The Dover Historian

SS Peter and Paul Church, Charlton and the Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Lorraine

Charlton north of Dover – Hasted 1798

Charlton is a parish adjoining the town of Dover to the north. Indeed Dover’s High Street was originally the London Road passing through Charlton where it was that village’s High Street – not Dover’s! Charlton Green, now Castleton Shopping Centre and along Bridge Street and Frith Road, from Saxon times, belonged to the Barony of Chilham, some six miles the other side of Canterbury. This was because Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) was one of the prebends of the ancient monastery of St Martin-le-Grand, which stood near Dover’s Market Square, and his possessions included Chilham!

At that time, Charlton had only a few inhabitants but it did have a corn mill that belonged to St Martin-le-Grand. Much of Charlton, south of the mill, was given to the Maison Dieu in 1203 so when the church was built, sometime before 1291, it was located near the northern boundary with the parish of Buckland and close to the mill. For reasons not altogether clear the area around and including the church – Charlton Green – became a rectoral manor.

Charlton boundary stone with Buckland. Wall belongs to the parish of Charlton- SS Peter & Paul Churchyard

Dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, the church was still part of the Barony of Chilham in Edward II (1307-1327) reign, when it was given to Bartholomew de Badlesmere (1275-1322). He was arrested and following his trial at Canterbury was hung, drawn and quartered at Blean on 14 April 1322. Albeit, the Church, together with Charlton Green, remained in possession of the Badlesmere family up until the Reformation (1529-1536). The manor was then transferred to John Monins, the second son of a Lydden family, who was at the time Lieutenant of Dover Castle. About this time Charlton Green became a separate entity to the Church and on 6 July every year a fair was celebrated on the Green. By all accounts, it was one of the best fairs in the neighbourhood but as developers needed more land the fair diminished in size until it finally ceased in the mid 19th century.

Charlton Church, at this time, was tiny consisting of a nave and chancel but later extended to a cruciform design. In 1827, it was rebuilt following the ancient foundations of a nave and a chancel with north and south chapels that formed a transept, together with a west porch and a small bell turret. The list of the rectors is almost complete and interesting information is still available on many of them and there is ample evidence to show that both St Martin-le-Grand and the Maison Dieu had strong connections with the church.

In 1447, John Goldsmith was the rector of both Charlton and of St John the Baptist, which was a parish church within St Martin-le-Grand. Sir John Clark, the Master of the Maison Dieu, was the rector of Charlton Church between 1514 and 1541 and it was around 1495, that he sought Henry VII’s (1485-1509) patronage to turn a small natural cove at Archcliffe Point into a commodious harbour – the start of what eventually became Western Docks.

During the time of the Civil Wars and the Interregnum (1642–1660), there was considerable upheaval within the English Protestant church. John Hume, an Anglican was the rector of Charlton from 1638-1646 when he was deposed and charged with drunkenness, that he kept an alehouse, observed Anglican ceremonies and behaved indecently with women. He was finally ejected from the living for refusing to read Parliamentary Declarations and fled to Oxford to avoid imprisonment. Following the Restoration, in 1660, he returned as rector until his death. In the interim, the incumbents were Nicholas North 1646, J Pemberton 1646 and Jonas Wheeler 1657.

From 1700 to 1730, when religious persecution was not so prevalent in England, David Compredon was the rector. He was also the minister at the French Huguenot Church in Dover. The Huguenots were French Protestants that had fled from France following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1684. The Edict had come about in 1598, after thirty years of unrest and much bloodshed between Catholics and Protestants in France. The French king, Henry IV (1553-1610) issued the Edict giving the freedom of conscience and worship to Protestants. In 1684, Louis XIV (1643-1715) Revoked the Edict, which initiated persecution of the Huguenots that amounted to genocide. Those who managed to escape sought asylum in other countries, including England. This author’s husband is of Huguenot stock.

Rev. Frederick Augustus Glover (1800-1881) was rector of Charlton Church from 1837 until 1845. It was during his time, in 1840, that the first parochial school for Charlton was built near the church. A very clever man, Rev. Glover registered with the Patent Office the specification of an ‘improved instrument for measuring of angles.’ Like his predecessor, Sir John Clark, he took great interest in Dover Harbour writing knowledgeable books, tracts and pamphlets. He also wrote on political and theological disputes of that time that had an impact in some Oxbridge colleges.

From the time of the Reformation, the Monins family had held the patronage of the rectory and in 1865, this had an annual value of £300. However, much of it went to Archbishop of Canterbury leaving only a small stipend to the rector that was augmented by parishioners purchasing pews in the church. In 1847, the church was enlarged for which £200 was obtained from the Incorporated Church Building Society but as a condition of the gift, 258 sittings – nearly all of them- were made free. This would have been a disaster except that the next incumbent, Rev. John Francis Baynham, had sufficient wealth of his own for it to be a problem. He was appointed rector in 1852 but before his death on 23 December 1888, and using his own money, he placed the patronage of the church into the hands of Keble College, Oxford. This was to ensure that the living would be adequate and secure.

Fr Sidney Faithorn Green Rector 1889-1914. Courtesy of Fr Colin Johnson

Rev. Baynham recommended Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green (1842-1916) as his successor. The latter was born in Eltham, Kent and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, gaining his degree 1863 and ordained by Bishop James Fraser of Manchester in 1865. Initially, he was appointed as curate at the diocese church at Swinton, near Manchester, and four years later appointed rector of St John the Evangelist, Miles Platting, Manchester. As a teetotaller, he soon became well known for his work with the temperance movement.

At the time, as Rev. Frederick Augustus Glover recorded, heated discussions were taking place within the Anglican Church. A number of Oxbridge intellectuals argued for the inclusion of traditional aspects of liturgy from medieval religious practice to be reintroduced, saying that the Anglican Church had become too ‘plain’. On the other hand, the majority, headed by the influential Church Association, saw this as a move towards Roman Catholicism that could not be tolerated.

