Herne Bay, Kent

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Portal:Kent
 Kent Portal
Herne Bay

Coordinates: 51.3706° N 1.1270° E

Herne Bay, Kent (United Kingdom)
Herne Bay, Kent
Population 34,747 (2001)
OS grid reference TR177681
District Canterbury
Shire county Kent
Region South East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Herne Bay
Postcode district CT6
Dial code 01227
Police Kent
Fire Kent
Ambulance South East Coast
UK Parliament North Thanet
European Parliament South East England
List of places

Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, in the south east of England. Lying along the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is seven miles north from the city of Canterbury, and has a population of around 35,000. [1]

It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district. It is four miles east of the town of Whitstable, famous for its oysters.

Beginning as a small shipping community, Herne Bay rose to prominence as a seaside resort during the early 19th century. Its recently renovated seafront remains popular with locals and tourists to this day.

It is home to the world's first free-standing purpose built clock tower, [2] and had the second longest pier in the United Kingdom,[2] until it was partially torn down by a storm in 1978.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-20th century

The town of Herne Bay gained its name from the village of Herne, situated two miles inland from the bay. The word herne is etymologically a place on a "corner of land" and it evolved from the Old English word hyrne, meaning "angle" or "corner". The village was first recorded in around 1100 as Hyrnan.[3] The "corner" may relate to the sharp turn in the Roman Road between Canterbury and Reculver at Herne.[3] However, it is sometimes said that the name Herne is derived from the herons that frequented the salt-water shallows between the bay and neighbouring Whitstable.

One of the earliest buildings in Herne Bay was the still-existing Ship Inn, which served as the focal point for the small shipping and farming community.[4] Passenger and cargo boats regularly ran between Herne Bay and London. From Herne there was easy access by stagecoach to Dover or Thanet where further passage by boat could then be obtained across the English Channel.[2]

The 1801 census recorded Herne Bay, including Herne, as having a population of 1,232.[5] During the early 1800s a smugglers' gang operated from Herne Bay,[6] who were regularly involved in a series of fights with the preventive services until finally being overpowered in the 1820s.

Herne Bay Clock Tower - 11 November 2006
Herne Bay Clock Tower - 11 November 2006

The 1831 census recorded Herne Bay as having 1,876 inhabitants.[5] Wanting to establish Herne Bay as a tourist town, a group of London investors built the original wooden pier and a promenade in the 1830s. This lead to the rapid expansion of the town and the building of the railway station. By 1841, Herne Bay's population had grown to 3,041.[5] Herne Bay was officially established as a separate town from Herne in 1833.[7] The London businessmen intended to rename the town St Augustine's but this didn't prove popular.[8] In 1837, at a cost of about £4,000 donated by Mrs Ann Thwaytes of London, a 75ft clock tower was added to the seafront.[9] It is thought to be the first free standing purpose built clock tower in the world.[2] Sir Henry Oxenden also gave a piece of ground for the site of a new church.[9]

From the 1840s, coaches and omnibuses ran daily between Canterbury and Herne Bay and on the arrival of the steam packets, these would take passengers as far afield as Deal, Dover, Sandgate and Hythe. Conveyance by water continued to be provided from London with several steam vessels arriving at Herne Bay daily.

Thanet and Herne Bay both had a type of beach boat unique to the area, known as the Thanet wherry,[10] a narrow pulling boat of about 18ft long much used for fishing and with the advent of tourism for pleasure trips.

A document dated 1840 records Herne Bay as having the following schools, all of which are now defunct: Haddington boarding school, Oxenden House, British School, Prospect Place and Herne Street school. [9] The village of Herne was often called Herne Street around this time. The same document also mentions the still-existing Rodney Head inn, Ship Inn and Upper Red Lion inn.

The wooden pier had to dismantled in 1871 after its owners went into liquidation and the sea had caused the wood to rot.[11] A shorter 100m long iron pier with a theatre and shops at the entrance was built in 1873.[12] However, this pier was too short for any steamers to land at. The pier proved to be unprofitable and a replacement longer iron pier with an electric tram began to be built in 1896. At 3,600 ft, this pier was the second longest in the country, behind only the pier at Southend-on-Sea.[2]

Herne Bay's heyday was during the late Victorian era when it came into prominence as a seaside resort. Much of the resulting late Victorian seafront architecture is still in existence today. Its shingle beach and "easy" tides have always been popular and the pier was popular with beach-pier fishermen.

