116-573: Hampton-on-Sea is a drowned and abandoned village in what is now the Hampton area of Herne Bay, Kent . It grew from a tiny fishing hamlet in 1864 at the hands of an oyster fishery company, was developed from 1879 by land agents, abandoned in 1916 and finally drowned due to coastal erosion by 1921. All that now remains is the stub of the original pier, the Hampton Inn, and the rocky arc of Hampton-on-Sea's ruined coastal defence visible at low tide. The site
232-436: A sea-fort was built off the coast of Herne Bay and Whitstable, which is still in existence. The coastal village of Reculver, to the east of Herne Bay, was the site of the testing of the bouncing bomb used by the " Dam Busters " during the war. The original wooden pier had to be dismantled in 1871 after its owners went into liquidation and sea worms had damaged the wood. A shorter 100 metres (328 ft)-long iron pier with
348-410: A seaside resort during the early 19th century after the building of a pleasure pier and promenade by a group of London investors, and reached its heyday in the late Victorian era . Its popularity as a holiday destination has declined over the past decades, due to the increase in foreign travel and to a lesser degree exposure to flooding that has prevented the town's redevelopment. In 2011 the town had
464-601: A 2 miles (3 km) shingle beach, which has been awarded a European Blue Flag and the yellow and blue Seaside Award for its safety and cleanliness. The seafront features a Victorian bandstand and gardens, amusement arcades, and children's play areas. Landmarks by the seafront include the Clock Tower , the sea defence jetty, the off-shore World War II sea fort and the off-shore wind farm . There are seaside cafés, fresh seafood restaurants, guesthouses, beach huts and numerous water-sports facilities. The Memorial Park, situated near
580-429: A Site of Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area for birds. The whole of the north-east Kent coast has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest . The geology of the town consists mainly of London Clay , overlaid with brickearth in the west. The sand and clay of The Downs are subject to landslips . The Plenty Brook passes through the town's drainage system , allowing buildings to be built over
696-539: A high percentage of residents over 65, compared with the national average of 16%. As a seaside town, Herne Bay is a popular retirement destination; many modern retirement complexes are located near the seafront. The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 36% in full-time employment, 13% in part-time employment, 9% self-employed , 3% unemployed, 2% students with jobs, 3% students without jobs, 18% retired, 7% looking after home or family, 6% permanently sick or disabled and 2% economically inactive for other reasons. This
812-509: A horse-tram, the tramway was built due south from the pier to the railway which had been built in 1861. This track, which was later to become Hampton Pier Avenue, was straightened at its northern end and raised above risk of flood for the tram. By 1866 the tracks were still not laid along the pier itself, but according to the OS map of 1878, it had been completed by then. At the southern end, the tramway curved westward, running beside Westbrook, and reached
928-839: A housing estate, and a Hampton-on-Sea nameboard was put up at Herne Bay railway station in expectation of this, but then he died in 1880. The company was eventually dissolved in 1905. Frederick Francis Ramuz, Mayor of Southend and land agent, bought the property cheaply. The Hampton Pier Inn (today the Hampton Inn) became the Land Company's base for its administration of the 750 acres (3.0 km) of land it had bought altogether in Herne Bay. Planned street names which no longer exist were Swalecliffe Gardens, Hampton Grand Parade, Marine Drive, Canterbury Gardens, Hampton Gardens, Eddington Gardens next to Hampton Farmhouse and Herncliffe Gardens incorporating
1044-471: A hundred. In 1865 and 1866 their chairman Cholmondeley Pennell applied unsuccessfully for extensions to these rights. Before selling the oysters dredged from the estuary, the company obtained brood oysters from Essex, France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The smacks took the oysters twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays to Billingsgate . The company was successful at first, although stressed by underfunding and
1160-482: A landing stage for oysters and materials, a shelter for the oyster smacks and a breakwater for fishing grounds. The Lord Mayor of London Thomas Gabriel arrived in a special train to open it on 15 September 1866. After the collapse of the oyster fishery, the pier was said to be under repair by land agent Frederick Francis Ramuz in October 1888. Thereafter, the pier became derelict. In the great storm of 28–29 November 1897 it
1276-567: A late 18th-century Kentish smock mill overlooking the village of Herne from a hilltop, is usually open to visitors on Sunday afternoons between April and September. A concrete funnel-shaped water tower overlooks Herne Bay from the top of Mickleburgh Hill. This water tower is now used as a base for radio transmitters . Herne Bay railway station is on the Chatham Main Line , which runs between Ramsgate in East Kent and London Victoria . It
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#17330862172841392-633: A member of the governing party leads the Treasury Select Committee . Committee membership reflects each party’s size in the House, and members are elected within their parties. Typically, a departmental committee has 11 members, though some, like Public Accounts , are larger. The Osmotherly Rules set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to parliamentary select committees. Following general elections, chairs and members of select committees have to be reappointed. Committees don't have
1508-453: A new sea defence, and in the same years the landscaping that followed a cliff drainage scheme running down from the Studd Hill estate replaced sea poppies and summer crickets with lawn. Where Herncliffe Gardens and Eddington Gardens stood, there is now the 1959 sea wall, beach and undersea mud. Knowledge of what had existed there persisted mostly in the mythology of local children, until in
1624-470: A person aged 16 to 18 who was in full-time education. The average household size was 2.74. The ethnicity of the town was 98.5% white, 0.6% mixed race , 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black and 0.3% Chinese or other. The place of birth of residents was 96.3% United Kingdom, 0.6% Republic of Ireland, 0.3% Germany, 0.6% other Western Europe countries, 0.2% Eastern Europe, 0.6% Africa, 0.3% Far East, 0.3% South Asia, 0.2% Middle East, 0.2% North America and 0.2% Oceania. Religion
