News Update July 2008 Update

July 2008 Update

In this Issue:

CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

Marianne writes:

Once again it is time to look back, reflect on our activities during the six months of 2008 and look forward to the second half of the year. This time I am writing my introduction on my way to a WHO meeting in Buenos Aires, looking out of the window of the plane over South America at what is a blank canvas of clouds. The work of the Society, on the other hand, has been anything but a blank canvas in the last six months, but rather a kaleidoscope of interesting activities.

In this News Update you will not only be able to read the reports of our talks, outings and other social events, but also about the role that the Society is playing in planning and conservation. While we have thoroughly enjoyed our programme throughout the year, the work that has been undertaken by the Sub-Committee on Planning, Conservation and Development is crucial to the future of Deal and Walmer and the surrounding areas. Both Robin Green and John Goodban spend a great deal of their spare time on our behalf attending Planning Committee meetings of Deal Town Council, Walmer Parish Council and, increasingly importantly, Dover District Council. The Sub-Committee has also been very active in developing our response to the Local Development Framework, which will affect development of our communities for many years to come.

Introducing Lady Boyce, Patron of the Deal Society

It is with the greatest pleasure that I introduce to you our new Patron, Lady Boyce, the wife of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. We are indeed fortunate in having Lady Boyce as our Patron and I know we look forward to meeting her at our future activities.

Fleur, Lady Boyce was born in Cape Town, South Africa and was educated there until she was 13, when her family moved to England. She attended school in Leamington Spa and then in Europe studying languages. In 1969 she married a naval officer, a submarine engineer, with whom, as a keen sportswoman, she enjoyed Himalayan climbing expeditions, cycling tours through France, skiing, tennis and sailing. She has a son and a daughter, now both married. She followed a typical service lifestyle moving around Britain and Europe, working with a number of multi-national manufacturing companies including yacht building, direct mailing and marketing. Fleur was widowed in 1997, after which she worked in the City with an international start-up manufacturing company in an administrative role until 2003. In 2006 she married Lord Boyce, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and a former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy and Chief of Defence Staff. She served as Chairman of the Central London Poppy Appeal from 1999 to 2007, St. Georges (Hanover Square) Branch Royal British Legion, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Alpine Club, the Hurlingham Club and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Mountaineering Club and Winter Sports Association. When not at Walmer Castle, she lives near Winchester in Hampshire and in Pimlico in London.

Meeting with Local Societies, 15 April at the Town Hall

While we have a growing membership, which is a strong indicator of success, when we voice our concerns at the District level, we are often only 360 strong. Our concerns, however, often are similar to those of the Dover, Sandwich and Ramsgate Societies. In order to get to know the leaders of our sister societies better, the Committee organised an evening reception, which was also attended by John Walker, Chairman of the Kent Federation of Amenity Societies, with wine and canapés provided by Christian Ball, at the Town Hall in March. In addition to confirming that we do indeed have common interests, the meeting has led to two joint activities, both of which will be held at the Deal Town Hall – the Concert in October and the Conference on Transport and Infrastructure in South East Kent in November. Further details are given below.

Sub-Committee on Planning, Conservation and Development and Sub-Committee for the Social Programme

Hardly an issue of the News Update goes by without a request for more help from our members in running the Society. I am therefore pleased to report to you that the two new Sub-Committees, ie the Sub-Committee on Planning, Conservation and Development, referred to above, and the Sub-Committee for the Social Programme, which is responsible for putting together the excellent programme for the coming year, are already working well.

I am really pleased that, as you will see in this News Update, many of our members are contributing their skills in reporting on our talks and outings, which eases the burden on Ant, our very hard-working Membership Secretary and News Update Editor. Given the growth in our membership, Ant has decided that the time has come when he should give up the Editorship and concentrate on the numerous other tasks he carries out on our behalf, often behind the scenes to keep the Society functioning. If you have skills in editorship, or would just like to give it a try, I am inviting you to volunteer to become the Editor of the News Update – we really need your help (further details are given by Ant below).

