Sandwich
Many recent travel writers have been enchanted by the old town
of Sandwich, and Paul Theroux, visiting the town
in 1982, speaks for them all. He finds it 'a lovely place
surrounded by flat green fields,' 'still pretty and old-fangled'
(THE KINGDOM BY THE SEA)
But earlier visitors were less impressed. In 1697, Celia
Fiennes (1662-1741), found Sandwich 'a sad old
town' and 'run so to decay that except one or two good
houses its just like to drop down the whole town.'
(THROUGH ENGLAND ON A SIDE SADDLE IN THE TIME OF WILLIAM AND
MARY)
And Daniel Defoe, passing though some 25 years
later, called it 'an old decayed, poor, miserable
town'.
(A TOUR THROUGH THE WHOLE ISLAND OF GREAT BRITAIN)
St Peter's Church
Better known for his short stories, the author W. W.
Jacobs (1863-1943) wrote novels as well. One of these,
AT SUNWICH PORT, published in 1902, uses Sandwich as the
inspiration for 'the ancient port of Sunwich.' It is a
story of sea captains, of rivalry and romance, and opens with a
description of the town church which still shares many features
with St Peter's today.
‘It is a fine church, and Sunwich is proud of
it. The tall grey tower is a landmark at sea, but from the narrow
streets of the little town itself it has a disquieting appearance
of rising suddenly above the roofs huddled beneath it for the
purpose of displaying a black-faced clock with gilt numerals whose
mellow chimes have recorded the passing hours for many generations
of Sunwich men’.
20 New Street
Tom Paine (1737-1809) was a radical thinker and
writer who spent a year in Sandwich in 1759, trying to make a
living as a staymaker. But his true vocation was as a writer and by
the 1770's he was publishing pamphlets and articles, setting out
his revolutionary ideas. He is best known for his RIGHTS OF
MAN, published in 1791, but his COMMON SENSE of 1776
had a strong influence on the American Declaration of Independence
of the same year. His ideas were ahead of his time: not only did he
oppose slavery, but he also had strong views on what he saw as the
inferior position of women.
Royal St Georges
Ian Fleming was a frequent visitor to the
Guilford Hotel at Sandwich Bay and played golf regularly at Royal
St Georges. This golf course - thinly disguised as Royal St Marks -
features in the James Bond book, GOLDFINGER, published in
1959. In a contest which foreshadows the book's final outcome, Bond
plays the wealthy gold smuggler, Auric Goldfinger, at golf - and
wins. It is a tense match, but Bond finds time to take his eyes off
the game: 'he gazed at the glittering distant sea and at the
faraway crescent of white cliffs beyond Pegwell Bay.' And
Bond's view is clearly Fleming's own - that the Sandwich golf
course is 'the greatest seaside course in the world'
Richborough
The children's writer, Rosemary Sutcliff
(1920-1992), uses her historical novel THE LANTERN BEARERS
(1959) to recreate Richborough in all its former glory. Set in 410
AD, the year the Romans finally left Britain, the story unfolds
against the backdrop of Rutupiae – the Roman fort at Richborough.
In those days it was Tanatus, the Isle of Thanet, that was 'the
gateway to Britain'. Approaching travellers would have seen
'the grey fortress of Rutupiae that rose massive and menacing
above the tawny levels, with all the lonely flatness of Tanatus
Island spread beyond it.At night, the Rutupiae Light
blazed out, a beacon of civilization holding back the
darkness’.
Goodnestone Park
The novelist, Jane Austen (1775-1817), was a
trequent visitor to Goodnestone Park in the 1790s and early years
of the 19th century. Her eldest brother, Edward, had married
Elizabeth, one of the daughters of the house, and the couple began
their married life at nearby Rowling. Elizabeth's widowed mother
lived at the Dower House - Goodnestone Farm - and Jane Austen wrote
several letters trom here.
30th August 1805
We have walked to Rowling on each of the last two days after
dinner, and very great was my pleasure in going over the house and
grounds.
The novelist took an active part in local social life. In
addition to the Goodnestone Fair, held each year at Michaelmas,
there were balls at Canterbury - and at Goodnestone itself.
5th September 1796
We dined at Goodnestone and in the evening
danced two country dances...I opened the Ball with Edward
Bridges.