The Town that Was. But then Wasn't. But then Was Again. But now isnt.
We begin our blog series at the very, very tip of Thanet; you're standing one mile north of Sandwich, surrounded by rubble and burnt embers. The year is 1385, and you're entire village has been burnt to the ground. You're perched on the remains of a once-prosperous medieval port, and the foundations of a future war hub - a town that long ago, was a vital member of Thanet, but is now all but forgotten.
Welcome to Stonar!
Depending on your familiarisation with Sandwich, you may (or may not,) know of Stonar Lake, or neighbouring Great Stonar, a small residential area in Sandwich itself. Much as the Isle of Thanet is so called, due to its origins as, well, an island... it is believed that Stonar began life as an island of its own, surrounded by the waters of the river 'Wantsume'. It is only when the channel dried that Stonar was connected to the land for good, with Stonar lake standing as the fragment of evidence to its nautical past. Although Sandwich, and thus Great Stonar, are considered part of the Dover District today, once joined to the land, Stonar was considered an arm of the Thanet District - and a very important one at that.
The tale of Stonar (as far as records are concerned) begins with the Romans. Athough occassional discrepancies pop up, the general consensus is that the settlement was first used as the 'lapis titnli' for the Roman shipping scene. It provided a beacon to head towards when searching for the isle of Thanet or the mainland itself.
By the time the medieval period has arrived, Stonar had become an exceedingly popular port. The port itself, in accordance with contemporary geography, lies on the southern flood plain of Stonar lake, just above Sandwich itself (and beneath Great Stonar, where Pfizers Discovery Park sits today).
The first record of any port existing on the site stems from around 1090AD. Modern redevelopments in the area (Sandwich Industraial Estate and the Discovery Park) have uncovered a plethora of intriguing finds; the foundations for medieval houses were discovered lining two streets, and the south-eastern corner for the medieval church St Nicholas was also found. An extensive cemetry sat buried alongside the church, with recordings of 129 burials being recovered.
The port of Stonar was significant for the south-eastern coast during the 12th and 13th Century - a rival to the next port along, Sandwich. Come the 1300s, Kent had become a shipping magnet, and Stonar provided the prime location for arrivals and debarkation to Thanet. Its growing prevalence and promising placement even managed to lure royalty into the town. It is recorded that on the 11th October, 1359, King Edward III was greeted by many noblemen and knights en route to the port of Sandwich, while he prepared for debarkation from Stonar himself.
Despite this prosperous existence, however, it would appear that placing a town so close to the sea and the mouth of a river wasn't always a fabulous idea. The following quote comes from historian Edward Hasted, and is over 100 years old:
“Another terrible inundation of the sea for the space of above three miles in length, from Clivesend to Stonore, insomuch that the town of Stonore was almost completely destroyed by it; and it was feared that unless some speedy assistance could be had, all the low lands or marshes in the hundreds of Ryngesloe, Wyngham, Preston and Downhamford; that is all the levels from the sea to Wyngham, Canterbury &c. would be overflowed”
This 'inundation of the sea' was the beginning of a slippery slope for Stonar. The monumental flooding, that occured in approximately 1365, almost anihilated the town from existence. Any recovery that took place in the consequent years, however, was sadly in vain, as 20 years later Stonar was attacked by a far more human force:
"The 18 Sails of Gallie"
In 1385, a chap named Simon de Burley was both the constable of Dover Castle, and lord warden to the Cinque Ports (a series of ports linked historically for trade and military purposes) . As the constable to Dover Castle, de Burley wished to have the riches and possestions of St. Thomas Beckett's shrine, for apparent safe keeping, however this was immediately, and completey, denied. In retaliation, de Burley lessened his watch of the Isle of Thanet coast, and according to the afforementioned Hasted, even invited the French 18 Sails of Gaille to the coast as his extreme act of treachery.
