| It's now a long time since 1803 and
the south coast of England was being threatened by 130,000
troops of Napoleon's army massing just a hop across the channel
at Boulogne. Nonetheless thirty four cars gathered on the lawns
of the Imperial Hotel at Hythe all ready to take on an
inspection tour of the south coast Martello Towers from Hythe to
Seaford. Built when the threat of invasion was imminent there
were seventy four towers in total each with a cannon on the top
and barrack accommodation inside. A Tower Guide booklet held in
one hand helped the participants understand the history of the
towers as they passed. The tulip diagrams in the other hand
guided them along the sometimes tricky route along the coast.
Not so easy for those cars that were single crewed !.
Several diversionary tactics were employed along the route -
you could check out the WW2 Sound Mirrors at Denge Marsh , stop
and sun yourself on the pebbly beaches, join the holiday makers
at Camber sands, find some Candy Floss in Hastings or
Eastbourne, have lunch in one of the numerous seaside pubs en
route , enjoy the somewhat bleak scenery at Dungeness
overshadowed by the nuclear power station, the windswept heights
of Beachy Head or watch the wildlife vast nature reserve beside
the road at Pett.
Several participants gathered at Rye Harbour for lunch in
the William the Conqueror pub before tackling the slightly more
difficult second part of the route.
Finally, and with showers starting to set in, the cars
started to roll on to the seafront at Seaford gathering around
Tower 74 - the final one in the chain. This was a public parking
area and despite notices being put out by the kind people at
Seaford Tower there were several ordinary cars parked amongst
us. Most cars got there around 4pm with a couple of late comers
arriving an hour later - well done Dave Mills and Heather for
actually stopping at every tower en route for a closer look !
The custodians of Seaford Tower - now a local history museum
provided us with some shelter and a warming cup of tea as the
shoewrs became heavier and the wind whistled in from the sea
giving the F Register flag a trying time ! This gave plenty of
time for a look around the museum itself - a must if you are
ever down this way. The tower is a bit like the Tardis - doesn't
look too big on the outside but inside you discover fascinating
displays of domestic appliances, Radios, Hoovers, Sewing
Machines, Typewriters, a model railway - a "street" with several
period shops set up and numerous other quirky displays. This is
the place to find your very first computer (ZX81 in my case !)
or your old valve TV set warming up in the corner. Several
people were heard saying they would have to pay a return visit
when they had more time.
Commiserations to Don Kimberley and his daughter who got as
far as Hythe in the morning on the way to the start before the
sound of grinding metal stopped them by the Romney Hythe &
Dymchurch railway. A broken cambelt tensioner was the culprit -
they managed to get home on the back of a trailer safely. Still
an MGF run without some form of breakdown is not really an MGF
run !!
Links
Seaford
Museum
Imperial Hotel Hythe
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