Day 273 - Folkestone

About 4.5 miles (7 km) east of us lies the town of Folkestone. The southern edge of the North Downs escarpment falls into the sea here, with the Pent Brook cutting through the cliffs and dividing the town in half. The town was originally established as these headlands offered protection for a port at this sight. But this location is constantly being battered and broken down by the sea, with shingle beaches forming and reshaping the landscape. The Pent Brook itself continues to bring silt with it, also working to build up the coastline. The result was that break walls and piers were built in the 17th century to provide further protection. By 1820, an enclosed harbour had been built to help protect the fishing boats and encourage further trade. Unfortunately, the harbour required expensive and constant dredging and the company that owned it soon went bankrupt.

View from the pier to the east side of Folkestone.

The end of the Folkestone pier has a fabulous bar built into the lighthouse
area. Great place for a view of the white cliffs of Dover and France.

South Eastern Railway bought the harbour in 1842 at a time when it was expanding its London to Dover route. A rail line was built right down to the end of the harbour, which soon became the primary station for those heading to Boulogne. Folkestone Harbour station was even used to trans-ship whole trains.
Today, the Channel Tunnel's northern exit is located in the town of Cheriton (considered part of Folkestone). As a result, ferries no longer leave from this harbour and the trainline to the pier is long gone.

A real "house" boat.

However, the town has the appearance of a place that is on the rise. The old pier is being developed into an entertainment area, with the old rail station buildings being restored. Plans are underway for parks, restaurants and cafes, beach-front houses and modern apartments for areas around the seaside.

The author Wilkie Collins wrote the mystery The Woman in White while living here, and William Harvey and his father Thomas Harvey Mayor,, who discovered the circulation of the blood in 1600, lived here.

The White Cliffs of Dover in the distance.

After exploring the town, we had a seafood dinner at a restaurant called The Smokehouse on the still-active fishing pier. We then went to watch a film at the town's only cinema. We almost couldn't find it! It's part of the town hall, and while our Google maps said we were right in front of it, we couldn't see any signs for it. Phil's eagle eye noted a small sign on a door that indicated "if this door isn't open, tickets for the cinema can be purchased through the other door," so we figured we had found the place.

Interior of the Silver Screen Cinema in Folkestone.

As with most of the cinema's we've visited on this year's travels, the Folkestone cinema has an interesting history. The Silver Screen Cinema opened in 1990 after all of the town cinemas had closed. In 2013, Folkestone Town Council  repurchased the building wanting to convert it to their own use. The cinema's lease was about to expire and film industry was switching over to digital. A man new to Folkestone began working with the cinema's owner to try to save the town's only cinema. With huge support from the community they managed to do so, and the Council agreed to extend the lease.

And for those of you who like to hear about our views on the films we see, today's film was The Incredibles 2. Our rating: 3.5/5. The character of the baby makes the movie. Enough said.

On our travels today we also discovered from a local the reason Hythe has so many hair salons (at least 17). Lets just say a lot more than hair is being washed.