JULY 2006 HYTHE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS JULY 2006

Saturday	1^st	am: The High Street Parade and Miss Hythe Festival pm: Free-for-All, School Fête and Motor Show
Sunday	2^nd	all day: Hythe Ranges Open Day
Monday	3^rd	very am: An early bird wildlife train Safari
Tuesday	4^th	am: “Beat the Clock” Amateur Painting Competition
Wednesday	5^th	eve: A Promenade Concert on the Canal
Thursday	6^th	pm: A Flower Exhibition eve: Fashion Show
Friday	7^th	eve: A POP Concert and a Ball
Saturday	8^th	am/pm: The High Street’s Alive! am/pm: “On Parade” – Military Action and Music eve: Gala Opening of the New FHODS Tower Theatre
Sunday	9^th	am: Birthday Parade: Royal British Legion Hythe Branch pm: A Garden Safari in Hythe
Monday	10^th	pm: A Canal Concert by the US Army Band and Chorus

FULL DETAILS ARE IN PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE AT ALL HYTHE SHOPS

The eighth HYTHE FESTIVAL runs from the 1st to the 9th of July (with one or two extras outside that period.) You can pick up a free Brochure with full details in any shop in Hythe, and from the 24th of June an Information Centre will be open in the Town Hall where you can buy tickets and ask about events.

You can also pick up there a separate Programme of Musical Events: no less than FIVE Concerts in St Leonard’s Church, plus a ‘Raise the Roof’ Finale with the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas.

Hythe Civic Society is supporting the Festival with extra Guided Town Walks (some followed by an historical tour of St Leonard’s Church), a Coach Trip to Westenhanger Castle (see below), a talk ‘What if? Napoleon’s Invasion Plan’ by Michael George (Author of Coast of Conflict, highly recommended elsewhere in these pages), another of the popular Poetry Proms, and an Exhibition ‘Photographing the Past’, in the Library (throughout July, and featuring the work of the late Jack Adams and John Davies.

WESTENHANGER CASTLE

Our visit during the 2004 Festival was well-supported so we are repeating it. This time we are providing a coach from Red Lion Square at 2.30pm on Tuesday 4th July to give a chance to those without transport to join in. The cost is £11 which includes coach fare, afternoon tea, and a guided tour. Please book with Chris Melchers on 267073 or June Orrell on 269662 before June 29th.

To whet your appetite, you may be interested to know that in 1573 Queen Elizabeth I stayed at “my own house of Westenhanger”, which she inherited from her brother Edward VI, and he in turn from their father Henry VIII. In 1588 it became the headquarters for controlling the 14,000 troops which were moved down here to defend the Coast against the approaching Spanish Armada.

Long before that it was used by the Saxon Kings of Kent, and in the 12^th century “fair Rosamund”, mistress of Henry II, lodged there and received secret visits from him until, allegedly, his jealous Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had her murdered. “Rosamund’s Tower” still stands, memorial to “the most beautiful woman in the world” and a doomed extra-marital affair. The present owners, the Forge family, have been undertaking extensive restoration work in cooperation with English Heritage.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Please may we politely remind all members who have yet to pay their subscriptions for the current year to send a cheque for £6 to the Treasurer as soon as possible. His address is on the back page. Unfortunately we shall have to stop delivering the Newsletter to members who remain in arrears.

SOCIETY EVENTS

Our Annual General Meeting was held in the Town Hall on 9^th May in the presence of the newly elected Mayor, Neil Matthews, and the Town Clerk. Guest Speaker, Roger de Haan, gave a presentation to the Society on the background and provisions of his master-plan for the re-development of central parts of Folkestone. This generated a lot of interest and approval.

The formal part of the meeting started with a review of the Society’s work over the past year by the Chairman, Brigadier Holman, and each of the Officers. Commenting on planning matters the Chairman observed that a large proportion of new housing that is classified as being on “brownfield” sites, as preferred by Government policy, is actually on the gardens of existing houses which is dramatically changing the character of our town. The Officers and Committee were unanimously re-elected. The Treasurer recommended a small increase on the annual subscription to £8 per household which was approved by the meeting.

TOWN EVENTS

AGE CONCERN are holding a Craft Fair on Saturday 10^th June from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. £10 per table. They are also holding an Antiques and Collectibles Fair on Saturday 8^th July from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. £15 per table booked in advance.

FRIENDS OF ST. LEONARDS’ CONCERTS

On June 24^th members of the Bavarian State Orchestra will perform quintets by Dvorak and Schubert.

On June 27^th Voices Unlimited from the U.S.A will be accompanied by two Ashford school bands, The Highworth Guitar Quartet and The Norton Knatchbull Hot 8 Jazz Band.

London Primavera Orchestra plays on July 21.

These concerts will be in the Church at 7.30. p.m. Tickets, can be bought at Brandon’s Music Shop or at the door.

THE LITTLE THEATRE, SANDGATE

Further to our note in NL129 the venerable old venue has now been sold for a reported £220,000, helping to pay for the new Tower Theatre, which opens with a gala concert party on 8^th July.