Rev. Green’s predecessor, at Miles Platting, had kept a ‘plain‘ church but Rev. Green introduced candlesticks and a brass cross to the Communion Table. Some members of the congregation saw this as the first step towards Roman Catholicism. Albeit, Rev. Green ignored their protestations, carried on in his ministering and in 1873 he married. The couple, over the next few years, had two sons and six daughters.

Nationally, the Church Association continued to agitate and in 1874, the Public Worship Regulation Act was introduced. This limited ‘ritualism’ within Anglican churches and established a secular court to hear cases of ‘ritualism’. An archdeacon, churchwarden or three adult male parishioners could make representations in order to bring a case against a minister. If found guilty, there was no right of Appeal.

During the four years after the Act was introduced Rev. Green was subjected to a number of complaints to Bishop Fraser. Then on 18 May 1878, 320 parishioners sent in a formal petition. They accused Rev. Green of ‘propagation of false doctrine and deadly error’ and prayed ‘the Bishop to eradicate this abominable idolatry.’

Bishop Fraser was reluctant to act so the case was taken up by the Church Association who made a detailed accusation. This was in relation to the Eucharist and is complex; I therefore sought the help of Father Peter Sherred of Dover, to explain. In essence, ‘in Anglo catholic tradition when consecrated the wafers and wine become the real presence of Christ i.e. the physical presence (Transubstantiation) so kneeling before them is Reverencing the divine body and blood. In a low church, which is more protestant form of Anglicanism, such things as vestments, candles, incense and other rituals may not feature and there would be no Reverencing of the bread and wine by kneeling etc. because here the bread and wine are representations of Christ’s body and blood rather than actual (Consubstantiation).’

The case was eventually heard on 10 June 1879 but Rev. Green’s lawyers having said that the Court lacked authority advised him not to attend. In his absence, judgement was made against him but Rev. Green carried on with his ministerial duties. In November that year, proceedings were started against him for contempt of Court and on 19 March 1880, Rev. Green was arrested and imprisoned in Lancaster Castle.

An appeal was made by his counsel, first to the Queen’s Bench and then to the House of Lords but in both cases without success. Eventually, after Rev. Green had endured twenty months imprisonment, Bishop Fraser successfully applied to the Court for a relaxation of the order. He was released but the Church Association claimed costs amounting to £293.7s.8d. Rev. Green was forced to sell most of the family possessions to clear the debt. Without a job, Rev. Green went to London, where he took casual work until eventually he was offered the curacy of a church in Kensington. In 1889, on the recommendation of Rev. Baynham, he was offered the incumbency as rector of St Peter and Paul Church, Charlton.

Old SS Peter & Paul Church. Courtesy of Fr Colin Johnson

Rev. Green was formerly inducted to the Charlton Church in the Anglo-Catholic ’ritualistic’ tradition. This was in obedience to a mandate of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1883-1896) Edward Benson (1829-1896). The induction took place on Tuesday 30 April 1889 by Reverend Canon Puckle of St Mary’s Church, Dover, in his capacity as the Rural Dean. It began with a procession of clergy and choir entering the Church by the main door, which was then closed. The key was given to Rev. Green who locked the door from the inside and then walked to the other end of the church and rang the bell. Returning to the main door, he unlocked it and admitted the congregation waiting outside. This was followed by a traditional evening service where Canon Puckle made the pronouncement that, ‘the Church of England was not a church because it was established, but it was established because it was Christ’s.’

SS Peter & Paul Church – drawing of proposed Bell Tower west side. Courtesy Fr Colin Johnson

When Rev. Green was appointed rector of Charlton, the village was undergoing rapid expansion. With much of the housing, we see today along and adjacent to Barton Road being built. The new church, designed by James Brooks (1825-1901) and built by J J Wise of Deal, is cruciform of stone in the early English style, has a central fleche with one bell and, at the time, 700 sittings. The original plans show that the new church was to have a transept on the west side and a separate bell tower. Costing over £13,000 it was consecrated on 19 April 1893, the feast day of St Alphege (954-1012). The English Church Union gave £1,200 to pay for the Chancel as a, ‘memorial to the sacrifice of position and personal liberty which Rev. Green had made.’

SS Peter & Paul Charlton – Altar of old Church c 1100 – 1891 Churchyard. Courtesy of Fr Colin Johnson

However, Rev. Green loved the original squat church, close by the River Dour, where he had first been able to conduct services in the way he believed. Following its demolition, he erected a white stone cross, not far from the boundary wall, at his own expense. This was the spot where the altar of the old church had stood; today it is marked by a plaque set in the grass. Following the demolition of the old Church, Barton Riverside Path was laid and extended from Frith Road along the riverbank up to Cherry Tree Avenue, forming a pleasant public walk that still exists today.

St Peter & St Paul Church, Charlton today

For a quarter of a century, Rev. Green administered to his flock at Charlton and was described as a quiet, unostentatious, hard-working parish priest. He resigned his position in July 1914 to take up a less demanding post in the quiet village of Luddenham with Stone. Before leaving, the congregation at Charlton presented him and his wife with £300 and an album containing the signatures of 275 subscribers. He only stayed at Luddenham for a short while, retiring due to ill health and died in Sydenham on 11 August 1916. The Reverend Faithorn Green was buried at Elmers End Cemetery, Beckenham. During the time his funeral took place, the bell at Charlton Church was tolled.

