Folkestone
Early developments There has been evidence of human habitation around Ashford since the Iron Age , with a barrow on what is now Barrow Hill dating back to BC. During the construction of the Park Farm estate in the late s, excavation in the area revealed tools from the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic period dating back to the 7th millennium BC. A number of other Mesolithic tools were discovered during construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link through Ashford. The pottery industry expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, with the main works based at what is now Potter’s Corner, a few miles west of the town centre.
Later evidence from examining waste suggests that production was on a large scale. A local resident, John Brown, was executed for heresy in , and may have inspired the later namesake of the song ” John Brown’s Body “.
The East Kent Community Drug and Alcohol Service is a partnership between Rapt, Rethink and Nacro. We help people who have problems with drugs and alcohol and are based in East Kent – no matter what substance or substances they use – and want support to make positive changes.
My contact information is given on a separate page. I first became interested in workhouses while researching my family history. I discovered that my great-great-grandfather had died in a workhouse and that his death had been registered by the matron. I also became fascinated by the buildings after seeing an old Victorian Ordnance Survey map of the town where I then lived. At the edge of town was a huge hexagonal shape which dwarfed everything in the area. Eager to discover more, I visited the local libraries but found that they had precious little information about the large and fearsome building which had stood there for the best part of a century.
This web site, which began life at the start of , is the result of my researches and visits to hundreds of former workhouse sites across the British Isles, from Truro to Thurso, and from Dover to Donegal. At the last count, it contained over web pages, photos and illustrations, and maps and plans. All this work has been done entirely in my spare time and is totally self-funded, so donations are always very welcome and appreciated.
I also regularly present talks on subjects such as the workhouse — more information on my talks web page. Quite separate from my historical researches, I have written several pieces for the stage including Steam Radio an affectionate parody of Brief Encounter and Making Ends Meet set in the world’s most unsuccessful dating agency. Some of my on-screen contributions can occasionally be viewed on YouTube things do come and go, however.
The link s below were available last time I looked: A radio version of Making Ends Meet.
