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This week’s feature

I have finally made some inroads with the site updates. I’m aware that there are still some pages yet to be readmitted but it is at last getting there. Thanks for your patience and especially for your wishes.

Feedback for any site like this is appreciated because it tells me what people like or dislike about the content. It also give visitors an opportunity to share thoughts and memories. Lastly, I can also get improvement and development ideas for the site. When people have asked me to publish their email address, they can be contacted via the envelope image under their name.

Date	Visitor	Location	Comment
28 January	Haydon Rouse	Herne Bay	Hi Steve, Just a quick email to draw your attention to our campaign. The St. Philip Howard Primary School in Avenue Road, Herne Bay is threatened with closure. Please can you put a link to www.savesphschool.co.uk on your site. Many thanks. Regards, Haydon RouseHello, Haydon. Thanks for the note. I put an article in my news page this week (27 Jan) about this but I’m happy to add your request to my feedback page. There’s also a link on my Herne Bay links page now. Good luck.
26 January	Audrey Moore (Née McIver)	Frankston, Victoria, Oz	Thought you might like this photo of Herne Bay Pier from Pavillion to Pier Head circa 1950. I bet there are not too many of these in captivity. The good looking fella is my brother Thomas McIver at the tender age of 12. Regards, Audrey Why, thank you, Audrey. That really is a long pier there, which highlights just what a shame it is that nowadays, it is just a sorry looking stub.
25 January	Roger Cullingham	Windsor, Berkshire	Hi, I am the editor of www.theroyalwindsorwebsite.com. My father’s family lived in Herne Bay in the 1920s and 30s and had a house built, Ambleside, at Carlton Hill (opposite the junction with West Hill Rd). I have in front of me an album featuring an extensive photographic record of the house being built in the summer of 1931, several with my grandmother in shot and one or two with my grandfather in shot. I also have two colour transparencies of the garden from the mid 30s, a rarity I believe for a family album. Because some of the pictures are now fading I have decided to scan the lot and store them on CD/DVD as JPEGs, but with minimal compression to maintain best quality and detail. If you are anything like me you will be interested in the views of residential Herne Bay dating back some 75 years as well as peripheral detail such as the wooden wheelbarrow, old bikes and cars and building methods generally. The builder was J Wilson, Architect and Surveyor, Station Road, Herne Bay. It would be nice to know if they are still in business. I enclose two sample pictures – not original scans but cheap and cheerful digicam JPGs – by way of a taster. if you would like a copy of the CD once it is all finished, you would be most welcome. In return could I ask for the name and address of the present occupier? I would love to present them with ditto. With my best regards, Roger A page about my father: www.thamesweb.co.uk/gordon_cullingham/ggc.htmThank you for the photos, Roger. Carlton Hill is just behind my old house in Grand Drive. I’ll pay a visit to the house and show the owners your email and will let you know how I get on.
21 January	Vikki Willoughby	Herne Bay	Hello. I was wondering if you or anyone else by any chance, had got a picture of “Jack & Jill’s”, the toy shop (now closed) in Mortimer Street. I am looking for a picture of it. Hope you can help?Hi Vikki. Sorry but I don’t have a copy myself but if anyone does have a picture they are willing to share, please get in touch .
17 January	Audrey Moore	Frankston, Victoria, Oz	Hi Steve, Please can you tell me the name of the local newspaper in Herne Bay? When we were married in 1955 it was the ‘Herne Bay Press’ as it was for many years after but someone said it had gone now, what has replaced it?Hi, Audrey. The “Herne Bay Press” disappeared years ago. It became the Herne Bay Times, which shares it’s office with the Whitstable Times in Cromwell Road. Should you wish to get in touch, the address is: 136 Cromwell Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1NG, UK. The phone number is +44 1227 771515. Good luck.