SOCIETY BUSINESS

New members

Since the March News Update went to print, Graham and Christine Jackson, Margaret Stone and Mike Lomax, Elizabeth Henschel, Diana Martine, Keith Cavanagh, Ruth Pascoe, Ron and Lesley Condon, David and Rita Busby, June Moss, Geraldine Malcolm, Mary Hopton, David and Sarah Kilford, Rosabel Richards, Stephanie Bowles, Roger Locks, Richard and Carole Smyth, Charles and Mary Summers, Tony and Hazel Zemaitis, Joy Mills, Liz Mott, Gerry and Viki Costa, Margaret Wadsworth, Steven Thomas, Mary Speller, Edward and Glenys Hibbert, and Steve and Penny Dorritt have joined the Society – welcome to you all.

AGM, 1 April at the Town Hall

It was a great pleasure to be with friends who are determined to see the Society go forward happily and successfully. We would have liked to have seen a bigger turnout as alas only two trays of glasses had to be washed up – so we had a maximum of 48 members out of approximately 350.

We did, however, finally pass our revised constitution, a copy of which is attached, affirm the nomination of our new Vice-President, Brian Groser (see below) and welcome Robin Green onto the Committee. My thanks go to those who helped me and, in particular, to Jock Richards who was washing the glasses by hand when I rang him the next day.

Introducing Brian Groser, our new Vice-President

Ann Huntley writes:

Brian was born in Peru of British parents, and retired to Deal in 1994 after a career in engineering and construction. Part of his education was spent as a boarder at Warwick School and further education was received in the arms of the Royal Engineers and at the Brixton School of Building. After a brief tenure in the Wimpey architectural organisation and through association with their American partners during the construction of an oil refinery in the Yemen, he joined Bechtel Corporation and moved to America in 1955 to continue, until his retirement, in heavy industrial design and construction.

He joined the Deal Society in 1996 and was co-opted onto Deal Town Council’s Planning Committee from 1997 until 2006, when he resigned his position due to ill health. Brian’s experience and knowledge is now being put to good use as a member of the Society’s Planning Sub-Committee.

PLANNING MATTERS: MINTERS YARD

Robin Green writes:

The Minters Yard commercial development in Middle Deal has been the subject of controversy for a long time. It raises issues about the relationship of infrastructure, job creation and commercial and residential development.

After very careful thought it was decided that the Deal Society should add its objection to the proposed development of a builders’ yard and large retail warehouses. The development would have a massive impact on this residential area, which contains several listed properties. The roads in the area are not capable of sustaining such a development. In fact a member of the Society has produced a study showing that 24 major and minor roads in Deal would be impacted by 
the development.

The developers have already appealed to the National Planning Inspectorate in London and at the same time have submitted two new planning applications to Dover District Council. They were heard on 3 July 2008. At that meeting the councillors asked for a much more rigorous traffic plan for Middle Deal before finally agreeing to the developers applications. The Society is opposing them because of their negative impact on the built and human environment of Middle Deal and I hope to speak at the Planning Committee to this effect.

If there is anyone in the Society who would like to join our Sub-Committee, or act as a consultant to it, please get in touch with me through the Society website or via email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

GERTRUDE NUNNS 1919–2008

Brian Groser writes:

It is with sadness and great respect that we record the passing of Gertrude Nunns, a noted member of the Deal Society since 1981. Gertrude was born in Huntung, Northern China, and was largely educated in Cheefoo as a boarder there. Up to the age of 16 she travelled to England twice, the last time, on leaving school, via the Trans Siberian railway.

Gertrude married Beverley Nunns in 1944 and prior to settling in Deal lived in Bury St Edmunds, Muswell Hill, where their daughter Janet was born, and in 1949 arrived in Sidcup. She was actively involved with the Sidcup Literary and Scientific Society and the Local History Society and in the 1960’s became Secretary of the Women’s Intervarsity Athletics Board while resident there.

