© PE Blanche 2000 The old High Street © PE Blanche The Water Lift from the beach to the Leas

The date of the first settlement in Folkestone is obscure and even the derivation of the name seems to be lost in time. However, the history of this seaside town and port is similar to others in this area in that it was settled early, became a small fishing village and was part of the coastal defences in the area for many years until the Victorians started their love affair with seaside holidays. There is evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age occupation and a Roman Villa was excavated in the early 20th Century as was a Jutish burial ground. In about 635 AD, King Eadbald built a convent or nunnery for his daughter, Eanswythe, on the East Cliff and as the result of miracles attributed to her, she was canonized and became the patron saint of the parish church of St. Mary's and St. Eanswythe. It seems that the Danes caused considerable damage in Folkestone during the 10th Century, including the destruction of the Church, and after Edward the Confessor came to the throne in 1042, the Town was again virtually destroyed by Earl Godwin of Wessex, after he had been granted the lands of Folkestone and then banished by the King. Rather like cutting off your nose to spite your face! In 1138 a new Church was built in Folkestone and placed in the same location as the present Church. Following certain negotiations with the papal legate at Folkestone by King John, the French attacked Folkestone in 1216 and again destroyed much of the Town including, yet again, the Church. Although probably not much more than a large village at this time, Folkestone did have a Mayor and Corporation and gained in stature in 1313 when it received a charter as a Corporate Limb of the Cinque Ports. At the beginning of the 16th Century the Town only had a population of 700 and these numbers only grew slowly because in 1801 the population is still only shown as 3,257. In 1794 the Army purchased over 200 acres of land just to the West of Folkestone which became Shorncliffe Army Camp and troops were stationed here before being sent off to fight in the Peninsular Wars. In 1839 the railways reached Folkestone and these services were expanded during the 1840's so that there were direct access to the docks. By 1871 the population had risen to over 11,000. Also in the 1840's the Earl of Radnor started to develop the Folkestone Estate which gradually turned the Town into one of the fashionable seaside towns of the Kent coast. During the First World War the Folkestone people received some 65,000 Belgian refugees and from 1915 was the main embarkation point for many soldiers leaving to fight in the trenches of France and Belgium. Tens of thousands of soldiers, including many Canadian troops, left from Folkestone, marching down from the Town to the Harbour along a road which is now called the "Road of Remembrance". During W.W.II, some 35,000 people were evacuated from Folkestone which gives a clear indication of the population growth since the 19th Century. 218 shells hit Folkestone during the Second World War plus several flying bombs, one of which destroyed the Nave and Chancel of Christ Church on the Sandgate Road. The use of the harbour at Folkestone as a passenger port has gradually declined since the Second World War and as far as I know now, is more or less nonexistent although someone will probably correct me on this point at a later date! However, I think it is a nice Town and shopping precinct. © P.E. Blanche 2002 The legend to the top picture: 1 - The Inner Harbour 2 - The viaduct which carried the railway to the harbour station 3 - Martello Tower no. 3 - built at the time of the Napoleonic Wars 4 - In the distance, the White Cliffs which extend round to Dover and beyond

See also:	St. Mary and St. Eanswythe Church
	St. Mary and St. Eanswythe Church - interior