| 1. In Celebration |
| Stables were once located in the centre of Coronation
Square which used to be known as Wheeler’s Green. The half-timbered
house to the left of the garage is still known by this name. The name
of the square was changed in 1901 to commemorate the coronation of
Edward VII. |
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| 2. Order! Order! |
| In a corner of the square is a hardware shop called
Woolleys. The current exterior disguises one of the oldest and smallest
surviving timber-framed court halls in Kent. The court room was located
on the upper floor with a lock-up and store room below. Two sixteenth
century royal coats of arms are visible on the inner wall of the court
room. |
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| 3. Not so New |
| Despite its name, New Street is thought to be one
of the oldest roads in Lydd. Originally known as New Bigging, several
fifteenth century houses give a clue to its true age. The building
that now forms numbers 13 to 17 is unusual in that it once contained
two open halls. Although its original use remains a mystery, the building
may have been a communal dwelling associated with the church. |
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| 4. Touching The Sky |
| The town is dominated by the imposing
late twelfth century church of All Saints, which at 199ft long is
the longest in Kent. Thomas Wolsey, who was vicar at Lydd during the
early sixteenth century, went on to become Cardinal during the reign
of King Henry VIII. The church was built on the site of an earlier
Saxon church, the remains of which form part of the north west wall
behind the marble font. The church sustained heavy bomb damage during
World War II but was fully restored following a local fund raising
campaign. The church is known locally as the “Cathedral of the
Marsh” due to its size and grand double doors. |
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| 5. Rest In Peace |
| The churchyard is the final resting place of Lieutenant
Thomas Edgar who sailed the oceans in the company of Captain Cook.
Edgar was a skilled mariner in his own right whose survey of the West
Falkland Islands in 1786 gave rise to the naming of Port Edgar. His
tombstone now sits in the north chapel of the Church. Many local smugglers
are also buried at Lydd including Francis Sisley who smuggled silks
and laces with the help of his son Thomas based in France. Francis
was to become great-grandfather to the Impressionist painter Alfred
Sisley. |
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| 6. Put ’Em Up |
| From Mittells the newsagent, a former public house,
look across to the house on the other side of the road. The Beehive
was also once a public house, famed for its bare knuckle fighting. |
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| 7. Breakout |
| The haunted George Hotel has a long been associated
with the smuggling trade. On a Sunday night in 1721 it was the scene
of a pistol skirmish involving nine members of the Mayfield Gang.
Leader Gabriel Tomkin was shot in the arm during a battle to release
gang members Jacob Walter and Thomas Biggs who were being held under
armed guard in an upstairs room. Three officers were also injured
in the gun battle. A century later, the inn regularly played host
to members of the notorious Aldington Gang. |
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| 8. A Load of Hot Air |
| On the opposite side of the high street to the George
Hotel once stood the Edwin Finn Brewery. Finn began brewing in 1862
and at one time owned 18 public houses on the Romney Marsh. The brewery
was one of the first to make soda water using the carbonic gas given
off as a by-product of the brewing process. |
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| 9. Underneath The Arches |
| The guildhall dates from the 18th century. It originally
had open arches and provided cover for some of the traders in a market
that extended along the high street to the north side of the church.
In 1819, convicted local smuggler George Walker was being marched
from the court to the lock-up alongside the guildhall when a supportive
and jostling crowd enabled him to escape his armed escort and flee.
Walker was chased into New Street by naval officer Lieutenant Peat
who ran him through with his sword. |
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| 10. A Safe Passage |
| Although the frontage of many of the high street
buildings have changed over the years the roofs have stayed the same.
Smugglers are said to have used them as escape routes to avoid capture
by Preventative Officers. |
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| 11. Fetch The Engine |
| The old fire station was built in 1890. Today the
building is maintained by the Friends of Lydd as a Museum and contains
a wealth of artifacts linked to the town. The museum still houses
the original Merryweather fire engine and a number of other interesting
vehicles. Amongst these is a unique wide-wheeled Beach Cart used to
carry beer over the shingle from the brewery to the remote coastal
pubs in the days before Dungeness was served with roads. |
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| 12. For Valour |
| The large triangular-shaped area of common land surrounded
by houses is known as The Rype. The original area of land known as
the Rype extended for several miles along the coast both to the east
and west of the present town. The Rype was reputedly given to the
people of Lydd by the Archbishop of Canterbury as a reward for fighting
off an army of Danes in the year 904. |