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION

On Sunday 9^th July, the 85^th Anniversary of the Formation of the Hythe and Saltwood Branch of the Royal British Legion will be commemorated with a March from the Clubhouse in St Leonard’s Road to the War Memorial for a Service at which the Branch Standard will be re-dedicated. The march starts at 10.30. and may be joined by non-members who wish to honour Britain’s Armed Forces. The Poperinge St Cecilia Band will set the pace. The Service itself starts at 11.00: do please come.

The ‘Founding Document’ is interesting; it reports to the HQ of the British Legion on ‘Form A’:

Sir, I have to inform you that at a meeting of discharged and demobilised sailors and soldiers held at Hythe, Kent on 30^th June 1927, the following Resolution was adopted:-

RESOLVED ‘That this meeting of ex-service men accepts the Constitution of the British Legion and formally establishes a Branch of the Legion, to be known as the Hythe Branch.’

(“Royal” and “Saltwood” came later.)

The Branch HQ then was in the Ordnance Arms at 3 Military Road – that tiny pub disappeared in the 70’s to make way for the petrol filling station.

The work of the Branch is as relevant as ever: it will be organising a High Street Collection on Saturday 1^st July for ‘Our Troops Abroad’ - this is to pay postage on parcels sent to troops in foreign war zones – and many grateful letters of thanks have been received for the comforts enclosed – and for the feeling of being supported by the folks at home.

HYTHE LOCAL HISTORY ROOM

In connection with the planned refurbishment of this part of Hythe Library Building, members of the Council and the Town Clerk recently visited the Museum at Faversham where they were welcomed by the Mayor and given an excellent presentation on its development, management and contents. They have asked us to mention that the Curator, Mr Arthur Percival, would be pleased to welcome any HCS members who would like to see what can be done in this area. The museum address is Fleur de Lys Heritage Centre, 10-13, Preston Street – phone 01795 534 542 for information and opening times. If you have any suggestions as to how our History Room could be improved, please give them to Tony Hill, 01303 239 587, who is coordinating our reply.

INFORMATION WANTED

Last month we asked for information about St Mary's Bay in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s on behalf of Mr Simon Turnill of Sydney, and in particular about the Sands Motel and the School Journey Centre. (See www.stmarysbay.org.uk) We are pleased we can help him a lot with the latter, for Member, Mrs Doris Kingsford, actually worked as part of his father’s Team in 1963/4 when he was Resident Headmaster there. Children were sent for

a week from Middlesex County Council Schools and were accommodated in a hutted camp with six teachers to look after them. Church Services, extra mural activities and sports on the beach were included. Doris remembers one evening having to recall the off-duty teachers (from the pub!) when the boys, who were meant to be in bed, had become somewhat unruly and had climbed on the roof of the hut. It sounds like a fun camp.

We have also been able to help Mr Colin Markham in his search for former residents of Whitewalls in Cannongate Road.

So - bring us your research queries, and we will try to pass them on to our knowledgeable members!

Geoffrey Roberts 1928-2006

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Geoffrey Roberts in April. Doug Amans recalls that Geoffrey was a very hardworking and valued member of our Committee for several years from 1991 to 1995, and succeeded Ursula Vos as the editor of our Newsletter in 1992. Together with our then President, John Davies, and Chairman, Ronald Stokes, he visited numerous community centres in the area and submitted several designs for a hall for Hythe – all of which were rejected by HTC. In 1994 he wrote the very successful “Hythe Walking” and donated all the profits to HCS. He was passionately interested in woodlands, owning an area himself and eventually leaving the Committee to write his book “Woodlands of Kent”. He was greatly missed but was always ready to help with publications.

Mike Umbers reminds us that during Geoffrey’s editorship of this Newsletter, he converted it from the single sheet record of activities and membership news, to a four page campaigning journal. You hear his voice in every line he wrote. Here he is in May ’94 on the move of the Post Office from purpose built premises (now Bathtime) into Paydens, with scant notice and no consultation:

‘..the combined chemist/post office [opened] in an atmosphere of resentment against this down-grading of the town’s Government Service premises. It is now to be seen if the service level can overcome the site’s comparative unsuitability.’

He captured our feeling perfectly, and some items are topical still: the High Street direction of travel (then just reversed, a nonsense still); the refurb-ishment of the Canal (a success story in which he played a large part); his running feature ‘Living in Hythe’ and, above all, his reporting of the Great Community Centre Debate. In NL 131 we shall trace the story of this project in greater detail.

PLANNING MATTERS

In NL 128 we mentioned the application to demolish and redevelop “The Whim” in Park Road. While this remains subject to the 6 month preservation order, the circumstances surrounding it have prompted Hythe Town Council to initiate a project to identify other buildings in the town which, while not officially “listed”, might deserve special consideration due to their historical or architectural interest. HCS is providing some practical help towards completing this survey and all members are kindly requested to let us know of any examples with details of their particular merits.

