Guess the Place

[Beachbum]

Well done grandarog, it is indeed the current Pegwell Bay Hotel.
It was: The Passmore Edwards Working Mens Union Convalesent Home until 1969. It was then converted to a Hotel and remains open now.

[CAT]

You could well be correct grandarog. I was nearly there myself, but 'pipped at the post'

[grandarog]

I think that is the Tower on the old Pegwell Bay ,Ramsgate ,Convalescent Home. I may be wrong.
I don't know if it is still there ,I only found it by searching Frith's old Postcards.

[CAT]

Are we looking at the southeast Kent coastal town/port?

[Beachbum]

There was a nearby Pleasure Pier.............

[Beachbum]

Thanks for the update on Bridge CAT.

So this building started life as a Hotel in 1878.In 1898 it was extended and converted to a Convalescent Home. The Tower has fine views (including Sea) and is an Architectural design seen at others.............

[MartinR]

When the former City of Rochester upon Medway was subsumed into the Unitary Authority of Medway the incoming council (apparently in particular the Gillingham councilors) decided not to appoint charter trustees to preserve the City status.  As a result Rochester has the distinction of being the only "former city" in the UK.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_status_in_the_United_Kingdom#Rochester and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_Kent#Governance for summaries, but note that:

The Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions informed the city council that since it was the local government district that officially held City status under the 1982 Letters Patent, the council would need to appoint charter trustees to preserve its city status, but the outgoing Labour-run council decided not to appoint "Charter Trustees", so the city status was lost when Rochester-upon-Medway was abolished as a local government district.

The council has tried several times now (2000, 2002, 2012) to regain city status, but always as "Medway", not "Rochester" and so has no historical context.  Also note that the first application for city status in 2000 rather negates the myth that it was "accidentally lost and not realised until 2002".

[Dave Smith]

MartinR. I'm  intrigued by " well, was, thanks to Gillingham"? How come Gillingham can change history please?

[CAT]

Is this 'tower' looking out to sea, and part of a larger building like a former hotel?


The arches to the bridge at Bridge can't be seen from road level as the road was widened by extending beyond the former bridge parapets. However, when the stream is dry it is possible to walk along the stream bed from the Mill Lane ford or from Riverside Close and look under the later bridge widening, where it is possible to see the double brick arches of the eighteenth century bridge.

[John Walker]

Great photo.  Another one that I'll hold back on.  My late Mum was billeted there in WW2 while in the ATS.

[Beachbum]

Thanks CAT, a fasinating history on such an old Highway. Can the arches be seen now, or covered over?



Okay, next one for you...............

[MartinR]

As far as I can, this GSV shows it today:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.2454165,1.1260814,3a,75y,335.29h,87.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw6NEOqHbhO1_Ez-VvwQrtw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1
Location information:

• Nat Grid:   TR 18276 54225
• WGS84:    51°14'43"N, 001°07'34"E or  51.24541,1.12607
• Post code: CT4 5LB

[CAT]

It is indeed the village of Bridge, presumed to have been named after the bridging of the Nailbourne Stream. The bridge side walls can be seen just behind the car, though then the bridge was narrower. Built in the 18th century, it’s twin arches still survive under the present road, which was widened to accommodate the rise in motorised traffic of the twentieth century. Being on the main route between Dover and Canterbury the village was bypassed with the A2 dual carriageway in the mid twentieth century. However, the road through the village follows that of Roman Watling Street, which would also have crossed the stream, but was this with a bridge, or a ford? Certainly, the village’s name has been in existence since the early Norman period.


Over to you Beachbum

[Beachbum]

Would this be Bridge? Going over the Nail Bourne perhaps........

[MartinR]

Well the only cities in Kent are Rochester (well, was thanks to Gillingham) and Canterbury.  Rochester was its own port, so I assume the city must be Canterbury.