8 January	Bill Attwell	Perth, Western Australia	Dear Sir, I was born in Sittingbourne, Kent but lived all my entire childhood in Whitstable until I migrated to Australia with my father, 1 brother and 2 sisters in 1971. We lived in Cromwell Road with the Railway virtually in our backyard with a view of the old Gasometers in the background. It was fantastic, I remember it like it were just yesterday. Unfortunately I have never been back to Whitstable and I really do not know when I am able to. If you can place more photographs on your wonderful website it would be absolutely wonderful. Whitstable holds many beautiful childhood memories for me. Thank you sincerely Bill Attwell.With such a politely worded letter, how could Ipossibly refuse? Thank you for that, Bill. You’ve given me the inspiration for my next “Street Life” pages; I’ll sort out Cromwell Road and Belmont Road next.
7 January	Duncan Mills	Beltinge	My family and I have recently moved from SE london to Reculver Road, WHAT A RELIEF! Our new home is said to date from around 1856 and was originally two houses one lived in and the other a blacksmiths. I am interested in tracing the history of the house and its previous occupants. Does anyone out there have any leads?Hello, Duncan. Welcome to the relative sanity that is life outside London. You join a growing number of converts whose only regret is not doing it sooner. I would recommend getting in touch with the Herne Bay Historical Society as a first port of call. If you talk to the people in Herne Bay museum in William Street, they will be able to give you some specific contacts.
4 January	Duncan Taylor	Leigh-on-Sea, Essex	Following the recent series on the BBC where famous people traced their family tree, I have started to look into mine. My grandmother tells me that my late grandfather lived on a farm in the Herne Bay area at the start of the 1900s. I think the farm was called Red House or Red Brick Farm. I would appreciate it if anyone who knows anything of the history of this farm, who owns it now etc. to let me know on the e-mail address provided. Regards, Duncan.Hello, Duncan. Red House Farm can be found just south of Greenhill, between the new and old Thanet Ways. The OS map still shows it as a farm and I have no reason to believe otherwise. If anyone else can shed further light, please get in touch and I’ll forward your message to Duncan.
31 December	Christine Punter	Auckland, NZ	Hi Steve, I’d like to wish you, Cheryl, the girls and everyone a very Happy New Year. Seems wrong to be celebrating given the disastrous week in Asia although very heartening to see people from all walks of life and religions pulling together and sending millions of dollars in aid. Lets hope 2005 will be a better year for us all!!Thanks very much Christine and thank you for the supportive comments you have sent in the last year. Whilst Cheryl has indeed made a huge difference to my life and how I see it, the kind words I have had from people I have never even met has made things a lot more bearable. Here’s to a brighter 2005. Cheers. The stunning events that have passed over in Sumatra have shocked all of us and I cannot believe that anyone was not affected in some way. Like pretty well everyone in the UK, I called the Disasters Emergency Committee pledge line to make my donation, feeling that it was all too insignificant. I was equally amazed to see that, as of 31 December, over £45,000,000 has been pledged by the British public. It can never be enough to replace loved ones but it does show that, even though we are (accurately) known as a nation of whingers, we can pull out the stops when required.
29 December	Roger Warner	Elkford, BC, Canada	Hi, I just discovered your site (excellent!) and wondered if you might know if either of the homes photographed on Claremont Street are number 5. My brother Les was born there in 1937 and I was born there in 1942. Les now lives on Churchill Ave, Beltinge. My wife and I now live in Elkford, B.C., Canada. We were previously in Calgary for 35 years. I played for Herne Bay FC 1962-4. We were last back in the Bay in 2003. Enclosed is a photo taken on Boxing Day in Elkford. Roger Warner.Hello, Roger. The houses shown in the Christmas Lights page are actually numbers 6, 8 and 12. Thanks also for your photo, which I have put in the “Far Afield” page, here.
28 December	Audrey Moore (Née McIver)	Frankston, Victoria, Oz	Hi Steve, just thought you might like to add this to your site either to your ‘Far afield’ or your ‘sunsets’ folders. It was taken with a Kodak Digital camera (DX3500) on our way back from a visit to Western Australia (a 5 day trip each way) at a place called Eucla. Eucla is almost on the border between WA and South Australia, on a coastal plain called the Nullabour Plain (which means ‘Treeless’ plain). Not very much grows much above 18″- 2′. The population isaround 45 most days but swells to many more when the travellers start rolling in from each direction late in the afternoon to set up their vans, trailers etc. for a meal, shower and sleep, before setting off on the next leg of their journey. These caravan parks/road houses are placed around 1 petrol tank apart (roughly) and this means you fill up before you move on (there is no mobile phone link out there to call the RAC). Just to give you (and others) an insight into the distances: It takes about 5hrs to fly across Australia from east to west. I hope this has not been too boring for you. Please feel free to edit anything you think is irrelevant. Regards, Audrey.Hi, Audrey, and thanks for the picture, which you can see here. Please don’t think I’d be bored with any input from visitors. It’s the reason I keep the site going.
