walks of life who have lived here. It first appeared in Issue 3 of Hythe Life
The WOW factor I have always liked this shop since its previous incarnation as Barley Mow under the proprietorship of Jane Twist. It was subsequently taken over by John Godden who used to work with Jane and he has showed his tremendous procurement skills in buying interesting and unusual stock. He has now added an additional space on the first floor and it is well worth a visit offering, amongst other things, a range of table lamps that will grace any room. A wonderful emporium for searching out those gifts that you want to impress the recipient without breaking the bank. Give them a visit and be prepared to be wowed! WOW Design-led gifts and interiors 76 High Street Hythe Kent CT21 5AL 01303 265340 23
https://www.facebook.com/wowhythe/
If you have any comments to make about this publication please do email me. I would be very interested in the things you like and the things you don't like and the things you'd like to see included. Thank you. If you would like to submit an article or letter please email it to me. I will print almost anything as long as it’s not libellous, racist or unkind. Name must be supplied but can be withheld if requested. Please put your articles etc in plain text or Word and images should be in .jpg, .tiff or .png. My contact details are: Address: Clyme House, Hillside Street, Hythe, Kent CT21 5DJ Mobile: 07771 796 446 Landline: 020 3239 5828 (via Skype) email: david@davidcowell.net