Digital Discoveries
While wandering around our beautiful town you may be curious about some of the history of the place…
Our brilliant local tourism team, Visit Thanet, have recently added a new series of digital interpretation plaques in Broadstairs and our neighbouring Thanet towns and surrounding villages.
Thanet District comprises Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate and villages, on the North Eastern tip of the county of Kent, in South East England. This coastal area, approximately 70 miles east from London, is rich in both natural and human history. As well as the sandy beaches and striking chalk cliffs to the stunning architecture we have had many famous visitors and residents over the years.
What the Dickens!
One such resident was the author Charles Dickens, a prolific and popular writer during the days of Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century. He wrote Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and many other famous books, many of which have since been made into films and remain hugely popular.
In keeping with the character of our quaint seaside towns, these new plaques look very smart and traditional and allow visitors and locals alike to learn about some of Thanet’s unique stories, rich heritage and unsolved mysteries. Find them at key locations around the coast. We think they are a very clever combination of signposting and modern day digital technology.
There’s one on Viking Bay, the main bay in the heart of beautiful Broadstairs and it is dedicated to Mr Dickens himself. So if you are curious to know more about him and his time here, hop on down and find it. The picture below will help you identify the exact location. Can you see the beach and the jetty in the background?
What the Dickens! is the title and instructions tell you what to do with your handheld digital device to be able to learn more.
Look out for this eye-catching plaque and the others, for teasing snippets of information that you can expand on by simply entering a short code enabling you to learn more about about each plaque’s location and the associated stories.
The code allows you to discover films, audio and images and signposts you to more locations associated with the first plaque – it’s an excellent way to learn and have fun at the same time!
Discover Thanet Coast Project
These new Digital Interpretation Plaques have been created as part of the Coastal Community Funded ‘Discover Thanet Coast’s Project. Along with our friends at Visit Thanet, we’d like to thank all the town councils, voluntary groups and interested societies that have helped with the project including by sharing their valuable stories and photographs. It’s been a great community effort and everyone involved should be very proud of what they’ve managed to produce.
We hope you will thoroughly enjoy them as part of your holiday. Below is a full list of each of the Plaques across the whole District.
List of the Digital Plaques
- St Mildred’s Bay – Telling the story of the Royal Air Service Station and development of Manston Airfield
- Nayland Rock Shelter – Telling the story of TS Eliot writing part of his famous poem ‘The Waste Land’ while recuperating in Margate.
- Turner’s Margate – The story of the famous painter JMW Turner and his love of Margate
- Margate Lido – Explore sea bathing and the grandeur of the former Lido site – which is sadly not currently operational – there are some great shops and cafes opposite this site that are also worth checking out.
- Joss Bay -Smuggling tales, including that of Joss Snelling on this out of town beach overlooked by North Foreland Lighthouse.
- Dickens’ Broadstairs – Dickens’ connection to his favourite holiday destination (as shown above).
- Italianate Glasshouse – Explore the story behind the Greenhouse in Broadstairs George IV Park, why it’s there and the fabulous 100 year old blooming agaves which brought television news crews and their cameras to this little tucked away location, midway between Broadstairs and Ramsgate.
- Pugin’s Grange – Famous architect, Pugin, created the interiors in the Houses of Parliament and the Grange in Ramsgate was his family home. This plaque signifies Pugin’s importance to Ramsgate. It also includes information to help you explore Pegwell Bay.
- Viking Ship ‘Hugin’ – Communicating the story of the ship which commemorated the first Vikings arriving on English shores. This Plaque is on the site where the replica ship now rests in Pegwell Bay, having landed at Viking Bay in Broadstairs.
- Minster Abbey – The story of the Abbey, the original seat of Christianity in England, in charming Minster village. Minster is a short drive from Broadstairs. Not to be missed.
What next?
Let us know how you get on with the plaques! They are something new and we hope they are going to be very successful at helping visitors enjoy our fascinating area in more depth.
If you haven’t yet booked your holiday – use the form on our home page to check availability for your preferred dates. We look forward to welcoming you to one of our comfortable fully equipped Broadstairs holiday lets very soon. Our Holiday homes are suitable for families and groups and are fully equipped with every convenience and home comfort.