Although there are only five miles between Whitstable and Herne Bay in many ways they are worlds apart, while Whitstable has maintained its fishing and marine heritage, Herne Bay has followed the tradition of British seaside resorts. Herne Bay is located on the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is 6 miles north of Canterbury and 5 miles east of Whitstable.
Approaching the town from Whitstable, the rows of beach huts and the sight of the pier with its amusements in the distance gives some reassurance that you are to arrive at a good old fashioned British seaside resort.
The town began as a small fishing and shipping community, often receiving goods and passengers from London on route to Canterbury and Dover. The town developed as a seaside resort during the early 19th century after the building of a pier and promenade by a group of London investors, and reached its heyday in the late Victorian era. During the 1840s, steamboats began running between Herne Bay and London and would unload passengers at the pier. This was only discontinued in the 1960s.
The present pier was built in 1896 and at 3,600 feet (1,097 m), the pier was the second longest in the country, behind only the pier at Southend-on-Sea. Approaching the town, you gradually realise that part of the pier is disconnected from the main part and this rather strange setup has a quite interesting story. At the beginning of World War II, the army cut two gaps between the landward end of the pier and the seaward terminal as a counter-invasion measure. The pier’s two gaps were bridged for pedestrians after the war but the central section of the pier was torn down by a storm in 1978, leaving the end of the pier isolated in the sea.
This rather strange scene and the wind turbines and Maunsell towers in the distance offer a rather surreal seascape, a familiar touch of reality is the amusement arcades, seaside cafés and restaurants.
The seafront has a 2 miles (3 km) shingle beach, which has won awards for its safety and cleanliness.
Beyond the pier is an offshore breakwater, now known as Neptune’s Arm, which was built to protect the most vulnerable areas of the town from flooding. Small boats nestle behind the breakwater to offer a picturesque scene.
On a very warm day and after a long walk, we made our way onto the pier to enjoy an ice cream and a drink, we were somewhat surprised that despite it being peak holiday season, some of the amusements on the pier like the Helter Skelter and Carousel were not open. Many of the visitors were happy to have something to eat and drink but the children looked longingly at the amusements for a bit of excitement.
Post lockdown it seemed that people were just happy to be out and about and enjoying some sense of normality. We discussed how seaside holidays had changed in our lifetime. Once upon a time, a weeks break at place like Herne Bay was something to look forward too all year. However from the 1960s, peoples expectations changed with cheap air travel and more overseas trips. This led to the long great decline of British seaside resorts and resorts like Herne Bay have had to find other ways of attracting visitors who are more likely to visit for the day rather than stay the week.
Common to many South East resorts, Herne Bay is a popular retirement destination; many modern retirement complexes are located near the seafront. Not for nothing is the South East coast is known as ‘God’s waiting room’.
Dominating Herne Bay’s seafront is the world’s first freestanding purpose-built Clock Tower, In 1837, Mrs Ann Thwaytes, a wealthy widow from London, donated the enormous amount of £4,000 to build the 75 feet (23 m) tower.
Herne Bay celebrates two different characters with a monument to Barnes Wallis whose Dambusters aircraft practiced their raids at nearby Reculver and a statue of famous aviator Amy Johnson. Johnson went off course in her plane in adverse weather conditions. She bailed out as her aircraft crashed into the Thames Estuary near to Herne Bay. Rescue attempts failed and she was reported to have been drowned, although her body was never found.
Unlike a number of resorts that have been left to fade away from their past glories, Herne Bay has made sure that its seafront and promenade is still attractive with Victorian bandstand and gardens. It now attracts a variety of visitors including those interested in water sports; it has clubs for sailing, rowing, yachting, powerboat racing and fishing. Beyond the front is the usual array of shops and a Seaside Museum which tells the full story of this attractive and quirky resort.
Old Fogies Travels are the adventures of two elderly Londoners (The Old Fogies) as they explore their home town and travel around the world looking out for the ordinary, strange, unusual and absurd.
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