Secret Folkestone

Folkestone’s history goes back to the Anglo-Saxons and earlier settlements, and behind the façade of the elegant Edwardian resort, the port and today’s thriving town and gateway to the Channel Tunnel lie many little-known and fascinating stories from its past. In Secret Folkestone, authors Terry Begent and Eamonn Rooney reveal the history beneath the surface of Folkestone from the foundation of the first nunnery in England by St Eanswythe in the seventh century to the present day. Among the topics covered are the story of the stone in ‘Folke-stone’, the town’s role in defending the nation from invasion through the ages, the clifftop source of Folkestone’s Victorian water supply, how a medieval monarch tamed the local piratical fishermen into a naval force, the riot to free smugglers from Folkestone Gaol in 1820, the First World War aerial bombardment that left nearly 100 dead, and much more. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and tucked-away or disappeared historical buildings and locations, Secret Folkestone will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this town on the Kent coast.