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| Local Democracy Week | <mail@shepwaylibdems.org.uk> |
About Folkestone and HytheLocation, Places and Features
The constituency of Folkestone and Hythe actually covers a large number of towns and villages in East Kent, covering the area between Dover to the North to Rye to the South West. Folkestone and Hythe Constituency Map Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey Large version of Folkestone and Hythe Constituency map The UK terminal of the Channel Tunnel lies at Cheriton near Folkestone, and the M20 cuts through the constituency providing high speed road access to London. Dungeness B nuclear power station, opened in 1983, lies in the constituency at Dungeness Point at the edge of Romney Marsh, near to Lydd Airport with scheduled services to Le Tourquet - Paris Plage. Folkestone and Hythe constituency is much more than a two town area, and actually covers the towns and villages of Acrise, Appledore, Arpinge, Brenzett, Brookland, Burmarsh, Capel Le Ferne, Cheriton, Densole, Dungeness, Dymchurch, Elham, Etchinghill, Folkestone, Frogholt, Greatstone, Hawkinge, Hythe, Ivychurch, Littlestone, Lydd, Lydd-On-Sea, Lyminge, Lympne, Monks Horton, New Romney Town, Newchurch, Newingreen, Newington, Old Romney, Ottinge, Paddlesworth, Peene, Postling, Rhodes Minnis, Saltwood, Sandgate, Sandling, Sellindge, Selsted, Snargate, Snave, St Mary in the Marsh, St Mary's Bay, Stanford, Stelling Minnis, Stowting, Swingfield and Wingmore. Folkestone is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, about as far as you can get towards France before you get your feet wet. Folkestone still retains some of its once extensive fishing fleet which operate from the tidal harbour. 2008 will see the inaugural Folkestone Triennial. Internationally acclaimed contemporary artists including Christian Boltanski, Tracey Emin, Mark Dion, Jeremy Deller, Tacita Dean and Mark Wallinger are being commissioned to create new works for the first Folkestone Triennial, Tales of Time and Space, which will run from 14 June - 14 September 2008. One of the most ambitious public art projects to be presented in the UK, the Triennial is a three-yearly exhibition of works which will be specially created for public spaces throughout Folkestone. Folkestone Triennial 2008 - Tales of Time and Space Every Sunday, Folkestone also welcomes the Harbourmart "Farmers, Fishers and Artist Market", one of the largest farmers markets in Kent. There are a wide range of events every week in Folkestone, and a huge range of attractions, from the Leas promenade to Martello Towers along the coast, the old harbourside at The Stade and more. Hythe is a small town around 6 miles south-west of Folkestone. One of the original Cinque Ports, Hythe has a significant history and is still a popular destination for tourists. It is a terminus of the miniature Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. Every two years, it hosts the Hythe Venetian Fete, when local organisations and individuals create decorated floats which travel up and down the Royal Military Canal. In alternate years, there is a Hythe Festival, a two week programme of varied and often free events. Also within the constituency is New Romney, another small town on the edge of the Romney Marsh and another of the founder towns of the Cinque Ports. Romney Marsh lies in parts below sea level, and was entirely under water. Land reclamation and the retreat of the sea over the last few hundred years has revealed the marsh, stretching from New Romney to Lympne and Hythe. Towns and villages on the marsh include Appledore, Brenzett, Brookland, Burmarsh, Dymchurch, Greatstone, Ivychurch, Littlestone, Lydd, Lydd-on-Sea, New Romney, Newchurch, Old Romney, St Mary in the Marsh, St Mary's Bay, Snargate and Snave. "The world according to the best geographers is divided into Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Romney Marsh." Ingoldsby Legends, Reverend Richard Harris Barham Political Make-UpFolkestone and Hythe constituency currently covers the same area as Shepway District Council. Electors in Shepway are represented by Shepway District Council, Kent County Council and in many places (especially from June 2004 with the formation of new town councils for Folkestone and Sandgate) town and parish councils. The most recent major local goverment elections took place in May 2007, when Shepway District Council was up for re-election (this takes place every four years, with the next election timetabled for May 2011). The composition of Shepway District Council is now (July 2007) 39 Conservatives, 5 Liberal Democrats, 2 People First and NO Labour. Shepway District Council Local Election Results - 3rd May 2007 Shepway District Council Local Election Results - 1st May 2003 In May 2007, the Liberal Democrats also won the majority of the seats on Folkestone Town Council. After some Lib Dem Councillors chose to join the Conservatives in Summer 2008, the current composition of Folkestone Town Council is 7 Liberal Democrats, 7 Conservatives, 3 People First and 1 Independent. Folkestone Town Council Local Election Results - 3rd May 2007 The Liberal Democrats got 50% of the vote in Shepway in May 2003, leading many commentators to conclude that Michael Howard's parliamentary seat was likely to fall to the Liberal Democrats at the next General Election. However, despite a strong Liberal Democrat challenge in the run-up to the 2005 General Election, Michael Howard retained the seat for the Conservatives with an increased majority. The Liberal Democrats however remain a clear second, with the Labour vote at under 13% one of their poorest results in the South East. Folkestone & Hythe General Election Result - 5 May 2005 Kent County Council Election Results - 5 May 2005 South East England European Election Result 2004 Folkestone and Hythe General Election Result 2001 South East England European Election Result 1999 HistoryThe history of the coastal Folkestone and Hythe area is inevitably bound up with the sea, with clear evidence dating back to at least Roman times of observation posts to watch for invaders. Both Hythe and New Romney were founder members of the Cinque Ports, which in 1155 established the towns as having a duty to maintain ships ready for the crown in case of need. Folkestone also joined as a "limb" member in the next two hundred years. In return the towns received significant rights: "Exemption from tax and tolls; self-government; permission to levy tolls, punish those who shed blood or flee justice, punish minor offences, detain and execute criminals both inside and outside the port's jurisdiction, and punish breaches of the peace; and possession of lost goods that remain unclaimed after a year, goods thrown overboard, and floating wreckage." From 1841 the South Eastern Railway company developed the Boulogne-Folkestone cross channel service. They bought and improved Folkestone port, from where they operated a fleet of steamships with connecting train-ship-train services between London and Paris, aimed at wealthy travellers. The cross-channel service and Folkestone's position as a seaside resort brough considerable wealth and redevelopment to the town over the next few decades. With its strategically useful position overlooking the English Channel, the area has always been key to the defence of Britain. 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. Between 1805 and 1808, fear of a Napoleonic French invasion led to the construction of 74 Martello Towers along the South Coast. Overlooking the sea, the towers had thick brick walls, stood about 10 metres high and had a cannon on the roof. Stretching from Folkestone to Seaford in Sussex, there were 25 Martello Towers between Folkestone and Dymchurch alone, of which 16 still exist today. The Folkestone area was however badly damaged by bombs in both World Wars, both as a direct target due to its garrisons at Shorncliffe Camp near the town, and as a result of "jettisoning" on bombs by planes that had abandoned their actual mission. Famous PeopleCosmopolitan Folkestone, the smaller Hythe, New Romney, Dymchurch and many smaller villages, have drawn many people to the area through the ages, as a place to live, work or stay. The following list gives a few of the more famous examples - if you have more, then please do let us know at famouspeople@shepwaylibdems.org.uk. Thanks to Warren Stevenson, Maureen Speller and others for their contributions.
Recent residents of the surrounding area include Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Paul O'Grady - aka Lily Savage More InformationThe following sites have more information about the Folkestone and Hythe area, its services, attractions, transport and history. Their inclusion on this site do not suggest any support by or for the Liberal Democrats by those sites. Village Net - About the Cinque Ports Romney Marsh: The Fifth Quarter. Site about the Marsh, history and villages Thisisfolkestone - Detailed history of Folkestone Shepway Council - Local Attractions Folkestone and Hythe Area Stagecoach Bus Timetables Printed and hosted by Prater Raines Ltd, 82b Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BX.Published and promoted by Shepway Liberal Democrats, 82a Sandgate High Street, Sandgate, Folkestone, Kent CT20 3BX. The views expressed are those of Shepway / Folkestone and Hythe Liberal Democrats, not of the service provider. |