Whitstable Castle tours TODAY

If you haven't yet been inside Whitstable Castle and had a good look round, there's no time like the present!
It's open for half-hourly visits today from 12 noon until 4.30pm which start on the hour and half-past as part of the national Heritage Open Days scheme and these tours are FREE.
The 'castle' - also known as Tankerton Towers - was built as a grand residence for the Pearson family in the late 18th century. It's had a chequered history, used in the 20th century for a long time as the home of the local council. Then followed years of disuse before, with the help of Lottery cash and city council money, it was restored and re-opened a couple of years ago.
I love the three acres of gardens which are being carefully landscaped and nurtured by professional staff, and the conservatory cafe which offers excellent scones, and I often recommend the pirate playground for families - it always seems to be pleasantly noisy when I go past.
But you need to wander inside for the full appreciation of this gem of bygone gracious living and to enjoy the views from the rooftop terrace. (There's disabled access to all floors including the roof.)
To further tempt you, this photo shows one room inside the Castle.Below that is my shot of comedian Harry Hill opening the restored venue almost exactly two years ago with the then Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Whitstable councillor Pat Todd.

The other venue in Whitstable open to the public as part of the Heritage Open Days this year is Whitstable Playhouse, the converted church in the High Street which is home to the highly successful Lindley Players.
There are tours on Saturday morning between 10am and 12.30pm when you can go backstage and see the costume store and the workshops where enthusiasts build scenery - as well as admire the 180-seat auditorium.
I was privileged to have a private tour a while ago and was stunned by the facilities and scale of operations there - much better than any other am-dram group I've ever been involved with (and I was, wait for it, the showbiz reporter for the Isle of Thanet Gazette in a much earlier life ...but more about me and Freddie Starr another time!) The players I met then would have sacrificed a leading part in a West End show to have a theatre like this. Well, maybe not quite, but you get the drift - just go along if you can.