An extract of a talk given to the Sandgate Society in 1981

I was born in Sandgate on 26^th July 1900 in Wilberforce Road, the second child and only daughter of George Jago (1870-1919) and his wife Kate (1873-1961) nee Gawler. My three brothers – George, Jim and Tom were also born in Wilberforce Road and we lived there till 1906 when we moved to Number 1 Martello Cottages.

My grandparents had come to Sandgate in 1875. My Grandfather James Jago (1841-1900) had been in the Royal Navy from 13 years old, and after about 15 years had been transferred to the Coastguard Service.  While on duty in Queenstown (now Cobh) County Cork, he met and married a girl of 17 Elizabeth Ann Salter (1853-1917) on boxing day 1869.

My father was born about a year later in 1870 and they were then sent to England to a very isolated Coastguard station at Jury’s Gap, then onto Dungeness, also isolated and finally to Sandgate.  They found Sandgate Station very much to their liking, after the other two postings which had no other people around except the coastguards.  Dungerness had the Pilot Public House and a few fishing families although quite a way from them. Sandgate Station is now much bigger than it was then, having been extended in 1896.

When my grandfather finished his service. they set up home a couple of hundred yards away in Wilberforce Road.  He died in 1900 but the family lived there until just before the First World War when they moved to 1 Martello Terrace.

I started at Sandgate School at aged 4 and stayed there until I was 14, the school is still there although now an antique centre. It was a well- run school, strict discipline no homework but very good exam results. There were always celebrations in the Village for both Empire Day and May Day each year, with a May pole on the front lawn and flags and buntings everywhere with Britannia enthroned and all the kids dressed up to represent peoples of the Empire. This resulted in a great procession from the school, up to Radnor Cliff and Crescent   down the hill into Sandgate and onto Brewers Hill, no prizes no rewards but goodness me did everyone enjoy it.

At that time Sandgate was a self-contained small seaside resort with a railway station, lifeboat station, also a tramline, which was pulled by horses, which run for four miles by the sea. There were three Churches, each with a hall for entertainment, the Masonic hall, the Drill hall, Devonshire Rooms and Glennie Hall. We had every sort of shop you can imagine in the Village, including a drapers, several grocers, an ironmongers, a music shop several butchers three dairies and a barbers to name just a few! of course there were many public houses, and even a brewery.

The Alhambra Music hall, (which later became the Rex Cinema) was going great guns, it had big audiences of soldiers and people from Folkestone, the shows were good and there were two bars there and big names of music hall artists often came arriving from Sandgate Railway Station in a coach and four with horns blowing and actors riding horses it was a great time for the Village kids.  With Shorncliffe Camp a full garrison and as Sandgate was nearer to the camp than was Folkestone and there were no buses, it was well patronised by the troops seeking entertainment!

The officers were usually wealthy and although the most senior of them had army accommodation in the camp, the lesser ones had their wives and children in board residence places here in Sandgate, and they were very exclusive. Devonshire terrace for example had a private entry road and private beach and was strictly out of bounds to lesser mortals!

There were two large private estates which employed many Sandgate people.  Enbrook was the home of the Dowager Countess of Chichester for all my childhood.  She was especially interested in the church and the school and was very generous in opening her grounds for all kinds of functions connected with both of these.

Encombe had several noble occupants who seemed to come and go and were not so much involved with Sandgate as was the Countess. Of course, Lord Radnor had his large residence on Radnor Cliff. Although not often there himself, his family of about seven young children lived there and took their daily walks into Sandgate.  Each child up to about six years old was pushed in a pram or pushchair, thus a procession of 5 Vehicles, each with a nurse or nursemaid in charge, was usually to be seen.  My brothers and I were always highly amused to see such big children treated like babies, but never dared show it!

There were many children living in Sandgate with many families having 10 or more children, especially in the Coastguard Cottages and in Wilberforce Road.  I spent a lot of time there as my Gran lived there. Every Good Friday there was a skipping race held with both mothers and children skipping up and down the road and other races taking place whilst the fathers all went to plant their new potatoes, my Dad always planted his seed potatoes on that day

While I am talking about the Coastguards, I should mention the wreck of the Benvenue.  This happened in 1891 and was the talk of Sandgate for many years.  I should say that my grandparents had many children 9 of whom grew to maturity. One of the youngest was my Aunt Janetta, later Mrs Hardy who was born in the Coastguard station on 24^th June 1870. She was 12 at the time of the wreck and I was brought up on tales told by her and my Gran, because my Grandad was a member of the Hythe Lifeboat crew who with other crews rescued those who survived from the ship, and were presented with a ‘Benvenue’ medal for their efforts.

Sandgate has seen a lot of changes, the old Chapel in Wilberforce Road is still there, with Garden Cottages and Blenheim House and with Balcot on the corner. On up the Crescent there was nothing on the right just a field that went right from the road onto the back of the houses on the High Street, from there you  could look  down on the Village below.

The Fire Station in the early days housed the engine in the lower part of the building, while the horses were kept in stables up in Wilberforce Road. The bell of course was over the Library and when that rang there was a great rushing about because the firemen were all local workman and they would all gather round;  what with the bell clanging and the horses and engine on the go it caused great excitement especially as we didn’t have many fires then.

I look back on my childhood growing up in Sandgate as a very happy time, in spite of the fact that my father was often ill and unable to work, my mother did all sorts of work to keep the family and took care of us four children, who all took it in turn to do jobs around the house, we were indeed a happy family.

This extract was submitted by Jill Partridge as Mrs Evans was her Auntie Dolly