EXTRACTS FROM THE BI-MONTHLY NEWS LETTER - 126       October - November 2005

REMEMBER, REMEMBER - we all remember the  5^TH of November, but what was the Year of the Gunpowder Plot? 

The answer (it’s in our Book of Dates) is 1605 – just 400 years ago. The discovery of the plotters with fuse and tinderbox and nearly a ton of gunpowder preparing their bomb in the cellars of the House on the very eve of the Opening of Parliament by the King, threw the state organisation into panic. There were no Muslims to blame, no blacks or Asians; not even Jews, for they had been thrown out of the land in 1290.   But there was a dangerous underground body of religious fanatics – extremists who owed their first loyalty to the Pope, and had become disaffected by early decisions affecting their freedom of worship taken by the new King: they had hoped for better things from the son of Mary Queen of Scots, and so launched their bombing mission against the establishment. 

As today the cry of TREASON went up, confessions led to follow-up arrests across the land, foreign governments were alerted and more arrests made abroad, recusants hastily hid away incriminating evidence, and trials and executions followed; the Yeomen of the Guard were instructed to search the cellars before each State Opening of Parliament – a task they ceremoniously perform to this day (followed closely by the sniffer dogs). 

Some historians claim the drama of the timely discovery was deliberately engineered, or at least spun, to keep up the anti-terrorist spend, to broadcast a political point on behalf of the Puritan Party, and to harden the King’s resolve against the Papists.  He was a nervous man, who routinely wore a padded jacket in public; this was the second recent attempt on his life, and had not his father died in a gunpowder attack?  Spun or not, this home-grown terrorism with a foreign religious dimension provoked a reaction which  (apart from the executions) sounds pretty familiar to today’s. 

The ‘Day of Thanksgiving for King James’s Preservation’ is traditionally marked in Hythe on The Green, but this year, another Anniversary occurs: it is 200 years since the Battle of Trafalgar, and the Council’s fireworks will for once be  let off on the 21^st October at 7.30pm after a March from the Town Hall starting at 6.30, and a Service at the  War Memorial.  Also Fun & Games on the High Street on Saturday 22nd (11.00-2.00).

November is also the month of Remembrance for our war-dead.  The Silence will be observed at the War Memorial and across the town on the 11^th, at 11 o’clock, and at the War Memorial at 1045 on Sunday 13^th November.  This year, when an enemy within again threatens ‘All we have and are’  (in the phrase used by Kipling) we may ponder the legacy of the 20^th Century wars, and consider how a culture of welcoming tolerance can be preserved.

Talking of the preservation of our culture, we are about to see the end of the regime of restricted hours of drinking imposed on Public Houses by the Licensing Act of 1872 which gave powers to Magistrates to grant licences, to check for the adulteration of alcoholic drinks, and to fix Closing Time at 11.00pm (midnight in London).  Temperance Societies thought it too lenient, and victuallers too restrictive, so the Act pleased no-one, but it did in time have effect on the prevailing ‘gin-palace’ culture of that age, and has been an accepted and unquestioned part of our lives, in England at least, ever since. 

Now Councillors will grant the Licences, since they are deemed to be ‘more responsive to public opinion’ (we make no comment!), and by judicious planning you can drink round the clock.  In Hythe we understand most pubs have applied for extensions to 2.00am into Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, so we may expect noise and bad behaviour which currently occurs at 11.30pm often to happen then, when most of us are in our beds.  But the Police will have to be around, and may consequently be hard pressed to keep up the daytime presence we expect of them.  We may of course all be wrong, and should instead be looking forward to the promised reform of the lager-louts, who will adopt continental manners, sip a glass of two of wine in the French manner in the course of the evening, before departing with polite salutations to the landlord, and walk quietly home (not through our gardens) arm in arm.

THE BUXHEIM CARVINGS  The Society was pleased to be able to help Mr Hugo Williams who writes for the Times Literary Supplement in his researches recently.  He was trying to establish the fate of an amazing collection of near life-size wooden saints (according to Nikolaus Pevsner, ‘the best example of German carving of its day in England’), known to have been removed from Buxheim in Germany in 1880 and installed in the Convent Hospital of St Saviour's on the corner of Euston Road in London, but then lost, after the demolition of that Convent.  Of course our readers know exactly where they are, for the story was told in NL106-108. The Hospital and Sisters moved to Hythe in 1962 and the carvings came too, and remained here until 1975 when they were sold back to the Buxheim Monastery in Bavaria.  HCS Member Jan Nichols visited in 2001 and saw them back in their original home, the row of saints complete after a 120 year absence.  Rather disappointingly, they have been refurbished and are now not black, but light brown, which spoils the dramatic effect somewhat.  As a citizen of Hythe, custodian town of ‘their’ Saints, Jan was made specially welcome by the Nuns.

