Annual General Meeting 2013

The society's Annual General meeting was well attended. John Fishpool, President, gave his report covering the various activities undertaken during the year. He said that in 2013 we had just celebrated two of the most important landmarks in the history of the town.

The first was the Act of Parliament which achieved Royal Assent on 28th June 1833 setting out the basis for the management of a separate portion of the parish of Herne and the formation of the town of Herne Bay.

The second was the centenary of the opening of the King's Hall by HRH Princess Henry of Battenberg on 10th July 1913. He was pleased that the society had taken the lead in setting up exhibitions and events to ensure that both had been given worthy recognition and he thanked the members who had worked hard to make this possible.

He reminded members of the sad loss earlier in the year of Anne Gough, widow of late Society Curator Harold Gough and the society's treasurer Tony Bendrey. He thanked Colleen Ashwin-Kean for assisting with the day to day finances in the interim and said that Colleen had since been elected as a Trustee of the society.

Mike Bundock, Society Archivist and Curator, gave his report on the various acquisitions accepted during the year. He also presented the Treasurer's report in the absence of a permanent post-holder. Colleen Ashwin-Kean, Excursions Organiser, reported on the success of the recent visit to Faversham.

No nominations had been received for the vacant Treasurer's and Secretary's post prior to the meeting and no nominations were received from the floor. John Fishpool agreed to be nominated for Treasurer but the Secretary's position is still vacant. The rest of the committee Margaret Wood, Margaret Burns and Colleen Ashwin-Kean were elected en bloc.

David Birch, retiring Chairman, informed members that John Fishpool and Mike Bundock had both been given honorary memberships for their long serving contributions and hard work on behalf of the society.

The evening concluded with a slide show of various aspects of Reculver presented by Mike Bundock. The new publication “Herne Bay Then and Now - a pictorial history celebrating 180 years” was on sale, as was the 2014 Calendar featuring historical images of Herne Bay.

The next meeting will be at the Lower Hall, United Church Herne Bay on Thursday 17th October when Peter Ewart will be speaking on "Victorian and Edwardian Schooldays". Doors open at 6.30pm for 7pm start. Visitors most welcome. Ring 01227 362666 or visit our website for more programme information.

What a summer!

It has been a busy Summer for the Society as its members have been involved in various celebrations concerning the history of the town. An exhibition to mark the 180th anniversary of the formation of Herne Bay as a separate town by the 28th June 1833 Act of Parliament was prepared and mounted in Beach Creative Art Gallery, Beach Street for a week in June.

Mike Bundock presented a talk at the Herne Bay Little Theatre in Bullers Avenue on 28th and 29th June to celebrate this notable date in the town's history.

On Wednesday 10th July the Society organised and hosted a day to celebrate the centenary of the opening of the King's Hall by HRH Princess Henry of Battenberg on 4th July 1913. It started at noon with the grand opening by the Sheriff of Canterbury Cllr Ann Taylor together with guest of honour Mrs Mary Harris, daughter of Miss Nancy Iggulden, who presented the original bouquet to HRH in 1913.

The Society commissioned replicas of the original commemorative medallions that were distributed when the hall was opened and a representative number of school children attended to receive them. The remainder of the 3,000 medals were subsequently delivered to all Herne Bay and Herne Primary schools for presentation to their pupils

A marvellous lunch for 100 guests was prepared and served by students from East Kent College, with a menu based on the original “luncheon” menu, but somewhat trimmed down from the original fifteen courses! The tables were tastefully decorated in true Edwardian fashion including peacock and ostrich feathers by members of Beach Creative Arts.

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A commemorative garden, commissioned by Canterbury City Council and created for Herne Bay in Bloom by Oakapple Landscapes and Family Investment Homes on the foot of the Downs was opened later in the day by Cllr Jean Law, Deputy Leader of Canterbury City Council.

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A talk to celebrate 100 years of the King's Hall was given in the evening by Society Archivist Mike Bundock accompanied by his fully illustrated book. An exhibition (which has subsequently been transferred to the Herne Bay Museum Gallery William Street and can be viewed there until 6th October ) was also produced by members in the King's Hall foyer.