21 December	Malcolm Jarvis	Dansville, New York	Welcome back Steve, keep up the good work, you really are appreciated. The photos of the Christmas decorations are great and your website keeps us expats living abroad informed and full of happy memories of our childhood growing up in that area. To you and yours a happy Christmas and a joyous and prosperous new year, and a bit more of good luck.Why, thank you Malcolm. I really should have sorted the site out earlier. Perhaps then I may have got more feedback more often. Christmas does at least give us all the chance to wish well to people near and far. Which is indeed what I would like to do for all my visitors.
20 December	Brian MacKenzie	Schofields, NSW, Oz	Steve. Welcome back and Merry Christmas. We happened to watch a episode of “Little Britain” the other day and (lo and behold) the sketch was done in Herne Bay with the pavilion in the background – and it still looks like a warehouse. I guess that the problem will always be the same – large amount of heritage, small amount of funding. Best wishes.Hi, Brian. Thanks for that. I too saw the “Little Britain” episode in Herne Bay. The guest house next to the Victoria Hotel also featured quite prominently, as I recall. I might even get to remember it’s name….. I think you may also be right about the funding issue. Whilst Herne Bay and Whitstable did get a good cash injection in the mid 90’s, it seems that poor old Herne Bay, which isn’t as fashionable as Islington-On-Sea, is once again getting the short straw.
20 December	David	Sydney, NSW, Oz	Hi Steve. Just wanted to wish you and your family a happy Christmas and a great 2005. Keep up the good work on the site, it is much appreciated. We enjoyed our trip to England so much in August we plan on visiting again next year.Thanks David; you too. I’m glad the visit went well. Sometimes coming back to your past can be a bit of a letdown but if you’re planning a return I can assume that wasn’t the case.
20 December	Audrey Moore (Née McIver)	Frankston, Victoria, Oz	Hi Steve. Just a short note to wish you and all the compliments of the season and to say, eat, be merry and most of all be safe. Enjoy Christmas, with its pretty lights on the tree, good food and a glass of what ever you enjoy (and in your case a warm fire) whether you are enjoying a ‘barby’ or the Christmas Turkey. CHEERS from Audrey from sunny OZ.Thank you Audrey and the very best to you, too.
19 December	Christine Punter	Auckland, NZ	Hello from Auckland, New Zealand where the temperature should be in the twenties and is in fact about 11 deg. This weekend has been one long thunderstorm with high winds, torrential rain and at about 9am today (Sun) so much hail fell that it looked like a white Christmas with ice collected on roofs, covering the garden for about an hour. Made me feel quite homesick!! Had to go out and crunch around just like a big kid. The neighbours thought I had quite gone doolally and went inside. Drove up North on Friday in the car for the first time. Pretty scary roads, not to mention certain “gentlemen” in their four wheel drives tailgating just to get in front, then a flash of yellow shot past me and I thought of you. Bike, leathers and helmet all in Yellow. You’re not in NZ are you? Merry Christmas and thank you for the site.Hiya, Christine. It’s always good to hear from you. You’ll be pleased to know that the weather is equally crappy here. Mark and I drove to Old Wives Lees this morning and got caught in a hail shower, too. So it seems we’re not so different after all. Much as I would have loved it to have been me on the bike, sadly not. One day, perhaps…..
