Guest 842- Registered: 11 Dec 2012
- Posts: 28
Charlotte Harrison
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
As a schoolboy I used to help French speaking shoppers find their way around Canterbury for the odd shilling here and there. It used to appal me that so few business owners in Dover spoke French.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
and large tins of nescafe as well.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
You're right, Peter, Canterbury and Folkestone restaurants and cafes were also always full, at least in Spring/Summer.
And the French and Belgians would go to visit the Castle in Dover, they'd visit the churches, Canterbury's museums.
Roger! We've had our nice time! That were the days. Kent knew then how to prosper with trade and visitors.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
In those days it was Vive la Difference. Now il n'y a pas de difference now that we are all in the EU.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Alec Sheldon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 18 Aug 2008
- Posts: 1,037
They used to buy a lot of wallpaper as well.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
They were over in the UK just for one thing and it was not for a day in Dover Castle, it was the shops.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Years ago when my husband was a steward on the boats he used to buy packets of tea for French dockside friends in Bologne in exchange for wine and my favourite cheese.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Vic:
The French, Belgian, and even Dutch visitors who came to do shopping, would stop over in restaurants and cafes.
And visitors would go to attractions centres in large numbers, for example Canterbury Cathedral to name one.
Of-course they still do, but in those days, the numbers were by far greater.
And they did visit churches in Dover: St. Edmund's Chapel used to be open to the Public, donations could be left on a desk near the door, with no-one supervising. There was not a box to place the coins in.
Often there were French Francs there, even 5 Franc pieces, quite a sum in those days.
And all before we joined the Common Market.
That were the days when school children would do work before starting school, or at weekends, or during the Summer holidays. That were days when people would queue on the pavement in front of restaurants to wait their turn for a spare table.
All we get now is shops closing by their two's and three's, and councillors trying to build 14,000 houses and treble Dover's population in the hope that "we'll get more shops".
How pitiful this state of affairs is! All we get now is these politicians and their TV!
Guest 767- Registered: 30 Aug 2012
- Posts: 458
I am sure that many of us remember the 'boom days' of old Dover, but they have gone! Who cares why! Things change,High Streets change, etc etc, get over it, Dover is a working class town for working class folk, hence the success of the Eight Bells and the failuire of many restaurants, unless they are take aways working after midnight. I am a Dover Shark, and I love my town, but it will never be a Canterbury, York or a Bath! It is what it is, we have what we have got, we are what we are, live with it!
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Phil, many of us do want Dover to prosper, so to know how we prospered in the past is helpful.
"Getting over it" is not something I as a Dovorian will let myself be told, thank you very much!
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
alex.get over it.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I don't remember those boom days as we weren't in Dover then, but I have heard about them.
We may not get those overseas shoppers back in Dover in great numbers, but being a destinatin Town would generate domestic tourism and increase spend in the Town, including the historic sites and attractions.
I appreciate David what you say about not (currently) having adequate funding to employ a Town-Team Manager to work on a range of initiatives; perhaps looking for a keen enthusiast for Dover to work on a (initially) voluntary basis, but with a proper title and then funding/salary when it becomes available.
Someone who will help you (the Town-Team) write a suitable Business Plan, perhaps Menon of Leaf Hotels Group could help ?
Roger
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
i dunno roger,i have a lot of european plated cars,dutch,german, french etc.and i'm not eastern europeans here either.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Historic sites and attractions, Roger. In Dover we have plenty of this to offer, so yes, we should dedicate effort to their upkeep and presentation.
The demise of the boom days is political-related, owing to Britain's disastrous decision to join the Common Market.
Although we are a destination town, a lot of it is ruined by the visible port-traffic which has no tunnel, the desolate DTIZ area, and the constant traffic in the town centre and along London Road.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Thank goodness there is constant traffic up London Road at least it shows people are using the town centre shops, no traffic would mean even more shops closing.
We need more than just our historic sites (however good they may be) if we want large numbers of repeat visitors.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I agree Jan, it does need an holistic approach where retail businesses as well as historic sites, museums and attractions will benefit.
Membership of the Town Team would also generate income and give the body a greater voice.
Alexander, Dover is not a real tourist/visitor destination - unless you mean it is a destination for catching the ferries.
Roger
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
roger,i think you looking for the words transit town.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
I could dispute that, Roger. Many do come to visit Dover, even for a day or two.
The White Cliffs of Dover are visited by people from all over Britain, and the Continent, and Australia and North America.
As too the Castle.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
You could dispute it Alexander and you are right that FITs (Free Independant Travellers) do come to Dover and visit the Castle and the White Cliffs, but how many visit our "hidden-gems" ? Not many - certainly not enough.
If Dover was a destination in the true sense of the word, we would have coaches bringing people here, staying in the Hotels and being taken round to all (or most - depends on how long a stay they have) the historic sites, museums and attractions, perhaps even a day trip to France.
Roger