SANDWICH, KENT

'Sandwich' is an historic town in Kent, south-east England. It was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings. While once a major port, it is now two miles from the sea.

Contents

History

Sandwich today

Twin cities/towns

Sandwich and sandwiches

Sandwich Festival

Trivia

See also

External links

History

The Port of Sandwich is no stranger to odd events in English history; it was in the year 1255 that the first captive Elephant was landed in England (see: History of elephants in Europe). The prize beast arrived at Sandwich quayside, delivered as a gift to the English monarch Henry III, from the French king, and was then taken on foot to the king's zoo at the Tower of London. The journey through Kent is reported to have proceeded without incident, except when a bull in a field adjacent to the roadside took umbrage to the great beast passing and attacked it. In one move the poor animal was thrown by the elephant and killed outright. (Hidden Kent: Alan Major).
Before Sandwich became a Cinque Port, the ancient Saxon town of Stonar, located on the opposite bank of the Wantsum estuary, at the mouth of the River Stour, was already well established. It remained a place of considerable importance until it disappeared almost without trace in the 14th century. The ruins of the major Roman fort of Richborough are close by.
On 21 May 1216, Prince Louis of France landed at Sandwich in support of the baron's war against King John.
On 28 August 1457, after four years of uneasy peace in England the king presided over a wasting realm, with feudal barons lording over the population of the north and the west of the realm. The French took advantage of the situation by sending a raiding party to Kent, burning much of Sandwich to the ground. A force of 4,000 men from Honfleur, under the command of Marshal de Breze came ashore to pillage the town, in the process murdering the mayor, John Drury. It thereafter became an established tradition, which survives to this day, that the Mayor of Sandwich wears a black robe in mourning for this ignoble deed.
Sandwich was later to gain significantly from the skills brought to the town by many Dutch settlers, who were granted the right to settle by Queen Elizabeth I in 1560. These settlers, brought with them techniques of market gardening, and were responsible for growing the first English celery. The Huguenot refugees also brought over Dutch architectural techniques, that are now as much a part of Kent as the thatched cottage. In addition techniques of silk manufacture were imported, enhancing the Kent cloth industry.

Sandwich today

The local economy has benefited from significant investment by Pfizer, a US pharmaceuticals company, which has built a research and development centre near Sandwich, employing over 5,000 people. Laboratory experiments at the site have aroused negative comment by animal rights activists. Several important drugs including Viagra, Pfizer's treatment for erectile dysfunction, were discovered here.
Sandwich has two world-class golf courses, Royal St George's which hosts The Open Championship every 10 years and Prince's which hosted The Open Championship in 1932 and is currently an Open Championship Final Qualifying course. The Open Championship returns to Sandwich in 2013.
There is Monk's Wall nature reserve and a bird observatory at Sandwich Bay.
Within the immediate area of Sandwich there are 4 schools, Sandwich Infants for children aged 4 to 8, Sandwich Juniors for children form the ages of 8 to 11, and Sir Roger Manwood's School,for 11-18 and Sandwich technology school again,11-18.

Twin cities/towns

★ - Honfleur, France

★ - Ronse (''fr''.Renaix), Belgium

★ - Sonsbeck, Germany

Sandwich and sandwiches

The town's connection with the snack of the same name is that John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich allegedly invented it; see his entry for further details.

Sandwich Festival

The town of Sandwich has an annual festival period towards the end of August where a number of events are staged. During Sandwich festivals of the past there have been European markets, motorcycle meets, raft racing in the river, street parties, various concerts (both classical and modern pop/rock) and a number of smaller events. The festival usually lasts for 1-2 weeks.

Trivia

There is a nearby hamlet to the south called 'Ham'. A road sign[1] some miles away pointing to both Ham and Sandwich, thus:

Ham
Sandwich
has had to be replaced several times because people keep stealing it. (No arrests have been made yet.) This has led to the new signs displaying:

Sandwich
Ham
in an attempt to curtail the thefts. This goes against the standard with signs of putting the nearer location above the farther.
The town of Deal is also nearby, and various road signs in the area show:

Ham
Sandwich
Deal

See also

★ Sandwich Tern

External links

★ Discover Sandwich, Kent, UK including a brief history of the Town

★ Open Sandwich Kent a guide and history

★ Sandwich Bay bird observatory

★ Royal St George's Golf Club Official Site

★ Prince's Golf Club Official Site

★ Sandwich and Pegwell Bay SSSI