1740-416: A piece of ground for the site of the town's first church, Christ Church, which was opened in 1834. In 1837, Mrs Ann Thwaytes , a wealthy widow from London, donated around £4,000 to build a 75 feet (23 m) clock tower on the town's seafront. It is believed to be the first freestanding, purpose-built clock tower in the world. During the 1840s, steamboats began running between Herne Bay and London. There
1856-402: A population of 1,232. During the early 19th century, a smugglers' gang operated from the town. The gang were regularly involved in a series of fights with the preventive services until finally being overpowered in the 1820s. In the 1830s, a group of London investors, who recognised Herne Bay's potential as a seaside resort, built a wooden pier and a promenade on the town's seafront. This and
1972-483: A population of 38,563. 1 The town of Herne Bay took its name from the neighbouring village of Herne , two kilometres inland from the bay. The word herne , meaning a place on a corner of land, evolved from the Old English hyrne , meaning corner. The village was first recorded in around 1100 as Hyrnan. The corner may relate to the sharp turn in the minor Roman road between Canterbury and Reculver at Herne. One of
2088-405: A reputation for a wild life, and Hill Farmhouse was said to have cellars or caves underneath for smuggling. Some cottages were built of old boats and wreckage; Hampton Farmhouse was then 300 yards from the sea and dated back to the 17th century. A low sea cliff made of soil edged the coast west of Hampton Pier, and coastal erosion was already an acknowledged problem for the farmers by 1836. Altogether
2204-520: A sales marquee onsite. Cheap, refundable train fares and a free lunch were promised to prospective purchasers. All the plots were sold within one and a half hours after the buyers, mostly from London, were serenaded by the Buffs 3rd Battalion band during their free lunch. Plots facing the sea made £18, and those at the back £8 to £9, with the old farmhouse making £100 and the tavern plot £39: all moneys were payable in instalments. The Land Company made £2,000. By
2320-448: A seal-watching site in the Thames estuary. The Victorian gardens on the seafront were then able to be fully restored. The Central Bandstand , built in 1924, was refurbished after years of disrepair and closure to the public. A swimming pool and cinema were added to the town centre in the early 1990s. In 2005, a wind-farm with thirty 2.75 MW wind turbines was built 5 miles (8 km) off
2436-413: A seaside resort was during the late Victorian era; the population nearly doubled from 4,410 to 8,442 between 1881 and 1901. Much of the resulting late Victorian seafront architecture is still in existence today. In 1910, a pavilion was added to the landward end of the pier. By 1931, the town's population had grown to 14,533. At the beginning of World War II, the army cut two gaps between the landward end of
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#17330862172842552-473: A select committee system, as part of their Overview and Scrutiny arrangements. Committees often open investigations, called inquiries, into topics within their remit. As part of these inquiries they gather information from government officials and interested people, groups, and organisations. At the end of inquiries they often publish a report with their findings. The government must issue a written response to each select committee report. Select committees in
2668-487: A separate town with countryside between it and Canterbury. Herne Bay's seafront is home to the world's first freestanding purpose-built Clock Tower , built in 1837. From the late Victorian period until 1978, the town had the second-longest pier in the United Kingdom. The town began as a small shipping community, receiving goods and passengers from London en route to Canterbury and Dover . The town rose to prominence as
2784-402: A stone culvert but seaweed often blocked it, making it overflow and become stagnant. The land between the houses and the often-foetid Hampton Brook was low-lying enough to be subject to flood during a combination of spring tide, prolonged rainfall and onshore wind. Either the digging or the filling-in of the oyster company's fishpools created soft, unstable land. Hampton Terrace was built for
2900-463: A storm broke through the sea wall and scoured out the land from behind it. In spite of having had to buy back land from worried investors, the Land Company continued to advertise empty houses in Herncliffe Gardens for sale. By 1910 the two seaward-end houses had been demolished, and by the end of 1911 all twelve houses of Herncliffe Gardens terrace were abandoned and then demolished with the sea at
3016-468: A storm in 1978, leaving the end of the pier isolated in the sea. It has not been rebuilt due to the cost; however, residents and businesses in the town have campaigned for its restoration. The sports centre was demolished in 2012, leaving a bare platform. Since 1983, Herne Bay has been in the Herne Bay and Sandwich constituency, represented by Roger Gale . Herne Bay, along with Whitstable and Canterbury,
3132-487: A suburb of Herne Bay. Houses eventually filled Hampton Hill to the east of Hampton Pier Avenue, and Studd Hill to the south of the Hampton-on-Sea site. From 1929 to 1966 there was a boating lake in place of the landward oyster pond; it is now a playground. Besides the stub of Hampton Pier and the Hampton Inn, the curved shape of the Land Company's 1900 sea wall, visible at low tide, is all that is left of Hampton-on-Sea. From
3248-402: A theatre and shops at the entrance was built in 1873. However, it was too short for steamboats to berth at. The pier proved to be unprofitable and in 1896 construction began on a replacement iron pier which would be longer and feature an electric tram. At 3,600 feet (1,097 m), this pier was the second longest in the country, behind only the pier at Southend-on-Sea . The town's heyday as
3364-551: Is also an infrequent bus service 7 , which formerly linked Herne Bay to Canterbury, but Triangle/6 routes were more frequent, quick and direct; as a result, the 7 was shortened significantly in June 2022. The A299 road , also known as the Thanet Way, runs between Ramsgate and Faversham via Herne Bay and Whitstable. The road merges with the M2 motorway at Faversham. In the late 1990s, the road