19 December	Geoff Isted		Hi. I was wondering if you could help me. I have a photo of a sawmill from the parish of Fletching East Sussex. The name on the photo is “herne bay BOARDMAN Co Ltd ealing” Do you know anything about this company, like what’s the connection with Herne Bay, where was it, how long was it around for and what is the connection to Fletching? Your help in this matter would be most helpful. Many many thanks. Happy ChristmasHappy Christmas to you too, Geoff. I’ve not heard of Boardman, nor do I know of a sawmill but, as with the request from Annette (below), I’ll have a word with the HB Historical Society for you.
18 December	Annette Wilkes	Canterbury, NZ	Hello Steve. We have read your potted history with interest. We are researching William John Day who was born about 1786 at Herne and died 5/2/1850, and are wondering if this might be the person you mention. Do you know? We enjoyed your site as some of the things we have been told concur with what you say. All the best, AnnetteHello Annette. I’d say it’s likely to be the same William Day. Your birthdate information would have made him about 50 when he became the town constable. I’ll see if the Herne Bay Historical Society know any more. In the meantime, it’s nice to know that (a) you like the site and (b) the information seems to bear up to scrutiny. Mostly.
17 December	Colin Lovatt	Gold Coast, Queensland, Oz	I had a good laugh at your post! Didn’t mean to cause you so much grief getting the photo! :o) I’m not much of a fan of 4X4s either and there’s heaps over here, but at least out here you actually need one a lot more than just for being ‘seen’ around Whitstable!I’ve worked in the automotive business for nearly 20 years now. Cars used to be a real “hot button” for me but now they’re generally tin boxes on wheels. Unless they’re a 4×4 in which case, in theis country, they’re a legitimate hate target. So popular are they in the capital that they’re referred to as Chelsea Tractors…..
11 December	Colin Lovatt	Gold Coast, Queensland, Oz	Hi Steve. Every now and then I want see what’s going on in Whitstable so I hit your site. It’s always a good read. I lived there for six years and still feel quite a strong attachment to the place even though I don’t want to come back. I don’t miss the cold winter winds blowing up Harbour Street at this time of year! Merry Christmas and a Happy 2005 to you and yours and thanks for the fantastic site. So where’s the picture of Mosaic in Harbour St?? Sacrilege not to include it as it’s the nicest shop in town!Hi Colin. Thanks for the wishes. As far as Mosaic is concerned, I’ll pop into town tomorrow and get a snap for you, OK?.
6 December	Dean Taylor	Tulsa, Oklahoma	Hi! Great site. I was last in Herne Bay in 1969. I am coming back after Christmas and wondered if you might know my cousin, Francis McLoughlin (he would be about 50) or his sister Pauline. I don’t have a phone number or address for him but hope you might have heard of him. His dad (my uncle) Frank McLoughlin passed away a couple of years ago and we lost touch. Any help will be greatly apprieciated. ThanksHello Dean and welcome. It’s a shame you’ll be here when the weather is likely to be at it’s wettest but if you’re visiting family, that will at least make up for things. As far as the McLoughlin family is concerned, I’m afraid I can’t help you. There are no McLoughlins listed in the local phone book for Herne Bay, although there are some in the Canterbury and Dover areas. It’s always possible, of course that they are ex-directory.
29 November	Christine Steele	Auckland, NZ	Nice to see you back online. How is the Bay looking at this time of the year? Any Christmas Lights and decorations in the streets?The weather is as you’d expect it here, Christine (see my answer to David below). As for Christmas light; there are a number up now. I’ll be going out in the next couple of days to get some pics to post. Watch this space.
29 November	David	Sydney, NSW, Oz	Hope you enjoy your trip to the bay Steve. It would be nice to see a picture of the Prince of Wales on your site. When I lived in the bay it was my favourite pub. We would walk all the way from The Fairway, Links View just for that special pint of Sheps. Used to get a Taxi back mind. I was just wondering what your weather is like at the moment. Here in Sydney we have peaked at 42 Centigrade today which is much hotter than normal!! Looks like a long hot summer. By the way, can you remember the name of the Sheps pub that was on Canterbury Road? When you came up Bullockstone Road and turned right onto Canterbury Road heading towards Canterbury, the pub was on the left hand side of the road about 400 yards or so up from the Bullockstone Canterbury Road junction. Last time I was home we noticed it had closed down even though the building was still standing. If you turned left the first pub would be the First and Last. Hope my directions make sense.Hi again, David. Weather here is the standard mild, occasionally wet winter. Little changes, I fear. The pub you’re thinking of is/was the Fox and Hounds. I recall it particularly for it’s regular and highly popular carvery. As you point out, it’s long since closed and has been a private house for some time now.
