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West Beach

The Old Boating Lake
 
A wide range of pictures of one of the town's "most loved" locations. All supplied by our visitors! 

West Beach Swim Pool
 
The town's first public swim pool? We take a trip to the '40s & 50's with the photos of Chris Vernon-Jarvis 

West Beach
 
A personal interpretation of West Beach history based on photos contributed by our visitors

The Red Spider Café

A brief history of one of the town's best remembered beach structures - with photos kindly supplied by Tim Holman and Ian & Jennifer Johnson

Vigilant Beach
 
John Harman takes us back to the boat yards of the 1950s (Being rewritten)

Beach of '46

John Harman describes what it was like to be free in the waterfront in 1946... after 5 years of conflict.

Ships Breakwaters Beaches 

We take a look at some recycling that gave rise to the West Beach breakwaters of 1917... with thanks to Diana Suard, John Harman and Brian Smith 

Arcades

Beach Walk Arcades

Jacques and Jimmys of the 1960s... and more. (Not yet available)

A Child's Execution

Memories of Jacques Arcade captured in this lovely poem by Colin Cadle

Mark's Slot Machine

The arcades have gone but at least one slot machinet has been saved for posterity.. by Mark Foreman on the Canadian prairies. (Separate article - opens in a new window)

Streets

Bexley St Chapel

Photos of the demolition of the Chapel taken by Wallace "Wally" Darby in 1985. Reproduced with kind permission of Margarett Emery.

Harbour Place

Tracing the long lost Harbour Place and the House of the Good Shepherd

Articles

Fountain of Youth

John Butler's fascinating childhood memories
 of Whitstable - living at the Fountain Inn 

Horsebridge of '54

A lighthearted look at the Horsebridge of the 1950s

Whitstable of the 1960s

An amusing look at the Swinging Sixties

Music

Rock-a-Beats of the '60s and Black Cats of the '50s

If you were a Whitstable teenager of the Swinging Sixties, you will have fond memories of the town's most celebrated pop group - the Rock-a-Beats. Here we discuss the groups origins as The Back Cats with the help of Pip Hadler, Alan Hadler and Phil Page.

Black Cats to Rock-a-Beats - an Inside View by Roger Head

Following our article above, Rock-a-Beats drummer Roger Head has kindly provided an article describing how it all came about, what it was like to be part of the group and how it ended. 

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Characters

Bill Wade - Shotgun Milkman

The milkman who carried a shotgun on his round. Many thanks to Peter Wade.

Wandering Minstrel of West Beach 

A lovely shot of a minstrel from the 1940s supplied by Ivan Knowles and further details from John Harman

Past Hobbies

Cigarette Packets
 
Bill Dancer presents extracts from an amazing album of cigarette packets collected around Whitstable between 1945 and 1953. It includes samples that were sold by local chemists as health products! 

Bill's explanation goes beyond mere images as he relates the pictures to the attitudes, characters and  marketing in post-war Whitstable. 

Whitbread Cards
 
Cards issued by the Whitbread Brewery in the 1950s and containing the signs and history of local pubs. 

Building the Marcelle

How do you build a boat in your back garden in 1948? John Harman explains.

Miscellany

The Photo box

Miscellaneous photos provided
by our regular readers and
 covering a wide range of topics.