When her husband retired in 1980, they moved to Deal and Gertrude brought with her the fruits of an extraordinary background. Along with an innate enthusiasm, she directed her interests and energy to the Deal and Walmer History Society, the Deal Festival of Music and Arts, the Deal Society and was a Trustee of the Deal Maritime and Local History Museum. She also studied palaeography and was known to the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in Canterbury.

Besides writing the book “A History of Deal” in 2006, Gertrude wrote the definitive story of the Deal Society (circulated to members in November 2002 – copies still available from the Membership Secretary). She was its Social Secretary in 1982, became Chairman from 1983 to 1988 and was made a Vice-President in 1995. Until recently, she remained active and interested in the Society through her affection for Deal.

SOCIETY MAILINGS AND EVENTS

For the benefit of new members, here is a timetable of mailings which you should expect during the year.



February: Papers for the AGM to be held in April

Prospectus for the forthcoming social programme

Reminders to those who have not paid their subscriptions

March: News Update

July: News Update

“Yellow Card” with preliminary details of the forthcoming programme of talks, trips and parties

November: News Update

Subscription renewal invitation (not applicable for those who pay by Standing Order)

Talks: Members and friends are welcome to attend these talks, for which there is no need to book, no charge and sometimes a glass of wine.

Social events: Final details of coach trips and parties are sent out to those who have booked well before each event. Receipts are not normally issued.

URGENTLY REQUIRED: NEW EDITOR FOR THE NEWS UPDATE

My work as Membership Secretary, News Update Editor and talks/trips administrator is taking its toll. Something has to go, and the obvious (self-contained) job is Editor, so this is the last Update for which I shall be responsible. We need somebody to keep in touch with everything that the Society is doing, find members or friends who would contribute articles and submit reviews of our talks and social programmes and put together three Updates each year (March, July and November). We want an imaginative author and compiler, not a technician, although computer literacy is obviously vital. The final text for each Update is e-mailed to our Webmaster, Richard, who adds pictures, converts it all into a publishable document and e-mails the end result to our printer. I shall continue to provide the labels for mailing/delivering the Updates. I hope that this challenge might inspire somebody to give the Society some much-needed help – please contact Marianne or myself.

YELLOW CARD

Preliminary details of the 2008/09 talks and meetings programme and 2009 social programme are enclosed in the familiar Yellow Card. Thank you David Bridgen, Robin Green and Pat Russell.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME REVIEWS

18 April: Spring Drinks Party

Thanks to an unseasonably cold evening (yes, the NE wind was blowing again), 76 members and friends were “confined to barracks”, but what barracks! At least the view to Walmer Castle and the sea, over the immaculate garden, could be appreciated from the warmth of the two large reception rooms and conservatory. As before, many thanks to Andrew and Alison Wollaston for allowing us to use this perfect party venue. Thanks, too, to Prue for ensuring that Glenhill was in good order and for lighting the log fire in the sitting room, to Joan Wall for a lovely vase of flowers, to John and Veronica Goodban for taking away the dirty glasses to their dishwasher (which, I gather, is John’s domain), to Eileen Prosser and her charming team of helpers for particularly good food and to Derryck for delivering the wine and glasses from the Strand Wine Company at the start of the evening.

10 May: Coffee Morning at the Landmark Centre

On a beautiful, warm and sunny morning about 40 members and friends dropped into the Landmark Centre (hopefully passing and admiring the magnificent blue ceanothus blossom outside St George’s Church, appearing ridiculously early), to sip, snack and chat. I was on the “front desk”, and received nothing but compliments on the event from people as they left. So, a “coffee morning” may sound dull, but it is not – it is a great opportunity to meet fellow members, including Committee members, totally informally, and to have a good natter.

