A self-guided alternative heritage trail. Part of the Walking Heritage project, incorporating psychogeographical approaches to heritage

Overall, S.

English

Canterbury Research and Theses Environment

17 	 Harnet	Street	 The	Golden	 Crust	 Bakery	 coffeehouse	 (now	no.	 38)	was	 the	 first	 to	 serve	 real	coffee	in	Sandwich.	The	enterprise	was	not	due	to	Sandwich’s	proximity	to	the	continent,	but	the	custom	of	discerning	Jewish	refugees	from	the	Richborough	Kitchener	 camp.	 Independent	 coffee	 shops	 continue	 to	 thrive	 in	 the	 town,	 a	signifier	of	surviving	good	taste.		18 	 Breezy	Corner	 Is	it	really	that	draughty	here?	Or	could	this	be	named	after	the	French	Marshal,	Pierre	de	Brézé,	who	led	the	attack	on	Sandwich	in	1457	and	sacked	this	area	of	town?19 	 Market	Street	 A	hub	for	shops	and	trades,	fitting	its	name.	Sandwich	boasts	a	long	lineage	of	watchmakers,	many	of	them	trading	from	premises	in	this	street.	‘The	sign	of	the	golden	key’	above	Regal	Estates	served	to	advertise	the	wares	of	Walter	Akhurst’s	ironmonger’s	shop	(as	did	the	building’s	comic	‘tools	of	the	trade’	statues),	and	later	 The	Golden	 Key	Hotel,	 before	 being	 adopted	by	 the	 equally	 appropriate	estate	agents.	Shop	doormats	 in	the	town	can	hide	decorative	entrances:	 look	underfoot	at	no.	19	for	F.H.	Jacobs,	ironmonger,	china	and	glass	dealer,	who	also	published	early	picture	postcards	of	the	town.	Not the blue plaque tour of Sandwichcompiled	by	Sonia	Overall		with	thanks	toJohn	Hennessy,	Jan	Cooper,	Sandwich	Local	History	Societyand	Sandwich	Guildhall	Archives	for	their	local	knowledge	and	assistance									written	sources:Clarke,	H.,	Pearson,	S.,	Mate,	M.	&	Parfitt,	K.	Sandwich.	Oxbow	Books,	2010.English	Heritage	&	KCC.	Sandwich,	Kent	Historic	Towns	Survey.	Archaeological	Assessment	Document,	2009Kelly’s	Directory:	1895;	1899;	1907;	1922.Martin,	E.	Occupations	of	the	People	of	Sandwich.	Sandwich	Local	History	Society,	1978Pain’s	Directory:	1938;	1948			1 	 The	Quay	 Now	a	landscaped	park	and	play	area,	the	reclaimed	space	here	wasn’t	always	so	green	and	pleasant.	This	was	once	the	site	of	a	shipbuilder’s	yard,	a	blacksmith’s	forge	and	by	1839,	the	Sandwich	Corporation	Gas	Works.	2 	 High	Street	 Pelicane	House	was	the	town’s	munitions	building;	 the	chequerboard	flint	and	castellated	roofline	the	flexing	architectural	muscles	of	a	strong-house.	Rumour	has	 it	 that	 this	 area	 is	 honeycombed	with	 smuggling	 tunnels	 running	 into	 St	Peter’s	Church.	When	a	landlord	of	the	nearby	Admiral	Owen	attempted	to	pump	out	 his	 flooded	 cellar,	 he	 soon	discovered	 that	 he	 had	 set	 himself	 the	 task	 of	draining	water	from	his	neighbours’	cellars	too…	3 	 Holy	Ghost	Alley	 Inmates	from	the	old	Gaol	opposite	would	walk	through	this	alley	to	a	day’s	labour	on	the	town	treadmill.	The	alley’s	sudden	bend	is	said	to	have	been	employed	by	local	pranksters	avenging	themselves	on	an	unpopular	teacher,	and	as	a	useful	bluff	for	smugglers	pursued	by	excise	men.4 	 Love	Lane	 Now	known	for	the	most	part	as	St	Peter’s	Street,	this	aptly-named	area	was	the	site	of	the	medieval	‘stews’	of	Sandwich.	The	town	was	rare	in	having	a	municipal	brothel	or	 ‘galey’,	 something	usually	 reserved	 for	 cities.	 You	can	 still	 find	 ‘Love	Lane’	signage	at	the	Strand	Street	end.		5 	 King	Street		 Dutch	and	Flemish	rooflines	are	evident	above	buildings	here	-	as	are	the	painted	advertisements	for	Martin,	cake	and	bread	maker,	still	legible	over	no.	30.		6 	 New	Street	 In	the	14th	Century,	Augustinian	cannons	could	be	seen	walking	from	St	Thomas’	Hospital,	 sited	 here,	 to	 the	 chantry	 chapel	 in	 St	 Peter’s	 Church.	 Their	 regular	shortcut	gave	the	name	to	Austin’s	(Augustine’s)	Lane.7 	 Guildhall	 An	impressive	focal	point	for	the	town,	the	Guildhall	had	origins	in	a	more	modest	Moot	Hall	which	stood	in	the	churchyard	of	St	Peter’s.	The	forecourt	was	part	of	Cornmarket,	the	market	itself	taking	place	on	Wednesday	afternoons	in	the	Fleur	de	Lis	pub.	8 	 Cattle	Market	 Pens,	stalls	and	a	stock	ring	stood	here	before	the	car	park	and	doctor’s	surgery.	