No Stone Unturned: A Foundation Of Folkestone’s History Finds its Way Home

3 Jun 2024
Sea (English Channel)

An unearthed piece of Folkestone’s Victorian past has been returned to a sea view spot almost 137 years to the day since it was first laid.

The ‘Victoria Pleasure Pier Foundation Stone’ is back in position at the end of the Lower Leas Coastal Park after it was spotted at a salvage yard in Stelling Minnis.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council was made aware of its discovery by historians at Go Folkestone, who enquired whether it could be returned to its coast roots.

Tony Hill from Go Folkestone said:

“Having received an enquiry from a local rambler about a large stone that he had walked past on many occasions, I went to investigate.

“What I discovered was a piece of Folkestone's rich heritage and there began my quest, through the good works of Go Folkestone, to return the stone to its rightful place.”

The Foundation Stone was first laid at a ceremony on 7 May 1887 by the Viscountess Folkestone. The event was commemorated with a lavish ceremony on Folkestone Pier before the attraction was officially opened on 21 July 1888.

The stone is Cornish “white” granite and its durability meant that it lasted a lot longer than the iron pier.

It was rescued in 2003 by Colin Shevill who had been clearing debris following a fire at the site where it was being stored. He took it to his salvage yard where it has been kept safely for the last two decades by Colin and his wife Maureen.

After it was spotted and enquiries made Go Folkestone arranged for a local stonemason to recut the inscription and it has now been officially gifted back to Folkestone.

Residents and visitors can now view this fascinating part of Folkestone’s history on the green space close to where the original pier once stood at the end of the Lower Leas Coastal Park.

To learn more about its history visit Go Folkestone’s website.  

Larry Ngan and Lib Dem Campaigners on The Leas, Folkestone

Sign up
for email updates

You can opt-out at any time
The Liberal Democrats may use the information you provide, including your political opinions, to further our objectives and share it with our elected representatives. Any data we gather will be used in accordance with our privacy policy: libdems.org.uk/privacy. You can exercise your rights and withdraw your consent to future communications by contacting us: data.protection@libdems.org.uk or: DPO, Lib Dems, 1 Vincent Square, SW1P 2PN.

Donate
to fuel our campaigns

Larry Ngan, Daniel and Fry with "Build More Houses" t-shirt on The Leas, Folkestone

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.