14 May: Canterbury and Goodnestone Park

Eve Richards writes:

Our day out started with a very jolly group on a blustery and chilly morning. During the guided tour of Canterbury we learnt about the history of the city, St Augustine’s Abbey and its Cathedral plus a number of interesting anecdotes. I have decided to skip the history but recount a few interesting items.

Two famous murders occurred in Canterbury, one being Thomas Becket in 1170, murdered by four knights of King Henry II in the Cathedral (proper name being Christchurch Cathedral). His head was placed in a casket and displayed in the Corona (crown) Tower which was specially build for this purpose. The second murder was of Christopher Marlowe, killed by a dagger in his eye during a quarrel. Baptised in the Cathedral, he attended Kings School (which today costs £24,500 per year for one scholar!) and died at the age of 24. Although born in the same year as Shakespeare he had only completed four plays at the time of his death.

By the way, it costs approx £15,000 per day for the upkeep of the Cathedral. Many of the buildings are faced with Mathematical Tiles which are hung on timber-framed houses to give the appearance of high quality brick walls but costs a lot less. It is really difficult to distinguish them from the real thing due to the grouting technique. During the second world war the Cathedral narrowly missed being bombed during a Baedeker (so called as the Germans consulted the Guide to find out which were our most important cities) raid, due to strong winds. The city wall is three kilometres long and had seven gates. Those that have been destroyed are marked with red bricks in the roads. There were eighteen churches inside the city wall, those destroyed are marked with black bricks for the walls and red bricks for the altars in the road.

After the tour we were left to our own devices for an hour and a half before climbing aboard the coach to go to Goodnestone Park. Here we split into two groups again, one half going for lunch and the other having a guided tour with Pat Hall. This lovely house in its beautiful setting built in 1700-1704 has a wonderful family feeling about it, most probably because lady FitzWalter, who had 5 sons, still lives here and has many family photographs displayed. On the first floor landing there are five charming portraits done when each boy reached his fourth birthday, painted by a Russian artist. In the fan room upstairs there are 22 watercolours painted in 1879 by Lady FitzWalter’s grandfather, each one designed to be made up into fans for different people. Lady FitzWalter was very much in evidence, having baked the cakes for the tea room, and even helped with the serving and washing up. The only disappointment of the day was that the lunches were very poor and rather expensive for the quality and quantity. But I believe this was due to the chef being ill and too many coaches turning up. The gardens need to be seen to be appreciated – which we all did.

7 June: “All in the Downs” – a Deal walkabout

Christine Hall writes:

It was a damp and cold morning when we assembled to meet our guide, Simon Gregory, at Deal railway station to begin our walk so we initially took over the station waiting room where Simon told us the history of the railway coming to Deal. We heard so many fascinating stories involving Deal Station. How many of us stop to think what a great engineering feat building the railways was? Imagine the locomotive required for the work being delivered from Dover on a wagon pulled by 40 horses and getting stuck in the snow at Oxney Bottom!

We braved the weather and walked to St George's churchyard to the tomb of Edward Thornbridge Parker. Parker was regarded as a son by Admiral Lord Nelson - he used to sit beside him and cut his meat at mealtimes. He was horribly injured in Nelson's only defeat, which happened off Deal in the summer of 1801 when Nelson was sent by the Admiralty to attack Napoleon's fleet which was assembled at Boulogne. Parker died of his wounds in Deal and Nelson gave him a very grand funeral. We moved on to the front of St George's Church which was originally built as a Chapel-of-Ease for sailors on ships moored in the Downs, as St Leonard's Church was too far away - the ships being likely to sail at short notice. Sunday attendance at church was compulsory in those times.

One of the highlights of the walk was a visit to the Town Hall and the Mayor's Parlour where we were able to see the Charter granted in 1698 and the wonderful Turner painting “Deal in a Storm” painted in 1824. Next stop the General Baptist Chapel circa 1680 which is now a private dwelling. Set back from the street, not always noticed by passers-by, it is associated with Samuel Tavernor who fought for Oliver Cromwell in the Civil War and was made Captain of Deal Castle. He married a local girl and had 13 children by her - he was converted to Baptist principles by Edward Prescott of Guston and was baptised by immersion in the Delf Stream in Sandwich. He was often prosecuted for his religious beliefs and was even imprisoned in the dungeons of Dover Castle.

