In the lawless days of smuggling and privateering, the bay was a hotbed of daring gangs of smugglers, out to defy the Excise. Here, the Board of  Customs erected a permanent Coastguard Station in 1864, the aim being to protect the Revenue, save life, salvage wrecks and patrol the shore. Badly damaged in the 1893 landslip, the station was rebuilt in 1896 with a Chief Officer's house and 16 cottages for the men. Over the years the complement was reduced, the last five leaving in 1961. The row is now in private hands.

Shipbuilders' Cottages c 1773

Situated at the foot of Sandgate Hill and featured in early engravings, two pairs of cottages survive from the ship building days on Sandgate beach when Fabian Clayton Wilson (and others) built seven frigates, four sloops and two fireships for George 111's navy. The weatherboarding typifies many of Sandgate's earliest dwellings. Behind lies Enbrook park, site of SAGA Group's ultra modern office complex for 750 staff, designed by Michael Hopkins and Partners. Here you may enjoy the wooded, landscaped grounds, a leafy stroll beside the Enbrook stream, and breathtaking views across the Channel.

Napoleonic Defences

Poised to repel a possible invasion, siz Martello Towers stand guard above Sandgate. Footpaths skirting Shorncliffe Camp (est 1794) pass no.s 6-9. Moving west along Sandgate Esplanade (A259), read the memorial to General Sir John Moore (d. 1809), pioneer of Light Infantry training, then pass the massive Battery walls and view the strategic start of the 27 mile Royal Military Canal and Redoubt remains on the Seabrook border. All are Scheduled Ancient Monuments..

War Memorial

Standing where Military Road joins the High Street the memorial lists Sandgate's fallen in the two World Wars. It honours L/Cpl William Cotter awarded a posthumous VC. The ragstone wall behind bears a tablet recording that Queen Elizabeth 1 rested at the Castle, and that Queen Victoria passed here on her way to inspect the troops at Shorncliffe Camp A Millennium plaque, nearby, is dedicated to the people of Sandgate. In 1877 Colonel Wheatley gifted the drinking fountain set in the wall, and the granite cattle trough standing beside the approach to SAGA Group's headquarters.

Jubilee Clock 1897

Fronting the Chichester Hall, it celebrates Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Initially, it adorned the Gough coffee Tavern and Soldiers' Institute nearby, named after John Bartholomew Gough (b.1917). He was a local boy who emigrated to the USA, became a reformed alcoholic and a world famous temperance orator. The Freemasons' Hall and an antique shop now occupy the site. The clock was later moved to the Village Hall, built in memory of the Countess of Chichester (of Enbrook). Here, Sir Squire Bancroft, famous actor/manager, laid the foundation stone in 1913. As you enter, a memorial plaque recounts the heroism of L/Cpl William Cotter, awarded a posthumous VC in 1916.