To look at Pegwell briefly, it appears barely more than a rather nice hotel, a couple of pubs clinging to the cliff top, overlooking a large, beautiful sweep of bay. It's a bay where the tide comes up almost to the foundations of the pubs. When the tide is out, the sand stretches for, perhaps twelve hundred feet, flat, and apparently, now, with pockets of quicksand, tricky! Therefore, not as user friendly, as it once was. That bay is yet another victim of the dreadful nineteen sixties, and seventies. The time when building, and major changes was done with no regard to preserving, or safeguarding anything. That stretch was cleared, for construction of the new hovercraft station. Now, cleared again, but leaving stretches of quicksand, and ruined shrimp beds.
The beautiful Pegwell Bay a hundred years ago, before used as a hovercraft station
During that period, nature was bulldozed, history was obliterated, so many wonderful buildings left abandoned, then flattened. Much was totally destroyed, as far as I can tell, there was no protection or future planning on anything much. Plans were passed on the say so, of who knows whom? I, as a lover of history, still feel a real sadness at the loss of so much, all over the country, not only Kent. Previous to this desecration, the bay was famous for its quality shrimps, with a small shrimp factory above on the cliff top. The pub there, the same one as today, was famous for its shrimp paste. So famous, that once, it is said, the Queen herself, came to sample it. I love little tales like that.
That all changed, a I said, when a station was built to accommodate the new, at the time, innovative Hovercraft station. A vast concrete platform was erected on the sand of the bay, with buildings, car parks, and hover parks. Not so many years later, it was removed again. Buildings, access, broken down, and the rubble strewn along the curve of the bay. Much of the concrete platform was left, it is assumed, still breaking down, under the sand today. That, and other debris including household waste was dumped there. It was mainly that invasion of the hovercraft base, on the sands of the bay, which created the quicksand, and ruined the shrimp beds completely. The shrimp have never recovered, the edge of the bay, more so. Over the course of the last thirty/fifty plus years, nature has covered the rubble, and it is now a haven for wild plants, and bird life. A lucky accident, I hasten to add rather than a planned for result. So much for the sixties, and the seventies, and their haphazard building laws. I believe that more important architecture, and natural habitat was ruined across this country during those decades, than ever before, or since. Hey ho, for the planners, or lack of them.
The hovercraft station, as it was
Today, wildlife flocks in to almost the same spot, drawn by the rough undergrowth, and sheltered bay.
When you look at it, it's amazing how nature, given half a chance, will triumph. The bay is still beautiful, as is the nature reserve just next door, on the edge of the bay, and coastline. The little locale of Pegwell, is actually regarded as part of Ramsgate, so say the maps. I rather think, it is not the opinion of the locals though, who always refer to it as Pegwell, as a village in its own right.
It is in the direction of the larger nature reserve, and park, at the end of the bay, that the Vikings landed originally. Marked now with a copy Viking ship, from where the hotel of Pegwell is clearly seen on the clifftop. The Viking boat next to the much flatter area, a little green park, and a big swathe of sand dunes/wet lands. It is easy to see why it was chosen as an easy landing spot, being the far right of the bay. This landing was with the famous Hengist and Horsa AD 449. This little Pegwell bay is famous for two more important landing too. The first Christian to Britian landed here in AD597. St Augustine, which is why the name is still scattered prolifically around the area.
There was an early convent recorded there for many years The Assumption convent which lasted until at least 1890. Now sadly gone, replaced by a more modern housing estate. All that is left is a pointed arch, marooned on the pavement near the estate. Another seventies building plan, I don't know for sure, but it smacks of the same disregard for historical buildings.
The lovely old monastery, of St Augustine, still exists, slightly closer to town. It is next to the house of the famous architect Augustus Welby Pugin, who built most of the best buildings in the area. He built this house for himself just up from Pegwell, sitting, as they do, on Westcliffe hill of Ramsgate. As you may know by now, if you read other local writings of mine, the whole area sits on chalk caves. One of the Pugin men ended his life in quite a reclusive fashion, actually living in the cave under the house, rather than above ground, in it. It is possible to stay in the house, to sample a little of life as it was during the Victorian period. As it now operates as a small hotel, or probably more a little holiday rental. It, and the old abbey, sitting next to each other, are still in use, with its accommodation for its Benidictine brothers /monks over the road. The third important original landing of the Romans invading Britian followed..... Proving yet again, the easy, flat landing on the site, once you are away from this cliff edge.
