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Sandwich, an original Cinque Port and excellent example of a Medieval town with its ancient narrow streets. Take a waterside walk and see the many boats moored along the quayside. Roman FortIn 54 AD, the Romans began a massive fort at nearby Richborough. This was the original Roman headquarters for the whole of Britain and much of it still stands, maintained by English Heritage.
Sandwich was a member of the Cinque Ports, the five most important ports on the south coast, given special privileges in return for providing ships to the Crown. Much of the town’s history as a Cinque Port is displayed in the Guildhall Museum.
Sandwich was one of the largest and busiest ports in medieval England. Goods from the continent were landed here and taken into the town through Fisher Gate, built in 1385, the last surviving part of Sandwich’s medieval town walls. |
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| Fisher Gate |
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| The River today |
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By the 1500’s the port was silting up. When Queen Elizabeth visited in 1573 she was petitioned to improve the port but she declined and Sandwich became a quiet market town.
In 1914 a secret military port was developed at Richborough for sending munitions to the trenches in France. In 1938 it was used to house Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. |
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