The town was raised to the ground. The events of the attack eliminated any chances the port had to returning to it hay day; the buildings, homes and inhabitants' livelihoods were blundered and burnt to cinders and mere foundations as the invasion wrecked havoc.
And then there were none.
"After this the town of Stonar never recovered from its former state, and the waters having forsook this place, it remained no longer a port, but became insignificant and almost desolate, the remaining inhabitants consisting of a few fishermen, and lookers after the cattle and husbandry business of it"
- Edward Hasted
And thus launched a period of natural reclamation. Now damaged by the flood and destroyed by the attack, the land was soon reclaimed by Mother Nature herself, and the only population became the resident wild-fowl and creepy-crawlies. According to Hasted, the land became 'insignificant and desolate', providing residence for only 'a few fishermen, and lookers after the cattle and husbandry of it'. The town and once-impressive port of Stonar remained a mere distant memory for nearly FIVE decades, until there came a time whereby once more its potential was spotted and realised once more...
"The Mystery Port"????
Established in around 1916, a military port was constructed to service the war-traffic of the English Channel. The port was primarily an extension of Richborough Port and was used to both transfer and store goods before they embarked upon a journey to the Western Front. According to historian John Huddlestone, the ships could "load, re-fuel and be off again in 20 minutes", and sent around 700 tanks across to France!
But why was it called, "The Mystery Port"??
The River Stour (the same river that had contributed to the previous flood) was deepened and widened, with a canal cut and a multitude of wharves attached.
Around 1,500 acres of land were reclaimed from nature in the name of the project, and an extensive rail network was laid to connect the port to the main line. Millions of pounds were spent by the British Government implementing this grand scheme over 6 months.
But it was all done in complete, and utter, secret.
Following WWI, the Armistice stores from France were collected and returned to Britain through the connected Richborough Port. The Stonar site was now employed to sell the surplus stores, and a magnitude of civilians were drafted to assist.
READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
The 'Mystery Port' met its demise in 1921 after news hit the press that the site had been wasting money since the end of the war. News had it that for two years, high wages had been coupled with easy work for those employed with the surplus stores, and an out cry emerged.
The Port was abandoned and once again, nature returned to claim the land of Stonar - now with bonus war stores- as part of its own.
However, on this occasion, it was only 3 years until Stonar was reinstated once more. According to Mr Huddlestone, in 1921, the site was first purchased from the Government by Queensborough Port Ltd, and then again by Dorman Longs Ltd - an engineering company established in 1875. By 1924 the British Legion had begun to run a ship-breaking business through the site, calling for 'unemployed ex-servicemen' to work as staff.
Use of Stonar Port, once again, began to dwindle, and by the end of the WWII there was little trace of its previous usage once more. On the 'Exploring Kent's Past' page (linked below) it is noted that the facility must have been dismantled by WWII as there are 'no structural remains' in any 'RAF aerial photographs'.
Today, the only evidence of this monumental Port stems from the bullets, car-parts and personal belongings occasionally discovered from the depths of Stonar Lake.
Well, those, and the 200 skulls recently discovered on nearby land.
And so, to cut a long story short:
Roman Light-House
Grand Medieval Port
Flooding and the French!
Abandoned!
Marshland
Mystery Port
Abandoned!
Refugee Camp
Construction Site
Abandoned!
For more information:
Edward Hasted, 'Parishes: Stonar', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 10 (Canterbury, 1800), pp. 406-424. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol10/pp406-424 [accessed 8 August 2020].
John Marius Wilson, 1870-1872, in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth,
John Huddlestone, 'Discovering Thanet', 2017, Michael's Bookshop, Ramsgate
History of Stonar, in Dover and Kent | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time, http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/6418
Stonar, Historic England - https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1003120
Stonar, Kent Archives https://webapps.kent.gov.uk/KCC.ExploringKentsPast.Web.Sites.Public/SingleResult.aspx?uid=Mke41996
Memories of Stonar - http://www.kitchenercamp.co.uk/sandwich-memories/