Folkestone (pronounced: FOKE-stun) is a town on the Kent coast, in the South East of England.
Folkestone is a member of the Cinque Ports, having been incorporated as a Corporate Limb of Dover. In 1629 the local inhabitants obtained a licence to build a port, prior to which, fishing boats were entirely reliant upon the natural protection of the natural harbour formed by the Pent Stream.
At the end of the 18th century the city became prosperous because of an increase in the fishing and shipping industries and, in the middle of the 19th century, Folkestone was one of the chief resorts of southern England, aided by the construction of the railway line from London. Numerous Victorian Hotels, including "The Grand" and "Metropole" are testament to this, together with no less than three railway stations.
Since the 1950s it has fallen into decline due in part to competition from Dover, the advent of the Channel Tunnel (with many new jobs in the area because of it convening in Ashford) and the ubiquitous package holiday. However along with Kent's other seaside towns, it has seen some cultural regeneration in the 2010s including the Triennial arts festival.
Sandgate is a village at the west end of the town which has a popular beach.
The M20 links Folkestone with Ashford, the A259 runs south along the coast to Hastings and the A20 heads up the coast to Dover.
Folkestone Central station 📍 is in the town centre and is served by trains from London St Pancras and London Bridge, as well as other towns in Kent. Fare and timetable information is available from Southeastern, tel. +44 8457 484950.
Stagecoach is the bus company that operates in Folkestone. Timetables and fares are available from Stagecoach Buy your ticket from the driver when you board the bus. A £9.50 Mega rider plus ticket gives you unlimited travel within the Folkestone area for a week
Battle of Britain Memorial, New Dover Road, Capel-le-Ferne, CT18 7JJ, 51.0985°, 1.2059°, +44 1303 249 292, enquiries@battleofbritainmemorial.org. Daily 10AM-4PM (autumn-winter), 10AM-5PM (spring-summer). A very touching memorial dedicated to the men who fought and died in Britain's most desperate hour. Vintage aeroplanes are also on display. Free 2020-06-09
Channel Tunnel Entrance, 51.09703°, 1.15586°. Observe from the hills to the northwest of Folkestone - Caesar's Camp or Castle Hill 📍 and Crete Road West 📍 are good spots - the shuttle trains loading cars and lorries before their undersea trip to France. The Channel Tunnel is described as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World". On clear days, you also have a fine view over the English Channel and nearby parts of the French coast. Free 2020-06-09
Elham Valley Line Trust - Railway Museum and Countryside Centre, Peene, CT18 8AZ (Take A20 westbound from M20 junction 12, signposted Newington. After passing under Channel Tunnel rail bridge, turn right and follow brown signs to far side of Newington village.), 51.0986°, 1.1188°, +44 1303 273 014, enquiries@elhamvalleylinetrust.org. Sa Su, bank holiday 10AM-5PM. A volunteer-run museum preserving the memory of the long-vanished Elham Valley Railway. Highlights include a magnificently-restored 1930s-era station, an original loco, and a model of the original line. The museum profits from its proximity to the Channel Tunnel, presenting a working scale model of the terminal, and the last remaining tunnel manrider in existence. Adjacent to this is an early 18th-century barn which, moved piece-by-piece from its original location (now buried under the Eurotunnel terminal), displays old farming equipment and other rural artifacts, and is also a space for artisan crafts. Children's miniature railway, model shop and tea room on-site. Adult £3.50, concession £3, child £2.50 2020-06-15
Folkestone White Horse, 51.1012°, 1.1388°, enq@whitehorsefolkestone.co.uk. Chalk figure of a horse which overlooks the town. No, it's not an ancient monument; it was commissioned for the millennium celebrations and completed in 2003. Best viewed from afar; Weymouth Road and the car park of Tesco are good specs, but it's visible from much of Folkestone. If you're just passing through to get to the continent, the outbound Eurotunnel terminal has some of the clearest and closest views. 2020-07-21
Folkestone Artworks. Any time. There are 74 outdoor artworks dotted around the town, promoted by Creative Folkestone. These include an Anthony Gormley statue under the harbour and Richard Woods' bungalows. 2022-05-03
South-west of the town centre, or if coming from the harbour, west up Marine Parade, The Leas 📍 is a clifftop coastal promenade along which you can stroll for about a mile. It's wide and flat, with some landscaping, a bandstand and a number of impressive old hotels. You're high enough to get some superb sea views, and for sure high enough to get buffeted by the Channel winds on blustery days! But on a calm, pleasant evening, there are few better places in Kent to catch a sunset.
There are several different attractions alongside the prom:
There's nothing better than on a warm sunny weekend day in summer than to spend a morning browsing shops in the town centre, take a walk down the Old High Street into the artist's quarter, spill out into the harbour - get some locally caught fish and chips or some wonderful locally-caught seafood from the harbour stalls and then walk to the right, around the shore to the coastal park, stop by and listen to great live music in the amphitheatre, walk up the Zig-Zag path or take the Victorian lift up to the relaxing Leas promenade for some fantastic panoramic views of the coastline, pop into the Grand or Metropole for a refreshing drink in sophisticated surroundings and look at some artwork. In the evening, visit any of the restaurants in the town or nearby Sandgate and catch a show at the Leas Cliff Hall or in the more intimate Silver Screen Cinema in the town centre (next to Waterstone's bookshop).
At the turn of the century, many of the larger chains departed Folkestone for Ashford, being a much larger town and having superior rail connections to London and the continent. But, thanks to the efforts of a visionary charity, Folkestone's retail offering hasn't died; far from it. Creative Folkestone bought up much of the land in the centre and brightened up tired old buildings with vivid colour. The organisation actively encourages artists and craftspeople to relocate their businesses here and, crucially, keeps rents affordable. All this has seen the old town centre transformed into the Creative Quarter; there are around 50 independently-run shops, plus art studios, buzzing cafés and office space for the creative economy. The quarter's focus is the pedestrianised Old High Street 📍 and the more modern Tontine Street 📍, which both descend towards the sea and meet just shy of the harbour.
There are a number of cafes in Folkestone, particularly at the top of the Old High Street.
Folkestone has easy access to a number of areas:
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division