Published:
Dover Mercury: 20 September 2012

Posted in Charlton, Courts, Crime & Punishment, Green Rev Sidney Faithorn of SS Peter and Paul Church Charlton, People, Religion & Churches, SS Peter and Paul Church Charlton and Rev Faithorn Green, SS Peter and Paul Church Charlton and the Rev Sidney Faithorn Green | Comments Off

King’s Hall, Gaumont Cinema and Gala Bingo Hall – Biggin Street

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Lorraine

Biggin Street area 1894

Biggin Street is an ancient and part of the main thoroughfare through the town of Dover. Starting from Market Square at the south, what is now a paved precinct and shopping area includes Cannon Street and then Biggin Street. Back in 1895, the buildings on the west side of Biggin Street, some dating from Tudor times, were demolished and the present buildings were erected. One of the new buildings has an ornate Dutch gable and in 1911, it was converted into a picture house that extended over the vacant ground behind.

Kings Hall, Biggin Street – Dover Museum

Dover’s Picture Palace Co. Ltd, a local syndicate made up of Messrs G H Geddes, Pessers, Moodie, Wraith and Gurr and managed by theatrical impresario, Manville Morton, spent £8,000 making what was named King’s Hall as luxurious as possible. Designed by architect, A H Steele and built by Hayward and Paramor, the interior was 100-feet (30.5-metres) long, 60-feet (18.3-metres) wide and 30-feet (9-metres) high, with no supporting pillars to obstruct the view. The stage was 36-feet (11-metres) deep with a proscenium 32-feet (11.6-metres) wide.

Seating 800 people, the picture house had a magnificent organ and a permanent string orchestra. On 29 October 1911, this most ‘luxurious picture palace within a 75 miles radius’ opened and on show was Kinemacolor pictures of George V (1910-1936) and the German Kaiser Wilhelm II (1888-1918) at the unveiling of the Victoria Memorial in London. Kinemacolor was invented by George Albert Smith of Brighton in 1906 and was used commercially from 1908 to the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918). The town’s folk flocked to the new wonder, not only to see early cinematic productions but theatrical shows and concerts.

Kings Hall Biggin Street – Dover Times 21.11.1912

During World War I, Kings Hall changed hands and Harry Day’s Amusements Ltd, a provincial music-hall syndicate, became the new owners. Harry Day (1880-1939), a colourful character, was a Colonel in the army at time. Following the War, he became a major theatrical entrepreneur putting on shows at the Palladium and other major London theatres. In 1922, he stood for Parliament as an Independent candidate for Kingston-upon-Thames but did not win the seat. He then joined the Labour Party and was elected to represent Southwark central in 1924. He was again successful in 1929 but in 1931 lost the seat regaining it in 1935.

In relation to Dover and the King’s Hall, Harry Day made it clear that he saw the cinema as having great potential and announced all sorts of plans. However, towards the end of the War Spanish influenza swept the country and people were dying daily. Dover Corporation, following government guidelines, insisted that the duration of cinema shows was to be restricted to two hours with at least 30 minutes interval between two successive entertainment’s, during which time the building was to be ventilated. Children were banned from the cinema if their school had been closed due to the infection. Harry refused to comply and went so far as to threaten Dover Corporation with legal action, which caused a great deal of antagonism. Perhaps it was this that galvanised Harry into standing for election to the council and was one of the Barton Ward councillors from 1920 to 1923.

Dover Patrol Memorial, Leathercote Point, St Margaret’s Bay

Throughout the War, Edwin Farley had been the Mayor of Dover and in 1919 he set up a committee to raise funds to the erect a memorial on the cliffs near Dover to the men of the Dover Patrol. Harry was invited to join the committee and he contributed £31.10s to the fund. The fund raising was spectacularly successful such that the fund provided for three memorials and a Seaman’s Mission. Harry, as a councillor and a member of the committee was at the unveiling, by the Prince of Wales, of the Dover Patrol obelisk on 28 July 1921, at Leathercote Point, St Margaret’s Bay. It was reported that he was resplendent in his Colonel’s uniform.

Following this Harry turned his attention to a parliamentary career and ceased to be active in local affairs until a swimming accident occurred in 1925. By that time, he was an MP and put forward the motion that all seaside resorts should provide and enforce the use of inflatable safety rings. These were to be worn around the neck by non-swimmers. The motion did not get any further but Dover Corporation did provide rubber safety belts along the seafront for use in emergency.

In 1928, Theatrical Securities Ltd acquired Harry Day’s Amusements Ltd but he retained the licence of the Kings Hall. Then on 8 January 1930, the state of the arts Granada cinema opened in Castle Street. At about the same time, films with the sound were introduced at Dover’s smaller cinemas such as the Queen’s Hall, Pavilion and the Regent. This had a negative effect on the Kings Hall takings. As a counter measure, the new company decided that instead of installing sound equipment to refurbished Kings Hall as a theatre. This required re-seating and re-carpeting as well as other work and the contract was given to Turnpenny Brothers, of London Road. They started work on Sunday evening 22 December 1930 and completed the job by the evening of the 24th.

The gamble did not pay off and the theatre was sold in March 1933 to Dover Entertainments Ltd. On 1 June 1934, it became part of the Gaumont franchise but retained the name Kings Hall. A large sum of money was spent on installing new sound equipment. As part of the re-opening ceremony, local dignitaries were invited to a special showing of a ‘sound picture’. However, at 05.45hrs on Wednesday 29 December 1937, Mrs Rowley, the manageress of the next-door Central Hotel saw smoke coming from the rear of the Kings Hall, and raised the alarm.

The police, who handled the town’s fire duties, were not concerned as a routine check on the building 45-minutes before showed that all was well. Nonetheless, to satisfy Mrs Rowley two police officers went to investigate. They checked the back, and as before, all was well. They checked the front on Biggin Street and to satisfy Mrs Rowley broke into the main entrance. They then noticed smoke coming from under the inner door leading to the auditorium and opened it. This caused a back draft, and soon flames burst through the roof so high that they were visible for miles around.