3480-716: Is also served by Southeastern high speed services to London St Pancras . Other stations on these lines include Broadstairs , Margate , Whitstable , Faversham , Gillingham , Rochester , Bromley South , Gravesend and Stratford International . Herne Bay is around 1 hour and 40 minutes from London Victoria and 80 minutes from St Pancras. A selection of trains run to London's Cannon Street and London Blackfriars , primarily for business commuting. There are Stagecoach South East bus services (Triangle/6/36) running to neighbouring Whitstable and to Canterbury, where many Herne Bay residents go to work and shop. The 36 bus route runs to Margate, another popular seaside resort There
3596-519: Is home to the cliff-top remains of St Mary's Church, Reculver , with its distinctive twin towers, sited within the remains of a Roman fort; a visitor centre offers information on the local geology, history and wildlife. Wildwood Discovery Park is about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) south of Herne Bay on the A291 road between there and Sturry , and features over 50 species of native British animals, such as deer, badgers, wild boar and wolves. Herne Mill,
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3712-458: Is in Avenue Road. Herne Bay Festival happens every August with ten days of almost every event being free, including live music , performance, creative commissions, cultural treats, family fun, workshops, competitions, walks, talks, exhibitions and family entertainment. Other summer events include Happy Days, a programme of bandstand concerts and family entertainment, Herne Bay Carnival through
3828-520: Is in the City of Canterbury local government district , although it remains a separate town, with countryside between it and Canterbury. The town contains the five electoral wards of Heron, Herne and Broomfield , Greenhill and Eddington, West Bay and Reculver. These wards have thirteen of the fifty seats on the Canterbury City council . As at the 2011 local elections , twelve of those seats were held by
3944-573: Is notable for sharing its history with the eccentric Edmund Reid . Reid was previously the Metropolitan Police head of CID who handled the Jack the Ripper case. In retirement he chose to champion the plight of the beleaguered residents of the settlement. Today Hampton, Herne Bay is the coastal west end of Herne Bay, Kent . The site of Hampton-on-Sea is now underwater due to coastal erosion , but it
4060-685: Is part of a Greco-inspired building that incorporates the Heron's swimming pool and the council offices. The town is a popular destination for water sports ; it has clubs for sailing, rowing and yachting. The town has hosted the Zapcat powerboat racing championships. Fishing is popular on the pier and Herne Bay Angling Association competes nationally in beach and boat fishing competitions. Select committee (United Kingdom) In British politics , parliamentary select committees are cross-party groups of MPs or Lords which investigate specific issues or scrutinise
4176-498: Is still prone to floodlocking, as occurred in 2001. Although the 1959 sea wall and groynes were updated in 1983, and Hampton Pier Avenue's rock armour revetment was upgraded in 1994, it is thought that eventually the sea defences would need to be raised. Nevertheless, although sea-damage was done by the great 1953 and 1978 storms, the upgraded defences protected this coast from the severe 1996 storm. Costs of increasing flood defences here are estimated at £1–7 million, especially as
4292-475: Is thought to have been a much larger stream in ancient times . The coastline has two distinct bays, separated by a jut of land created by silt from the outflow of the brook into the sea. The first buildings in the town were built along the east bay, a short distance from the brook outflow, where the road from Canterbury met the sea. The town has since spread across both bays, across the Plenty Brook valley and onto
4408-571: The Conservatives and one by the Liberal Democrats . Herne Bay is in north-east Kent, on the coast of the Thames Estuary . The town is situated 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Whitstable and 6.6 miles (10.6 km) north-north-east of the city of Canterbury . The village of Herne is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south and the village of Reculver is about 3 miles (4.8 km) to
4524-580: The House of Commons are governed by the Standing Orders. The powers of departmental select committees are set out in standing order 152. Political parties divide committee chair positions based on their number of seats in the House of Commons. Party managers negotiate which party chairs each committee. By tradition, the Public Accounts Committee is led by a member of the opposition party, while
4640-543: The Wright Committee was formed to improve the procedures and relevance of Parliament. Changes made based on the committee's recommendations included limiting the number of members per committee to 11, requiring those members and chairs to be appointed to their positions by the House, and a reduction in the number of committees. The Backbench Business Committee was created in 2010 as a non-ministerial committee to cover non-government business, following recommendations from
4756-610: The erosion and flooding which eventually drowned this development was the original Hampton Pier. The ebb and flow of tidal streams is powerful in the shallow Thames Estuary , where its tidal waters are caught in the vortex of the tidal push from Atlantic waters via both the north and south of the British Isles. Off Herne Bay, the running ebb current moves at 10.15 knots , and the flow at 9.14 knots (16.93 km/h). Where strong currents meet and divide, or are disrupted by uneven coastal features, there are eddies . After Hampton Pier
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4872-809: The grammar schools in Faversham, Ramsgate and Canterbury. Herne Bay Junior School, situated in the town centre, has about 500 students. It was originally established in the late Victorian era and was formerly joined with the neighbouring Herne Bay Infant school . In 2006, Herne Bay Junior School's Key Stage 2 results ranked 139th out of Kent's 386 state primary schools. The village schools are Herne Primary School, Herne Church of England Junior School, Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School, Briary Primary School in Greenhill, Hampton Primary School and Reculver Church of England Primary School. The Church of England schools are voluntary controlled (that is, owned by
4988-524: The 1990s an information board featuring a picture of Reid was erected beside the Pier. A Council Oyster Bay Trail cycle route, planned in 2009, is named after the area's history. Today there is an established walking route along the 1959 coastal defence; it is part of the Saxon Shore Way . The committee for Herne Bay Festival 2008 agreed a cross-marketing strategy with Whitstable Oyster Festival, thus recognising