As part of the Society's contribution to English Heritage week Mike Bundock gave a talk at Herne Bay Little Theatre on 13th September on The Changing Face of Herne Bay Seafront, members manned an exhibition in the King's Hall on Sat 14th September and also organised two "Walks Back in Time" in the town and seafront on Sunday 15th September. A busy weekend! 

A walk round Faversham and its very interesting museum hosted by the Faversham Society, organised by Society's Trustee and Outings Organiser Colleen Ashwin-Kean, has also recently been enjoyed by members and friends.

Our opening meeting of the season will be held on Thursday October 3rd at 7pm (doors open at 6.30pm) in the United Church Hall High Street Herne Bay commencing with the Annual General Meeting followed by a selection of slides illustrating some aspects of Reculver. Our latest publication hot off the press, "Herne Bay Then and Now - A Pictorial History Celebrating 180 Years" written and produced by John Fishpool and Mike Bundock will be available on this evening together with the new 2014 Calendar featuring twelve historical images of Herne Bay selected from the Society's extensive archive collection.

Herne Bay Then & Now

The Herne Bay Historical Records Society has taken the decision that, to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the historic landmark of the passing of the 1833 Act of Parliament, it would publish a volume of old pictures of the town alongside contemporary photographs taken from the same viewpoint in 2013.

Some places have altered over the intervening years so that they are now almost unrecognisable – others remain largely unchanged. It could be argued, moreover, that not all the changes have been for the better!

Although essentially a picture book, each set of photographs is accompanied by a short piece of explanatory text about the featured location so that these images illustrate aspects of the history of the town as well as revealing the changing face of Herne Bay over the years.

Published October 2013. Soft covers, A4 size, 116 pages high-grade glossy art paper, 100 pairs of greyscale images.

ISBN: 978-1-909164-10-9

IoTAS talks in July

Isle of Thanet Archeological Society

As part of the Festival of British Archaeology, IoTAS are organising two Talks.

On Thursday, 18th July, there is a Public Talk by Peter Golding entitled "Under our Feet" (local geology).  

If you have ever wanted to know more about how our landscape was formed, and the effect it has had on our history, please come along.  The Talk is at the Lecture Hall of Christchurch University, Broadstairs Campus, Northwood Road, Broadstairs (free parking at rear of building).  Admission is £5, £3 for IOTAS members and £2.50 for students.  Doors open 7.15 p.m. for 7.45 p.m. start.

The second Talk is on Monday, 22nd July, and is at Crampton Tower Yard, Broadstairs.  It is being given by Karen Botha and Imbel Livene of Quex House and is titled "Protecting the future of our past, the way forward for the Powell Cotton Museum". Admission is £2, free to IoTAS members and again doors open at 7.15 p.m. for 7.45 p.m. start.

If either of these Talks interest you or any of the members of your organisation, please come along.  Everyone is welcome.  

More information can be found on www.iotas.org.uk

The Kings Hall Herne Bay - celebrating 100 years

This book has been compiled to celebrate 100 years of the Kings Hall at Herne Bay, a building that has had such a positive influence on many residents and visitors.

There can be few people in the district who have not experienced an event that has been held at the hall, and even if the interaction is not first hand, they will doubtless have a close relative with connections. With such a rich history and so many memories in the minds of people with an interest, it is gratifying to note that various individuals and groups, including the owner of the building, Canterbury City Council, have chosen to mark this landmark occasion.

The main sources used for the compilation of this work, have included two souvenir booklets produced for the respective openings of the East Cliff Pavilion in April 1904 and the Kings Hall in July 1913. Local newspapers including the Herne Bay Press, the Herne Bay Argus and the less well known Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald, have all proved invaluable, as has access to various collections of programmes for the countless events that have taken place over the last century.

Published July 2013. Soft covers, A4 size, 54 pages high-grade glossy art paper, greyscale images.

ISBN: 978-1-909164-09-3