Whitstable Harbour Memoirs

A mix of historic & modern pictures

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A copy free feature

Whitstable Harbour in the 1830's with trucks from the Old Crab & Winkle Line that ran from the town to Canterbury West Station on the East Quay

A Bargemen sculling to his barge beached where the West Quay would appear years later

Work began in February 2006 to replace the East Quay pile shuttering, above backfilling with concrete

The work is on schedule & will be complete in August

During the work unexpected remains were uncovered

The old 1830's wooden piles from the original Harbour Quay were revealed

West Whelks still trading at Whitstable Harbour above an early picture that became a Cigarette card in the 1950's showing Derek West's uncle Tom Taylor Whelking off Whitstable

The last remaining Oyster Boat is in the Whitstable Museum

The Forth Drummer & ahead the Forth Fighter being used in the beach reclamation project at West Beach

Whitstable Harbour during the 1960's was a general cargo port above both East & West Quays have holding buildings

Brett's had their hopper & storage silos on the landward end of West Quay

Some History: Crescent Shipping leased the main East Quay & its two custom approved transit sheds along with warehouses on the South Quay & West Quay

Crescent shipping pulled out of the harbour around 1986/7

Brett's then took the lease for the East Quay which beacme a Ballast Berth & Eastern part of the South Quay Warehouse in addition to an area they already had there

The West Quay became a storage area for ballast for beach replenishment in 1988/89

The West Quay Warehouse suffered from vandalism & was taken down by a farmer at no cost to the local council

Scotline arrived to traded timber from Scandinavia & Latvia from the West Quay

Council dictated short terms despite Scotline seeking a lenghthy lease, resulting in Scotline leaving the harbour to relocate their operation in Medway

Scotline have since become a highly successful multi-million pound business business, many feel their leaving was a sad loss to the harbour & town

The Harbour launch work boat & pilot craft pictured on 20th July 2006

Whitstable Harbour in oils in the mid 1960's by local artist Peter Dadd

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