Rosetta third from left, Dover’s Fire engines in 1951 left to right Commer 21A, 1941 Fordson, Rosetta and Austin K2 – John Meakins collection Fire Fighting in Kent

The tenants in a flat above the cinema managed to get out and the occupants of nearby Queen’s Gardens were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Dover’s new fire engine, a Leyland with a 4900cc Tiger engine, a 104-foot (31.7 metres) with a Metz turntable telescopic ladder and a water pump, was brought to the scene. Rosetta’s, as the engine was nicknamed, eight hoses worked off hydrants in Biggin Street, Worthington Street, Queens Gardens and New Street. It was estimated that from 06.30hrs to 10.00hrs between 1,200 and 1,500 gallons of water were used.

Apart from the main entrance of the cinema, practically no part of the building escaped from the catastrophe. Builders, Richard Barwick, made it safe but in January 1938, the proscenium wall had to be demolished. In February 1939, new owners, Keystone Cinemas Ltd, submitted plans for rebuilding the cinema to a design by Frank Verity & S Beverley. Work started in the summer that year and was completed in 1940 when the country was at War (World War II – 1939-1945). The new cinema was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for training in the use of gunnery aiming instruments.

Zetters Bingo Hall, Biggin Street 1960s – Dover Museum

Following the War, having been acquired by the Odeon group, the building was restored and reopened as a cinema on 14 July 1947. By 1951 it had been renamed the Gaumont but in November 1960 it was closed. The following August the building reopened as a bingo hall with sessions four evenings a week.

Published:

Dover Mercury: 19 July 2012

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Louis Blériot – The first person fly across the Channel in a heavier-than-air craft

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Lorraine

Louis Blériot July 1909. Courtesy of Dover Library

The first aerial crossing of the English Channel took place from Dover on 7 January 1785 by Dr. John Jeffries (1744–1819) and Jean-Pierre Blanchard, (1753–1809) using a balloon. By the end of the 19th century, balloons were becoming larger and in 1900, the first Zeppelin had flown. In Europe, free ballooning was flourishing in the vanguard of which was the Aéro-Club de France, founded in 1898 and based in Paris. Two years later the Aero Club (now Royal) opened in London.

In 1804, a British amateur engineer, Sir George Cayley (1773-1857), flew a model glider, the world’s earliest known successful heavier-than-air craft. In 1853, his full-sized glider made the world’s first manned heavier-than-air flight. Between 1891 and 1896 Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896) using gliders made by himself, flew over 2,000 controlled flights. Sadly, he died of injuries when he fell from a craft that had stalled.

In the US, bicycle manufacturers, Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948) inspired by Lilienthal’s work, made a fabric-covered wooden bi-plane. This was driven by a petrol engine and on 17 December 1903, the Wright brother’s made the worlds first powered controlled sustained flight – it lasted 59 seconds. By 1905, the brothers had built a flying machine with controls that was completely manoeuvrable. In 1904, French Captain Ferdinand Ferber (1862-1909), refined the Wright’s earlier aircraft by adding a stabilising fixed tail-plane.

What was happening in the US spectacularly revived heavier than air flights in Europe, especially in France. There, Louis Blériot, (1872-1936), designed a monoplane that managed to fly a distance of 17 miles from Toury to Ateny, on 31 October 1908, making two landings en-route and setting a record for distance flown. Two weeks before, 16 October, a former American cowboy, Samuel Cody (1867-1913), made the first powered flight in the British Isles. Together, these two events led the Daily Mail to offer a £1,000 prize to the first person to cross the English Channel in a heavier-than-air machine.

Blériot No XI Replica plane. Duke of York’s School fields – 2009

The summer of 1909 saw two serious contenders, Louis Blériot and Hubert Latham (1883-1912), both waiting in France for unseasonable windy weather to abate. Blériot had sustained nasty burns to his foot on a previous flight but at about 02.30hrs on the morning of Sunday 25 July, he was driven to Barraques, near Sangatte. There made a short flight in his Blériot No XI 25-horsepower monoplane. The machine was made of ash and poplar and strengthened with piano wires. The controlled parts were the wings, the elevator that took the place of a tail and a rudder that also acted as a balancing fin. It had a Chauviere modele integrale propeller and the engine was a 3 cylinder Anzani – designed for a motorbike.

Dawn was breaking but it was still quite windy when at 04.41hrs, Blériot set off. One of his aides sent a signal to the Lord Warden Hotel, in Dover’s Pier District, where reporters from the Daily Mail were staying. Blériot wife, Alice, was on board the French destroyer Escopette that was to follow Blériot across the Channel and, if there were an accident, rescue him.

Bleriot’s flight across the Channel. Insert with wife Alice at Northfall Meadow 25 July 1909. Daily Graphic 26.07.1909. Dover Library

Popular myth says that while over the Channel a shower of rain cooled the overheated engine, this is not true. Nonetheless, the historic trip was not without incident. About half way across the Strait, Blériot ran into a bank of cloud. Although he did have a compass on board the wind blew him off-course to the east. When the cloud cleared, he saw what he believed to be the South Foreland and followed the coast west to the pre-determined landing site at Northfall Meadow – 300 metres northeast of Dover’s Castle.

This spot had been chosen by one of Blériot’s aides as the cliffs are relatively low and the engine was too weak to bank and climb far. He landed 36 minutes 30 seconds after takeoff, travelled at an average speed of 42mph at an altitude of 250ft (approximately 80metres). Due to gusty wind conditions, Blériot had switched the engine off before landing and so bumped to earth. This caused damage to the undercarriage and shattering a propeller blade.

There were two French journalists, one of whom had been primed to fly the Tricolour from the chosen landing spot to greet him. V Ker Seymer – a Royal Aero Club official – was on site to verify the flight, Police Constable John Stanford and a few soldiers, who were on duty at the time, were there to meet him. It had been expected that Latham would be the first to land, as his plane was stronger and his publicity machine much better. Indeed, so sure that Latham would be the first to make the crossing, the media circus was at the proposed Latham landing spot at Aycliffe.

