Broadstairs () is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 of about 25,000. Situated between Margate and Ramsgate, Broadstairs is one of Thanet's seaside resorts, known as the "jewel in Thanet's crown". The town's coat of arms' Latin motto is Stella Maris ("Star of the Sea"). The name derives from a former flight of steps in the chalk cliff, which led from the sands up to the 11th-century shrine of St Mary on the cliff's summit.
The town spreads from Haine Road in the west to Kingsgate (named after the landing of King Charles II in 1683), a hamlet in St Peter parish in the north, and to Dumpton in the south (named after the yeoman Dudeman who farmed there in the 13th century). The hamlet of Reading (formerly Reden or Redyng) Street was established by Flemish refugees in the 17th century.
History 11th century to 13th century The inland village of St Peter's was established after the building of what became a parish church in about 1080. The church is first documented in 1124 as a chapel of ease to Minster in Thanet Priory, overseen by Archbishop of Canterbury, and became a parish church in 1200. The coastal confederation of Cinque Ports during its mediaeval period included St Peter's, as a 'limb' of Dover. On the nearby coast was a cliff-top shrine, the Shrine of Our Lady, at what was then called Bradstow(e), meaning "broad place" (perhaps referring to the wide bay).Bygone Kent, vol. 1 no. 6, 1980.
14th century and 15th century St Peter's is divided at a 1317 trial of the Abbott of St Augustine's Abbey into a northborough and southborough. In 1393 Richard II asked the Abbott of St Augustine's to aid the restitution of a trendle of wax removed from a plundered ship and now held by two named men of St. Peters. In 1424 the earlier grant of Thanet to the Abbey of St Augustine in a now lost document of 1027 is confirmed.
16th century and 17th century A man resident in St Peters is arrested in Ramsgate for failing to take the oath of renunciation of papal authority. In 1538, the road leading to the seafront, known as Harbour Street, was cut into the rough chalk ground on which Broadstairs is built, by George Culmer. Going further in defence of the town, he built Flint Gate in 1540, a portal that still spans Harbour Street and which then held two heavy wooden doors that could be closed in times of threat from the sea. The fishery in Broadstairs saw exports of cod to Iceland before 1594. A map of 1596 has the name Brod Stayers for Broadstairs and Domptons Baye for Dumpton Gap.. In 1646, a petition was put forth by fishermen in Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate for a convey and protection while fishing for herrings.
18th century Smuggling was a large crime and resulted in the Battle Of Botany Bay at Kingsgate in 1769, which saw the smuggling gang of John Snelling ambushed by Revenue Patrol. The patrol saw ten of the gang members killed and eight captured.
The bathing machine was introduced to Broadstairs in 1754. An old hotel building in Broadstairs is the Phoenix Inn built in 1760 now part of the Royal Albion Hotel. The building that became in due course the Captain Digby pub was part of developments on the seaside Thanet estate of Lord Holland between 1763 and 1768. The construction of Pierremont Hall was over seen in 1785 by Samuel Pepys Cockerell for Thomas Douglas Forsyth. For being built in such a remote place it was also known as Forsyth's Folly. The initial wooden pier had been destroyed three times by storms in 1763, 1767 and 1774. The pier and harbour of Broadstairs were repaired and rebuilt from 1791. This was supported by a public Act of Parliament that was signed in 1792 by George III to repair and rebuild the pier adjoining the harbour of Broadstairs.
By 1795, Flint Gate was restored by Lord Hellkier to repel any threat from the French Revolutionary Wars and renamed York Gate after the Duke Of York. In the same year, the first lightvessel was placed on the Goodwin Sands. Also in 1795 the present flint walled Brown Jug pub just within Broadstairs near Dumpton Park commenced treading as The Queen’s Arm Tap. The following year, Princess of Wales was launched at Broadstairs as a Margate hoy.Goodridge, Charles Medyett (1843). Narrative of a Voyage to the South Seas: And the Shipwreck of the Princess of Wales Cutter, with an Account of Two Years Residence on an Uninhabited Island. W. C. Featherstone. Irish Melesina Trench, poet and writer, came to visit Broadstairs in 1798 for the summer. During the 18th century, the cod fishery that had brought trade from Iceland was destroyed during war with France.
In 1837 it was reported that in the 18th century the finest Indiamen came from Broadstairs shipyards.
19th century
As threat of Napoleon Bonaparte grew in 1803, requests for the number of carronades were made for the vessels at Broadstairs and Ramsgate. A total of 253 Sea Fencibles were deployed along the coasts of Broadstairs and the surronding Ramsgate and Sandwich. His Majesty's Ship (HMS) Monarch was sent off the coast of Broadstairs and sent reports to (HMS) ships at in North Sea. An act was signed by George III for the repair and rebuild of the pier adjoining to the harbour in 1806 and plans for an eastern battery were made the next year.