We are seeking further information concerning the redevelopment of the former Hythe Gun Shop at the eastern end of Mill Road. At present the developers are seeking to build 4 terraced houses without any garages or off-street parking, a proposal which can only compound the present difficulties of neighbouring residents.

SOCIAL HISTORY

HYTHE HERALD, 9^TH MAR 1906

“The newly-formed Society for the Preservation of Natural Beauty in Hythe carried out a tree planting scheme on the banks of the Royal Military Canal, with shrubberies on the South side near Stade Street Bridge, and along the bank towards the School of Musketry, MP Sir Edward Sassoon and Lady Sassoon planted the first elms.”

It is interesting to read of this early precursor of HCS; can anyone tell us more of its aims and objectives, and its dates of existence?

But surely these were not the first elms? Elms were planted along the Canal as soon as the banks were complete in 1805 to provide stability for the earthworks, and to supply elm wood, needed for the stocks of the muskets then in use.

THE SHOE IN THE WALL We mentioned last time the Memorial Board in the Entrance Hall of St Leonard’s School. When you go in there, another object claims attention also: a shoe in a glass case.

This shoe (early 19^thC, according to Miss Rayner, and possibly new when buried) was found during building works in 2000. It was a superstitious ritual in olden times to hide a shoe in a wall to ward off evil spirits or, perhaps, to ensure the spirit of the owner lived on protectively. In fact, the custom is followed in current times: when he re-opened the newly restored Ightham Mote in March 2005, Mr Griff Rhys-Jones agreed to bury one of his own shoes under the Library floor. (Did he have to limp home afterwards?) Many medieval shoes had been uncovered during the £10M restoration project so he was continuing a powerful tradition.

It is a strange old custom, but a shoe has a tongue and a sole (or soul) so its human characteristics may have been deemed a humane equivalent of walling up a live sacrifice. At Anglo-Saxon weddings the bride’s father would give one of her shoes to the groom who touched her head and mouth with it to show his authority over her; as that is too un-PC in our feebler days, we simply throw an old shoe after the departing couple and allow them to dispute for the mastery in private! In Shakespeare’s play, Bottom the Weaver, flat on his back, waves his feet above his head, and proclaims ‘My ‘soul’ is in the air’. Moslems and Maori will remove their shoes in a sacred place and a Jew will seal a bargain by handing over his shoe. So shoes have some atavistic importance and latent magic, and the St Leonard’s School shoe has been duly entered on the Index of Concealed Shoes maintained in that great shoe-manufacturing town, Northampton.

Of course, the magic does depend on the hidden shoe’s having acquired in the wearing some characteristics of its owner, so if this shoe was indeed a new one, its protective shield will hardly save the much-loved old National School building from the bulldozer.

We did express some regret in NL 129 that the youngsters were not likely to be ‘doing their times tables’ any more, but must admit that when the schools amalgamate and find 33 computers, calculators without number, ‘interactive whiteboards’ (don’t ask!) installed in every classroom and a syllabus which includes dealing with addiction, disabilities, drugs and alcohol (and good diet too, we hope), tables are rather old hat.

CONSERVATION

All regular readers of this publication will be in no doubt about the close and often mutually supportive relationship that the British Army has maintained with Hythe over the last 250 years. What you may not be aware of is that The Ministry of Defence has a significant budget for the conservation aspects of its enormous estates covering both natural history and historic buildings. We are indebted to the author, Nigel Sharpe, for permission to reproduce these extracts and pictures from his report in the M.O.D. magazine “Sanctuary” on the restoration of the Martello Towers on Hythe Ranges:

The inspiration for these towers went back to 1794 when the Royal Navy was sent to capture Corsica from the French. They were completely frustrated by a single tower with one gun located at Mortella Point. Manned only by just 8 or 10 men it held out against two warships with 106 guns, only surrendering when the rest of the island fell. The commander, Sir John Moore, was so impressed that he made detailed notes of the design – probably mis-spelling the name in his diary. He influenced the government to authorise the building of 74 such towers, each equipped with a single gun, around the Essex and Kent coastline. They were located such that any approaching French ship would be within range of up to 16 guns! Although the British victory at Trafalgar in 1805 effectively countered the French threat of invasion, building continued until the network was complete, in 1810.

Within the Hythe Ranges area, two of the original eight towers are still standing. They are both Scheduled Monuments but are not in use for military purposes. Exposed to the elements with stormy seas often breaking around their lower walls they were beginning to show the scars of damage that would inevitably lead to eventual collapse.

English Heritage put them on their “Buildings at Risk Register” and cooperated closely with the

Defence Estates team to scope the work required to repair the brickwork.

The Army Training Estate paid for the programme of repairs as part of the Rural Elements of their Estate funding stream, resulting in the replacement of the outer brickwork skin of one of the towers in January 2005 and a programme to repair the other tower during 2006. A local builder was used and modern bricks, closely matching the no longer available originals were obtained. The towers are in the live firing Danger Area which led to problems scheduling the work met by using the 2004 Christmas close down period and suspending firing on parts of the range from time to time. Once the scaffolding was removed the tower was revealed in its former glory – a fitting 200^th birthday present.