Louis Blériot and plane with sightseers July 1909. Dover Library

Although the British customs were not actually waiting when Blériot landed, they arrived only minutes after Blériot had touched down. However, they were flummoxed as to which category they should register the monoplane; eventually they decided it was a yacht! News of the feat quickly spread and as people arrived, Blériot became concerned to protect his craft. Amongst those present was Eddy King, the owner of the Dover Marquee Company. He quickly organised a protective cover and visitors were charged 6d to look at the Blériot No XI. £60 was collected that day and given to charity.

Louis Blériot on the steps of the Lord Warden Hotel, 26 July 1909. Dover Library

The next day Dover’s Mayor, Walter Emden, in honour of Louis and Alice Blériot, gave a grand civic luncheon at the Lord Warden Hotel. A granite memorial on Northfall Meadow was laid, in 1910. As a guide to the shape and size the imprint made by the crowds that came to see the plane was used. Alexander Duckham (1877-1945) of Duckhams Oil, who was involved in the building of the Admiralty Harbour at the time, paid for the Monument. The granite is believed to belong to the same batches as used in the construction of the harbour!

Blériot Memorial, Northfall Meadow – 300 metres northeast of Dover Castle, shortly after it was laid. Library

During all the hype and celebrations Gordon Selfridge, proprietor of the great department store, was motoring around Kent. On hearing of the historic flight, he made an appointment to see Blériot and persuaded the pioneer to exhibit his craft at his Oxford Street department store. Following the exhibition, the plane was returned to Paris.

The achievement brought not only fame for Blériot but also it changed people’s attitude towards flying. Orders came in for planes from the Blériot’s factory and by the end of the year, he had orders for over 100 aircraft. He continued to design and produce aircraft and his business expanded accordingly, producing fighter aircraft during World War I (1914-1918). Following the War, he briefly produced both aircraft and cars in the UK. In 1927, Blériot welcomed Charles Lindbergh in Paris, after the latter had successfully flown across the Atlantic. Blériot died on 1 August 1936, was given full military honours and is buried in Versailles.

For the 1965 film comedy, ‘Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines’ partly filmed in Dover; a replica of the Blériot No XI was made. For film purposes, it was adapted with two seats and a modern engine. In 1984 Patrick Lindsay flew this plane across the Channel following which the wife of the then Chairman of Dover District Council, Sheila Buss, went for a flight!

Original blade from the Blériot No XI plane authenticated by V Ker-Seymer, the Royal Aero Club official who was on site to verify the flight!

Finally, on 25 July 2009, the centenary of the original Channel crossing was celebrated by an exact replica of the Blériot monoplane, flown by Frenchman Edmond Salis making the crossing. He landed at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, not far from Northfall Meadow. In attendance was David Roberts, Chairman of the Royal Aero Club of the UK who brought with him the original propeller, belonging to the Royal Aero Club, from the 1909 aeroplane. It had been presented to the Aero Club by V Ker-Seymer, the Royal Aero Club official who was on site to verify the flight!

Published
Dover Mercury: 16 and 23 July 2009

Posted in Aviation, Blériot Louis - The first person fly across the Channel in a heavier-than-air craft, Blériot Louis - The first person fly across the Channel in a heavier-than-air craft, People | Comments Off

Dover Patrol and the Zeebrugge Raid

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Lorraine

First Expeditionary Force on the way to the Front. Doyle Collection

Following the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918), Germany swept through Belgium routing the Belgian army. They then defeated the French at Charleroi and the British Expeditionary Force of 90,000 men at Mons, causing the entire Allied line in Belgium to retreat. Although the Germans planned to capture the French ports, the Belgians prevented this by flooding the region of the Yser River. However, by the end of 1914 both sides had established lines extending about 800-km (approximately 500 miles) from Switzerland to the North Sea. These lines were destined to remain almost stationary for the next three years.

Dover Drifter Patrol outside Esplanade Hotel 1918

The first German submarines appeared in the Channel around the middle of September 1914, sinking the Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy, off Zeebrugge. All three had men on board from Dover. Immediately after the Admiralty gave notice that a minefield was to be laid in the eastern entrance to the English Channel, between the East Goodwin Lightship and Ostend. The Scout, Attentive, was attacked by a U-boat (submarines) on 27 September and led to the withdrawal of the Scouts from patrol duties. They were replaced by the Dover Patrol whose objectives were:

– To maintain a safe passage of men and materials between England and France throughout the war;

– To lay and clear mines

– To check the cargoes of foreign merchant ships passing through the Dover Strait.

Motor Launches in the Camber Admiralty buildings in background

Having bases in both Dunkerque as well as Dover, the Patrol consisted of naval destroyers, small submarines drifters and requisitioned fishing vessels. The latter were manned by fishermen whose duty it was to trawl for German mines at the same time mines were laid as a protection against German submarines. Working closely with the Dover Patrol was the Royal Naval Seaplane Patrol based on the site of the former Guilford Battery, on the Seafront. In command of the Dover Forces in the Channel was Vice Admiral Horace Hood (1870-1916) who was given the order to stop U-boats passing down the Channel. Within a few months he was perceived as not being up to the task and was transferred out and replaced by Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon (1863-1947). He ordered a Barrage – a huge net, with minefields on either side – to be strung across the Channel suspended from fishing boats and buoys.

Dover Patrol initially under the command of Rear Admiral Horace Hood (inset) courtesy of Doyle Cotion

Dover Patrol initially under the command of Rear Admiral Horace Hood (inset) courtesy of Doyle Collection

Regardless that the German offensive against British and Allied shipping continued, Admiral Bacon was convinced that the Barrage was working. Nonetheless, towards the end of 1916 about 300,000 tons of shipping was being destroyed monthly in the North Atlantic. Secret German documents revealed that the U-boats were passing down the Channel at night and on the surface, travelling over the Barrage and minefields.

