Mini route three
Historic Broadstairs Ride - 5km (3.25 miles)
Discover what attracted and inspired great historical characters like Charles Dickens and Thomas Russell Crampton on a ride through this charming seaside resort. A stop here for homemade ice cream is a must.
King George VI Memorial Park
The King George VI Memorial Park contains a large and elegant Italianate greenhouse, which was built on the site of the demolished East Cliff Lodge and dates back to the 1830s. Leaflet available.
Crampton Tower Museum
(This is a slight detour from the route onto the High Street) This museum, housed in the original Broadstairs waterworks, is dedicated to Thomas Russell Crampton (1816-88) a notable Victorian civil engineer who was a native of Broadstairs and the first to succeed in laying an effective telegraph cable under the English Channel.
Dickens House Museum and Bleak House
Broadstairs was Charles Dickens’ favourite holiday destination. The Dickens House Museum on the seafront has some very interesting memorabilia, and is located in the former home of Mary Pearson Strong, the inspiration for the character Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield. Famously, Bleak House was where Dickens began to write this novel. Bleak House is now privately owned.
Broadstairs
Broadstairs started life as a small fishing village called Bradstow, meaning “broad place”, and much of the historic seafront remains the same as the day it was built. On the jetty stands the 17th century timber boarded Boathouse and Customs House, and many of the shops and restaurants are located in original fishermen’s sheds and cottages.
Viking Bay
The seafront at Broadstairs consists of seven bays. The largest of these was originally called Main Bay. However it was renamed Viking Bay, to mark the occasion when the Viking ship, now on display at Pegwell Bay, was rowed from Denmark and landed at Broadstairs.
York Gate, Harbour Street
Harbour Street was the original site of the first pier in Broadstairs. In the 16th century, shipbuilding was the town’s most important industry. In 1538 the shipbuilder George Culmer built the pier and the York Gates to protect his shipyard, which was located in Harbour Street. The Pavilion on the Sands now stands on the site.
North Foreland Lighthouse, North Foreland Road
The North Foreland Lighthouse was the last manned lighthouse in the country until its conversion to automatic operation in November 1998. Its presence serves to mark the southerly entrance to the Thames, and also warns ships of the Margate Roads, a local marine hazard.
