Broadstairs
| Broadstairs | |
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  Broadstairs shown within Kent |
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| Population | 24,370 (2001 census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| - London | 81.6mi |
| District | Thanet |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Broadstairs |
| Postcode district | CT10 |
| Dialling code | 01843 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | South Thanet |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Broadstairs is a town in Kent, England, 76 miles east of London, with a population of about 22,000. Situated between Margate and Ramsgate, it is one of the seaside resorts on the Isle of Thanet, often known as the "Jewel in Thanet's crown". Broadstairs derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon word Bradstow(e). Most people believe it to be merely an extension of Ramsgate which is believed to be an extension of Minster-in-Thanet.[citations needed]
As a civil parish, it includes the St. Peter's area and is known as Broadstairs and St. Peters, which had a population of 24,000.
History
Pre 1400
The inland village of St Peters established after the building of a parish church in about 1080. A nearby fishing settlement developed in the 14th century known as Bradstow. Old English for "broad-stairs", it was named after stairs carved in the chalk cliffs, leading to the beach from the cliff-top 12th-century Shrine of St Mary.[1] Charles Culmer, son of Waldemar, is supposed to have built the stairs for the fishermen in 1350. The stairs have survived to this day and were first repaired by Richard Culmer over three hundred years after their original construction.[citations needed]
1400-1600
In 1440, an archway was built by George Culmer across a track leading down to the sea, where the first wooden pier or jetty was built in 1460. A more enduring structure was to replace this in 1538, when the road leading to the seafront, known as Harbour Street, was cut into the rough chalk ground on which Broadstairs is built, by another George Culmer. Going further in defence of the town, he built the York Gate in 1540, a portal that still spans Harbour Street, and which then held two heavy wooden doors that could be closed in times of threat from the sea.
1700-1815
In 1723, Broadstairs had a population of about 300.[1] A brief outline of the history of Broadstairs Pier is given in Broadstairs, past and present, which mentions a storm in 1767, during which Culmer's work was all but destroyed. At this time it was of considerable importance to the fishing trade with catches as far afield as Great Yarmouth, Hastings, Folkestone, Dover and Torbay and elsewhere being landed. It had become so indispensable that the Corporations of Yarmouth, Dover, Hythe and Canterbury with assistance from the East India Company and Trinity House subscribed to its restoration with a payment of £2,000/~ in 1774.
By 1795, York Gate needed repair to repel any threat from the French Revolutionary Wars; the subsequent renovation was undertaken by Lord Hanniker in the same year as the first lightship was placed on the Goodwin Sands.
On the occasion of the landing at Thanet, of Major John Percy, on 21 June 1815 with the captured French eagle standard taken at Waterloo, a tunnel stairway from the beach to the fields on the clifftops above was excavated, and christened Waterloo Stairs to commemorate the event. Broadstairs was the first town in England to learn of this historic victory.
Development as a seaside resort
By 1824 steamboats were becoming more common, having begun to take over from the hoys and sailing packets about 1814. These made trade with London much faster. The familiar sailing hoys took anything up to 72 hours to reach Margate from London, whereas the new steamships were capable of making at least nine voyages in this time. Mixed feelings must have been strongly expressed by the Thanet boatmen in general, as the unrivaled speed of the steam packet was outmanoeuvering all other classes of vessel, but it brought a new prosperity to Thanet. In the middle of the 18th century, the professional classes began to move in. By 1850, the population had reached about 3,000, doubling over the previous 50 years. Due to the fresh sea air, many convalescent homes for children opened towards the end of the 19th century.[1]
Railways
Although numerous holidaymakers were attracted to Broadstairs and to other Thanet seaside towns during the Victorian era, it was not directly served by rail until 1863. This was time of great expansion for railways in the south-east; in 1860 Victoria Station had been completed, followed by Charing Cross and Cannon Street. Rail access to Broadstairs had previously relied heavily upon coach links to other rail stations in the district or region; with firms such as Bradstowe Coachmasters, operated by William Sackett and John Derby, principally involved. Their coaches connected Broadstairs to Whitstable station where a railway service had begun as early as 1830 (one of the first in England, with its pioneering Stephenson's engine The Invicta). By 1851, the region's network was still more complete, being supplemented by the London to south-coast route, including the coastal link from Chichester to Ramsgate, the cross-country service between London and Dover, and the mid-Kent line that linked Redhill, Tonbridge and Ashford to London's new terminal at Waterloo (opened in 1848). Broadstairs station (unlike neighbouring Margate) is a good 15 minutes walk from the beach. Although rebuilt in the 1920s electricity was not installed at the station until well into the 1970s and the buildings and platforms remained gaslit until then.
