Folkestone
By S.R. Franks
Kent, South East England, has a very interesting history, being occupied by early settlers since the Stone Age.
Folkestone, pre-occupied with taking people in and out of
England on the ferries, is a town most just pass through,
with its terminus of the Channel Tunnel for those quick trips
to France. Yet it is still a traditional resort with a fishing fleet
and fish market, with a grassy promenade known as the Leas
which goes across the cliffs with pleasant wooded walks.
There is a cliff lift to take you up and down. To the east,
you can walk past a Martello Tower.
During Folkestone's Victorian and Edwardian heyday as
a fashionable seaside resort, The Leas cliff-top
promenade was the place to see and be seen.
The Lower Leas, between the cliff-top and Marine Parade
by the sea, was laid out with stairways, pathways, and
Mediterranean-style trees and plants, some of which
have disappeared but many remain, hidden beneath
undergrowth in recent years.
A zigzag path was 'hewn through' artificial rock,
called Pulhamite after its inventor, and is an
important surviving historical element.
The park has been from the outset a very popular
amenity among visitors and residents.
About the author: Visit S.R. Franks at
weswood100 for articles and much more.
********************************
Get London Reading 2004
By Helen Hayes
Get London Reading is a new reading campaign aimed at Londoners. Launched by the Mayor of London and the independent
charity Booktrust, sponsored by the Arts Council of England and supported by BBC London and ITV London among others, this
exciting new initiative aims to reach new audiences across our city.
Booktrust has put together a list of 12 books, offering a flavour of London's diversity and its inhabitants, appealing to a
London-wide audience of readers. Booktrust has specifically chosen a cross-genre list of books and each book celebrates our
city in a unique way.
Get London Reading will be promoted across the London Transport system with posters on tubes, buses and trains starting on
20th February. The promotion will be carried by bookshops across the whole city via a wide range of point of sale, and
libraries will run promotions building on this list, and celebrating local communities.
A strong campaign in the London media is already promised in support of Get London Reading, which is launched on Monday
23rd February at noon (until 2pm) in Jubilee Place Mall, Canary Wharf. It is a free event and everyone is welcome to
attend. Leading authors, who have written about life in the capital, have agreed to take part in a public signing at Canary
Wharf. The campaign aims to encourage more Londoners to take up reading and raise awareness of the diverse range of
literature that is available in the capital.
Bestselling author Tony Parsons said "I am happy and proud to support the Get London Reading Campaign. This is the greatest
city in the world and it has inspired some of the greatest books ever written. Get London Reading will celebrate that fact,
and encourage Londoners to make space in their busy lives for books when they are travelling to and from work, and zipping
about the city. So Get London reading now!!"
A new website www.getlondonreading.com will carry the
promotion forward by actively inviting engagement with the public and offering competition prizes.
About the author: For further information please call Helen Hayes on 020 8516 2960 or e-mail her at
helen@booktrust.org.uk.
Would you like to submit an article, essay, review or descriptive piece to English Culture Express? If so,
please read our Submission
Guidelines ->
