For the Love of the British Isles: HERNE BAY

The meaning of Herne is a corner. So the likelihood is that the original settlement grew up on a corner or angle of land. These days, the coastline there is relatively straight.

The town rose to prominence as a seaside resort during the early 19th century after the building of a pleasure pier and promenade by a group of London investors, and reached its heyday in the late Victorian era. Its popularity as a holiday destination has declined over the past decades, due to the increase in foreign travel and to a lesser degree exposure to flooding that has prevented the town's redevelopment.

The town of Herne Bay took its name from the neighbouring village of Herne, two kilometres inland from the bay. The village was first recorded in around 1100 as Hyrnan.

One of the oldest buildings in Herne Bay, dating back to 1385, is the Ship Inn, which served as the focal point for the small shipping and farming community which first inhabited the town. During this time, passenger and cargo boats regularly ran between Herne Bay and London and boats carrying coal ran from Newcastle. From Herne was easy access by road to the city of Canterbury or to Dover, where further passage by boat could then be obtained across the English Channel to France.

During the 1840s, steamboats began running between Herne Bay and London. During the early 19th century, a smugglers' gang operated from the town. The gang were regularly involved in a series of fights with the preventive services until finally being overpowered in the 1820s.

In the 1830s, a group of London investors, who recognised Herne Bay's potential as a seaside resort, built a wooden pier and a promenade on the town's seafront. This and the subsequent building of a railway station led to the rapid expansion of the town. In 1833, an Act of Parliament established Herne Bay and Herne as separate towns. In 1837, Mrs Ann Thwaytes, a wealthy lady from London, donated around £4,000 to build a 75 feet (23 m) clock tower on the town's seafront. It is believed to be the first freestanding purpose built clock tower in the world.

There is a blue plaque on the house where Ann Thwaytes lived, further along the seafront

In 1912, the first "Brides in the Bath" murder by George Joseph Smith was committed in Herne Bay. During World War II, sea-forts (the Maunsell Forts) were built off the coast of Herne Bay and Whitstable, which are still in existence. The coastal village of Reculver, to the east of Herne Bay, was the site of the testing of the bouncing bomb used by the "Dam Busters" during the war.

A statue to Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, the inventor of the bouncing bomb, proudly graces the park just off the sea front

On the same lawn, opposite Barnes Wallis, there is an old red phone box and an old red postbox - now emblems of bygone time

The original wooden pier had to be dismantled in 1871 after its owners went into liquidation and sea worms had damaged the wood. A shorter 100 metres (328 ft) long iron pier with a theatre and shops at the entrance was built in 1873. However, it was too short for steamboats to land at. The pier proved to be unprofitable and a replacement longer iron pier with an electric tram began to be built in 1896. At 3,600 feet (1,097 m), this pier was the second longest in the country, behind only the pier at Southend-on-Sea.

1963 marked the end of steamboat services from the pier. In 1970, a fire destroyed the pier's pavilion and plans began to replace it with a sports centre, which was opened in 1976 by former Prime Minister Edward Heath. The centre section of the pier was torn down by a storm in 1978, leaving the end of the pier isolated out at sea. It has not been rebuilt due to the cost; however, residents and businesses in the town have campaigned for its restoration. The sports centre was demolished in 2012, leaving a bare platform.

the isolated seaward end

the sea end of the landward piece

flag mast at the entrance to the pier

Herne Bay has a culture trail that you can follow, and along the seafront are statues of people important to the town, and various commissioned sculptures.

the perpetual calendar

There are several of these pretty mosaics, each one covers a different aspect of the town. This one shows information about the Grand Central Bandstand

A stone carving of a turk's head knot, much used by seamen in sailship rigging

A giant compass

A boy sitting on the wall, with his boat

A tribute to aviator Amy Johnson, lost when her plane crashed into the sea off Herne Bay in 1941. Her body has never been found

The local council need to refurbish all these plaques on the culture trail. They are becoming illegible, and that's a shame for the artists who worked so hard creating the sculptures.

There are also quite extensive and very pretty, formal gardens between the clock tower, the bandstand, and the pier

This is Waltrop Gardens, named for Herne Bay's 'twinned' town.

The pump is in full working order, and you can refill your water bottle with tap water freely

This monument was given to the town by Major Horatio Davies, sheriff of London and Middlesex, as a golden jubilee memorial of Queen Victoria's reign (1887).

A beautiful terrace of Georgian houses...................

sadly, the further from the centre of the seafront you walk, the more dilapidated the buildings become. It's a shame really. And not just on the front. A lot of the town has a tired look to it. A sign of our times, I fear. This is Crockham House, once a fine residence, now split into flats and looking little sorry for itself

One house I do like though, is this one. Now a house, but it is very obvious what it once was, and it was very obviously the work place of somebody very skilled at his craft in gold leaf work. I hope it is always cared for.

it even makes the door arch smile. Looks a bit like Eddie Izzard to me

In Mortimer Street, you will meet this loving couple .....

The United church is quite impressive with a lovely green door. It is used as an entertainment venue, and on the wall of the adjoining building is a charming mural

Go further long Mortimer Street, and there are two delightfully decorative houses, separated by a white horse (well it is Kent after all). These are Portland House and Providence House.

Curiously shaped house at one end of an alleyway..................................

.......................and at the other end? A pub called the Divers Arms, and a sign informing you how far it is from there to the North Pole

A man-made breakwater, known locally as 'Neptune's Arm', forms a harbour for small boats, although it was actually built to protect the town from flooding. You can walk along the top of it, although it is not recommended on a windy day!

The Central Bandstand is that and so much more. It's a beautiful building, wrapped around a lovely central courtyard. There's a nice cafe, and a stage that is used for various entertainments.