From cure of souls to cure of bodies: the former Chapel in Hythe became the Pathology Lab of the Hospital (now sold on by St BUPA to Classic Hospitals Group).

That is not the end of the story.  The TLS article attracted the attention of the Editor of the Ripperologist, a Journal devoted to the crimes and times of Jack the Ripper.  For the added ghoulish interest of those Saints is that in their London home they may have witnessed a wedding ceremony in about 1885 between the dissolute Prince Albert Victor, first son of the Prince of Wales, and a shop girl, Annie Elizabeth Crook, who was pregnant with, or already mother of his baby – and a Roman Catholic.  Such a marriage would have been entirely illegal for the second in line to the throne, and the theory is that senior Masons (the Prince was a Mason, as was his father) conspired to murder all those in the know to protect the Royal Family from scandal.  These were the ‘Ripper Murders’.  Soon after, it was announced the Prince had died, (very fortunately and conveniently, according to those who knew him), and all went quiet until the tale was told in a BBC Documentary in 1975, when many hints of scandals and cover-ups were made, even that an inappropriate member of the Royal Family had been deliberately removed from the scene. 

We have passed all the information we have to the Ripperologist.

THE VENETIAN FÊTE  Another Venetian Fête took place in Hythe theHythekkkkkon the 17^th August.  A check in the Box Office the evening before showed only 6 odd tickets remained to be sold for the stands, and people were still phoning in from far afield. The weather was perfect, the floats and fireworks were inventive/fun/magical (take your pick), the enthusiasm was infectious; over 12,000 viewers and participants had a thoroughly happy evening.  This Fête is undoubtedly Hythe’s greatest claim to world fame, and all who took part in it, or worked for it, or sponsored it, deserve praise and thanks.  The night attack on the site by mobs of youths must be demoralising for the workers, but detracts not a whit from the Fête itself.  Indeed, it is the very success of this popular event which attracts jealous and destructive yobs’ anger.

We have been looking at a SOUVENIR PROGRAMME from the Fête of September 4^th 1935.  Printed in greyscale of course, it contains an eight page close-written history of Hythe by Herbert Stainer, the Town Clerk with the complete text of the Town’s 1278 Charter  from Edward I – Soc, Sac, Infangtheff, Den and Strond, Passage and Tallage and all.  ‘It is easily legible by anyone with a working knowledge of Latin’ Mr Stainer assures us, but he thoughtfully provides a Glossary for the technical terms.  This is not all: for their 4d the punters also got a two-page history of St Leonard’s Church by the Rev’d Herbert Dale. And, of course, advertisements for Hythe businesses, some still serving our needs today.  Certainly worth 4d, but frankly, heavy reading for a holiday evening on the Canal.  Or perhaps we have dumbed down in 70 years?

DR RANDALL DAVIS (see NL123-4) left his garden as a public Park and his house to be used as a Library  and Museum to display objects which ‘teach the history of the County of Kent’ but not excluding ‘items from foreign countries, or of savage races, or objects of natural history from any part of the world’.  He had the idea that this could best be done in the Town Hall, and gave permission to the Corporation to build a replacement Town Hall at Oaklands, with municipal offices, and public rooms for musical entertainments.  The Aldermen con-sidered and rejected this idea, but snapped up the chance of using the office space.  They also immediately moved in several cases of stuffed birds, which must have been much in the way in the Town Hall: this is curious, as of the people we have asked, none remembers those birds, which took up so much Council debating time, though everyone remembers Brigadier General Cunningham’s collection of spears and assegais, captured in the Sudan during operations against the Mahdists in 1884-9.  The spears have gone, the birds have flown, and in practice, the History Room (which has been twice extended since) has concentrated on Hythe’s history.  At its official opening by the Rev’d Herbert Dale in 1934, it was the records of Hythe which aroused most interest: the Charter texts, the 16^th and 17^th Century Maps, the photos, prints, and old Minutes – 138 boxes in all, which he pointed out mischievously, a Councillor had previously said should be burned as rubbish! He gave credit also to Mr Henry Mackeson, who had recognised their value.  These records remain Hythe’s pride today.

So who was the generous man who made all this possible?  Our thanks go to Peter Ford, himself a long-time Hythe Doctor, who has done the research. Born in 1855, Arthur Randall Davis came to Hythe with his new bride on qualifying in 1878 and joined Dr John Hackney’s Practice at No 115 in the High Street (now Boots).  The couple lived at Victoria House (now Rook’s) but moved into Oaklands (already a Surgery) in 1902.  Apart from his Medical appointments he had wide interests: Archaeology (he wrote many papers, and was an expert on the Ossuary), Choral and Orchestral Societies, Bowling, Fanciers’ Club (Birds, Poultry?), PCC, League of Nations, Industrial Peace Union (this sounds as if it could still be useful), National Citizens’ Union, Cinque Ports Club, Conservative Party… How did he find the time?  It obviously helped to have a Housemaid, Cook and Gardener, and when Belgium fell, in 1914,  he took on two refugee lads as well, to help with the garden and pony. 

