Whitstable
Whitstable is a town in Kent, England with a population of some 30,000. It is a seaside resort, situated on the North Sea coast, facing Essex across the Thames estuary and the Isle of Sheppey across The Swale.The name Whitstable has its origins from Witenstaple, first recorded in 1086. This evolved into Witstapel according to 1184 sources, and Whitstapl' by 1226. Records from 1610 make reference to the modern name, Whitstable. The name comes from 'the meeting place of the white post', a commonly used landmark at the time of its inception.
The town is best known for its oysters, formerly harvested offshore and still served in restaurants in the town. The Whitstable Oyster Fisheries is one of Europe's oldest commercial ventures, and its oysters were exported across the Roman Empire during the Roman occupation of Britain.
The town's connection with the sea extends to watersports, and the annual Waterskiing Championships takes place during the summer.
Offshore, the Maunsell forts stand out of the water, visible from the shoreline. They were constructed during World War Two, to defend the South coast from Nazi invasion. The forts were made redundant in the late 1950s and were used in the 1960s for a pirate radio station. More recently, the Whitstable coast is set to be the site for an offshore windfarm, consisting of thirty 140 metre high turbines, providing electricity for half of the homes in the Canterbury district.
In 1830 the world's first steam-hauled passenger railway opened, linking the town with the cathedral city of Canterbury, 7 miles to the south. The Canterbury and Whitstable line, nicknamed the Crab and Winkle, was operated on by the Invicta locomotive. Whitstable was home to the world's oldest railway bridge, but this was demolished during the 1970's.
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