Folkestone developed as a fashionable seaside resort during Victorian times. It welcomed many wealthy visitors who came to enjoy the beneficial effects of salt-water bathing, sea air and the relatively warm climate, and who stayed in hotels and big houses on the Leas.
It also catered increasingly for day trippers, especially after the arrival of the railway in 1843 brought cheap fares and ‘a day at the seaside’ within reach of ordinary working-class families.
So, dip your toe in the brine, enjoy a promenade on the Leas or along the Victoria Pier and discover how Fashionable Folkestone looked after and entertained its many visitors.
Discover the thrills of the Switchback Railway, an open-air charabanc trip, bathing machines, seaside postcards and ‘penny lick’ ice creams. Find out about Folkestone’s famous Punch and Judy man and his lion-taming wife.
And don’t forget your woollen bathing costume!
