Kent (Slow Travel) by Simon Richmond

Author:Simon Richmond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides Ltd
Published: 2022-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

8 SANDWICH

Bell Hotel (Click here), Molland Manor House (Click here), Number 37 (Click here)

Considered one of the most complete examples of a medieval town in the country, Sandwich’s street plan has changed little since the 11th century when it was the leader among the five key ports in the Cinque Ports confederation. Meaning ‘a village on the sand’, the first mention of ‘Sandwic’ was in AD664 when it was recorded as a thriving Saxon settlement. Long before this there was sizeable Roman port at nearby Richborough. Around about the same time as its harbour began silting up in the 16th century, Sandwich was given something of a reprieve economically by the arrival of Huguenot refugees who set up cloth-making businesses in the town.

CINQUE PORTS

From at least the 11th century English monarchs called on the confederation of the Cinque Ports to provide ships and sailors in times of war. Of the five original Cinque (pronounced ‘sink’) Ports, four – Sandwich, Dover, Hythe and New Romney – are in Kent; the fifth is Hastings in Sussex. In return for services to the Crown, the ports were granted freedom from many taxes, self-government, and other privileges. Neighbouring towns and villages were called upon to support the five main ports in their naval obligations, which led to Deal, Faversham, Folkestone, Margate, Ramsgate and Tenterden becoming ‘limbs’ of the Cinque Ports with similar obligations and special dispensations.

The ports were wealthy locations, as you can see from the quality of fine heritage buildings that exist in many of them. Sandwich is a particularly fine example, with one of the longest blocks of medieval timber-framed houses in England. But as the River Stour silted up and its usefulness as a port began to wane in the 16th century, Sandwich’s fortunes declined. It was a similar story for nearly all the other ports – changes in Kent’s coastline wrought by weather and natural erosion eventually rendered them unusable by large vessels, if not several miles inland, cut off from the sea they were once beside. The nail in the confederation’s coffin was Henry VIII’s decision to create a purpose-built fleet of warships in the late 15th century that would evolve into the Royal Navy. Only Dover remains a working port today.

Nevertheless, the Cinque Ports are proud of their heritage and the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports continues today as an honorary and prestigious position. The Warden’s official residence is Walmer Castle (Click here).

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