St Margaret-at-Cliffe
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| St Margaret-at-Cliffe | |
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  St Margaret-at-Cliffe shown within Kent |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Dover |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Coordinates: St Margaret-at-Cliffe is a three part village situated just off the coast road between Deal and Dover in Kent, England. The heart of the village is about two miles (3 km) from the sea with the residential area of Nelson Park further inland and The Bay area situated along and below the cliffs.
[edit] History
During World War II most of the population were moved out and guns with their attendant military personnel were moved in. Most of the guns were anti-aircraft but there were smaller pieces intended to prevent German shipping from travelling along the French coast. There were two 15 inch guns called "Jane" & "Clem" and there were also the two famous ex-Navy 14-inch (356 mm) guns called "Winnie" and "Pooh". They originally came from the battleship HMS King George V. On one occasion when Winston Churchill was visiting, it is rumoured that that "Winnie" was fired and the officer-in-charge saluted and reported, "A direct hit, Sir". "On what ?" enquired Winston, "Er – France, Sir". There was a wooden dummy of "Pooh" but it obviously did not fool the Germans as legend has it that they dropped a wooden bomb.
Channel swimmers and submarine telephone cables start from here. The cliff above is where the sun is supposed first to reach the UK every morning.
During the war Sir Peter Ustinov was stationed here and liked it so much that he bought a house on the cliffs after the war. The house is now owned by Miriam Margolyes, both have hosted functions to raise funds for our new Village Hall.
At the other end of the beach there are cottages two of which were owned by Noel Coward and Ian Fleming.
[edit] Going Green
As of March 2008 St-Margaret-at-Cliffe is in the process of becoming a "Carbon Neutral" village. The inhabitants are aiming through a mixture of cutting down emissions, increasing the insulation in their homes (to reduce energy used for heating) and installing renewable energy sources to cut down the Carbon Dioxide emissions they make to a level that is offset by tree planting and other carbon neutralisation schemes.
This initiative has been kick started by the building of a sustainable conference centre in the Pines Gardens (located in St Margarets Bay). This building has been almost entirely built of sustainable or recycled materials by the Cleary Foundation. The trustees of the Cleary Foundation are part of the driving force behind the drive to become carbon neutral.
There has been green energy in the village since 1929, when St Margaret's Bay Windmill was built to generate electricity.
[edit] External links
- St.Margaret-at-Cliffe Online
- www.pinescalyx.co.uk[1]
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