5104-412: The 1990s to 2005 this object, known as The Rocks , was considered a shipping hazard, mainly with respect to the jetskiers who ignored and vandalised safety notices about jetskiing near The Rocks. Some chunks of it were removed by contractors until local objections prevented further loss of this landmark which now shelters rockpools , mussels and feeding birds. The coast was conserved in 1959 to 1960 with
5220-453: The 1990s, these defences were deemed to be inadequate and an offshore breakwater , now known as Neptune's Arm, was built to protect the most vulnerable areas of the town. Herne Bay experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb). The nearest Met Office station is at Manston , 10 miles east. In east Kent , the warmest time of the year is July and August, when maximum temperatures average around 21 °C (70 °F);
5336-575: The Council built the sea wall. The direction and rate of influential currents is unknown, but it is calculated that 180 m (240 cu yd) of coastal sediment per annum is scoured by the sea from the Hampton-on-Sea coast and deposited 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west at Long Rock, Swalecliffe . This area with a defensive frontage of 220 m (240 yd) is now known as the Hampton Flood Basin and Hampton Brook, now officially Westbrook,
5452-503: The Hampton fishermen was cement stones, because they were found on the Hampton fishing grounds. These were boulders the size of a man's head, sold to manufacturers of Roman cement. There was a dispute with the rival Whitstable Oyster Company, and Whitstable was fined £1 per oyster taken from Hampton's grounds, while Hampton was accused of not fully exploiting its breeding ponds and of importing foreign oysters for resale. In 1869, local inshore fishermen complained that their traditional territory
5568-541: The Herne Bay area was £516 (£26,906 per year). The advent of overseas travel and changes to holiday trends eventually caused the town's economy to decline after the 1960s; regular flooding of the Plenty Brook prevented redevelopment of the town centre. However, extensive seafront regeneration in the 1990s followed the creation of the Neptune's Arm sea defence jetty. The jetty has created a small harbour used by leisure boats and from where tourists can take sailing yacht trips to
5684-475: The Reform the House of Commons report under the Wright Committee . Since June 2010, most committee chairs are elected by the whole House. Before this, each party appointed members and chose chairs within the group. Select committees recommendations often focus on changes to government policy. One study estimates that 30-40% of select committee recommendations become policy. A select committee evidence session
5800-946: The Sacred Heart is in Clarence Road. There is a Baptist church in the High Street. There is a United ( Methodist and United Reformed ) Church in Mortimer Street. There is also a United Reformed Church in The Meadows, Broomfield. Herne Bay Salvation Army Corps is based in Richmond Street. The Canopy Church is in South Road. The Beacon Church meets at Briary School, Greenhill, Herne Bay. Herne Bay Evangelical Free Church meets in Sunnyhill Road. Herne Bay Christian Spiritualist Church
5916-529: The area was transferred to Herne Bay Urban District Council, and in 1974 to Canterbury City Council . On the sea-bed, offshore of this site, are remains of prehistoric and Roman activity. Hampton means "home farm", and before the development there were two farmhouses, a beerhouse, a few cottages containing the Mount and Quick fishing families, and the West Brook which was also known as Hampton Brook. The settlement had
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#17330862172846032-477: The back doors. In 1916, Eddington Gardens was abandoned by its last resident, Edmund Reid. By the 1920s only Hampton Farmhouse and numbers One and Two Eddington Gardens were left of Hampton-on-Sea, and the latter two were demolished in 1921. It is at that point that Hampton-on-Sea is said to have been finally drowned. In 1934, the old farmhouse was the last to go. In 1903, Edmund James Reid (1846; – Herne Bay 5 December 1917) moved into number Four, Eddington Gardens:
6148-399: The beach towards Hampton Pier Avenue, eroding land at Hampton-on-Sea and then turning north along Hampton Pier Avenue and the pier, carrying soil with it. It is said that the later shortening of the pier was not enough and that erosion will continue, so such an eddy may explain the need for today's shore defences along the north end of Hampton Pier Avenue. An additional possibility is related to
6264-546: The beleaguered Hampton-on-Sea residents. His house contained a parrot and many photographs of his London cases. His garden contained a cannonball found on his property, a post from the end of the old pier and a flagpole with a union flag. From a wooden kiosk in his garden named the Hampton-on-Sea Hotel he sold soft drinks and postcards featuring himself and the fast-vanishing remains of Hampton-on-Sea. Some of these were photographed by Fred C. Palmer of Herne Bay , who
6380-408: The centre of the town, incorporates a children's play area, a large shallow duck pond often used for remote control boats, basketball and tennis courts and a large expanse of grass for field games. The park has a monument and an 'Avenue of Remembrance' as memorials to the town's residents killed during the two world wars. Reculver Country Park is about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Herne Bay, and
6496-761: The church) but, like the other schools, are run by Kent County Council . In 2006, Reculver Church of England Primary School achieved the best Key Stage 2 performances of the schools in the Herne Bay area, ranking 133rd out of Kent's 386 state primary schools. Canterbury College @ Herne Bay is a branch of Canterbury College in Herne Bay town centre , which provides a range of short information technology courses to adults. Whitstable Adult education Centre runs adult learning courses at various Herne Bay locations. The Church of England has two parishes in Herne Bay: Christ Church with St Andrew's, and St Martin's with St Peter's. The Catholic Church of Our Lady of
6612-411: The coast of Herne Bay and Whitstable , generating a total of 82.5 MW of electricity. The recent upgrades by the Council have helped improve the image of the town and raise its profile. It is hoped this will attract new investment in tourism and business by the private sector, and lead to the regeneration of the town's economy. In 2006, Canterbury City Council began a public consultation to discuss
