Yahoo News The beautiful commuter town by the sea an hour from London that's 1 of UK's best places to live
The get-up-and-go of London life has always attracted those who live here, but the city's hectic bustle and noise sometimes means a quick getaway for some sea air is the perfect way to relax. Luckily, a beautiful coastal town with one of the UK's best beach attractions is just an hour away from St Pancras Station, and is undergoing something of a renaissance.
Folkestone in Kent is a charming town, with a warren of winding cobbled streets filled with artisan shops and trendy bars and cafes - and was even named the best place to live in Kent by The Sunday Times. Old High Street in particular resembles Brighton's The Lanes with its cluster of independent stores and brightly-painted shopfronts, earning its new moniker "The Creative Quarter."
The Harbour is still filled with small fishing boats, while a walk along its ancient street The Stade leads to the Fishing Museum, The Ship Inn - which boasts of serving "the best fish and chips" in Folkestone, and Cornelia Parker’s The Folkestone Mermaid - a life-size bronze statue perched on a rock overlooking Folkestone’s Sunny Sands Beach. Two other cast steel statues from renowned sculptor Anthony Gormley (Another Time XVIII and Another Time XXI) also stand defiantly along the bay.
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The Leas Lift
The Leas Lift in Folkestone is 'funicular' - two carriages on a rail go up and down a steep slope via a pulley at the top. In Victorian times, it was seen as a novel way to connect the promenade on Leas cliff with the seafront 30 metres below - some 2,389 passengers hopped on board on its opening day on September 21, 1885. A staggering 36 million people used the lift until it closed in 2016.
Situated a short walk from the former Folkestone Harbour station, near Mermaid Beach, this stunning piece of Victorian engineering was voted fifth in Seaside Heritage Network's Bucket and Spade List of the Top 10 favourite seaside places and experiences in the UK.
The cliffside lift was recently put on the Heritage at Risk register and after a fundraising target of £6.6 million was reached, including £ 4.8 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, it is finally set to reopen next year. A popular café sits on the bottom of the lift. For more information, see HERE.
A haunted history
For hundreds of years, Folkestone was a quiet fishing village with a penchant for smugglers. One of its pubs, The Valiant Sailor, dates to 1782 and is reputed to be one of the most haunted in England, while other ghost stories in the area detail the Ship Inn in Sandgate is said to be haunted by a fishwife and Victorian soldier. An artillery fort, Sandgate Castle, built by Henry VIII in 1540, still stands on the beach.
The barony of Folkestone was purchased by Jacob des Bouverie in 1697, and his son became the 1st Earl of Radnor. It was the Radnors who were responsible for developing much of the seafront promenade with fashionable houses and hotels, and they successfully lobbied for the Southern Eastern Railway to come to Folkestone Harbour in 1844, creating a cross-channel service to France that rivalled Dover.
By Victorian times, the town was a popular retreat for Londoners. It was a favourite holiday spot of Charles Dickens, who wrote, "To live a life of perfect repose, come to Folkestone... The situation is delightful, the air is delicious and sweet," while H. G Wells, who lived in the town for 13 years, regaled "Folkestone's fascinating maze of walks". The Grand Hotel in Folkestone was a favourite destination of the rich and famous for many decades.
A modern day getaway
Today, Folkestone is filled with sights and activities for those looking for a fun getaway whatever the time of year. The Harbour Arm has an outdoor cinema surrounded by indie stalls, coffee shops and food vendors in shipping containers situated inside the renovated disused Harbour Rail Station.
A walk along Mermaid Beach is helped by a fully-decked pathway, with a rockery along the seaside offering a perfect backdrop for photographs. Beach huts and pathways are painted in brightly-coloured ombré shades across the rainbow spectrum, offering lots of Instagram appeal. Gorgeous gardens line the back of the promenade and there is street artwork on many a corner across town.
Folkestone is connected to London with a direct train from St Pancras to Folkestone Central via South Eastern Railway, which takes 55 minutes. A day return through the week costs £41.20 but can be as little as £34.20 on Saturdays and Sundays.
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