Boys' Monument at the entrance to the Landmark Centre is a memorial to a reluctant cannibal. He served in the Royal Navy on a slave ship that caught fire on its homeward voyage from Jamaica in 1746. Some of the crew, including Boys, managed to survive in the ship's boat - a yawl built in Deal - by eating the bodies of their dead shipmates. Captain Boys was so traumatised by this that he fasted for 2 weeks in June, the anniversary of his rescue, for the rest of his life. Our final stop before lunch was the seafront where we learned of the history of the street names leading to the sea, Deal's three piers and also the Deal luggers and galleys. The original Deal boatmen were not involved with fishing but with servicing the fleet in the Downs. A very pleasant lunch at the Clarendon Hotel followed.

I am sure that I speak for us all when I say that the weather in no way spoiled an extremely interesting and enjoyable guided walk. Many thanks to Simon Gregory who not only educated us in the history of Deal but also entertained us!

18 June: Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden and Ellen Terry’s House, Smallhythe Place

Pat Russell writes:

We had to start our tour of the winery without our traditional coffee, as it would “ruin our taste buds” for the wine tasting. Well, we survived and a very enjoyable tour ensued. A generous wine tasting, inspection and history of the vineyard, an informative walk through the highly intensive, sensitive process of making their award-winning red, white and sparkling wines, notably the long mechanical process of producing the sparkling wines.

After a lunch and shopping break in Tenterden, the coach took us the short distance to Smallhythe Place, the timber-framed house and home of actress Ellen Terry, who was called the “Queen of the Theatre” with her striking beauty, husky voice, irrepressible gaiety and naturalness on stage. Ellen literally fell in love with the house when passing by, and bought it in 1899; she spent as much time as she could there until she died in 1928. Her daughter then decided to transform the barn in the garden into a theatre. The house was handed over to the National Trust in 1939. When I walked into the house I was immediately enveloped by the warmth and atmosphere of a well loved home. After our short introductory talk, given under the exposed thatch of the barn theatre (where the stage was set for a production) we were left to explore the house. It is quite small, but has huge inglenook fireplaces. The rooms are neither ostentatious nor overly theatrical. The few costumes, for which they have room, are dimly lit to preserve them and appear to have been made for a tall person, when in fact Ellen was small, with very tiny hands and feet - evident in the displays of her gloves and shoes. Apparently she had perfected a way of walking to cope with the too long hemlines, floating on the floor. The sitting room is full of theatrical mementoes. The dining room essentially celebrates other actors’ cornucopia, recreating the theatrical world in which she moved.

We eventually left at 5pm - a full day. Three cheers for our excellent driver, Mick.

TALKS PROGRAMME REVIEWS

4 March: “Deal – and things I remember”

The evening got off to a very bad start! At 7.00 pm, with 30 minutes to go before take-off, Marianne and I found that the Cleary Hall in the Landmark Centre was being used (despite having been booked by the Society and despite an undertaking that the Hall would be set up for the talk and that wine would be provided). Thanks to members who arrived early, we were able to pack away the tables that were in use, find enough chairs from all over the building to set out and persuade the barman to provide wine and glasses. It was an inauspicious start to what turned out to be a memorable evening.

Jenny Davis writes:

People who move to Deal, drawn by the pretty seaside town and its colourful conservation area, soon come to realise that it is not just the buildings, but the people who make Deal such a special place. So it was that Christian Ball, a life-long resident, captured our imagination as she described the town she had lived, worked and played in for more than 90 years.