[edit] 20th/21st century

In 1910, a pavilion was added to the landward end of the pier.[12]

In 1912, the first "Brides in the Bath" murder by George Joseph Smith was committed in Herne Bay.[13]

At the beginning of World War II, the army cut two gaps between the landward end of the pier and the seaward terminal as a counter-invasion measure. The pier was restored however after the war.[11] During World War II, 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.[8]

1963 marked the end of steamer services from Herne Bay pier.[11] In 1970, the pavilion was destroyed by fire and plans began to replace it with a sports centre.[11] The new pavilion was opened in 1976 by former Prime Minister Edward Heath.[11] The centre section of the pier was torn down by a powerful storm in 1978 [12] and has not been rebuilt since. Residents and businesses continue today to campaign for a full restoration of the pier.[14]

Herne Bay Pier - 22 March 2007
Herne Bay Pier - 22 March 2007

The advent of overseas travel and changes holiday trends eventually caused the town to decline and redevelopment of the town centre was prevented by regular flooding of the Plenty Brook,[7] which passes though part of the town's drainage system before entering the sea.[15] However, extensive seafront regeneration in the 1990s followed the creation of a sea defence jetty to protect low-lying areas of the town from flooding.[4] Neptune's Arm, as it is called, lies a short way out to sea in the central area and has created a small harbour used by working and leisure boats. The Victorian gardens on the seafront were then able to be fully restored.

The town museum contains many historic photographs on the effects of storms and flooding on the area. The Central Bandstand, built in 1924 and recently refurbished to its former glory after years of disrepair and closure to the public, is now home to the Herne Bay Information Centre. A swimming pool and cinema were added to the town centre in the early 1990s.[4] In 2005, a wind-farm with thirty 2.75MW wind turbines was built 8.5km off the coast of Herne Bay and Whitstable, generating a total of 82.5MW of electricity.[16]

However, large parts of the town remain underdeveloped. In November 2006, Canterbury City Council began a public consultation to discuss the regeneration of the town's centre.[7] Herne Bay is said to currently lack a coherent and visually attractive shopping centre and has few quality shops.[7] There are also no clear pedestrian or cycle routes between the three main attractions in the town: the seafront, Memorial park and shopping centre. What routes there are lack adequate sign posting and involve crossing busy roads.[7] There are also calls for the architecturally unappealing sports centre to be relocated from the pier and replaced by other tourist attractions.[7] The town is also in need of further holiday accommodation and car parks if it is to re-establish itself as a popular seaside resort.[7]

[edit] Geography and climate

The coastline of Herne Bay has two distinct bays, separated by a jut of land created by silt from the outflow of the Plenty Brook into the sea.[2] The first buildings in Herne Bay were built along the east bay, a short distance from the brook outflow, where the road from Canterbury met the sea.[2] The town has since spread across both bays and onto the relatively high land flanking the Plenty Brook valley from both sides.[2] The 'east cliffs' and 'west cliffs' are formed where this high land meets the sea.[2] The land on the east side of the valley reaches a height of twenty five metres and on west side reaches ten metres.[2] The rising land beside the coast, between the valley and the east cliffs, is known as 'The Downs'. This area has been named a Site of Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area for Birds.[2] The Plenty Brook now passes through Herne Bay's drainage system, allowing building to be built on top.[2] The brook has been prone to flooding during heavy rain, especially in inland areas. This regularly causes problems for people living in the Eddington area in southern Herne Bay.[17]

The local geology consists mainly of London Clay, overlaid with brickearth in the west.[2] The sand and clay of The Downs are subject to landslips.[2]

These are average temperature and rainfall figures taken between 1971 and 2001 at the Met Office weather station in Wye, around 36 kilometres (23 miles) south west of Herne Bay.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average max. temperature
°C (°F)		 7.1
(48)		 7.2
(48)		 9.9
(52)		 12.1
(56)		 15.9
(61)		 18.7
(66)		 21.3
(70)		 21.6
(70)		 18.4
(66)		 14.5
(59)		 10.3
(52)		 8
(50)		 13.8
(59)
Average min. temperature
°C (°F)		 1.5
(39)		 1.3
(39)		 2.8
(41)		 4.3
(43)		 7.3
(46)		 9.9
(52)		 12.2
(57)		 12.2
(55)		 10.1
(54)		 7.2
(48)		 3.9
(45)		 2.6
(41)		 6.3
(46)
Rainfall
mm (inches)		 72.0
(2.8)		 44.7
(1.8)		 53.5
(2.1)		 50.8
(2.0)		 45.3
(1.8)		 51.8
(2.0)		 47.1
(1.9)		 55.9
(2.2)		 65.3
(2.6)		 85.4
(3.4)		 78.7
(3.1)		 77.3
(3.0)		 727.9
(28.7)
Source: Met Office