1840-1900
In 1841, 44 mariners were recorded as resident in Broadstairs; nine of these being specified as fishermen, and of course the residual boat-building activity that remained after the Culmer~White yard closed in 1824 (under pressure from the steamships), still continued (though there were only four shipwrights recorded in the census: Solomon Holbourn and Joseph Jarman among them). Others may have been at sea on census day: Steamer Point, as the pier head at Broadstairs was then known, would have been fairly busy with shipping movements since consignments of coal and other produce would have been traded along the coast and there would have been regular work on the steam packet to and from Ramsgate. By the 1840s, the smuggling had ceased.[1]
Present
By 1910, the population had reached about 10,000. A "guide book" of the 1930s by A H Simison (the photographic chemist) entitled Ramsgate (The Kent Coast at its best) Pictorially Presented, describes Broadstairs town as having approached modernisation and urban development "always with a consistent policy of retaining those characteristics for which it has for so long been renowned". Certainly the town has retained a great many aspects of historical interest, besides its maritime history. Amongst these is its notable religious history, evoked by places such as the Shrine of Our Lady, Bradstowe.
Lifeboats
Lifeboats arrived in Broadstairs in 1851. It has been suggested that news of the loss of the Irish Packet Royal Adelaide with 250 lives, on the sands off Margate on 6 April 1850, was the prompt that led to old Thomas White to present one of his lifeboats to his home town of Broadstairs that summer. The lifeboat saw its first use on 6 March 1851 when the brig Mary White became trapped on the Goodwin Sands during a severe gale blowing from the north. A ballad was written to celebrate the occasion, Song of the Mary White.
Solomon Holbourn, Coxswain of the Mary White of Broadstairs had an aunt, Sophia who married at Folkestone in 1813 to William Stevenson. His eldest son William became a mariner and boatman, and married an Elizabeth Wellard in 1839 at St Peters, Broadstairs. One of their children, born in 1848, was named after his father William, but in his adult life was better known as Bill ‘Floaty’ Stevenson, and as such as a member of the Frances Forbes Barton lifeboat crew. The "Frances Forbes Barton" was originally, in 1897, the legacy of a Miss Webster to the boatmen of Broadstairs. It is recorded as having remained at that station until 1912, when it was moved to the Walmer station when the Broadstairs one closed, during which time it had been taken out on 77 launches and saved 115 lives, by far the most effective of the RNLI craft stationed there.
Broadstairs' lifeboats were further supported by a fund established in the 1860s by Sir Charles Reed FSA.
Geography
The town lies above a harbour, historically known for smuggling. Some 20 miles from both Dover and Canterbury, and approximately 60 miles from the M25, London's orbital motorway, it is a popular resort for daytrippers and holidaymakers. It has seven bays of golden sand, which are Viking Bay, Louisa Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Dumpton Gap, Botany Bay, Stone Bay and Joss Bay. Broadstairs has changed very little over the past fifty years, a feature that brings visitors back time and again. Nearby, with its beach below, is Kingsgate Castle once the home of Lord Holland, but now converted into private residences. Several follies of the castle still exist within the area.
Demographics
| Broadstairs Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK census | Broadstairs | Thanet District | England |
| Total population | 24,370 | 126,702 | 49,138,831 |
| Foreign born | 5.3% | 5.1% | 9.2% |
| White | 98% | 98% | 91% |
| Asian | 1.0% | 0.6% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 75% | 74% | 72% |
| Muslim | 0.4% | 0.5% | 3.1% |
| Hindu | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| No religion | 14% | 16% | 15% |
| 65+ years old | 24% | 22% | 16% |
| Unemployed | 2.9% | 4.4% | 3.3% |
As of the 2001 UK census, the Broadstairs had 24,370 residents and 10,597 households. Of those households, 34.2% were married couples, 6.7% were cohabiting couples and 8.3% were lone parents. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.9% had someone living alone at pensionable age. 25.7% of households included children aged under 16, or a person aged 16 to 18 who was in full-time education.[2]
The town has a low proportion of non-white people compared to national figures; the ethnicity recorded in the 2001 census was 97.9% white, 0.7% mixed race, 0.3% Chinese, 0.7% other Asian, 0.2% black and 0.2% other.[2] The amount of foreign-born residents is relatively low; the place of birth of residents in 2001 was 94.7% United Kingdom, 0.7% Republic of Ireland, 0.5% Germany, 0.9% other Western Europe countries, 0.3% Eastern Europe, 0.8% Africa, 0.6% South Asia, 0.5% Far East, 0.3% North America, 0.2% Middle East, 0.2% Oceania and 0.1% South America.[2] Religion was recorded as 75.3% Christian, 0.4% Muslim, 0.3% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist and 0.3% Jewish. 14.3% were recorded as having no religion, 0.5% had an alternative religion and 8.6% did not state their religion.[2]
The age distribution was 5% aged 0–4 years, 14% aged 5–15 years, 5% aged 16–19 years, 26% aged 20–44 years, 27% aged 45–64 years and 24% aged 65 years and over. There was a high percentage of residents over 65, compared with the national average of 16%, mainly due to seaside towns being popular retirement destinations. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males.[2]
Government
The Member of Parliament for South Thanet is Dr Stephen Ladyman of the Labour Party. He has been the constituency's MP since the 1997 general election, when he took the seat from the Conservative Jonathan Aitken. At the 2005 general election, Labour won a majority of 664 and 40.4% of the vote in South Thanet. Conservatives won 38.8% of the vote, Liberal Democrats 13.2%, United Kingdom Independence Party 5.0%, Green Party 2.2% and an independent 0.5%.[3]
Broadstairs is within the Thanet local government district. The town contains the five electoral wards of Bradstowe, St Peters, Beacon Road, Viking and Kingsgate. These wards have eleven of the fifty six seats on the Thanet District Council. As of the 2007 local elections, all eleven of those seats were held by the Conservative Party.[4] Broadstairs and St Peters Town Council has 15 members, led by the mayor, who are elected every four year.[5]
Economy
As a seaside resort, the economy is mainly based around tourism; there are several hotels and guest houses near the seafront, to accommodate the influx of visitors during the summer. The High Street has a variety of shops and services, and there are a small number of factories. The elderly population has led to many health and social care jobs at local care homes. As of the 2001 UK census, 1.8% of the population resided in a medical or care establishment, compared with the national average of only 0.8%.[2] Many jobs in education are provided by the town's relatively high number of schools and colleges.