6728-517: The coastline at this site receded by 175 metres (574 ft) in the years between the completion of Hampton Pier in 1865, and the start of construction of modern coastal defences in 1958. Sea floodings have been officially recorded on this coastline since the great storm of 1897. Oysters had thriven in the Thames Estuary since the Romans promoted them; they were sold in city streets and eaten raw. The Herne Bay, Hampton and Reculver Oyster Fishery Company
6844-539: The committees deemed appropriate. It also suggested that committee members should be selected independently of the party whips, as chosen by the Select Committee of Selection . The fourteen new committees began working in 1980 after the 1979 general election . Since then, Parliament has organised House of Commons committees into three main types: In July 2005, the Administration Select Committee
6960-491: The company acquired an Act of Parliament and land at Hampton. According to the Act of 25 July 1864, the company had sole rights to dredge for oysters for seven miles (11 km) from Swalecliffe to Reculver and up to three miles (5 km) – but mainly one and a half miles – from shore. The total area under its jurisdiction was nine square miles, of which a third was foreshore, and it employed thirty-three regular men; sometimes up to
7076-507: The coolest months are January and February, when minimum temperatures average around 1 °C (34 °F). East Kent's average maximum and minimum temperatures are around 1/2 °C higher than the national average. Herne Bay is sometimes warmer than other parts of Kent as it is backed by the North Downs to the south, causing a Foehn effect when winds are from a south or south westerly direction. Between 1999 and 2005, Herne Bay recorded
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#17330862172847192-421: The cost of the pier, and by 1866 an enquiry commission stated: "The Company have already cleared about five square miles, and culched about one square mile of their grounds, and have laid down on parts of their beds many millions of oysters". However, as the company was still relatively new, they had not yet developed their oysters to quite the same market value as the long-established Whitstable ones. A sideline for
7308-408: The date of the second marquee-auction of 126 more plots, the Land Company had built roads and was repairing the pier. Plots were advertised more energetically than before and promoted on the basis of Herne Bay's smallness, cheapness, ripeness for speculation and its proximity to the railway line. Sales were aimed at landlords wanting to buy cheaply and rent at profit, because at that time house-ownership
7424-467: The east. The town's suburbs are Hampton , Greenhill and Studd Hill in the west, Eddington and Broomfield in the south, with Beltinge and Hillborough in the east. The drowned settlement of Hampton-on-Sea once existed beside what is now Hampton. The landscape of the town has been largely influenced by the Plenty Brook, which flows northward through the centre of the town and into the North Sea . It
7540-500: The erection of the 1959 defences are described thus: "The first cliffs in West Bay are hardly cliffs at all. It's where the stream runs out across the beach, and you can stand on the sands and look over the edge of the cliffs without even standing on your toes. Farther along the cliffs are higher and crumbly and falling into the sea all the time, which was one reason why nobody wanted to buy Dilly Dally. A few more years and it would be in
7656-446: The following three severe winters, oysters died in the shallow estuary waters and the company went into liquidation. The business passed into the hands of hotel owner Major Davis who closed it down when his operation went to Faversham. Company assets were sold on 20 July 1881 and it officially wound up in 1884. The tramway began and ended with the oyster fishery from 1864 to 1884. So that cargo could begin its journey to Kent and London on
7772-465: The highest daily temperature in the United Kingdom nine times. East Kent's average annual rainfall is about 728 mm (29 inches), the wettest months being October to January. This was lower than the national average annual rainfall of 838 mm (33 inches), and recent droughts have led to hosepipe bans by Mid Kent Water. The highest temperature recorded in Herne Bay was in August 2003 when
7888-405: The history of dredging off Herne Bay by the oyster fisheries working from Hampton-on-Sea in the 19th century. There is still a very small fleet of day fishing boats operating offshore of the Hampton area, and landing on the beach at Herne Bay. Coastal erosion at Hampton-on-Sea has been estimated at 2 m (2.2 yd) per annum between the construction of the old Hampton Pier in 1865 to 1959 when
8004-529: The house at the landward end of the terrace, previously advertised for £300. At that point the sea was still about two hundred yards away. He had retired in 1896 or 1898, having been head of CID in the Metropolitan police , and his most famous case was the Whitechapel murders in 1888. He named his house Reid's Ranch , painted castellations and cannon on its side and soon became known as the eccentric champion of
8120-449: The legal power to compel people to appear before them. Rupert Murdoch and Mike Ashley are two examples of witnesses who initially declined before agreeing to appear. Mark Zuckerberg , for example, declined to appear in front of a committee at all. Following the dissolution of parliament that preceded the 2024 election, all select committees were disbanded. The House of Commons allocated which parties would hold each Chair in advance of
8236-411: The north of Hampton-on-Sea by the ebb tide and by the occasional eddy, besides being dropped at Long Rock by an alternate normal east-west flow tide. When there are exceptional conditions on top of these tidal streams, for example a low pressure system causing higher water level coinciding with strong north-westerly winds, coastal flooding can occur. Hampton Brook, now Westbrook, reached the sea through
8352-448: The oldest buildings in Herne Bay is the late 18th-century inn The Ship, which served as the focal point for the small shipping and farming community that first inhabited the town. During this time, passenger and cargo boats regularly ran between Herne Bay and London and boats carrying coal ran from Newcastle . From Herne, there was easy access by road to the city of Canterbury. The 1801 census recorded Herne Bay, including Herne, as having