Nine times between 1999 and 2005, Herne Bay recorded the highest daily temperature in the United Kingdom.[18] Herne Bay is sometimes warmer than other parts of Kent due to it being backed by the North Downs to the south.[19]

During 2005 and 2006, Kent experienced a drought, which led to hosepipe bans being enforced through the winter.[20]

[edit] Demographics

Past Census population figures for Herne Bay and its surrounding villages - 1801:1232, 1811:1442, 1821:1675, 1831:1876, 1841:3041, 1851:3094, 1861:3147, 1871:3988, 1881:4410, 1891:5482, 1901:8442, 1911:9680, 1921:13836, 1931:14533 [2], 1991:31861 [1], 2001:34747[1] (The figures between 1801 and 1921 were obtained from the Kent Archaelogical Society website.)

The 2001 Census recorded the ethnicity of Herne Bay and its surrounding villages as 98.5% white, 0.6% mixed race, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Chinese and 0.2% black.[21]

The 2001 Census recorded the age distribution of residents of Herne Bay and its surrounding villages as - aged 0-4 years:6%, aged 5-15 years:14%, aged 16-19 years:4%, aged 20-44 years:29%, aged 45-64 years:25%, aged 65 years and over:22%[21]

[edit] Culture

[edit] Attractions and landmarks

Herne Bay Memorial Park - 22 March 2007
Herne Bay Memorial Park - 22 March 2007

The seafront has a two mile shingle beach and promenade. The beach has been awarded a European Blue Flag and the yellow and blue Seaside Award for its safety and cleanliness.[22] The seafront features a Victorian bandstand, Victorian gardens with a children's play area, rides and trampolines for children and amusement arcades. Landmarks by the seafront include the clocktower, the sea defence jetty, the off-shore World War II sea fort and the off-shore windfarm. There are also seaside cafes, fresh seafood restaurants, guest houses, beach huts and many water-sports faciliies.

The War Memorial Park is situated in the centre of the town, incorporating a children's play area, a large shallow pond (often used for remote control boats), basketball and tennis courts and a large expanse of grass.

Reculver Country Park is home to Reculver Towers, the remains of a Roman fort, the remains of a saxon church, a migrating-bird watching spot and an information centre on the geology, history and wildlife of this area of the coast. Reculver Towers is the remains of St Mary's Church and its distinctive twin towers, built in 12th Century on the edge of the cliffs at Reculver.[8]

Herne Mill is a late-18th Century Kentish smock mill in Herne, usually open to visitors on Sunday afternoons between April and September.[23]

Wildwood Discovery Park is a woodland discovery park featuring over fifty species of native British animals such as deer, badgers, wild boar and wolves. It is located on the main road between Herne Bay and Canterbury.

One of the main landmarks of Herne Bay is a concrete funnel-shaped water tower standing 100 feet tall on the top of Mickleburgh Hill. It is now only used as a base for radio transmitters.

[edit] Cultural events and venues

Guest Houses on Herne Bay Seafront - 11 August 2006
Guest Houses on Herne Bay Seafront - 11 August 2006

Herne Bay has a festival every August which includes a carnival through the town centre and a travelling fun-fair at the Memorial Park for two weeks.

Recalling its Victorian heritage Herne Bay hosts an annual Punch and Judy weekend each summer.[22]

There is also a lively Arts and Theatre scene, with several community drama groups. One such is Theatrecraft, a local society producing three shows a year, including an annual pantomime at the Kings Hall. Another group regularly holds productions at the Little Theatre.

Herne Bay's only cinema, "the Kavanagh", is part of the striking Greco-inspired building that incorporates the council-run Heron's swimming pool.

There are a number of drinking venues in Herne Bay, many of which are located on the seafront, or within a few hundred yards. There are night clubs, social clubs and many pubs, including one in the recently renovated seafront bandstand.

[edit] Sports

Herne Bay is a popular destination for water sports. Herne Bay has a sailing club, an amateur rowing club and a yacht club. Herne Bay has hosted the water sport Zapcat racing championships.[22]

The pier is popular with fishermen, with cod, bass and skate most commonly caught. [22] Members of Herne Bay Angling Association compete nationally in boat fishing competitions.