One of her earliest memories was of her first stage appearance at St Andrew’s Hall in Duke Street more than 80 years ago. She was to have played a Beethoven minuet from memory. “When the curtains went back, I took one look at the audience, got off the piano stool, walked off the stage and straight home”. There was no sign of nerves as she took us on a tour of Deal’s streets and old buildings. She described her childhood walks to the coastguard station, playing on the ramp to the sea, where there were boats on the beach. There were houses on the seaside from North Street to Exchange Street and a very large house called Seagirt, which faced south and had an uninterrupted view along the promenade to the Royal Hotel.

Christian’s memories were of a close-knit community which managed to maintain a sense of fun, despite the tragedy of the war years. It was exciting to grow up in Deal, she said. She remembered the delicious smell of the soup kitchens in Brewer Street, where the doctor’s surgery is now, and the British Restaurant where, during the war, a meal could be had for nine old pence. There was also plenty of entertainment. Orchestral concerts were regularly held at the end of the pier, and ballroom and tea dances organised at many of the local hotels. Music was played every Sunday at the old bandstand near the Time Ball Tower, and the Deal Pavilion – now the Bingo Hall - was a favourite spot for dances and professional shows, including Elsie and Doris Waters, the famous radio stars known as Gert and Daisy. The Prom Pom Poms, a concert party, presented an annual show for local children at the North End of Deal and there was also the children’s fishing competition, when barrows full of chocolate bars were wheeled down the pier, to be given away as prizes to the children who failed to catch any fish.

Seaside entertainment was not the only business in town and Christian remembered that Deal had a bustling commercial centre, providing plenty of choice for local people. There were ten gents’ tailors, seven grocers, eight chemists, four cinemas, six ladies’ outfitters and eleven private schools. A grocer’s shop, owned by Edward Smith, famously opened all hours and was known as “Teddy Midnight’s”.

Christian, a keen photographer, trained at Stuart Dunn photographers after leaving school. She gave up work when she got married (the done thing in those days) but returned to help run the business during the war years. She eventually managed a staff of 52 and worked until retirement age. As well as commercial photography, Christian and her staff were also involved in war work at a time when the town was on the front line. There were gun emplacements on the beach and frequent enemy shelling. Shops and houses were bombed and her saddest memory was the sight of the lights from the miner’s lamps as they dug for bodies in buildings which had received a direct hit, opposite St George’s Church. She also saw and photographed the Dutch ship Norah hitting the Pier. In spite of the war, or maybe because of it, Deal people made it their business to have fun and the local boatmen, who faced particular hardship, had a particular sense of humour. They played tricks on one another and Christian recalled the time when one fellow became stuck fast, after glue had been spread on his regular seat in his favourite pub.

Although Christian lived in Deal, Walmer also had an influence on the town. One of her fondest memories was of the Walmer and Deal Pageant in 1949 involving 1,000 local people, including the Royal Marines. They held six performances in a marquee in the grounds next to Walmer Castle. The pageant depicted the history of Deal, from Caesar and Nelson to Churchill, ending with a chorus of “Rule Britannia” – those were the days!

6 May: “Recent archaeological discoveries in Kent”

Pog Waite writes:

One cold November night in 2001, Keith Parfitt, of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust received a phone call. It was from Chris Bradshaw, who had been out with his metal detector on a ploughed field between Woodnesborough and Staple. What Chris said was unbelievable: “I think I’ve found a bronze age gold cup like the one in Cornwall, but all squashed from agriculture”.

The only other bronze age gold cup in Britain was found in 1837 in a burial mound on Bodmin Moor.

Keith came to the Town Hall for our May meeting, billed as talking about “recent archaeological discoveries”. What he gave us was an hour of bringing alive with words, slides and enthusiasm 465 days over seven years of patient, painstaking digging, scraping, sifting, searching, and what Keith called “scratching and thinking archaeology”. It all culminated in the revelation of the most important archaeological site in East Kent, here on our doorstep, and a site that takes us back to when the Isle of Thanet was just that – an island.

