This is an interesting tale, about a gentleman named James Field, who ended up, owning a considerable chunk of Sandgate.  He acquired the land from Lord Radnor in 1839. Along with Henry Dawkins of Encombe and Lord Darnley of the Enbrook Estate. Field could be said to be the third largest landowner, until his death in 1888. Field became entangled with the Royal Board of Ordnance whose presence was everywhere in Sandgate.

His name features high in most of the local charity lists of the time and here is the extent of his domain which we know today as Castle Road and the Riviera.

Field was born in 1800, he was a competent London architect, in 1833 the Governors of the ancient grammar school of St Olaves had elected him surveyor, and he planned the layout and modernisation of the school in the Tudor style similar to Cardinal Wolsey’s at Hampton Court.  He was obviously an early proponent of central heating recommending that the school be heated by hot water instead of stoves.

Two new wings for St Thomas’ Hospital were among other notable commissions that came his way. However, in 1850, his design for some city corporation failed in competition.  In disgust he decided to emigrate with his wife Elizabeth and two sons aboard the ‘Canterbury’ in 1851 to New Zealand

On the strength that he was a farmer of Sandgate, Kent whose farm overlooked the chalk cliffs of Dover, he was awarded a Government land grant, of eight cattle runs, of 50 acres each, also other building land in Christchurch, in the Provence of Canterbury New Zealand – (hence Canterbury Cottage).

His first will was made in 1858, before embarking on the long and hazardous return journey to England.  His last Will of 1887 describes him as of Christchurch New Zealand, but late of Audley Cottage, Castle Road, Sandgate.

The Hermitage, deceptively Tudor in style, has always been the subject of speculation.  I can now establish that it stands on the site of an earlier house built by Fabian Clayton Wilson, the shipbuilder, who left Sandgate around 1813 when shipbuilding was on the decline. One can guess that there was a good supply of surplus or abandoned ragstone nearby and Field, who rather favoured Tudor, decided to blend with the Castle.

In 1846, it was clear that the sea was making inroads, and the Board of Ordnance were concerned wanting to protect the foundations of Sandgate Castle by the only possible means of laying down groynes in front.  It was also one of Field’s main concerns to keep the sea from his property.  But as is usual in Sandgate with all its rights of way, encroachments and boundary disputes, there had been a bit of a mix up as to who owned what!

In 1845, we find his brother Benjamin, a barrister of Lincoln’s Inn,  writing to the Board of Ordnance….’Mr James Field in the assured belief that property was his up to the Castle has built a substantial brick wall along the whole line fronting the sea; he would be greatly disappointed to find that he had not title to the piece of ground mentioned’

It was NO GO. The Ordnance Store keeper at Dover finally unearthed the original lease of 1798 from Lord Radnor to Fabian Clayton Wilson who subsequently assigned the remainder of his 45 year lease to the Board of Ordnance.  From this it was clear that land to the westward of the Hermitage was waste or beachy ground belonging to Lord Radnor!

No wonder Field was concerned to mark his territory! Here we have evidence of a ragstone wall between Castle Glen and 20 Castle Road (later known as Arnold House) asserting his ownership.   A photo of which we have on our website. A more eroded sign is sealed in the wall between No 20 and No 18, and who knows there may be more to discover?