In April 1917 about 875,000 tons of British and Allied shipping was destroyed and food shortages had led to the introduction of rationing. That month Coastal Motorboats, very fast motorboats armed with torpedoes, were introduced and on the night of 7-8 April, the Dover Patrol made a successful attack on Zeebrugge using them. After this, they were used along with the Motor-Launches that the Patrol had from the outset. These were armed with three-pounder guns and were used largely for convoying ships through the Channel. Vivian Elkington’s Dover Engineering Works was given the responsibility of maintaing the fleet. As the year progressed the German blockade was proving less effectives due to warships, depth bombing and hydroplanes to spot the U-boats. The Admiralty, however, felt that Admiral Bacon’s tactics were inadequate and Vice-Admiral Roger John Brownlow Keyes (1872-1945) replaced him on 31 December 1917.

Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes. Doyle collection

At about the same time the British First Sea Lord, Sir John Jellicoe (1859-1935), was dismissed from his post but before going he proposed a raid on the Zeebrugge/ Ostend outlets from the Bruge U-boat base. Keyes was given the task of formulating the plan of action this was to sink block-ships in the canal leading to Bruge to prevent submarines getting out. Once approved it was agreed to attack the Zeebrugge outlet first. The harbour was, however, protected from the North Sea storms by a wall or Mole, stretching one and half miles into the sea. To inhibit a German offensive, while the operation was underway, a section of the Mole had to be destroyed. Once successfully completed, there would be a repeat attack on Ostend harbour thus trapping all the U-boats in the canals leading from Bruge to the Channel.

St George’s Day, 23 April 1918, was chosen for the raid on Zeebrugge harbour. The day before a special service was held at the Holy Trinity Church in the Pier District and was attended by Keyes, who was to command the mission from his flagship HMS Warwick. HMS Vindictive was the main cruiser, while commandeered Mersey ferries, Iris and Daffodil carried boarding parties. The flotilla also included 2 submarines, 34 motor-launches, 16 coastal motorboats and 10 assorted vessels. Three concrete-filled blockships, the Thetis, Intrepid and Iphigenia were to be sunk in the canal entrance, these were towed across the Channel.

Zeebrugge Harbour with the Mole in the background. In the foreground blockships in the entrance. Doyle collection

The convoy set off and once outside Zeebrugge burning chemicals were used to create a smoke screen. The blockships with the towboats were just off Zeebrugge when the wind changed direction clearing the smoke screen. Immediately the whole expedition came under heavy close-range fire. Then the prevailing current prevented Vindictive abutting the breakwater but Daffodil nudged her in. Men from the submarines blew up viaducts and the three blockships were scuttled. Zeebrugge was sealed!

Dover Society Plaque marking the Zeebrugge Raid. AS

In recognition of the Zeebrugge Raid, 11 Victoria Crosses, 21 D.S.O’s, 29 D.S.C’s, 16 C.G.M.’s, 143 D.S.M.’s and 283 Mentions in Dispatches were awarded. However, out of the 1,700 men who went on the raid, 200 were killed and 400 wounded. Of those killed, 156 were brought back to Dover’s Market Hall, where volunteers assisted in sorting out the mangled bodies. Sixty-six of these men were buried at St James’ Cemetery. On the exterior wall of the museum, in the Market Square, is a Dover Society plaque commemorating those who died during the raid.

On 10 May 1918, the second part of the objective was put into operation, the Ostend Raid. This required the Vindictive to be sunk in the mouth of Ostend Harbour. Unfortunately, after another dramatic battle the Vindictive ran aground and only partially blocked the harbour. This meant that U-boats could still get out and attack allied shipping but the successful Zeebrugge Raid had slowed down the number of U-boats leaving the base. The last Dover Patrol vessel to be lost in that War was the drifter, Glen Boyne, on 4 January 1919. She was engaged in removing the mines from the Barrage when two men, John Bissett aged 32 and Edward Allen aged 18, were killed. The Lord Tilbury, a merchant ship, was the last vessel to be lost by war causes in the Channel; she hit a mine on 21 January 1919.

Zeebrugge Bell outside the Masion Dieu (former Town Hall) AS

Before the War had ended Dover’s Mayor, Edwin Fairley, accepted from Vice-Admiral Keyes the Bell used by the Germans on Zeebrugge Mole to give warning of British attacks by sea and air. King Albert I (1909-1934) of Belgium had given it to the town in recognition of the Zeebrugge Raid. Initially, the Bell was placed in St Mary’s Church, but in 1921 it was moved the Maison Dieu and in 1923 placed in its present position at the front under a canopy. In 1933, the Bell briefly returned to St Mary’s Church for a special service broadcast on BBC radio.

Following the War a memorial was erected in the Holy Trinity Church, to those who had lost their lives but Vice-Admiral Keyes felt that there should be something more substantial in recognition of the members of the Dover Patrol. It was acknowledged that approximately 16million troops had been safely transported across the Channel due to the Dover Patrol but during that time, nearly 2000 men belonging to the Patrol had lost their lives. At first, it was agreed to erect a large cairn but nearly £45,000 was raised that meant three obelisks could be afforded.

Dover Patrol Memorial, Leathercote Point, St Margaret’s Bay – AS 2013

Designed by Sir Aston Webb RA, the first was erected at Leathercote Point, St Margaret’s Bay, the foundation stone was laid by Prince Arthur of Connaught (1850-1942) on 19 November 1919 and the Memorial was unveiled by the Prince of Wales – later Edward VIII (1894-1972) on 27 July 1921. It was rededicated following World War II in memory of the Officers and Men of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy who gave their lives in ships sailing in the Dover Strait. There is another obelisk at Cap Blanc Nez and a third at New York harbour in memory of the Dover Patrol’s French and American comrades. The Germans blew up the memorial at Cap Blanc Nez, but it was replaced in the late 1940s. In 2015, the Dover Patrol at St Margaret’s Bay was given Grade II Status.