The	nearby	Red	Cow	served	the	agricultural	traders:	the	wall	and	empty	windows	next	door	are	stark	reminders	of	the	workhouse,	demolished	in	the	1890s.	11 	 Tannery	Lane	and	Loop	Street		 This	area	boasted	the	aromas	of	an	abattoir,	tannery	and	bone-button	factory,	all	located	in	rather	sinister	proximity	to	Horse	Pond	Sluice.	12 	 Church	Street	St	Mary’s	 St	Mary’s	parish	was	the	 ‘rough’	part	of	Sandwich,	housing	poorly-paid	drovers	from	the	cattle	market.	This	street	was	once	known	locally	as	Blood	and	Thunder	Alley	due	 to	 the	number	of	 brawls	 on	 the	 ‘green’	 by	 the	 church.	 Poverty	was	a	concern	well	 into	the	1900s.	A	bread	dole,	prepared	 in	the	bakehouse	at	the	corner	of	the	King’s	Head,	was	distributed	by	St	Mary’s	Church	to	the	poor	of	the	parish.	The	large	ovens	were	also	used	by	local	residents	to	roast	Sunday	joints	and	Christmas	dinners.	13 	 Paradise	Row	 Given	the	name,	it’s	no	surprise	that	this	backstreet	is	rumoured	to	have	served	a	similar	function	to	Love	Lane.	14 	 Strand	Street	 Famed	 for	 its	 timber-framed	houses	 and	once	 the	medieval	 port’s	waterfront.	The	 merchants	 who	 lived	 here	 were	 great	 importers	 of	 wine:	 so	 many	 wine	barrels	were	rolled	along	this	street	that	an	order	was	given	for	the	removal	of	all	metal	barrel-rims.	The	constant	traffic	was	breaking	up	the	road.	Appropriately,	Three	 Kings	 Yard	 served	 as	 a	 public	 house,	 its	 distinctive	 ‘bridge’,	 carved	with	grapevines,	 providing	 access	 for	 coaches.	 Did	 those	wine	 barrels	 roll	 into	 the	Norman	merchant’s	cellar	next	door?	The	long-standing	tradition	of	brewing	in	the	town	was	also	to	be	found	in	this	street.	The	East	Kent	Brewery	Company,	last	of	the	many	Sandwich	brewers,	operated	from	Guestling	Mill	-	part	of	which	is	said	to	contain	a	stretch	of	the	medieval	town	wall.	15 	 Bowling	Street	 Bowling	was	a	regulated	activity	in	the	16th	Century:	the	combination	of	gaming	and	 drinking	 distracted	 the	 lower	 classes	 from	 work	 and	 archery	 practice.	Henry	VIII,	a	keen	bowler,	 levied	taxes	on	bowling	alleys	 to	exclude	all	but	 the	wealthiest	players.	Gaming	laws	were	easily	winked	at	and	Sandwich	had	at	least	one	bowling	alley	at	the	sign	of	the	White	Hart	in	Strand	Street,	probably	sited	opposite	 Bowling	 Street.	 There	were	 certainly	 plenty	 of	 taverns	 in	 this	 area	 to	accommodate	would-be	gamers.	16 	 Delf	Street	 Industry	thrived	here,	including	a	famed	19th	Century	iron	foundry.	A	tradesman	making	pipes	in	this	street	cannily	carved	his	sign	into	the	shutters	of	Claypipes:	next	door,	Cobbler’s	Cottage	still	boasts	an	early	Victorian	shopfront.	Across	the	road,	the	sign	of	the	Malt	Shovel	House	reveals	the	premises	of	a	pub.	The	parish	boundary	sign	of	St	Peter’s	and	St	Mary’s	can	be	seen	painted	on	the	wall	here,	delineating	responsibility	for	the	poor	of	the	town.	(A	grander	counterpart	for	St	Clement’s	and	St	Peter’s	is	cut	into	stone	in	the	far	wealthier	High	Street.)1819 12345678910111213141516179 	 Moat	Sole	 In	the	1970s,	residents	of	a	rented	cottage	here	were	puzzled	by	the	unexplained	sound	of	children	singing,	an	event	which	occurred	every	September.	The	singing	halted	 abruptly	 whenever	 investigated.	 When	 a	 handwritten	 book	 of	 hymns	from	St	Peter’s	Church	Choir	was	found	in	a	local	bookshop,	one	of	the	tunes	-	a	distinctive	reworking	of	The	Holly	and	the	Ivy	-	matched	the	singing	exactly.	The	hymnbook	dated	from	the	1890s.	Presumably	the	singers	did,	too.10 	 The	Butts			 The	Butts	was	used	to	practice	archery	skills,	and	is	said	to	have	served	as	a	range	for	the	longbowmen	of	Henry	V	before	Agincourt.	Less	well-known	is	the	field’s	use	as	an	encampment	for	plague	victims.	Following	outbreaks	 in	the	1600s,	a	small	village	of	plague	tents	was	pitched	here,	overseen	by	a	courageous	on-site	doctor.

Walking Heritage: Not the blue plaque tour of Sandwich

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Walking Heritage: Not the blue plaque tour of Sandwich

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