The Ringlemere Gold Cup, dated 1800 BC, is now in the British Museum, with a replica in Dover Museum. It was bronze age, but it was only the start of the story - a story which takes us back to 2600 BC (yes, carbon dating confirms it!) and a henge monument. Like another well-known henge monument at Stonehenge it was a ritual circular enclosure with a central shrine. The Ringlemere henge was 130 feet in diameter.

Found during the dig were grooved-ware decorated pot fragments which had been etched with flint in an age before metal, and flint tools. An old turf line, indicated by a thin layer of manganese, shows that at some stage the enclosure was filled in and a lot of soil dumped on top of the ritual area. But the site continued to host rituals focussed on the centre and the gold cup was part of a ritual. A chalice, perhaps?

The puzzle is: the gold cup was in a pit beside the central area. Did our prehistoric celebrants dig the pit, hide the cup, and leg it? Who knows? What we do know is that it was a most important bronze age and Anglo-Saxon site after it had been a henge site. There was bronze age amber – very rare. Was it brought in by way of trade? Ringlemere is not far from the old Wantsum Channel. There were Anglo-Saxon vase pieces, bones, a ring and a pin dated among the earliest of Britain’s Anglo-Saxon artefacts around 450/500 AD There is the foundation of an Anglo-Saxon building from 600 AD, graves galore and cremation pots. Was it a huge Anglo-Saxon cemetery?

An aerial photograph shows the formidable size of the site. In addition to our circular henge there are at least ten other monument sites. A gas-main dated circa 1980 makes digging tricky in some areas, but the archaeologists hope to continue working between crops. Keith paid tribute to the farmers, Andrew and Bob Smith, who had been “good friends to Kent Archaeology”

KFAS EVENTS

Piano recital at Deal Town Hall, Saturday 4 October, 7.30 pm

Marianne writes:

The Kent Federation of Amenity Societies (KFAS) in association with the Deal, Dover, Sandwich and Ramsgate Societies, is organising a piano recital by the Russian-trained Sophia Lisovskaya. The programme will include works by Beethoven, Chopin and Scriabin.

As the seating capacity of the Town Hall is limited to 100 people, each of the Societies will be given an initial allocation of 25 tickets on a first come, first served basis. If you are interest in attending, please either email me or send a note to me at 153 Middle Street, Deal CT14 6JZ. Any tickets not taken up will then be made available. For further information about Sophia see www.tashmina.co.uk/artists/sophia-lisovskaya.

Autumn Conference on Transport and Infrastructure in East Kent, Saturday 15 November

KFAS is organising a conference on Transport and Infrastructure in East Kent on 8 November at the Deal Town Hall. Concerns to be discussed will include all forms of transport to, from and in this part of Kent, including the high speed rail link. Further information will be made available shortly and regularly updated on our website.

DEAL AND ME – 44 YEARS ON

Brian Groser writes:

When I first came to Deal to see my family settle in, the impression I got was of a small coastal town beside the sea with a promenade, quiet and peaceful, not much traffic, and with a quaint architectural feel about it. There was a constant sea-front bustle around the fishing fleets, which filled all the spaces from the pier to the Downs Sailing Club. Fishing boats were launched and dragged back up the beach with their catch by the funny little converted car motor winches adapted for the job, chugging away, struggling to cope with their loads – a few still do - and people watched, willing to help if needed.

There was the majestic lifeboat dominating the Strand in Walmer, giving the community the sense of importance that, if there was a problem at sea, then they were on call, ready and able to resolve it. There was never a lack of people around to help when it was launched from the turntable or retrieved after its mission. Along with its presence was the loud wail of the siren and bang of the maroon summoning the crews when it was called into service – great excitement! There was a firm and visible military presence in the Royal Marine Barracks and their School of Music that coloured the social life in the towns. The Castles at Deal and Walmer charged the towns with history, particularly at Walmer - the home of the Wardens of the Cinque Ports, very distinguished and well-known people, giving the area a certain cachet. Thanks to the openness of the sea front, there existed a feeling of space and room to move freely - inviting one to spread out. There existed, then, room to expand and grow. It had a comparatively laid back feel about it – “no rush; set your own pace and enjoy!” That was 1964.

