Spotlight on Whitstable

On 19 July, thousands of oysters will be landed on Whitstable beach and blessed by a priest. Then they’ll be taken in a procession through town and distributed to the tradespeople, accompanied by local giant, ‘Captain Sam’, a marching band, and a crowd in colourful costumes. This ceremony marks the beginning of Whitstable’s historic Oyster Festival, a week-long programme of eclectic events that dates back centuries, to the time when the oyster trade ruled Whitstable-folks’ lives, and a failed catch meant starvation.

It’s easy to see why the locals are passionate about their town. There are spellbinding sunsets and the harbour is certainly memorable, but it’s the streets and winding alleyways that really capture your imagination. Once seen, they’re never forgotten, making you long to return again and again. Somehow, Whitstable retains the warmth and cosines of 1950s England, with greengrocers and butchers who smile at you and a relaxed pace of life, yet it has a 21st-century vibrancy: a busy fish market, a plethora of gourmet restaurants and shops and a thriving artistic and literary community, plus the London influence: Whitstable is the capital’s closest seaside town.

A little bit of history

In Roman times, Whitstable was a stretch of marsh and saltflats backed by dense forest, the sea a mile away. As the 15th-century sea encroached, a sea wall was built, but by 1779 its eastern end had been breached and in 1897, 1949 and 1953, Whitstable was flooded.

The town became increasingly reliant on the oyster trade then, after the railway line to Canterbury was built in 1830, became a valuable port. It was also involved in the smuggling of spirits and tobacco and in 1780, there was a pitched battle between local smugglers and excise men.

The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway line built the harbour in 1832 as a means of shipping coal. The railway line closed in 1953 and the buildings were demolished and Whitstable harbour is now a municipal working harbour owned by the City Council and directed by a harbour board.

What to see and do

There are eight conveniently situated, car parks in the town. The working harbour has wonderful fish markets and is host to Whitstable Yacht Club, with racing yachts parked along the beach. The pebbled beaches are divided up by wooden groins, with timber-clad houses and the dramatically solitary Neptune public house.

On display is The Favourite, a fishing yawl built in 1890. Just outside town is Whitstable Castle, which used to be Whitstable’s manor house, whose grounds are open to the public. Beyond are the clifftop lawns and beach huts of Tankerton Slopes.

Historic Harbour Street has plenty of shops and cafés, and three of the town’s art galleries. The helpful Tourist Information Centre on Oxford Street will solve all your practical problems, and Whitstable Museum and Art Gallery (01227 276998) has displays exploring the town's unique social, community and seafaring traditions, with features on oysters, diving and shipping.

Whitstable retains the warmth and cosines of 1950s England, yet it has a 21st-century vibrancy

The Horsebridge Community Centre (01227 281174), with a roof like an inverted boat, holds exhibitions in two galleries, has a theatre/concert hall and workshop areas and a café. Whitstable Playhouse (01227 272700) has a full programme of events. The Fish Slab Gallery (01227 272 406) is where local artists have exhibitions. And Bay Blast Marine (07800 745 493) offer coastal tours in a power boat.

Whitstable's Alleys

These named alleys link the High Street to the shoreline, 25 in all, many christened after local personalities, the most famous ones are listed below:

Squeeze Gut Alley

A narrowing thoroughfare through which youths evaded capture by the local chubby policeman.

Coastguard alley

The hated coastguards built living quarters on its corner in their efforts to fight smuggling.

Neptune Gap

Named after a nearby beer-house called The old Neptune, which is still in existence.

The Old Favourite

Leads to a restored oyster yawl of that name that is on display; it was built in 1890.

Collar’s Alley

In the great freeze of 1895, many children would use this passage to go to Mr Collar’s shop to receive sustenance.

The Horsebridge

Once a slipway that acted as an approach route for horses meeting ships off-shore.
 

Shopping and dining

In addition to the individual butchers, greengrocers and bakers, there are also craft shops, galleries, delis and fashion shops, trendy boutiques and gift emporiums and even a kite shop, Kites and Things (01227 264722). Samson and Coles (01227 277 985) offers hand-made jewellery, Crab and Winkle merchandise (07850 475143) sells unique Whitstable products and artifacts, and Inside Out Antiques (01227 280111) specialises in antiques and curios.

The Tudor Tea Rooms (01227 273167) serve wonderful fresh local fish and chips plus meals and cream teas in a traditional setting, and several places – naturally - specialise in oysters and seafood generally, including: Wheeler’s Oyster Bar (01227 273311), with a quaint Victorian parlour setting, Pearson’s Crab and Oyster House (01227 272 005); and the Crab and Winkle Seafood restaurant (01227 779 377) on the harbour is renowned for their sensational seafood in this superb atmosphere with sea views.

For a famous fish restaurant right on the beach, try The Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company Restaurant (01227 276856), which has been repeatedly recommended by a variety of Sunday newspapers. There are over 40 restaurants and cafés of every kind in and around the town.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Actor Peter Cushing was a resident, and gave his name to ‘Cushing’s View’ a site on the beach from where there’s a particularly good sight of the town’s striking sunsets.
• Somerset Maugham spent his early days there, and his experiences are described in his semi-autobiographical book Of human bondage.
• The Crab and Winkle line was the jocular term for The Canterbury and Whitstable railway line.
• Whitstable was the birthplace of sCuba diving and local divers had a worldwide reputation, working on many important wrecks.
• A ‘Fish Slapper’ is the name of a now-outdated oyster festival character who danced and made music whilE wearing a fishy costume.
• Starvation point, opposite the harbour gate, was the meeting place where poor sailors would gather in hope of work.
• Artist William Turner was inspired by the light and sunsets of Whitstable and painted The Lily Banks at Seasalter and an engraving of Borstal Hill windmill.
• The first steamboat from England to Australia left from the harbour in 1837.
• Trader Horn, the adventurer who travelled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Circus, is buried in Whitstable alongside his Stetson hat, a Zulu shield and a rifle.
• Referred to as ‘Notting Hill on Sea’ because of the influx of Londoners.
• Used as location for BBC’s production of Tipping the Velvet
• The Neptune pub was the location for Peter O'Toole’s Oscar-nominated performance in the film Venus.

______________________________________________________________________________

Where do you want to go next?

               
   The Editor's blog         Kent Farmers' Markets     Read Kent interviews     Homes and Gardens

              
   The Kent Life Forum         Town features                    Features             Subscribe to Kent Life!

Click here to bookmark this page

_________________________________________________________________________________

---