He was regarded by the poor as a good man – that is, he treated many for little or nothing, and made his money from the wealthy folks up on the hill; he was always most generous in allowing the Oaklands gardens to be used for charitable events, and many of the posies carried up by the children to the Canadian Graves on 1^st July came from there.  Dressed in dark suit and tall hat, he made his visits with pony and trap, but later bought a car, and in 1916 appeared before a Conscription Tribunal to support his chauffeur’s application for deferment from call-up.  This was rejected, the Board presumably feeling the national interest would be better served by the man’s fighting the Germans, and the Doctor drove himself.

He retired in 1922, Mrs Davis died in 1928, and he in 1932, at which time he was already in discussion with Councillors about the future of Oaklands, though he found them very reluctant to spend any money: they ‘appreciated the desire of Dr Davis that Oaklands should become the property of the town, and fully realise that in years to come it would be a valuable acquisition, but owing to the present financial crisis do not feel justified in spending £3,000 to achieve the object.’  Thanks to Denise Rayner for turning up this example of corporate short-sightedness.  But the mean Burghers were right after all, for two months later he died, and they got it for free!

You can visit Dr Davis’s grave in the East extension of the Churchyard, though he would probably prefer you to visit his real Memorial, his Library and History Room (– but not his Garden at present).

SHEPWAY PAYS UP  We reported the labours of Sally Chesters and Alan Joyce in support of Hythe in Bloom, and that we had sent a Bill for £36 to SDC.  Cllr Robert Bliss has responded: that ‘In principle, as the work we did was not ordered by Shepway, he is unable to settle our invoice.’  So far, so expected.  But the reply goes on to say: ‘He will send us a donation for the invoice amount’.  Well done Councillor!  We are now in touch with him to hear how it is planned to maintain the areas concerned.

LYDD AIRPORT  Committee Member Alan Crowe-White is attending local meetings – pro and anti – on this proposal, and we will be passing on more information after completion of the Environmental Impact Survey next month. 

DATES  Talks begin again soon.  ‘The Nelson Touch’ on 25^th October is by former Royal Marine Director of Music, Lt Col Graham Hoskins –– and is our contribution with slides and music to Trafalgar Year.   Peter Ewart is back on the 8^th November with ‘Life in the Victorian Workhouse’ - one of his evocative historical investigations, and two National Trust speakers give us ‘NT Properties at Dover’ on the 22^nd November.

The HCS Thank You Lunch is on 4^th December, at which Doug Amans will receive his AWARD.

RUBBISH COLLECTIONS  There is much on this in the local papers at present, partly because the system is just not working well enough (partly SDC’s fault but they were also let down by a contractor), and partly because it is new, and we are made to do more ourselves; there is especially disquiet on health grounds at fortnightly collection of kitchen waste.  If you have a back yard, a side access, and no steps, the bins are excellent.  Some people complain at needing extra water to wash out tins: their problem is that they use a washing-up machine.  Never believe anyone with a washing-up machine who talks of water conservation.

THE LORD WARDEN  Admiral Lord Boyce was in town on 23^rd September to plant a commemorative tree in Oaklands for HTC, and in the Jubilee Garden for HCS – traditional Oak trees both, as befits a sailor.  This is the Year of the Volunteer, and he also presented  Sally Chesters with a Community Service Award, for her contributions to SEEDA, Hythe in Bloom, and the Farmers’ Market – to say nothing of her work for HCS – especially in arranging the Town Walks, an important tourist attraction.  Congratulations, Sally, on a most well-deserved award.

BRIAN DOBBIE  We record with sadness the recent death of Brian, who served for some years on the HCS Committee as our planning member.  The late Diana Dobbie was a Guide on our Town Walks. They were both committed contributors to town life.

THE SPORTS WAREHOUSE  Shepway is in trouble over this project, big trouble.  It is not going well in Folkestone where the existing Sports Centre will not die quietly; in Hythe the chosen site was always controversial, and now that the warehouse design and car-park plan have been published, there is outrage even among those of us who support the need for a new pool.  But we are in danger of losing our pool without replacement if agreement is not reached.

(We understand the present pool has an economic life of five years still: time enough to plan something good without the present panic.)

SDC’s demand that HTC fence off the entire field with notices prohibiting access was too much.   This was presumably to avoid a legal challenge on the status of the land, for all Hythe knows that there has been free access to this field as of right for generations, and it is well used all the year round for informal recreation.

(Or is Shepway looking for an excuse to cancel, and put the blame on Hythe?) 

