FolkestoneBuildings2

This photograph is not very old, but the shop is no longer there. It was Prima Pottery, which used to be located right next door to Rowlands Rock Shop at the top of the Old High Street.

The potter was Marcus Goldberger, and he and his wife Sally were in business here from 1969 to 1998 when they retired. Prior to 1969, they were located in Foord Road for a couple of years.
This photo shows Sally working away in the window.

I bet there are not many old boys from the Harvey Grammar School who attended when it was at this location! But I don't think even this photo was its original home. It was first started in 1674 in Rendezvous Street by Sir Eliab Harvey with a bequest from his uncle, Dr. Wm. Harvey, and was called the Free School. It was the first school in Folkestone.
I am not sure which year it moved here, and then over to Cheriton Road.

Here is a school that has been around for some time. It is All Souls' Primary School. In the 1958 Kelly's Directory, it was described as All Souls' (C. of E.) Primary School (junior mixed and infants). But I don't know if that is the same today.

Back to the old, and we have the Bathing Establishment, and above is a copy of the price list for their services. Can you imagine having to pay for a cold shower? Brrrr!! Also I have to wonder what a medical bath did for you? Consisting of Lamp, Vapour, Calomel, Iodine and Sulphur Bath. Lee's principle, Hot Air Wet Sheet Pack, Hot Foment Pack. Sounds like sheer torture to me! However, probably not as bad as today's bikini wax!

Here we have a couple of businesses currently located in the Old High Street. On the left is Rennies Seaside Modern, run by Karen & Paul, who closed up in London and decided to head for the seaside. If you are looking for something unusual, this is the place to go. (You can find a link to their website on my Links page)
On the right is the Wishing Well, which really has one inside, and a very ancient one at that. There is a story behind it that the owners would be only too happy to tell you about, so pop in for a cup of tea and a piece of their delicious home made cake, and drop a coin, you never know your luck!

I took this photo of Marine Crescent in 2005 on a Sunday, as you can see by the glimpse of a stall from the Sunday Market on the left.

This is what I read as to what is going on with the houses in the Crescent:

Crescent up for auction with plan for 90 flats

MARINE Crescent has become the largest lot ever offered at a regional property sale.

The row of Folkestone homes, overlooking the sea near the Road of Remembrance, has a reserve price of Ł2.5 million working out at Ł25,000 per unit.

Owner Jimmy Godden was due to pay the normal fee towards extra school places charged when new homes are developed in this case, just under Ł100,000.

But Shepway Council waived the fee in this case, as it saw restoring the building as more important.

Mr Godden has secured planning permission to convert some of the crescent into 30 flats, in addition to previous permission for a further 60.

The building is significant as one of the few unbroken crescents left in the country.

There have been discussions between the auctioneers and Shepway council over developing some of the surrounding land as a gated complex, but there are no definite plans yet.

Another modern, and extremely busy establishment in Guildhall Street is Gilham's Butchers. Many people still like to buy their meat at a butchers shop rather than a supermarket.

I wonder if the owner has a straw hat like Fred Elliot?

Now here is a church that has been around longer than I can remember, and is still going strong today. It is St. Saviours in Canterbury Road. I used to be able to hear the bells from this church from my house at 68 Canterbury Road. Sunday mornings wouldn't have been the same without them!

Here we have another business that has been around a good many years, but have to admit, I have never been inside it. The Brewery Tap is located on Tontine Street, and this photo was taken in 2005. Anyone have an older photo of it?

Oh yes, hands up who remembers The Ark? It used to stand at 17-19 Beach Street.

This was one of the photos I bought from the Thursday market in Sandgate Road. This same photo is in 'Folkestone In Old Photographs' by Eamonn D. Rooney, Alan F. Taylor and Charles E. Whitney, and in that, they say it was taken in 1934, and was one of the oldest buildings to have survived into the twentieth century. It was partially timber-framed, being originally three cottages.

Alan F. Taylor has a different photo of it in his latest book, 'Folkestone Volume 11' which shows proprietor Harry Windsor Bond standing by this same car, which he says is a Morris ten, 1936 model, so someone must be wrong, because this photo couldn't have been taken two years before this car was produced!
Interestingly though, in the photo of Alan's, The Ark is called 'Ye Olde Arke Dining Rooms'. The business next door looks exactly the same though.

Again, this is a photo I took in 2005, and I believe they are flats. To get an idea of their location, you can just get a glimpse of the Burstin Hotel to the right of them.

Oh I have just noticed something! I didn't realise it was still there, but that wall is the exact same one that used to be around the old Royal Pavilion Hotel, look at the picture on the right, and you will see! What a nice touch that they have preserved it! The part of the building that faces us also looks like part of the original Pavilion doesn't it?

My favourite kind of shop! This shop without a name up, belongs to Richard Reeve, (you can just see him in the doorway), and is called Reeve's of Folkestone. It is a lovely antique shop at the top of the Old High Street.

We got chatting, and he promised to send me a scan of a card I was interested in, but he forgot, so I am reminding you Richard!

This is the oldest house in Folkestone, and is Coolinge House in Coolinge Lane, which dates back to 1715.

At least, this is the way it looked when it was owned by Peggy (Down) Sims. This photo was sent to me by her cousin, Maureen McManus.

Peggy unfortunately died in 2001, and when I went over in 2005, I took the photos of it below.

A couple of modern photos. Above we have the Harvey Hotel, 46 Dover Rd on the corner of Harvey Street. This photo supplied by Edward Went.

On the right is what used to be the Savoy Cinema on Grace Hill, is the Metronome still in use for anything?
Next door is the Prince Albert Hotel on Rendezvous Street.

These 4 photos are all of St. Margaret's School which I believe was for young ladies.

On the left is the main school, and the strangest classroom I have ever seen on the right. It looks as if it was located in a hallway, and it certainly was not equipped to educate very many pupils judging by the quantity of desks.

On the previous page, you saw Montague House for girls. Well, also on Westbourne Gardens was Montague House for Boys - or rather for the sons of Gentlemen, as the prospectus said.

This looks almost like the same building, so now I am wondering if they were adjoining schools, or possibly they started out catering to one sex, then changed to the other.
I am certain they didn't have a co-ed facility - it just wasn't done in those days!

On the previous page, I showed you a photo of The Grange dining room, and asked if you knew what The Grange was. Well, I have now answered my own question, because I came across these two photos, and the top one is entitled The Grange Sanitorium. At first, I didn't think the building below, entitled The Grange, front view, was the same building. But looking at the structure in the distance, I think that might be the same part as in the top picture.

I have also seen a very old photograph, too wrinkled and faded to put up here, of The Grange, which showed that it was a very large complex altogether, but nothing has indicated where it was located. The card above which mentions that it was a sanitorium was dated 1918.