A tragedy in 1820 resulted in a ship from Broadstairs sinking off the North Foreland and resulting in the deaths of six of all the crewmen onboard.Champion (London) Published Saturday, 1 January 1820 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com In 1824, the Royal Paddle Steamer was established between Broadstairs and Margate, with rides between the two free of cost.Star (London) Published Thursday, 22 April 1824 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com The young Princess Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, were summer visitors 1826–1836, staying at Pierremont Hall. By 1830 traditional smuggling to evade customs and excise duties had ended. In 1834, Broadstairs was described as attractive and fashionable and saw the arrival of 13 families in July of that year.Sun (London) Published Friday, 4 July 1834 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com Throughout the 1830’s and 1840’s, Broadstairs became a favoured seaside retreat to Charles Dickens as he resided in Bleak House. The arrival of wealthier families was highlighted in 1842 in the newspapers.
“Broadstairs has undergone a greater change in its character as a watering place during the last few years than any other perhaps that can be mentioned. From an animated little place, frequented by a number of genteel families which formed a social and agreeable society with one another, it has now become a quiet hospital for invalids and a nursery for children.Age (London) Published Sunday, 11 September 1842 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com”
Lifeboats arrived in Broadstairs in 1851, and saw its first use on 6 March 1851, when the brig Mary White became trapped on the Goodwin Sands during a severe gale blowing from the north. A ballad was written to celebrate the occasion, "Song of the Mary White". Broadstairs' lifeboats were further supported by a fund established in the 1860s by Sir Charles Reed FSA. Broadstairs was not directly served by the railways until 1863. Rail access to Broadstairs had previously relied heavily upon coach links to other railway stations in the district or region; with firms such as Bradstowe Coachmasters, operated by William Sackett and John Derby.
During 1882, a Provisional Order was made for the improvement and regulation of the harbour and pier as royal assent was granted for a proposed new pier in the same year. Cases of diphtheria were reported in Broadstairs by Dr R Bruce Low in 1894. In 1899, the previous residence of Charles Dickens, Bleak House was put under sale for auction.Liverpool Weekly Courier Published Saturday, 14 October 1899 www.britishnewspaperarchive.comYork Herald Published Saturday, 7 October 1899 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com Due to the fresh sea air, many convalescent homes for children opened towards the end of the 19th century. 20th century
In February 1900, William Joseph Lurchboard, secretary and manager of Broadstairs Gas Company was charged with embezzlement of funds and put on bail for 1’000 pounds.Huddersfield Chronicle Published Saturday, 24 November 1900 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com Storms began to rage on south east of Kent on the following November and saw lifeboats from Broadstairs sent out to rescue ships along the coast.Liverpool Weekly Courier Published Saturday, 24 February 1900 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com In 1903, a story from a trip to Broadstairs was written in the newspaper. ‘The afternoon was spent - searching for shells and crabs, which we found in abundance. I was greatly afraid of crabs, but Willie soon learned to handle them without fear of being nipped.’Cotton Factory Times Published Friday, 8 May 1903 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com Along Victoria Parade, Morelli's Gelato company was founded in 1907.
Parcels were dispatched from Broadstairs in 1915 to twenty local soldiers on the front line. Yarrow home was offered to the military and served as a military hospital before annexed by Granville Canadian Hospital in 1916. Ten of Convalescent homes established in the late 19th century were used as military hospitals during the first world war. Four bombs dropped near a local school in 1916 by German seaplanes and shattered the glass. Though there were no casualties, three were injured.Kenilworth Advertiser Published Saturday, 12 February 1916 www.britishnewspaperarchive.comStockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser Published Saturday, 12 February 1916 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com
Bombs were dropped by enemy planes in January 1917 and guns were mounted along Northfleet for defence. In Reading Street on 28 February 2017 a mother and her two daughters were killed. Further attacks came on the following May as shells were fired at both Broadstairs and Ramsgate. Twelve homes were hit in the crossfire with two civilian deaths.Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser Published Saturday, 3 March 1917 www.britishnewspaperarchive.com A claim of war damage was made against Germany for the losses, which amounted to £60,000. A war memorial war built in 1923 to commemorate 159 local servicemen who died fighting.
A outbreak of poliomyelitis hit in October 1926, resulting in a number of cases of flaccid paralysis. At the beginning, the illness was mistaken for sleep sickness by local newspapers. The spread was most prominent among young people, and 44.6% of the cases were aged between 10 and 14. As a means of controlling the spread, those infected were placed into isolation while receiving treatment in hospital. Local boarding schools, which saw a high number of cases, were placed into quarantine as a further precaution. In total, there were 53 cases and two deaths.Sunday, 14 November 1926 Sunday Mirror (Page 3) London, London, England www.britishnewspaperarchive.com
Though first thought and discussed a year earlier, Broadstairs sailing club was offically formed in 1936 by Harry Dipple and held boat races.
During World War II, damage resulted from 278 high explosive and 300 incendiary bombs, including two V-1 flying bombs, with seven civilian deaths and over 3000 buildings damaged, with 17 unrepairable.
On the 28 July 1949 a replica Viking longboat that had been rowed from Denmark to Broadstairs to commemorate the landing of Hengist and Horsa nearby at Eopwinesfleot in 449, was greeted by the then Crown Prince of Denmark, Prince Georg and a crowd of 30,000. Broadstairs main bay was renamed as Viking Bay that year.