Sandwich: Finishing my crusts

May 24, 2020May 24, 2020 ~ beetleypete ~ 25 Comments

The last of the four posts about the historic town of Sandwich, from 2015. The photos do benefit from enlarging them, as you can see fine detail. This reblog may be of interest to my more recent followers.

beetleypete

After my last three posts about this town in Kent, I thought I had more or less played it out. However, I have now decided to add the final photos, those omitted from the previous posts, for reasons of space, or interest. These will be the last ones, I promise.

Three rooftops. This shows the metal cupola of St Peter’s Church. Taken from a distance, it also shows the distinctive styles of rooftops in the town. One tiled, one made from stones, and the metal church roof. Like all the other photos that day, it would have looked so much better, had the weather been a little nicer.

This circular room above what is now a gift shop looked suitably nautical. I wondered what it might look like inside.

Holy Ghost Alley looks very much like the sort of alley where you might well encounter a ghost.

This house dates…

View original post 133 more words

Sandwich: The last nibble

May 23, 2020May 23, 2020 ~ beetleypete ~ 13 Comments

The third part of this photo post about the historic Kent town, from 2015. Despite the title, and what it says in the text, I did post a fourth one, and that will be up tomorrow. This is for new followers who haven’t seen it before.

The photos look a bit better when enlarged.

beetleypete

This is the last selection of photos from our trip to this lovely old town. On this occasion, I have included three photos of more modern buildings in the town. Given the great age of most of the houses and public buildings there, the term ‘modern, is used advisedly.

From 1916 until 1928, The East Kent Road Car Company operated buses in and around the town. They provided a service to the nearby city of Canterbury, and to coastal towns such as Ramsgate, and Deal. This quaint little building served as both the ticket office, and public waiting room, and has been left in its original place, though somewhat abandoned to nature.

View original post 124 more words

Sandwich: The second half

May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 ~ beetleypete ~ 15 Comments

The second reblogged photo post featuring this town in Kent, from 2015. Many of you saw these at the time, but they may interest more recent followers. It continued to be dull weather all day there, so it is probably worth enlarging the photos to get a better effect. (This can be done on the original post)

beetleypete

Continuing from the previous post, here are three more shots from that day trip. Some of the oldest buildings in the town, and a view from the bridge along the quay, which now serves as a car park.

St Peter’s Street, with its lovingly-preserved mixture of houses, from Tudor to Georgian.

St Peter’s Church, in the heart of the town. It dates from the 13th century, and has a famous crypt, once used as a charnel house and ossuary. There is also the distinctive metal cupola below the spire. It is hard to see from this angle, but if you enlarge the photo, it is visible. I wanted to go inside, but a large tour group had just arrived, for a pre-arranged visit.

Standing on the new bridge that replaced the ancient toll bridge, this was shot looking east along the river, toward the sea.

In the next and last…

View original post 15 more words

Sandwich: The first bite

May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 ~ beetleypete ~ 20 Comments

More photo-post reblogs for new followers, from 2015. This is the first of four posts about the historic town of Sandwich, in Kent. The day was unbelievably dull, so the photos look flat and uninteresting. They are marginally better if you enlarge them. Worth posting though I think, as the small town is overflowing with history. More to come this week, with all four parts reblogged.

beetleypete

Sandwich is a town in Kent, on the River Stour, one of four English rivers bearing this name. It is close to the channel coast, lying south of Ramsgate, and east of Canterbury. It has been established as a town since Roman times, and was once a busy port. It was one of the original Cinque Ports, providing men and ships for the navy, in exchange for lenient trade laws, and low taxes. At the time of Edward The Confessor (1042-1066) they formed the first real navy organised for the defence of England.

View original post 234 more words

Sandwich: Finishing my crusts

September 18, 2015September 18, 2015 ~ beetleypete ~ 26 Comments

This circular room above what is now a gift shop looked suitably nautical. I wondered what it might look like inside.

Holy Ghost Alley looks very much like the sort of alley where you might well encounter a ghost.

This house dates from 1774, and is called Serpentine Cottage. Despite the 18th century construction, it is very much in the late Tudor style. It must have been the house of someone wealthy or important at the time.

This addition to St Peter’s church is in the style know as ‘Dutch Gable’, so is probably 17th century, much later than the original church building.

That is the last post about Sandwich, with all the photos I am happy to add to the blog. I am very pleased that so many of you have enjoyed these, and hope that this final collection is similarly well-received.

All the photos are large files, and can be enlarged by clicking on them. I am happy to report that they have retained a considerable amount of detail, even at maximum resoluiton.

Sandwich: The last nibble

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 ~ beetleypete ~ 34 Comments

The wonderful Art Deco edifice of the Empire Cinema has stood since 1937. At night, it is still illuminated by the original green neon strip-lights outside. The cinema continues to operate to this day, showing mainstream films, as well as hosting a regular film club, for art-house screenings. I love this place, but couldn’t manage to get a photo of it without parked cars, as it is on a busy junction.

Bordering the river, heading west, modern houses have been constructed next to the pedestrian walkway. In keeping with the nearby architecture, they have been made to resemble boat houses, so fit in well with their surroundings. You can also see some house boats moored alongside.

So that is the end of our trip to Sandwich. If you ever find yourself in Kent, I can highly recommend a day trip to this fascinating ancient town. There is much to see and do there, and you will definitely not have a wasted journey.

Sandwich: The second half

September 16, 2015 ~ beetleypete ~ 23 Comments

Continuing from the previous post, here are three more shots from that day trip. Some of the oldest buildings in the town, and a view from the bridge along the quay, which now serves as a car park.

St Peter’s Street, with its lovingly-preserved mixture of houses, from Tudor to Georgian.

Standing on the new bridge that replaced the ancient toll bridge, this was shot looking east along the river, toward the sea.

In the next and last of this series, I will show some photos of more modern buildings in the town.

Sandwich: The first bite

September 16, 2015 ~ beetleypete ~ 38 Comments

The town still has a connection with the sea, and is popular with boat-owners, and those taking trips along The Stour. It has become something of a tourist trap, thanks mainly to its historical connections, the proximity to Canterbury, and the variety of well-preserved old buildings to be found there. Julie and I visited last year, and she enjoyed the best sandwich she had ever had, in The Bell Hotel. Not that the town has any connection with the foodstuff, other than the title bestowed on the Earl, who it is claimed invented the idea so he could continue to gamble, without sitting down to eat.

This year, Julie was unable to repeat the experience of the chicken salad club sandwich, as the hotel has discontinued it. She had to settle for a mixed-meats bruschetta instead. This was something of a disappointment, like the weather, which was cloudy and overcast, and made the day seem dark by early afternoon. This will be reflected in the following photos, which were taken in those same unforgiving lighting conditions.

The Barbican once protected the entrance to the town from the old toll bridge. It was built in 1539.

This well-maintained old house is in the town centre. If you enlarge the photo, you can read the date over the door. It was built in 1517, during the reign of Henry the Eighth.

The Guildhall houses the local Courts, meeting rooms, and the offices of the Town Council, The Mayor, and the Tourist Information Centre. Originally built in 1539, it was later extended, in 1912, and refurbished, in 1973.