As of the 2001 census, the economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 34.1% in full-time employment, 12.8% in part-time employment, 10.0% self-employed, 2.9% unemployed, 2.3% students with jobs, 4.1% students without jobs, 20.0% retired, 6.5% looking after home or family, 4.9% permanently sick or disabled and 2.4% economically inactive for other reasons. The percentage of retired people was significantly higher than the national figure of 14%. The percentage of unemployed people was low compared with the national rate of 3.4% and the district rate of 4.4%. 12% of residents aged 16–74 had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared with 20% nationwide. The Office for National Statistics estimated that during the period of April 2001 to March 2002, the average gross weekly income of households was £522 (£27,219 per year).[2]
The industry of employment of residents, at the 2001 census, was 15% retail, 14% health and social work, 13% manufacturing, 13% education, 10% real estate, 8% construction, 7% transport and communications, 6% public administration, 5% hotels and restaurants, 3% finance, 1% agriculture and 5% other community, social or personal services. Compared with national figures, there was a relatively high number of workers in the education and health/social care industries and a relatively low number in finance and real estate.[2] Many residents commute to work outside the town; as of the 2001 census, the town had 9,842 employed residents, but there were only 9,049 jobs within the town.[2]
Culture
Attractions
There is a small cinema "The Palace Cinema" (formerly known as the The Windsor) in Harbour Street and a venue nearby called the Pavilion on the Sands, which hosts a summer show as well as all-year entertainment, and which offers an extensive view across the bay. The town's water gala in August has been a part of the summer calendar for more than 117 years. There is also a Charles Dickens festival each June and a folk festival and craft fair every August. The beaches at Botany Bay and Joss Bay have both been awarded the Blue flag rural beach award in 2005. Viking Bay beach, the main beach in Broadstairs, won the Blue Flag in 2006. The beach has a number of cafes and ice cream outlets. There are regular firework displays on Wednesday evenings in the summer. There are also many schools around the area including St Mildreds infant school, Upton Junior School, Dane Court Grammar School and St Georges C of E Foundation School. The Charles Dickens School is also in the area and is named after Charles Dickens who visited the Broadstairs.
Cultural events and venues
The Broadstairs Dickens Festival is held annually in the third week of June. The festival includes a production of one of Dickens' novels and people about the town wearing Victorian dress. The festival first took place in 1937, when Gladys Waterer, the then owner of Dickens House, conceived the idea of commemorating the centenary of the author's first visit by putting on a production of David Copperfield, a novel written in the town.[6]
Each summer, the town holds the Folk Week music festival. The main acts perform at the Concert Marquee in one of the town's campsites, but smaller gigs are also held in many pubs, restaurants and cafés.[7]
Notable residents
Charles Dickens visited Broadstairs regularly from 1837 until 1859 and described the town as "Our English Watering Place". He wrote David Copperfield while staying at Bleak House.
The town has seen some notable residents, including former Conservative leader and Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath and the engineer Thomas Russell Crampton, who were born in Broadstairs. Queen Victoria spent many summers in Broadstairs as a child, staying at Pierremont Hall. Oliver Postgate, creator of the children's TV puppet shows, the Clangers and Bagpuss, is reported to be living there.
Twin town
Broadstairs and St. Peter’s is twinned with the town of Wattignies in northern France. The towns were twinned in the early 1980s.[8]
Gallery
 Broadstairs Seafront |
See also
External links
- Local Maritime Volunteer Service
- Broadstairs and St. Peters Town Council
- Personal Perspective
- Crampton Tower
- Broadstairs Dickens Festival
References
| Towns and villages in the Thanet district of Kent, England |
|---|
| Acol • Birchington-on-Sea • Broadstairs • Brooksend • Cliffsend • Cliftonville • Flete • Garlinge • Manston • Margate • Minster • Monkton • Newington • Palm Bay • Ramsgate • Sarre • Sevenscore • St Nicholas at Wade • St Peter's • Westbrook • Westwood • Westgate-on-Sea |
| List of places in Kent |
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