When I retired and came here to live in 1994, changes were evident. There was no longer a lifeboat in Walmer – what a shock! Its absence left a great big hole in the scene and I had the terrible feeling that we had been demoted. It had been stolen! A colour had been taken from the scene. And to add to this feeling of having been robbed, the fishing fleets were decimated; swathes of the beach empty of boats and not much left of the friendly bustle along the front anymore. The old Queens Hotel by Deal Castle had burnt down and a block of flats built in its stead. The roller-skating rink on the front had gone and another large block of flats built in its place. The Sandown Castle pub and adjacent houses were ruined by the storm of January 1978 and a row of chalet style housing built there in their place. And during the early 1990s, the sea wall was built between the Royal Hotel and Sandown Castle. There used to be a garage-cum-petrol station – Channel Motors – that has gone since 1994 and a terrace of four new homes built in its place. And so on – and this was just along Deal’s sea front!

Other areas have been built up with a mixture of housing types – good and indifferent - all around Deal and Walmer and we have lost some of the spaciousness we enjoyed before. Many other adaptations and alterations to the scene have occurred, changing the town’s appearance – two other garages have moved on and have been replaced by housing. People are well aware of these changes and are wondering where this is all going to go. Even more changes have taken place since 1994 on the fringes of Deal, such as the new section of the A2 from the Guston roundabout to Whitfield, and the new A256 bypass to Eastry and Sandwich. These have altered the landscape around us and are continuing to do that by giving access to the villages and various industrial estates in the area.

Today – 2008 – we are more crowded than ever. People are more concerned about the future and are asking questions. The population has increased considerably in these 40-odd years, and the loss of space, with the increase of housing, people, and traffic is being felt. The increased density of population without the balancing open areas has had, and continues to have, its effect. There is an unwanted trend to encroach upon one’s back garden. Outside agencies are threatening to force changes on Deal and Walmer to suit objectives born of theory and policy and not of need or nature. Until quite recently, Deal and Walmer evolved and grew as the result of historical events and the natural needs of their inhabitants. It is only since WW2 that there have been significant changes, brought about by agencies outside the common community.

The migration of people into Deal and Walmer during this time can be attributed to the need for people to work in the major industries of this area, a fair proportion of people wanting to retire here, and a burgeoning number of people seeking second homes - adding to the normal and natural increase of the indigenous population. As long as the balance of industry that supports and nourishes a rising population is maintained, then this would seem to be healthy and acceptable. More people can now afford to live where they want to and even enjoy a second home. The conversion of the Royal Marine Barracks to private housing and the speed by which they were occupied is a manifestation of how quickly things have changed and continue to move. Unfortunately, the increase in population has also given rise to the problem of vehicular traffic, which the towns originally never needed to accommodate. It gives one pause to think: are we not partly to blame for it ourselves?

Tourism is a significant industry now, and existing establishments can be seen to cater for this growing industry; it is easier these days for people to travel thanks to ferries, the Chunnel and the motorcar. There is an active arts and crafts community, the seeds of which have existed since I can remember and would do well to be nurtured.

So this is, very roughly, how Deal and Walmer have grown in one person’s experience! I wish I could remember what the population was 45 years ago, and we could see what the rate of growth has been. Perhaps someone will come up with this number?

POSTSCRIPT

This is primarily directed at new members, but I should be grateful if you would all read it.

Annual subscriptions

Please ensure that your cheque arrives through my letter box on time (renewal invitations are mailed in November and subscriptions are due on 1 January each year).

In the case of those members paying by Standing Order, please ensure that your bank has received, and will act upon, the mandate which I shall have sent you.

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Cheque stubs

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