Sandwich, Kent - Barbican, bridge, old truck - postcard by Pelham c.1920s

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  The Barbican, Sandwich, Kent - shows old truck with J. Sanders on the side
• Publisher:  Pelham (No. 8291)
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Sandwich /ˈsændwᵻdʒ/ is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 4,985.^[1]

It was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings, including several listed public houses and gates in the old town walls, churches, almshouses and the White Mill. While once a major port, it is now two miles from the sea, its historic centre preserved.^[2]

Sandwich Bay is home to nature reserves and two world-class golf courses, Royal St George's and Prince's. The town is also home to educational and cultural events.

The name is of Old English origin, meaning 'a trading-centre on sand' (from wic, a special purpose building such as a trading post).^[3]

In 1028 King Canute (c. 995-1035) granted a charter to the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury to operate a ferry across the river and collect tolls.

In 1192, returning from the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart was jailed by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. Henry released Richard in February 1194. On 13 March 1194, Richard landed at the port of Sandwich and came back to England.^[4]

The coat of arms of Sandwich is Per pale Gules and Azure three demi-Lions passant guardant in pale Or conjoined with as many sterns of demi-Ships Argent,.^[5] It is one of the earliest heraldic examples of dimidiation, an early method of combining two different coats of arms: in this case the Arms of England (1198-1340), Gules three lions passant guardant Or langued and armed Azure, and the Arms of the Cinque Ports, Azure three ships Or.

Before Sandwich became a Cinque Port, the ancient Saxon town of Stonar, on the bank of the Wantsum estuary, but on the opposite side of the mouth of the River Stour, was already well established. It remained a place of considerable importance but it disappeared almost without trace in the 14th century. The ruins of the major Roman fort of Richborough are close by. It was the landing place of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43.^[6] In 2008, an archaeological dig proved that this was a defensive site of a Roman beachhead, protecting 700 metres of coast.^[7]

On 21 May 1216, Prince Louis of France landed at Sandwich in support of the barons' war against King John of England.^[8]

The Port of Sandwich is no stranger to odd events in English history. It was here in 1255 that the first captive elephant was landed in England.^[9] The prize beast arrived at Sandwich quayside, delivered as a gift to the English monarch Henry III from the French king, and was then taken on foot to the king's menagerie in the Tower of London. The journey through Kent is reported to have proceeded without incident, except when a bull in a field by the roadside took umbrage at the great beast passing and attacked it. In one move, the animal was thrown by the elephant and killed outright.^[10]

The Fisher Gate on the quay dates from 1384, and has been scheduled as an Ancient Monument. It is the only one of the original mediaeval town gates to survive. It is a Grade I listed building.^[11] The nearby Barbican dates from the 14th century and stands at the end of the bridge over the River Stour where it was used as a toll house.^[12]

On 28 August 1457, after four years of uneasy peace in England the king presided over a wasting realm, with feudal barons lording it over the population of the north and the west.^[13] The French took advantage of the situation by sending a raiding party to Kent, burning much of Sandwich to the ground. A force of around 4,000 men from Honfleur, under the command of Marshal de Breze, came ashore to pillage the town, in the process murdering the mayor, John Drury. It thereafter became an established tradition, which survives to this day, that the Mayor of Sandwich wears a black robe in mourning for this ignoble deed.

Sandwich later gained significantly from the skills brought to the town by many Flemish settlers, who were granted the right to settle by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I, dated 6 July 1561.^[14] Sandwich was the only town in England that housed more so-called "strangers" than native Englishmen in the 16th century. Historian Marcel Backhouse estimated there were at least 2,400 Flemish and 500 Walloon exiles living in Sandwich at the time.^[15] These settlers brought with them techniques of market gardening, and were responsible for growing the first English celery, which was already and still very popular in Flanders. Elizabeth I granted 25 Flemish families permission to live in Sandwich, and St Peter became the "Stranger's Church" in 1564 when the plague came to the town, in an effort to halt the spread of the disease. The 1661 tower collapse was repaired by the Flemish community, and the distinctive tower reflects their work. The Huguenotrefugees also brought over Flemish architectural techniques, that are now as much a part of Kent as the thatched cottage. On can still see the difference between the English (lower section) and Flemish (upper section) of the tower. In addition techniques of silk manufacture were imported, enhancing the Kent cloth industry.

The title Earl of Sandwich was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu (1625-1672).