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Broadstairs was originally known as Bradstowe and a broad lane down to the seashore is said to have been defended by a portcullis as was Kingsgate just around the coast. The cliffs and other seafront areas are meant to be riddled with caves and tunnels used by smugglers. Viking BayViking Bay is one of Broadstairs seven bays and gained its name following the celebrations of the 1500th anniversary of the landing in Thanet by Hengist and Horsa in 449. The Viking Ship rowed over from Denmark in 1949 is now on permanent display at Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate.
The Pier dates back to Tudor times with many original timbers hidden within the present structure. The 300 year old look-out building survives despite regular battering by storms watched over by “The Highlander” and “The Grecian Head”, both from wrecked ships. |
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| Hengist and Horsa Viking Ship |
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On the beach, stands the original building of Station House which, in Napoleonic times, was the headquarters of the Coast Blockade; news of the victory at Waterloo was first learnt here when a Major Percy presented the captured French Eagle standard to the resident Port Admiral, causing the house to be renamed Eagle House. |
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