8468-509: The onset of the sea. John Davis and W.H. Banks abandoned numbers One and Two Herncliffe Gardens in July 1899, while numbers Three to Twelve remained tenanted until at least 1902, and in 1899–1900 a sea wall was built to protect the houses. By 1901 number Three had been abandoned, though officially listed as occupied, and the high-water mark had reached the corner of number One. By 1905 Hampton Grand Parade and half of Marine Drive had been eroded away; then
8584-557: The open-air 'Theatre in the Park' on the grounds of Strode Park House in Herne. Between the 1960s and the 1990s The Herne Bay Operatic Society contributed to the town and its cultural life, performing regularly at The King's Hall and also at The Marlowe Theatre , Canterbury. As theatrical tastes changed the society morphed into The Herne Bay Musical Theatre Society. The town's only cinema, the Kavanagh,
8700-412: The opportunity to buy the shop plots and more villa plots. Four shop plots went for £54, villa plots for £3 to £7, and we are not told the sum earned by the company. Some plots remained unsold, and these were advertised throughout 1891. Following the four auctions and three years of advertising, very few plots were developed, and the temperance hotel, church, shops and tavern were never built. Hampton pier
8816-532: The oyster company's workers in 1866, and it later became part of Herncliffe Gardens which no longer exists. The Hampton Oyster Inn, today the Hampton Inn, was built by a brewer opposite the pier entrance. Only eight plots bought from the Land Company were developed: Hampton Terrace in Herncliffe Gardens was extended by three villas; four villas were built in Eddington Gardens alongside the old Hampton Farmhouse; lastly Pleasant Cottage, later called Hampton Bungalow,
8932-409: The oyster fishery's Hampton Terrace. The company proposed a genteel resort with large brick bungalows and villas , a temperance hotel plus church, and shops plus tavern. Freeman's idea for a recreation ground was resurrected for good measure. Ramuz divided the "Grand Parade Estate at Hampton-on-Sea" into 124 development plots for the first auction on 17 September 1888 "to suit all classes" and set up
9048-452: The pier and replacing it with other tourist attractions . As of the 2001 census, the industry of employment of residents of Herne Bay was 19% retail, 14% health and social work , 11% manufacturing, 10% construction, 9% real estate, 8% education, 8% transport and communications, 5% public administration , 5% hotels and restaurants, 4% finance, 1% agriculture and 5% other community, social or Personal Services . Compared to national figures,
9164-405: The pier and the seaward terminal as a counter-invasion measure. The pier's two gaps were bridged for pedestrians after the war. 1963 marked the end of steamboat services from the pier. In 1970, a fire destroyed the pier's pavilion and plans were made to replace it with a sports centre, which was opened in 1976 by former Prime Minister Edward Heath . The centre section of the pier was torn down by
9280-481: The pier's repairs were said to be ongoing. According to these advertisements there were croquet lawns and tennis courts plus a spring . A third sale of 144 plots took place on 7 July 1890 making £2,450 for the Land Company, and events included a regatta with a coastguards' race and pair-oared rowing race, plus a traditional duck hunt in which a man acts as duck. The fourth and final auction of 124 plots on 28 July 1890 promised yet another special train from London and
9396-415: The railway line just east of the point where Westbrook crosses it, and to the west of where Hampton Close is today: see 1878 map, pictured. One Judah Downs won £900 in a dispute over land crossed by the tramway, and the company later bought him out as well. After the company went into liquidation, the tramway was removed in the 1880s. For much of the 20th century it was possible to see where the tramway reached
9512-719: The railway line. Thomas Kyffin Freeman, owner of the Herne Bay Argus , formed the Hampton-on-Sea Estate Association Limited in 1879 with £60,000 capital in £10 shares, but only sold 398 shares. He built a bandstand , built foundations for reading rooms and planned tennis courts, a miniature golf course, an archery green and a recreation ground. He organised a sports day with free teas and amusement rides , but too many visitors arrived and he ran out of teas. With builder Thomas Richard Geelong Hoe he planned
9628-488: The rear wall and closing off openings with floodgates. Beach replenishment and groyne replanking would continue at intervals. Will Scott's 1955 children's novel Half Term trail is set partly in Hampton-on-Sea under the fictional name of West Bay, and it features Pleasant Cottage (later called Hampton Bungalow; then Stillwaters) in Swalecliffe Avenue under the name of Dilly Dally cottage. Hampton's cliffs before
9744-409: The regeneration. A concern raised by the council is that the shopping centre is incoherent and fails to attract the tourists who come for the seafront. Other issues raised are the lack of holiday accommodation, car parks and clear pedestrian routes between the three main attractions in the town: the seafront, Memorial park and shopping centre. The council is considering relocating the sports centre from
9860-480: The relatively high land flanking both sides of the valley. The land to the east of the valley reaches a height of 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level and to the west reaches 10 metres (33 ft). Cliffs are formed where this high land meets the sea. The rising land beside the coast, between the valley and the eastern cliffs, is known as The Downs (no relation to the North or South Downs ). This area has been named
9976-465: The sea along with the cliff." Herne Bay, Kent Herne Bay / h ɜːr n / is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England . It is 6 miles (10 km) north of Canterbury and 4 miles (6 km) east of Whitstable . It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district, although it remains
10092-415: The seafront, which is expected to continue with the proposed regeneration of the town centre. The elderly population of the town has led to many Health and Social Care jobs at local care homes and at the town's Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital. As of the 2001 census, 1.9% of the town's population resided in a medical or care establishment, compared with the national average of only 0.8%. The seafront has