On 25^th August HTC voted nem con and in public among other things to fence only the building site (not the whole field), and not to fence even that until work is about to start with an agreed lease; also that the car-park is to contain no more than 130 places, and is not to be sited between the building and the field of play.  [Shepway’s letter to us on the Car Park was thoroughly misleading: it said there was to be a reduction from 175 to 120 cars without revealing this was to be achieved not by making the asphalt smaller but by altering the layout of white lines! Nor did it include in the count 14 disabled spaces and offloading areas for three coaches!]

We accept that no one will even consider building on The Green, and that the site of the present pool is too valuable (it is to be over-filled with 13 houses and 53 flats), but if SDC is about to renege on the Project surely it must look again at Princes Parade. It is brownfield (so would earn Government brownie points), has a lower water table than South Road, has a clean bill of health from SDC for toxicity, is not in a conservation area, has no neighbours to complain, can’t now be used for housing, has better road access, is scheduled for recreation, and would link in with the important new Youth Club/Canoe Centre; if set well back, the  ‘coastal vista’ is preserved.  One Centre here would be a more economical District facility and dissolve the Hythe and Folkestone resistance.

If we are really to have two new Centres (and one old one) so close together, the economics are worrying and even the facilities need a re-think: surely one pool around here should be of Olympic standard?  And this is a holiday area – why not one pool with family fun facilities? Other activities are much less important than swimming, and may be over-expensive: as so often the best has been enemy of the good.  All these points are made to us by our members; meanwhile we support our councillors in their defence of the common  land at South Road.

The new pool and fitness suite at Grange-over-Sands (Pop 4,000) has just won a 2005 Civic Trust Award. The District Council bought the site and could not afford to build on it; a local committee was set up (with one councillor admitted as an observer – if you have two, they argue), and money was obtained from Sport England, council grant and local fund-raising. It is ‘designed with a lightness of touch…with sweeping views over Morecambe Bay…attention to detail, cedar cladding… enthusiastically welcomed by community groups…’ You even swim with a view of the sea!  Dream on, Hythe (Pop 16,000).

ASTON HOUSE, CLIFF ROAD  A slightly changed application was submitted for this site.  (See NL123)  It is outside the Settlement Area, and at least three Local Plan Policies are in place to protect it against re-development.  SDC has rejected it.

TANNERS CROFT, SALTWOOD The application is to build six detached houses in one large garden, and the crucial issue is the safety of the road access on a bend, on a narrow road, opposite a Club without a car park, and near the School entrance (see NL125).   The KCC Traffic Officer was prepared to waive the normal requirement for a 70 metre visibility splay on a 30mph road, on the grounds apparently that there was not space to fit one in!  Councillors were not!

First time round, they voted to defer a decision for further consultations to take place;  second time round, it became clear that they would agree if the safety problems were resolved.   It was suggested therefore that they give approval,   and leave it to the officers and developer to devise a safety plan.  Councillors refused to be conned: they deferred again, insisting that they vet the plan first!

There are measures that can be taken to make this access safer: in a school zone a 20mph limit can be set, pads or chicanes could be installed, and the footpath restored to its full former width.  Councillors are right not to trust to behind-the-scenes deals and to keep the decision-making to themselves, for they are accountable to the public.

GROVE HOUSE  There is room for a pretty cottage in the garden of this lovely old house,  though it would mean creating an opening in the boundary wall.  But in a prominent site in the very heart of the Conservation Area, we deserve better than a flat-roof bungalow visible over the wall.  Our comments on this and other planning issues are here.

101 NORTH ROAD  SDC Development Control Committee has approved with some conditions, including habitat management, the plan for demolition of the existing house, and its replacement by a box of 14 flats up to 4 storeys high (our Hythe Rep the sole vote against).  It will be the largest building on the hillside, apart from the Church, and we must hope the displaced wildlife migrates south: it is sure of a welcome from our members in the garden below!  The only consolation is that by placing one building in the centre of the site, surrounding trees can be left standing: were a number of individual houses to be built instead, undoubtedly the old trees would be too large for the new small gardens, and the area would soon be denuded.

THE TOWN SQUARE  We intended to write about this, but took a tea-break instead.

ENDPIECE  Shakespeare’s reaction to the 1605 ‘powder plot’ was to write ‘Macbeth’ – the story of a successful assassination of a King, resulting in the regicide’s ignominious death.  The play was performed at Court in 1606, and King James was flatteringly shown his descent from an honourable Banquo, whom also Macbeth had killed, and saw in a mirror his royal descendants into the distant future. (Even Shakespeare’s genius did not foresee Cromwell.)  Will the impact of the 2005 bombings bring about any comparable work of art?

The new booklet ‘Our Time in Hythe’ is distributed to members with this edition of the Newsletter.