Sandwich is a charming town just 15 kilometres from Broadstairs. We often go here as part of a Friday afternoon visit, or you can easily reach it independently by train. It’s a small town but has some really interesting little shops and cafes, and it’s very pleasant to walk around the narrow streets with quirky buildings dating back as far as the 14th century.
You may be interested to know that the town got its name before the popular snack food! The creation of the sandwich is attributed to John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), a British statesman and dedicated sandwich gambler, who is said to be the inventor of this convenient type of food so that he would not have to leave his gaming table to take supper. The bread around the meat probably meant that he wouldn’t get greasy fingerprints on his playing cards!
There is a famous road sign near the town, pointing the way to both Sandwich and to Ham – the name of a local village!