Sandwich, around the town. Part 1

The original Guildhall which dated from 1359 was situated near to St Peter's Church. The building in the photo above replaced the original Guildhall and was built in 1579. The present building was enlarged twice, once in 1912 and again in 1973. This building was also where the first sandwich as we know it was invented, when in 1762 the 4th Earl of Sandwich was gambling and called for a meal of meat between two slices of bread.

The Guildhall is well worth visiting, guided tours are available but these have to be booked. Above is a wonderful stained window in the  Courtroom to commemorate the visit to the town by Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1572. The Mayor shown in the window is robed in red, usually the Mayor of Sandwich wears a black robe, in memory of a former town Mayor who was killed in a French raid. This tradition dates back to 1457.

The Courtroom in the Guildhall, an exact replica of the courtroom from the earlier Guildhall, a beautiful room housing among other items the Mayors chair dating from 1561, and a very unusual folding Jury Box.

The Market Inn, a very popular place to eat in the town. For many years the Pub was just the Victorian building with the two bay windows on the left of the photo. The other buildings in the centre and to the right of the photo are Medieval and were the 16th Century Tea Rooms. If we were very lucky when we were younger we would be treated to something nice in the restaurant :)

Over the years I have been lucky enough to have been into a small number of these wonderful buildings, I have seen Medieval interiors complete with beams, Priest Holes, wonky meandering staircases, uneven floors and wonderful oak panelled rooms. One house I know of is half Medieval and half Georgian, and is a truly beautiful building, with such a wonderful atmosphere, and there is another house that has a room with walls reputedly painted by monks. I do have some photos of some of these interiors, photos taken with permission of the owners of course, but these photos are of peoples homes and for my use only, so I am unable to share them.

The Old Dutch House, dating from the late 17th Century. At one time this building was known as the 'Shoemaker's House'

Photos of some of the 'jettied' houses in the town, this row has ornate brickwork patterns in between the beam framing.

The Crispin Inn and the Toll Bridge, the Quay is off to the right.

The Old Drum, built in 1450, once a coaching house.

Another row of jettied houses.

A beautiful old house in the town.

The Weavers, Strand Street. Sandwich Library used to be housed in the part of the building next to the white car in the photo, I worked in this tiny part of the building for a year before the Library was moved to its present position in Market Street in 1973. 

The date on the sign of the the Sandwich Weavers building is 1500.

Just to the left of The Sandwich Weavers is Three Kings Yard, complete with the beautiful ruin on the right in the photo. This building is now in the garden of the Chanters House, it is believed to have been a Chapel or 'Chantry' and dates from approximately 1250 when the buildings in Strand Street fronted the river.

The entrance gate (looking from the inside to the street) of St Thomas's Hospital built in 1878. The original hospital was near to the Guildhall and Cattle Market, and was built to house permanently 12 brothers or sisters of the Sandwich Whitefriars Order who probably had monastic buildings throughout the town. The Whitefriars was founded before 1272 and dissolved in 1538.