WESTGATE ON SEA: Thanet Parish #10 of 11

The penultimate parish in Thanet sees TVI take on the newest one in the district. This did not exist as a civil parish until 2015, so it's only six years old, but the settlement we find occupying this small two square kilometres of the North Kent coast has been here for a lot longer. This place was originally nothing more than a farm and a coastguard station in the 19th century, but these days it is far far more.

Built relatively quickly between 1860 and 1901 for the upper and middle classes, this town was designed to be a seaside resort for the wealthy, and as you walk around it, you get the impression that's exactly what it once was. Things have altered a little since then, but you can still see some evidence in the old architecture around the place that this was certainly not a place that just anyone could rock up at. In the modern day though it certainly is.

Come and explore the lovely Victorian canopied shops, the picturesque buildings and the gorgeous West Bay seafront, all within a short walk of the train station which links this part of Kent to London Victoria Station, an hour and a half down the line. It's certainly much quieter than neighbouring Birchington. It shares a golf course with its neighbour on the clifftops between the parishes.

If you come here, you will inevitably come across the history surrounding the B24 Liberator crash, like I did. On the clifftop, you're treated to a wonderful view across the sea, but in 1944 that was the scene of tragedy as two planes which attempted to land at RAF Manston ended up crashing into the sea here. A piece of local history that is marked by the memorial not too far away from the crash site.

A good couple of hours was spent walking around this small town, the newest parish in Thanet, and I hope this sixteen minutes is a good summary of the place known as WESTGATE ON SEA.

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My name is Andy. I am armed with a car, a GoPro and an unhealthy amount of time on my hands.

Join me as I try to visit every single parish in the District of Thanet. There are 11. Here's the TENTH one – Westgate on Sea.

#WestgateonSea, #Margate, #B24Liberator, #StMildred, #Kent, #StAugustines, #Station, #WestBay, #Thanet, #CarltonCinema, #Parish,

B24 Liberator crash:
http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index...

Zoopla:
https://www.zoopla.co.uk/house-prices...

Bustimes:
https://bustimes.org/localities/westg...

Westgate Library:
https://www.visitthanet.co.uk/attract...

Second Time Around:
https://secondtimearound.london/secon...

St Augustine’s:
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/...

St Saviour’s Church:
https://www.stsaviourswestgate.org.uk...

The Garden Bar:
https://whatpub.com/pubs/THA/241/gard...

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