The Memorial Park contains a sports field, three tennis courts and a basketball court which can be used free of charge. Herne Bay Bowling Club is situated next to the Memorial Park and hosts several lawn bowls Open Tournaments each year.[24]

Herne Bay Hockey Club, Greenhill Gymnastics Club and Herne Bay Cricket Club are located at Herne Bay High School, which specialises in sports education. The hockey club runs a ladies' team and five men's team, the highest of which plays in the Kent Sussex Regional 1st XI League. [25] Herne Bay Cricket Club runs two junior teams, a men's Sunday team and two men's Saturday teams. The Saturday teams play in the Kent Cricket Feeder League East. [26]

Herne Bay Basketball Club runs teams for men, women and juniors in the East Kent Basketball League.[27]

Herne Bay Golf Club has an eighteen-hole course on the outskirts of the town.[28]

There is a council owned sports-centre on the pier with a rink used for roller skating and roller hockey. It also has table-tennis, badmington and squash courts, a solarium and a gymnasium. The sports-centre also has a creche.[29]

There is a privately owned gymnasium in the town centre.

Herne Bay Judo Club is located near the railway station. The same venue also holds clubs for table-tennis and badmington.[30] There are also two other table-tennis clubs in the town.[31]

Bujinkai karate classes are held at Herne Bay Junior School.[31]

Herne Bay has a football club in the Kent League Premier Division. Herne Bay F.C. were Kent League champions in 1992, 1994, 1997 & 1998.[32]

[edit] Popular culture

  • Parts of the first series of Little Britain were filmed along the seafront of Herne Bay, inside the Victoria Bed & Breakfast and inside the Bun Penny pub.[33]
  • Herne Bay was the film location for the 1984 BBC comedy series Cockles, starring Joan Sims, among others.
  • Herne Bay was also the site of the 1960s film French Dressing, a minor-comedy directed by Ken Russell set principally on the sea front and the inside of the Kent Tavern Pub.[34]
  • Part of an episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was filmed in Herne Bay.
  • Herne Bay was used as a location in CBBC's The Tweenies.[4]
  • Herne Bay was a location in Upstairs Downstairs.[35]
  • Herne Bay was the main location for the 1970s French film Blue Jeans.[36]
  • Reculver was the location for childhood scenes in the 1970s film The Medusa Touch.[37]
  • Herne Bay was the home town of characters Matt and Mandy in the BBC sitcom, Game On.[4]
  • In the Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves holidays at Herne Bay, spending much of his time there fishing.[38]

[edit] Famous current or former residents

[edit] Twin towns

Herne Bay is twinned with the following towns:

[edit] Transport links

Herne Bay railway station is on the Chatham Main Line which runs between London Victoria and Ramsgate. Other stations on this line include Bromley South, Rochester, Gillingham, Faversham, Whitstable, Margate and Broadstairs. A selection of trains run to London's Cannon Street station, primarily for business commuting. Herne Bay is around 1 hour and 30 minutes from London by fast-service train.[47]

There is a triangular Stagecoach bus route running through Herne Bay, Whitstable and Canterbury which leaves Herne Bay every ten to twenty minutes during day time (route numbers 4 & 6).[48] An hourly Stagecoach bus service runs between Herne Bay and Margate (route number 36).[49] A National Express coach service runs between Ramsgate and London Victoria via Herne Bay every two to three hours during day time (route number 022).[50]

The A299 road, also known as the Thanet Way, runs between Ramsgate and Faversham via Herne Bay and Whitstable. It merges with the M2 motorway at Faversham.[51]

[edit] Schools

[edit] Local media

Newspapers

  • Herne Bay Gazette - owned by Kent Messenger Group (KM)
  • Herne Bay Times - owned by Trinity Mirror (TM)
  • KM Extra - for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay (KM)
  • Canterbury Adscene - for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay (TM)

Radio

  • kmfm for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay on 106FM. The station was founded in September 1997 as CTFM but was rebranded as KMFM for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay after a takeover by the Kent Messenger Group.
  • Radio Cabin - Herne Bay part-time internet only radio station at RadioCabin.co.uk

[edit] Politics

The Member of Parliament for North Thanet, covering northern Thanet and Herne Bay, is the Conservative Roger Gale. At the 2005 General Election, the Conservatives won a majority of 7,634 and 49.6% of the vote. Labour won 32.2% of the vote, Liberal Democrats 14.4% and United Kingdom Independence Party 3.9%.[52]