It is important to remember that all of the South/East part of the UK was once under water. Although some 80 million years ago. Large Ammonites, similar to the type of Nautilus, now found in today's Indian Ocean, can be discovered here. These fossils, many quite large, are regularly found in the cliffs. Ammonites are large, flat spiral shell shapes, which would have had squid like bodies emerging from end of the shell. This bay, would have always attracted settlers, or fishermen of some kind. Either netting fish left by the tide, trapping birds, finding shellfish, or as they did later, collect sea weed to enrich the soil. There is no written record that I could find, but historical finds are constantly breaking to the surface. Who knows what may turn up yet.
Being such a nice flat, safe bay, partly surrounded by white chalk cliffs, made it the ideal smugglers site. As you may know from my previous blogs, this whole coastline was alive with smugglers a few hundred years ago. Here, during the 17 & 18 century a network of caves within the chalk cliff were both dug especially, and naturally occurring ones used, for storing, and transferring all manner of illegal goods. Alcohol, and tobacco mostly, I suspect. As when the government hurts the ordinary man too hard with taxes, they will discover a way to avoid it. Smuggling, and selling to the local gentry, was the favourite. There is nothing new there, and happened around the entire coastline.
During those years, a man said to be the local shopkeeper would swim out to boats, and drag smuggled goods, floating, into the shore. One, at least drowned during these excursions. There the gangs would transfer them from the beach, through tunnels, to the pubs on the cliftop above. The tunnels were cleverly made, so that there were many false leads, and dead ends, should the authorities search them. It is said the symbol of a fish was used, to point the right way, it's tail, the direction through the labyrinth. The local blacksmith, Big Jim, was leader of one particularly successful gang, The Pegwell gang, from the village. There are now quite a few streets of houses leading away from the town of Ramsgate, to Pegwell. Then, in those days, there would have been a couple of dozen at most. For many years goods found their way, often to the local gentry, or even clergymen. Smuggled goods, after being bought through the subterranean caves under the pub, were then taken by other tunnels across the road, and stored in the houses there. As often happened, the smuggling was an open secret, which benefited the whole village in various ways.
Many silted up today, but still there. One is called 'The Witches Kitchen'. Another is as big as a ballroom, and being situated under the pub was used as an impromptu ballroom. The Belle View is one of the pubs on the cliff. The other, rather sadly, I think, the present 'Sir Stanley Grey', was once named ' The Moonlighters'. How romantic, and evocative is that. Re -name it, I say, keep the old names going.
The bay once had a Pier too, the broken piles still visible at low tide, below the pubs. It was some 300 ft long, short for a Pier. The idea was for boats to unload there, but it was never used. Until it was wrecked in December 1884 when a boat ran through the shore end of it, destroying the structure.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of todays' Pegwell bay, except for the bay itself, is the hotel. This was a pre Victorian hotel, which, for many years, became a convalescent home, for workers from London. Beginning in 1874 with fifteen patients, so successful, within three years it was enlarged. Eventually holding 72 by 1914. By then it had a pool, wonderful gardens. It became The Staplhurst Home, eventually closing 1969 because of flood damage. The Hotel, with clock tower, below.
For such a small place, there is so much history of the small bay, and of the hotel, that I could continued or several more pages. Do visit the pubs, both offer good food, one, the Belle Vue already has an extensive outdoor eating space, although it opening hours for food is sadly restricted. The other, the Sir Stanley Grey, affiliated to the hotel (also very comfortable) serves food from 12 mid day to 9 at night, continuously. In addition, it is warm, and cosy in cold weather such as we are having at present. There are further plans for building a much enlarged outdoor eating deck. In addition to the ones on the lower levels where they hold weddings, and receptions. I look forward to enjoying the sun out there, come the summer.
I enjoy visiting Pegwell now, for a meal, and walking across the many footpaths across the fields. Located behind the Coastguard cottages towards the Viking ship, and the nature reserve. These paths are safe, and pleasant in the Summer, and many are dry enough to continue using in the winter. Used by both walkers, and cyclists to great effect, come, and discover them for yourself.
Enjoy Pegwell Bay....
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