In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Sandgate like this:
SANDGATE, a village and a chapelry in Elham district, and within Hythe borough, Kent. The village stands on the coast, at the foot of an extensive range ofhills, 1 mile S of Shorncliffe and Sandgate r. station, and 1½ W S W of Folkestone; was founded in 1773, by a ship-builder of the name of Wilson; grew and prospered as aplace of ship-building, and as a sea-bathing resort; possesses good advantages and fine amenities for sea-bathingvisitors; enjoys very salubrious air, and highly picturesque and romantic environs; commands a clear and extensive view of the French coast; is governed by a localboard of health; has undergone much improvement by drainage, by introduction of good water supply, and otherwise; and has a post-office‡ under Folkestone, a churchrebuilt in 1822, a neat Wesleyan chapel, reading-rooms, a literary institution, a national school, a dispensary, numerous charities, and a fair on 23 July. ...
S. Castle, adjacent to the village, dates from very early times; was, forsix weeks, the residence of Henry of Lancaster, afterwards Henry IV.; was rebuilt, for defence of the coast, by Henry VIII.; gave entertainment, in 1588, to Queen Elizabeth; and underwent repairs and enlargement in 1806, to adaptit to purposes of modern warfare. Part of the line of Martello towers, erected during the war with France, is in the neighbourhood. A military camp, called Shorn-cliffe camp, was formed on a plateau above the village, about the time when the martello towers were built; was made permanent, with the erection of barracks, in 1854; forms three sides of a square; and contains accommodation for about 6,000 soldiers. The troops in the campwere reviewed on the neighbouring downs, by Queen Victoria, in 1855. The military canal commences near Sandgate, and goes thence to Rye. Shorncliffe coast-guard station also is in the vicinity. The chapelry is partly in Folkestone parish, but chiefly in Cheriton; and was constituted in 1848. Pop. in 1861, exclusive of themilitary, 1, 669. Houses, 257. The property is much subdivided. Enbrook is the seat of the Hon. Sir J. D. Bligh. A pack of fox-hounds is kept by F. Brockman, Esq. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Canterbury. . Value, £270.* Patron, the Hon. Sir J. D. Bligh.
Sandgate through time
Sandgate is now part of Shepway district. Click here for graphs and data of how Shepway has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Sandgate itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Sandgate, in Shepway and Kent | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/442
Date accessed: 27th April 2024
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