Folkestone Harbour Signalbox

We forsook the gym this morning as the weather was sparkling and it seemed such a waste to be indoors in the bowels of a building when the sun was enticingly bright.

We drove to Folkestone, parking on the cliff top at the Warren and walking down to the seashore and onto the harbour arm. The old Folkestone Harbour station has been closed for 11 years now and was very little used before that. This is a video of the last train: https://youtu.be/5bCHBTdRIzM

The station was once the destination for boat trains to the Continent and place of disembarkation for hundreds of thousands of troops to Europe in both wars.

Nowadays, the station has been restored, gardens laid in the track area and the Harbour Arm opened up to the public. Even more interesting is that the signalbox has been restored and transformed into a small cafe which is complete with the lever frame, box diagram and all the paraphernalia associated with a signalbox.

Well, we just had to go in. I understood how the box worked and given a day or two in the box would have been able to operate it! And what a view the signalman had from that box looking out over the harbour, town and cliffs beyond.

After walking the Harbour Arm we followed the coast to Sandgate, turning round and climbing up to Folkestone Leas to walk back to the town for lunch. We had a railway themed lunch in a very pleasant pub called the Pullman.

We had an early tea and were soon on our way to the St. Edith’s Folk Club in Kemsing to see Iota, an extremely entertaining group with Marion Fleetwood, Anna Ryder and Sally Barker.