War Memorial in front of Maison Dieu House. AS

On 5 November 1924, Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes unveiled Dover’s War Memorial. Afterwards the assembled dignitaries went to the Town Hall where Sir Roger presented the Dover Patrol Golden Book – the Book of Remembrance of the men who lost their lives serving in the Dover Patrol – to Sir Edwin Farley. This can be seen be seen at St Margaret of Antioch Church, St Margaret’s at Cliffe. The Rt. Rev, the Bishop of Dover, dedicated it on 27 December 1928. With the money left over a three-storey Dover Patrol Hostel was established on Wellesley Road. Lady Keyes opened the well-equipped establishment on 7 July 1923. However, during the Battle of Britain, on Wednesday 11 September 1940, Dover came in for heavy attack from about twenty bombers plus shells from across the Channel. A large calibre bomb hit the Hostel completely wrecking it, killing two and injuring many more.

Dover Patrol Book of Remembrance First Page. St Margaret of Antioch Church, St Margarets. AS

Besides the obelisks and the Dover Patrol Book of Remembrance, a portion of one of the grapnels used on the Vindictive, can be seen in the small Garden of Remembrance, outside Maison Dieu House. It was originally mounted on the wall near the entrance gate of Leney’s Phoenix brewery in Castle Street. A casket made from the Vindictive was given to Lady Farley, the wife of the Mayor and in 2008 the original shrapnel damaged flag from the Vindictive was presented to Dover Town Council.

During World War I a junior officer serving with the Dover Patrol was Bertram Ramsay (1883-1945). In World War II (1939-1945) as Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay, he was in commanded of the Dover Station and from his headquarters in the tunnels beneath Dover Castle he organised the Dunkirk Evacuation.

Every year, including during World War II, Dover’s Mayor leads a special Dover Patrol Memorial service. This impressive ceremony takes place on the morning of 23 April.

Published:
Dover Mercury 19 April 2007

Posted in Dover Patrol and the Zeebrugge Raid, World War I | Comments Off

The Dynasty of Dover – Part II – The Wivells

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Lorraine

The Restoration: Charles II landing in Dover 25 May 1660. Stone Hall window, Maison Dieu.

The second family in the dynasty that has influenced Dover’s development over the centuries from the time of the early 17th century are the Wivells. The dynasty started with the Stokes and centred on William, baptised on 4 April 1624 at St James old Church – now the Tidy Ruin. William married local girl, Elizabeth Loper but as a staunch Protestant and with the coming of the Civil Wars and the Interregnum (1642–1660), he joined Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) and trained as a Master Mariner. For the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, William brought the King to Dover where the monarch was given guarded welcome. During what proved to be turbulent times in Dover, William was elected Mayor six times and one of the two members of Parliament for the town. He died on 6 November 1691 and was buried at St Mary’s Church.

Only one of William’s children, Margery, survived to adulthood. She was baptised on 19 May 1660 in St Mary’s Church, 6 days before William brought Charles II to Dover for the Restoration! During her widowed father’s Mayoralty, Margery presided over the town as Mayoress and proved to be able. Whether she met Edward Wivell, who was the Royal Navy’s Agent Victualler for Dover in this role is unclear but they met and eventually married.

Maison Dieu House, Biggin Street, now the home of Dover Town Council

Edward, from Croydon, was ambitious, and the alliance would certainly have suited someone who wanted to climb Dover’s political ladder, as only Dover’s Freemen were able to do so. Albeit, the husbands of the daughter of a Freeman could claim the right during her lifetime and this would have suited Edward’s purpose well. It is almost certain that when the couple married they moved into Maison Dieu House, Biggin Street, as it had been built for Agent Victualler in 1665. A small shield can still be seen below one of the upper windows showing the date of construction.

Dover town centre - the Wivell land holdings stretched from Maison Dieu House, south taking in what is now Pencester Gardens - Dover Town Council 2013

Dover town centre – the Wivell land holdings stretched from Maison Dieu House, south taking in what is now Pencester Gardens. This should have been a map of present day Dover but Dover Town Council, from whom permission was given by a senor councillor, demanded that I remove it.

It is unclear when Edward quit his job but not long after the couple married he was elected as a Common Councilman, the first rung of Dover’s political ladder and he moved into the property market. In 1650, the farmlands belonging to Maison Dieu were sold by order of Parliament. These stretched from the boundaries of Maison Dieu House to where Stembrook car park is today. This had become meadowland and possibly, because the town was in an economically depressed state, the owner had put his landholdings on the market. Edward had the finance to buy them and also to build a fine mansion where the couple lived and were later joined by Edward’s mother.

Not long afterwards, Edward was elected by his fellow councilmen to the post of Jurat – senior councillor, one rung short of becoming Mayor. Margery, for much of this time, was either pregnant or weaning their many children of which only two survived to adulthood – Elizabeth and Margaret.

When James II (1685–1688) ascended to the throne, only Catholics or those prepared to renounce their Protestant faith were allowed to hold public offices. The year before, in France, the Edict of Nantes had been revoked that had allowed Protestants or Huguenots, as they were known, to practice their faith. The result was open persecution and slaughter of Hugenots. Of those who survived, many fled to Holland and Germany but a few came to England. Among these was Stephen Minet, of the wealthy Minet family of Calais, who arrived in 1684. His three brothers, along with their widowed mother, came the following year. Stephen stayed in Dover and with the help of Margery’s father and Edward, opened a shop the remaining members of the family went to London.

In 1683, Dover was forced to surrender her ancient Charter and due to the death of the then Town Clerk, John Pepper, a young local solicitor, Philip Yorke, took up the cause for the town – which was lost before it even started. Philip was the son of Simon Yorke, a well known local dissenter and because of his religious views, Philip was not able to take up the post of Town Clerk. Edward, like his father-in-law, supported Philip but the King’s Privy Council appointed Thomas Russell who accepted the Charter. Philip Yorke resigned his seat on the Common Council and refused to have anything to do with local politics thereafter. In the years that followed Edward, like William Stokes, was involved in the political traumas of the time. These eventually led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the ascent of William III (1689-1702) and Mary II (1689-1694), the daughter of James II, to the throne.

