+44 (0)1843 869171

Category: Local information and excursions

Seven towns and cities to visit for a great day out

Easyjet have published a wonderful article on how to spend a day in each of seven of our local towns. None of them is more than 40 minutes by train from Broadstairs! Take a look by clicking on the link below – and look forward to your 2022 visit to Hilderstone College and all that […]

BROADSTAIRS FOLK WEEK RETURNS!

Like a lot of festivals and events around the world, the annual Broadstairs Folk Festival was cancelled in 2020. However, last week it returned with a packed programme of live music, dancing, workshops, demonstrations and craft stalls. And the sun shone most of the time, too! Over the past 55 years, the festival has attracted […]

RARE PINE MARTEN DISCOVERED IN BROADSTAIRS

Article from a local online newspaper Pine marten spotted in Broadstairs, Kent, hundreds of miles from typical Highlands habitat By: Lydia Chantler-Hicks lchantlerhicks@thekmgroup.co.uk Published: 13:49, 09 August 2021 Updated: 17:06, 09 August 2021 A pine marten – typically found in the Scottish Highlands – has been spotted in a Kent seaside town. The creatures are “incredibly rare” in England […]

MORELLI’S

MORELLI’S ICE CREAM PARLOUR is located on the seafront in Broadstairs overlooking Viking Bay. It was founded in 1932 and is still in the Morelli family today. This parlour is a nostalgic step back in time with its furnishings and décor, juke box and seating booths.

NORTH FORELAND LIGHTHOUSE

North Foreland Lighthouse, along the coast between Broadstairs and Margate, was built in 1691. It was first lit by fire in 1499! The lighthouse is probably one of the most photographed local landmarks in the Isle of Thanet.

CHARLES DICKENS PUB AND DINING ROOMS

The building is around 200 years old and in the late 1800s was an entertainment venue. From the early 1900s it had other uses (including a café) but has been a pub since the 1960s and is now named after a very famous visitor to Broadstairs!

THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, Broadstairs

Dating back to 1588 and close to the sea, The Old Curiosity Shop in our town of Broadstairs was connected with smuggling long ago, but is now a popular cafe and a popular subject for photographers! It is named after a novel by Charles Dickens, who spent a lot of time in Broadstairs. #HilderstoneExperience #hilderstone […]

THE PALACE CINEMA

This character building is bigger inside than it looks from the outside! It has been a cinema since 1965 (although the building had several uses before that), and has had several changes of name and ownership. It only seats 111but it boasts the latest digital sound and projection technology, and is very popular with Hilderstone […]

THE CLOCK TOWER

There has been a clock tower in Broadstairs since 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee (60 years on the throne). The original clock tower was destroyed in a fire and the current one was built in 1970 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth 11’s silver jubilee (25 years on the throne). The clock tower is located […]

THE GRAND HOTEL

For those of you who have visited Broadstairs, do you recognise this building standing tall and majestic on the seafront at Louisa Bay? It was the Grand Hotel, built around 1881. It had over 100 guest bedrooms, ballroom, a billiards hall, stables and beautiful views across the sea. It was a very prestigious hotel. It […]