The Herne Bay area has thirteen of the fifty seats on the Canterbury City Council. Seven of those seats are held by the Liberal Democrats and six by the Conservatives.[53]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c England. CityPopulation.de. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Herne Bay Conservation Area Appraisal. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  3. ^ a b Kent place names. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  4. ^ a b c d e Herne Bay in the Media. Herne Bay Online. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  5. ^ a b c Population of Kent 1801 to 1921. Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  6. ^ Smuggler's Britain. Smuggling.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Connecting Herne Bay. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  8. ^ a b c Herne Bay, a mini history. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  9. ^ a b c Pigots 1840 - Herne Bay & Herne Street. Janet & Richard's Genealogy Homepage. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  10. ^ The Chatham Directory of Inshore Craft. ThamesBarge.org.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  11. ^ a b c d e Herne Bay Pier. Association Of Hotels, Business & Leisure. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  12. ^ a b c Herne Bay Pier. The Heritage Trail. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  13. ^ 'Brides in the Bath' murders. Metropolitan Police Service. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  14. ^ Help to fund the rebuilding of Herne Bay pier. HerneBayPier.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  15. ^ Flooding from the Plenty Brook at Herne Bay.. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  16. ^ Thirty NEG Micon offshore wind turbines for Kentish Flats in the UK. Vestas. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  17. ^ Flooding from the Plenty Brook at Herne Bay.. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  18. ^ Search - Herne Bay. Met Office. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  19. ^ Kent weather exposed. BBC Kent. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  20. ^ Kent's climate. Kent County Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  21. ^ a b Neighbourhood Statistics. Statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  22. ^ a b c d Welcome to Herne Bay. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  23. ^ Herne Mill. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  24. ^ Homepage. Herne Bay Bowling Club. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  25. ^ Men's 1st XI. Herne Bay Hockey Club. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  26. ^ Teams. Herne Bay Cricket Club. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  27. ^ Homepage. Herne Bay Basketball Club. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  28. ^ Herne Bay Golf Club. English Golf Courses. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  29. ^ The Pier Sports Centre Charges. Active Life Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  30. ^ Sports Clubs in Herne Bay. Herne Bay Town Partners. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  31. ^ a b Table Tennis. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  32. ^ Previous champions. Kent Football League. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  33. ^ Filming locations for Little Britain. IMDb. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  34. ^ Filming locations for French Dressing. IMDb. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  35. ^ Upstairs, Downstairs: The Pre-War Years 3. UpDown.org.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  36. ^ Filming locations for Blue Jeans. IMDb. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  37. ^ Filming locations for The Medusa Touch. IMDb. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  38. ^ Jeeves in the Offing. Audible.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  39. ^ Interview with Bob Holness. BBC Kent. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  40. ^ My Pap Pics: Nicki Chapman. FindArticles.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  41. ^ Panto season underway in the U.K.. WestEnder.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  42. ^ Dave Sinclair. Dave-Sinclair.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  43. ^ "Securitas robbery: how it happened", BBC News, 2006-02-27. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  44. ^ Holland, Steve. Dudley Pout. Bear Alley. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  45. ^ Kevin Ayers. NNDB. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  46. ^ a b Herne Bay Twinning Contacts.. Canterbury City Council (2007-02-06). Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  47. ^ Timetable. National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  48. ^ Route 36. Stagecoach. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  49. ^ Routes 4, 4A & 4X. Stagecoach. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  50. ^ Timetable. National Express. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  51. ^ A299: Thanet Way. SABRE. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  52. ^ North Thanet. Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  53. ^ Members of the Council. Canterbury City Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-29.

[edit] External links

 view • talk • edit 
The city of Canterbury in Kent, South East England
with the surrounding suburbs, villages, towns and parishes :

Adisham • Barham • Bekesbourne • Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne • Bishopsbourne • Blean • Bridge • Chartham • Chartham Hatch • Chestfield • Chislet • East Stourmouth • Fordwich • Greenhill • Hackington • Harbledown • Herne • Herne and Broomfield • Herne Bay • Hersden • Hoath • Ickham • Ickham and Well • Kingston • Littlebourne • Lower Hardres • Marshside • Patrixbourne • Petham • Plucks Gutter • Reculver • Stourmouth • Sturry • Swalecliffe • Tankerton • Thanington Without • Tyler Hill • Upper Harbledown • Upper Hardres • Waltham • Westbere • Whitstable • Wickhambreaux • Womenswold
The district of the City of Canterbury
List of places in Kent
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../h/e/r/Herne_Bay%2C_Kent_f537.html"
In other languages