25 November	David	Sydney, NSW, Oz	Hello Steve. My early August post most have been lost in cyberspace when you were off the air. I was asking if the Prince of Wales pub had been renovated since 1985, when we left Herne Bay for Australia. On our visit to the bay in late August we discovered it hadn’t!! Had a good pint of Sheps in “The Prince” and then went to the seafood place (The one pictured on this site) on the prom where you can sit outside. The food was superb and all in all we had a great time back in Herne Bay. Like the new site, by the way.Thanks, David. Sorry about not publishing your note – it’s more likely to be loss through stupidity than any cyberspace issue, truth be told. I’m off to the Bay this morning – I’ll check out the PoW while there, to get a photo if nothing else. As far as the Sea View restaurant is concerned, it has a good reputation certainly but seafood isn’t my bag, personally.
16 November	Jez Burford	Darlington, County Durham	Good site. I grew up in Whitstable in the 60s and 70s. I went to QE (Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar) in Faversham and my parents still live in Grimthorpe Avenue. Having been away from the south for 16 years I do realise that global warming is a real problem as I tell my kids that for at least 3 weeks every winter I could sledge at Duncan Downs. I don’t think it has seen proper snow in 16 years. Does anybody else remember how it used to be? Thanks for the site.Hi, Jez. I do indeed remember my dad taking us to the other end of the Downs with sledges. We used to go down the precipitousely steep slope towards Stanley Road. Well, it seemed pretty steep when we went down. I also recall (in better weather) taking my go-kart down Ashurst Avenue; a rather daft thing to do, as the brakes were non-existent, much to the dismay of the house owner in Martindown Road whose rose bushes were trashed as I realised there was no way of stopping. Such games would not be possible nowadays, of course, due to the number of cars about. There was a lot to be said for innocent childhood and fewer cars, perhaps…..
16 November	Peter Adams	Welling, Kent	Great Website. I used to holiday in Herne Bay every year in the late 70s. I remember the pier being full but what a sad state of repair the pierhead building is in at this time. You would have thought the council would have kept the building painted and in decent repair as it is part of herne Bay; the first thing you see as you look out to sea is the old pierhead and it looks a mess. They should preserve the building, not just let it rot away as it is part of the history of Herne Bay. I appreciate this would cost the council money but even though the pier is not there any more, the building should be remembered and not just left!Hello Peter. You’re preaching to the converted. Despite the groups fighting to get the pier re-opened, I really wonder how forlorn a hope it is. The Pierhead really does look sorry for itself. However, if Brighton Pier’s fate is anything to go by, I’d not count on the council doing anything about our version.
13 November	Sandra Parker	Bees Creek, Northern Territory, Oz	I live at Bees Creek, about 30 kilometres south of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, the nearest township being Humpty Doo on the Arnhem Highway to Kakadu National Park. My retirement has allowed me time to pursue an interest in family history. I have been searching for any information about my greatgrandfather, George Henry Barton. He was shown in the 1901 census as being the ‘Chief Officer’ in the Coast Guard and he lived with his wife (name unknown) at the Coast guard Station at Herne Bay. They had 4 daughters and 1 son. Alice was my grandmother. But the ones I’m really interested in is my great aunt Elizabeth, who married a Mr Please. She lived at ‘Polar Star’ Spa Esplanade, Herne Bay, until her death in the 1950’s. I used to stay there with my parents when I was very young and spent Christmas 1949 there before emigrating to Australia. I still bear the scar of a fall on the pier, when a large splinter went into my knee (I presume the pier is in better condition now!) My other great aunt was Polly Barton. She married a Matthew Johnson, who was in the merchant navy in the area. He possibly attained the rank of Captain, as there are memories of him still being called Captain, even though he had retired around the mid 1930’s. I would be really thrilled if anyone could give me advice on how to obtain any information on the Coast Guard Station, especially a photograph. Thanks for this opportunity.Hi Sandra and welcome. The only coast guard facilities I recall were the coastguard hut near Bishopstone Glen which was pulled down in the late 80’s or early 90’s, and the coastguard houses in Swalecliffe, near the end of Studd Hill. As far as tracing family is concerned, the most popular location for records is the Family Records Office in London which holds the information once kept by Somerset House. The office has a comprehensive website here, should you wish to check it out.