Edward and Margery remained friends with Stephen Yorke and also became close friends of Stephen Minet until the latter’s death in 1690. It was following Stephen’s death that Isaac came to Dover and he too became firm friends with the Wivells. Due to the political change in England, the shop that Stephen had started was gaining strength but the permit he purchased ceased on his death. Isaac, was required to buy a new permit ‘to keep shop’ and until such time as it was granted was forced to pay 6s 8d (33p) for every day he opened his business.

Buckland Manor, along with fifty acres of woodland, in the parish of Charlton came on the market in 1691 and Edward bought the estate, but four years later, on 23 October 1695, Margery died aged 36-years. Her mother-in-law, Margaret, having died in February that year. Both were buried in St Mary’s churchyard.

After being a Jurat for nearly thirty years Edward was at last elected Mayor in 1698 but it was immediately challenged. Technically, he was no longer a Freeman due to Margery’s death. A major debate in council ensued and the outcome set a precedence that still holds today, that ‘The death of his wife, Margery, did not make void his being a Jurat, Justice of the Peace and Mayor.’ In other words, the Freedom of Dover, gained through marriage, carries on after the wife’s death. On 20 January 1699, during Edward’s second Mayoralty, he presented Isaac Minet with the Freedom of Dover. Over the following years his business flourished and by 1721 he owned four packet boats running regularly between Dover, Calais and Boulogne.

However, at the time that Isaac gained his Freedom, the harbour, the main source of the town’s livelihood was in a dire state at this time, forcing the council to sell some of its precious artefacts – three silver maces. The main problem was a phenomenon known as the Eastward Drift, which caused shingle to be deposited outside around the bay and blocked the harbour entrance. This was particularly bad at neap tides when the tidal flow was weak. One of the first orders of the new King was for Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel and Captain Whiteham to make a survey of the harbour. Their report was published on 28 April 1689 recommending that £500 should be spent on repairing the North Pier and £7,350 on the harbour wall and sluices but nothing happened. Ten years later, in 1699, as Mayor, Edward successfully petitioned the King for the renewal of the Passing Tolls Act -the payment made by ships for going through the Dover Strait.

Anne Queen – before 1713 – Godfrey Kneller(1646-1723) Oil on Canvas – Dover Museum

Men working for the town’s Water Bailiff – who was contracted by the council – collected the passing toll money. Up to 1606, when Dover Harbour Commissioners were created the revenues went into the Town coffers. Since 1606, the revenues collected had gone the Commissioners for harbour maintenance but this they were failing to carry out adequately. When Queen Anne (1702-1714) ascended the throne, the Mayor, John Hollingbery, along with the Jurat’s including Edward, petitioned the new Queen and she listened. She upheld the Harbour Commissioners argument that the revenues collected by the Water Bailiff belonged to them but insisted that the money was to be used for harbour repairs and that the recommendations of 1689 were to be carried out.

Dover Harbour 1738 glass slide artist Nathaniel & Samuel Buck. Dover Museum

To help to pay for the work she renewed the Passing Tolls Act to 1718 and a wooden Crosswall was built under the direction of Sir Henry Seers by Master Carpenter Ockham. This created an inner harbour, the forerunner of the present Granville Dock, then called the Bason, and the main outer Tidal harbour. Gates were fitted in the Crosswall opposite the mouth of the Tidal harbour and during neap tides, the gates would be opened in the hope that the whoosh of water would wash the shingle bar away. It was not very effective.

Although in the town annals the Queen’s proclamation was referred to as a Charter in reality it was a ‘Letter’s Patent’ and can still be seen in Maison Dieu House. In it, the Water Bailiff, was given an additional role of ‘Keeper of the Gaol‘ with the profits on the fees paid by prisoners for their upkeep to go into the town’s coffers. This proved lucrative to the town from a highly unlikely source for in 1701, change in legislation encouraged spirit drinking and alcohol related crimes soared. In an attempt to put a stop to this, the government imposed heavy taxation and the smuggling of brandy from France became a major source of revenue to Dover’s seafarers. If they were caught, the smugglers were confined to Dover’s prison, where they paid for their keep. When their case came up before the Chief Magistrate – who was also the Mayor – he imposed a fine that went into the town‘s coffers! In gratitude, the town purchased a painting of Queen Anne by Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723), which is now looked after by the Museum.

Edward was elected Mayor for three consecutive years from 1707 and although the town was becoming increasingly prosperous, his second re-election caused discontent. The Common Councilwith the backing of the non-elected Freemen petitioned Queen Anne forbidding the re-election of a mayor until he had been one whole year out of office. This became Statutory and that was the last time Edward was elected Mayor. He died on 14 February 1716 and was buried in St Mary’s Churchyard alongside his wife and mother.

Two years before Philip Yorke’s son, also called Philip and following a legal profession like his father, had been called to the Bar. He had been entered into Middle Temple on 29 November 1708 and subsequently appointed law tutor to the sons of Lord Chief Justice Thomas Parker. On 3 October 1718, young Philip was appointed the Recorder of Dover an office he held for forty-six years. However, that was not all, Philip Yorke of Dover, was eventually appointed Lord Chancellor of England and as Lord Hardwicke, he held that post for twenty years.

Published:
Dover Mercury 16 October 2008

Posted in Dynasty of Dover, Part II - The Wivells | Comments Off

The Dover Historian

SS Peter and Paul Church, Charlton and the Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green

King’s Hall, Gaumont Cinema and Gala Bingo Hall – Biggin Street

Louis Blériot – The first person fly across the Channel in a heavier-than-air craft

Dover Patrol and the Zeebrugge Raid

The Dynasty of Dover – Part II – The Wivells

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