Whitstable Outdoor Meeting, 13th June 2008

	Our guide for the evening, well-known Whitstable historian Geoffrey Pike, commenced the visit by addressing the members from the steps of St Mary's parish hall, formerly the Roman Catholic place of worship. Despite its location in central Whitstable, St Mary's is actually the parish hall for Seasalter, the original church of St Alphege standing a mile to the west. Most of modern Whitstable is actually in the parish of Seasalter; something to bear in mind when researching ancestry in these parts.
Whitstable High Street. Most of the cottages in this area are eighteenth century in date. The building to the left, now hidden by shops built in front, was originally a Georgian town house. Behind the Tourist Information Centre to the right is Whitstable museum, housed in the Foresters' Hall. This building started life about 1860 as the boys' school. The T.I.C. is currently (August 2008) under threat of closure, to be replaced by touch-screen computer terminals; in the personal opinion of the webmaster, a ridiculous step- the importance of human contact for tourism can never be short-changed! I cannot be the only person who heads for a TIC on arrival, to see what locally-produced literature is available.
	St Alphege Church. Prior to 1845, there was no Church of England church in the centre of Whitstable; All Saints being situated some distance inland. Around this date, the nave of St Alphege's at Seasalter was demolished, the chancel becoming known as the 'Old Church', and the 'new' church of St Alphege pictured was constructed in Whitstable High Street.
The setting sun peers over the rooftops of Island Wall. Whitstable is constructed on a series of defensive walls against the encroaching sea, starting with the area of the High Street. Middle Wall was built closer to the coast in 1582, although the area remained open to the sea until the 1780s, due to the salt industry. The Methodist chapel on Middle Wall is built on timber piles salvaged from a wreck, a similar technique to houses in Venice. Island Wall, closer still to the sea, was built to join two pebble banks, known as 'Upper' and 'Lower' Islands, hence the name.
	The Oyster Yawl 'Favorite'. At their height, nearly 100 of these vessels serviced the Oyster beds offshore. Today, only 'Favorite' (F69) remains, preserved on Island Wall.
Geoffrey Pike in full flow, from the top of Island Wall, overlooking the beach. Whitstable beach is slowly subsiding; only the 'Old Neptune' pub survives where originally eighteenth century fishermens' huts were to be found.
	From the nineteenth to the early twentieth century, Whitstable beach housed a thriving shipbuilding industry. This working beach ensured Whitstable did not develop as a seaside resort, such as neighbouring Herne Bay, and has contributed to the unspoilt seafront today.
Cushing's View. People connected to the film industry have long made Whitstable their home. The most famous resident was the Hammer Horror and Star Wars actor, Peter Cushing, who, with his wife, had a home here for 40 years. This seat has been erected on Peter's favorite spot where he liked to sit and watch the seashore. Geoffrey spoke of the time, several years ago, that he was telling a crowd of visitors about Peter living in the town, and wondering why they were laughing- unbeknown to him, his audience could see Peter behind his back, walking along the beach!
	The view out to sea, on a surprisingly chilly night in June; easy to see why Peter Cushing loved the sight. Whitstable oyster grounds were two miles out, and 3 miles across. Originally granted by the Crown to the lord of the manor, in 1790 Lord Bolingbroke rented the grounds to the oyster freemen, who bought the rights in 1792. The right to farm the oysters was inherited by eldest sons, but others had to serve a seven-year apprenticeship.
The Royal Native Oyster Stores. Today a restaurant, originally the place where the Whitstable Oyster Company sorted the catch, prior to taking them to the railway station. There are two types of oyster; the native oyster has a very flat shell, and nearly died out in the 1920s due to disease. Scientific research from the 1930s on helped to revive the industry. The native is still the most expensive. The other variant is the Rock oyster, easily spotted due to its deeper, uglier shell.
	Whitstable Harbour. From Tudor times, as trade on the river Stour declined, Whitstable's position as a bay anchorage increased. From the 1700s, the town became Canterbury's main port; coal came down from Northumberland, and 'hoys' carried cargo and passengers. In the eighteenth century, it took 6 hours from London by boat, as opposed to over 10 hours by coach.
By 1800, offloading at low tide was outdated; coupled with the completion in 1830 of the railway between Whitstable and Canterbury, better facilities were needed. In 1832, construction of the harbour commenced. Although fishing still takes place, the main use of the harbour today is the transportation by vessel of aggregates by the local firm of Bretts. The harbour is also popular with artists, watersports enthusiasts, and restaurants.
	And Finally... well, there had to be an 'and finally', didn't there! This unusual triangular building was built as a result of a bet, when a local shopkeeper called 'Biscuit' Goldfinch was challenged to make money on the then narrow piece of waste ground opposite his shop. To increase his profit, he even tried growing potatoes on the roof!

Photographs kindly supplied by Trisha Baxter, Joan Wood and Peter Wood.

Site updated 27th October 2008