4 November	Lesley LePrince	Herne Bay	Re the continuing topic of Underdown House (don’t worry, I know you know where it is now!). You had a response from Emily Mortimer (30/7/04) who kindly offered to provide more info or photos of Underdown House. If you could pass on my email address to her, may be she’d be good enough to enlighten me as to the history of Underdown House. Many thanks and glad to see you up and running again.Hi, Lesley. Well, this is a little embarrassing, as I seem to have mislaid Emily’s address. In my haste to keep my PC clear of excess files, or in one of my media-munching crashes, my email inbox seems to have kept nothing older than the first week of October. Please Emily; if you’re out there, get in touch .
5 August	Fiona Newton	Victoria, Vancouver Island,British Columbia	Wow – my husband and I were so pleased to have come across your website – thanks for all your hard work! I am a British Expariate (lived in Canada almost 20 years now) and I miss home so much. I was born in Margate, Kent (1967), but grew up in Beckenham, and it wasn’t until I was 15 years old that my parents moved the family back down to the Kent Coast line – to Herne Bay. My Parents had always loved it there, so when my father retired it was their 1st choice. We had spent many happy family holidays in Herne Bay during the ’70’s visting my grandparents who had lived on Albany Drive, so at 15 when we moved back to the coast, living in Herne Bay – well, it already felt like home. Now with a young family of my own, my yearning to return to my homeland permanently has grown stronger & stronger (we have come back each year to visit), so my husband and I have decided to move back to the UK – and yes, to Herne Bay of course! Although sadly, my father passed away several years ago now, my mother still lives there, and I can hardly wait to be back there with her, and have her share in the joy of raising our children in a place that has such meaning to me, such history, and such great people – Herne Bay. Canada is a beautiful country to live in – but I still call England, and specifically Herne Bay – HOME. Keep up the good work!It’s always pleasing to hear from people who have gained something positive from the site. When I first made this site in 2000, I never imagined for a minute that I’d still be fiddling with it 4 years later……
3 August	Nina Bukin		Dear Steve. I was visiting your website in search of the history of The Cottage in Underdown Lane which lead me to you. The reason for this is that I am due to move there on 7th August and I noticed that you didnt know where Underdown House was! Well it is in fact in Underdown Lane which is right next to The Cottage just as you turn ito Herne Bay off Thanet Way on the left! Its a long gravel Road which one tends to miss on the left as you goround the bend but there you go! Hope this helps. Here is a picture of the Cottage where I am moving to in Underdown Lane.Hi Nina. Welcome to Herne Bay. An awful lot of people have now told me me where Underdown House is and I went along Underdown Lane a while ago to see for myself. I decided NOT to take a photo of the house, simply because it would mean I’d be on private property. However, for all those people who have asked, Nina sent me a picture. You’ll find it here.
3 August	Audrey Moore	Frankston, Victoria, Oz	Hi Steve Welcome back to the airwaves, or whatever they call it. It’s nice to have you back. We came back to HB in March, BRRRRRRRRR, not an experience we want to re-run, we knew it was winter but….. We had a good look at the apology for a pavilion on the pier and we were not impressed, it has no character. It looks a bit like a birthday cake. How do we send a couple of photos to you? Regards Audrey (don’t forget to padlock the PC up and install a burglar alarm).Thanks Audrey. I was never really away as such, merely out of touch temporarily. Airwaves? Ether? No idea. I just write the stuff. If you want to send a photo, just send it as an attachment to an email. If you’re after a postal address, get in touch.