10208-477: The strong ebb flow's history of removing the headlands of Herne Bay's original bay before the 19th century. This current moving east, being baulked and turned north suddenly by the new sea defences of Hampton Pier Avenue and Hampton Pier, might easily erode the little Hampton-on-Sea bay in default of the Hampton Pier headland. Both the above theories allow for scoured coastal material to be removed to deeper waters to
10324-426: The subsequent building of a railway station led to the rapid expansion of the town; between 1831 and 1841 the town's population grew from 1,876 to 3,041. The London businessmen intended to rename the town St Augustine's, but the name was unpopular with residents and the name "Herne Bay" remained. In 1833, an Act of Parliament established Herne Bay and Herne as separate towns. Local landowner Sir Henry Oxenden donated
10440-575: The summer recess on 30 July 2024. Nominations for Chairs ran until 9 September. Ballots took place on 11 September. House of Lords select committees include: These committees run inquiries into and publish reports on topics within their remit. Specialised committees of investigation existed within Parliament since the Tudor period . In the sixteenth century, committees revised bills and considered constitutional and religious questions. The committees system
10556-753: The temperature hit 36.5 °C (97.7 °F) during the 2003 European heatwave and the lowest temperature being in January 1940 with 8 °F (−13 °C) recorded during a notably cold winter that affected the UK. As of the 2001 UK census , Herne Bay area wards had a population of 35,188 and a population density of 11.3 persons per hectare. Of the town's 14,732 households, 48.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% were cohabiting couples and 8.3% were lone parents. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone at pensionable age. 27.7% of households included children aged under 16 or
10672-563: The theatre won a large grant from the Big Lottery Fund to renovate and extend their building and provide improved disabled access. The theatre also has an active youth theatre and between them, they put on at least eight productions every year including a pantomime . Theatrecraft, a local theatre group, produce three shows a year including an annual pantomime at the King's Hall theatre. Other groups and touring companies often put productions on at
10788-539: The top. The brook has been prone to flooding during heavy rain, especially in inland areas, which regularly causes problems for people living in the Eddington area in southern Herne Bay. Stormy weather can cause the sea level by the coast to rise by up to two metres. In the past, this has caused disastrous flooding in the town; the worst in the town's history being in 1953. Coastal defences were subsequently constructed including groynes , sea walls and shingle beach . In
10904-727: The town centre, a travelling funfair at the Memorial Park and Herne Bay Bus Rally. Each summer, the council runs a gardening competition, "Herne Bay in Bloom", which encourages residents and businesses to keep the town looking well presented. The town is home to the Herne Bay Little Theatre, a playmakers drama society and member of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain who have a 72-seat theatre in Bullers Avenue. In 2007,
11020-438: The town had a relatively high number of workers in the construction and health/social care industries and a relatively low number in manufacturing and real estate. Many residents commute to work outside the town. As of the 2001 UK census, 14,711 of the town's residents were in employment, whereas there were only 8,104 jobs within the town. One of the largest employers is the centrally located supermarket, which as of January 2006
11136-538: The work has to be modified because this area is a SSSI and SPA . Cost and limitations meant that a short-term solution of £635,000 capital works was recommended by the Council Steering Group on 29 June 2009 to be implemented from winter 2011 to spring 2011. The recommendation was to hold the line with replacement and improvement of six timber groynes, importing a new beach of 12,000 m (15,700 cu yd) partly taken from Long Rock, raising and extending
11252-485: The work of government departments and agencies, whereas Lords select committees look at general issues, such as the constitution or the economy. Select committees are also one of parliament's mechanisms for holding the private sector to account. Following the 2024 United Kingdom general election , most of the new chairs of the 26 select committees were elected in September 2024. Some English local authorities also have
11368-518: The work of the Government of the United Kingdom . They can be appointed from the House of Commons , from the House of Lords , or as a joint committee of Parliament drawn from both. Committees may be as "sessional" committees – i.e. be near-permanent – or as "ad-hoc" committees with a specific deadline by which to complete their work, after which they cease to exist. House of Commons select committees are generally responsible for overseeing
11484-577: Was a type of beach boat unique to Herne Bay and nearby Thanet , known as the Thanet wherry , a narrow pulling boat about 18 feet (5 m) long. These boats were mainly used for fishing; however, with the advent of tourism and the decline of fishing, they became mainly used for pleasure trips. A document dated 1840 records the town as having the following schools, all of which are now defunct: Haddington (boarding school), Oxenden House, The British School, Prospect Place and Herne Street School. The village of Herne
11600-471: Was badly damaged, and then partially demolished in 1898 to halt erosion and save the houses of Hampton-on-Sea. In 1901, the Council bought it and at a cost of £2,000 the Surveyor to the Council F.W.J. Palmer rebuilt the stub in 1903–1904 as it is today, at 350 feet (110 m) long. The remaining piles and ruins of the old pier were a shipping hazard and had to be buoyed with large warning notices. The cause of
11716-409: Was built in Swalecliffe Avenue in the late 1890s. Of the roads and plots created by the Land Company, only Swalecliffe Avenue and Hampton Pier Avenue survive today. Wave damage in the great storm of 28–29 November 1897 damaged the three Herncliffe Garden houses, and brought coastal erosion closer to the properties. In 1899, a wall of faggots and four 250-foot (76 m) groynes were ineffectual against
11832-402: Was built of wood and concrete by the oyster company in 1865 at cost of £28,000; it was 1,050 feet (320 m) long so that the landing stage was in deep enough water to allow for the two- fathom draught of the smacks . It curved slightly westwards to allow the company's oyster smacks and European oyster trading boats to berth on the lee side in a north-easterly wind. Its purpose was threefold:
11948-530: Was considering further expansion. It is one of the major attractions to the town's shopping centre, however there are fears that its expansion could lead it to become too dominant, at the cost of smaller shops in the town. Apart from tourism and retail, many jobs are also provided in the manufacturing industry , mainly located in industrial estates on the outskirts of the town, which produce goods such as kitchen furniture and factory machinery. A high number of construction jobs have been created by redevelopment of
12064-572: Was converted into a dual carriageway and redirected to avoid passing through urban areas of Herne Bay and Whitstable. Herne Bay's secondary school is the modern Herne Bay High . It is a mixed ability foundation school with about 1,500 students. In 2002, Herne Bay High was designated a specialist school and Sports College . In 2005, 14% of the school's pupils gained at least five GCSEs at grades A*–C including English and maths, ranking it 107th out of Kent's 120 secondary schools. Many students commute to schools in other nearby towns, especially to
12180-436: Was created to replace five previous committees. It covers services in the House, including catering, the House of Commons Library , digital services, and visitor services. Sometimes, committees from the House of Commons or joint standing committees (which include members of both Houses) review individual bills in detail. Most bills go to public bill committees . Before 2006, these were called standing committees. In 2009,
12296-499: Was first built, the flow running west along Herne Bay beach dropped its sand and pebbles on the east side of the pier instead of replenishing beach material in front of the new development. Subsequently, after being forced into a loop around the pier-end it was possibly forced into a shoreward eddy by deep-water currents. That means that at a certain point in the flow-tide it could have continued briefly westward past Hampton-on-Sea, then turned inshore and looped back strongly eastwards along
12412-453: Was further developed during the mid-1960s by Richard Crossman as Leader of the House of Commons . The modern system of departmental select committees in the UK came into being in 1979, following the recommendations of a 1978 Procedure Select Committee report. It recommended the appointment of a series of select committees covering all the main departments of state, with wide terms of reference, and with power to appoint specialist advisers as
12528-520: Was incorporated with £10,000 capital in £10 shares on 25 July 1864 with Frank Buckland as chairman and Mr Cholmondeley Pennell as deputy. 1860–1864 had been a boom year for oyster farming , especially in nearby Whitstable , and the government supported the trade in 1866 by passing an Act to promote cultivation. The company's proposals included five oyster smacks or yawls , a pier with storehouses, housing for workers and five freshwater breeding ponds . In spite of objections from local business competition,
12644-486: Was now defended on the company's behalf by HMS Buzzard and that the company employed outsiders for long hours and low pay. In the 1870s the oyster trade went into decline and suffered over-fishing, and in 1876 the Government set up a select committee to enquire into scarcity and price. The result was the 1877 Act which prevented sale of dredged oysters in June to August, and freshwater pond oysters between May and August. In
12760-475: Was often called Herne Street around this time. The same document also mentions the still-existing Rodney Head, The Ship and Upper Red Lion inns. In 1912, the first "Brides in the Bath" murder by George Joseph Smith was committed in Herne Bay. BBC scriptwriter Anthony Coburn, who lived in the resort, was one of the people who conceived the idea of a police box as a time machine for Doctor Who . During World War II,
12876-421: Was on the west side of the northern end of Hampton Pier Avenue, between the 1959 sea defences and the remains of the sea wall which are exposed at low water in Hampton bay. When Hampton-on-Sea existed and until 1934, the Hampton-on-Sea site was under the jurisdiction of Blean Rural District Council, the boundary with Herne Bay Council running north-south along the line of the present-day Hampton Pier Avenue. In 1934,
12992-466: Was recorded as 77.3% Christian, 0.3% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.2% Buddhist, 0.1% Jewish and 0.1% Sikh. 14.2% were recorded as having no religion, 0.3% had an alternative religion and 7.4% did not state their religion. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. The age distribution was 6% aged 0–4 years, 14% aged 5–15 years, 4% aged 16–19 years, 29% aged 20–44 years, 25% aged 45–64 years and 22% aged 65 years and over. The town had
13108-426: Was roughly in line with the national figures, except for the number of people in retirement. This figure nationally was significantly lower at 14%. Of the town's residents aged 16–74, 12% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared with 20% nationwide. According to Office for National Statistics estimates, during the period of April 2001 to March 2002 the average gross weekly income of households in
13224-499: Was the Herne Bay Press photographer for all big events. The stagnant Hampton Brook became a butt of Reid's jokes and he renamed it Lavender Brook , sending sardonic letters to the Council about erosion, Hampton Brook, public facilities and the pier as shipping hazard. With two neighbours he built a bridge over the brook, but it was declared dangerous and demolished by the Council. The sea flowed closer to his property, and in 1915 he
13340-471: Was the last remaining resident of Eddington Gardens and of Hampton-on-Sea. He abandoned his house in 1916, moved to Herne Bay, married in 1917 and died aged 71 on 5 December of the same year. He was buried in Herne Bay Cemetery in plot S62 on 8 December 1917. By the 1920s and 30s on the higher land of Hampton, the first houses on Hampton Pier Avenue and Swalecliffe Avenue were being built; this time as
13456-509: Was uncommon and tenancy was the norm. Prospective purchasers were promised trams and buses to take tenants to the railway station, or even an extra railway station close to the estate. The empty and rural nature of this spot was translated into promises of botanising , shooting, bathing, sailing and angling. Although no cheap train was provided on this occasion, plots sold at £8 to £32, making the Land Company £1,370. During 1889 sales were promoted by newspaper advertisements rather than auctions, and
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