3 August	Nicky Rogers	Herne Bay	Hi Steve. My parents have been running the Queen Victoria for the last 2 years and have made many improvements to both the interior and exterior so I thought you might like to take a more up to date photo for this great site.I’ll do that Nicky. Thanks. The Vic used to be a regular haunt of mine back in the early 80’s, when Dennis was the landlord. I’ve not been there for many years, mind.
1 August	June Hill	Perth W. Oz	Dear Steve,Welcome back! I do hope that all goes well from now on. Before you went “off line” I was hoping that Geoff Holden would contact me so that a meeting of Herne Bayites in Perth could be arranged. My husband,Bob, and I are still interested. So Geoff,if you read this please get in touch. We have recently met two old friends of yours who would also come along. Steve,please let me have a little envelope for replies. With very best wishes, June.Thanks, June. Sorry about the disappearing act. Your envelope is now in place. Are you there, Geoff?
1 August	A restin percussionist (you know who you are)	Gold Coast, Queensland, Oz	Nice site Steve. I see nothing much is changing around Whitstable and they’re still trying find some exciting things to do at the Oyster Festival. I appreciate moving away from the area more than ever. It’s a shame my girlfirend still lives in Herne Bay or I definately wouldn’t be coming back!! I’m just being a bit cruel! I guess living in Whitstable or Herne Bay is not that bad!! Hmmmmm….or maybe it is!! :o)I don’t think it’s that bad, generally. I’ve been to a few places and come across far worse in my time. Hmm; “Resting Percussionist”? That wouldn’t be former Tortilla infantryman Colin L, would it?
30 July	Emily Mortimer	Stoke Newington, London	Hi there. I was looking up my old home on the internet as I miss it :(and was surprised to see someone had been asking about it on your website? I grew up and lived in Underdown House from 1973 to 2003 so if anyone needs photos or more info I’d be happy to help. Regards, Emily MortimerAlways pleased to put people in touch, Emily. I note you have deviated away from the trend, by going up to the Smoke, rather than escaping it…..
19 July	Audrey Moore	Frankston, Victoria, Oz	Hi Steve. Thanks for your recent reply to my query. Sorry to hear about your computer problem, hope things improve as we miss your site. We try it every day ‘just in case’ with fingers firmly crossed, but no go as yet. We’ll keep trying in hopes. Regards, AudreyHi, Audrey. Well, it’s back, after a fashion. First thing to do was get the email backlog dealt with. Next will be the news and then I’ll get on with the rewrite, which will also include some new or updated photos. Don’t hold your breath, mind…..
16 July	Paul Dowson	Aylesbury, Bucks	Hi. Nice site, plenty of info, love the pic’s. Will be down to see the place sometime this weekend. All the best, Paul.Thanks, Paul. Enjoy.
8 July	Leah Cox	Lincoln, Lincolnshire	I used to live in Herne Bay when I was a baby. I was born in Margate but now live in Lincoln. My nan used to sing on stage for charity years ago before she passed away through cancer in 1990. Her name was Annie Harrison. She used to be a landlady in Herne Bay in many pubs at different stages; the Ship Inn with her husband Patric for 4 years until 1986. She was a professional actress for 12 years before joining the licensed trade. She was diagnosed as having cancer in 1982 and raised more than £50,000 for research into the illness before she died. Annie, who was born in Welling in 1935, appeared in many stage productions as well as ‘Oh What A Lovely War’ and television commersials. She organised several charity shows at the Marlowe theatre, Canterbury and was a leading member of Herne Bay Operatic Society. She also ran the Red Lion inn in Wingham. She organised one sellout show at the Marlowe with showbusiness friends in 1987 and followed this up a year later with a highly successful 3-night revue for 3 charities. One of the performances was attended by the Duchess of Kent. She left one daughter, Georgia, my mother, who still lives in Herne Bay. I am curious as to whether anybody remembers her and what she was like. If anybody could reply on this page it would be a great help to me to get the feel of what she was like as I have faint memories of her but a deep love for my nannie Annie Yours hopefully, Leah xxxPS. What about adding the ‘wine bar’ to your pictures? That is where my grandad goes.Well; there’s a lot of information there, Leah. We can only see if anyone can help to fill in the gaps. As far as the wine bar is concerned; I’ll get on to it…..