Marilyn appears

Screen icon Marilyn Monroe has put in an appearance in Whitstable.... some Warholesque prints of the film star now adorn the 'keep left' bollard at the end of Sea Street in front of Whitstable Yacht Club. Probably something to do with the Biennale....?

Wine shop disappears

The 'secondary' outlet of the Tankerton Wine Room, a smaller version in Harbour Street, is closing after only a few months. The owners say they have done quite good business, but not enough to warrant having the second shop, so it's shutting up this weekend.
They took over the premises following the retreat of Magma Wines. A pity they are going, because we bought some interesting varieties there which you can't get in the supermarkets plus were given some sound advice.
And it means another empty shop for Whitstable, following the recent closures of Clinton Cards, Olivia's cafe and soon Stead & Simpson.
Many of us have heard that these larger premises are attracting interest from big names. Tesco are involved in a coffee shop partnership which may take over Clinton's (see earlier post), and WH Smith are rumoured to be (yet again) coveting an opening in Whitstable.
Personally I think empty premises are on balance a worse evil than chain shops (compare Margate), but we want to maintain a balance which makes our High Street interesting. Ideally I would like to do 100% of my shopping without getting in a car, and one or two national chains would contribute to that where there are 'gaps' in the present range of retail in Whitstable. Where can I buy a printer cartridge here, for example?
At least one local person doesn't like the idea of Tesco moving in, even as a junior partner in a coffee bar, for since last weekend a notice has been pasted in the window of Clinton Cards urging opposition.
At the same time, many independent traders are worried about big rent increases which may end up changing the face of the High Street.
If you are interested in following these developments, go to the Facebook page Save Whitstable Shops.

September sun and celebs in Whitstable

It's good so see that Janet Street-Porter is in residence this weekend, after the Daily Telegraph published her piece on Wednesday explaining why she loves Whitstable. Thanks, Janet, for the positive plugs and for spending time (and money) here. I hope you enjoyed sitting peacefully reading the Sunday paper in your garden this morning, in our wonderful bonus September sunshine.
We have several celebrities living in and around the town (can think of Harry Hill, Faye Ripley, David Essex and Greg Wallace off the top of my head) and it's great that they kind of blend in and no-one makes a fuss. Of course, we've a history of being rather good in Whitstable at protecting our notable residents. The late, great Peter Cushing was a familiar figure out and about but, I gather, when fans stopped locals and asked for directions to his house they were invariably sent on a wild goose chase. (There's an excellent leaflet on Cushing's Whitstable available for a very small fee in the Whitstable Shop in Harbour Street.)
It was certainly one of those choc-a-bloc Saturdays in town yesterday, when the charity car park at Whitstable Junior School was full early in the day, raising a welcome few quid to be shared between the school and (this weekend) Whitstable Improvement Trust.
This is a great scheme, where local charities can apply to run the weekend car parking scheme in return for 50% of the takings.
The Whitstable Biennale is currently an extra attraction, with various 'arty' bits around which you don't need to go indoors or pay to see - they're just part of the scenery (see pictures below). Many who know me will be aware that I run a small handknitting business, so I was particularly interested to see the fishy knitting decorating The Deck at the Bretts end of the harbour.

Sunbathing in September in Whitstable

Biennale additions to the beach and harbour scene.

Tesco brewing in Whitstable High Street?

There was a Twitter rumour this week that the recently-shut Clinton Cards in Whitstable High Street is going to become a Tesco coffee shop.
As a coffee bar frequenter myself I felt moved to check this out and this is what I found: planning permission is being sought from Canterbury City Council for two illuminated signs at the premises. No mention of Tesco in the application, though, as the applicants are named as Harris and Hoole Baristas. But with a bit more delving on the internet I discovered that this is the name of a new 'artisan' chain of coffee bars being launched by a partnership including (you've guessed it!) Tesco.
The majority partner is a family who have set up a chain of upmarket coffee outlets in London called Taylor Street. The first couple of Harris and Hoole cafes were due to open in Amersham and Uxbridge by the end of August, and there are talks going on now to buy several empty Clintons shops.
So there you have it. Sort-of Tesco....49% Tesco...

I guess there must be a thirst for yet more coffee in Whitstable or these guys wouldn't be thinking of coming but, just two doors along, the independent Olivia's cafe closed down a couple of weeks ago.

Changes at Budgens

While on the subject of supermarkets, I called in at Budgens for a couple of items after looking at the ex-Clintons.
This is a franchised store which was taken over earlier this year by the family who run the Londis shop at Blean which has won them national awards.
Some changes have been made to Budgens already (they say they have reduced 263 prices) and customers have been invited to fill in feedback forms about what they want.
But next week the store will close completely for two days, Wednesday and Thursday, for a major revamp.

 

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.

Whit henge draws the sun worshippers!

It couldn't have been a better day for the visit of Sacrilege, aka the Stonehenge bouncy castle, to Whitstable.
The replica of the Salisbury Plain icon was designed by Turner-prize winning artist Jeremy Deller for London 2012 and is touring the country. We 'got it' for one day today as part of the Whitstable Biennale art festival.
I went along to see the queues and have a good look, though as my experience on bouncy castles is rather an exhausting one I declined the (free) offer to have a go.

 

It looked great fun, though, with plenty of room to avoid collisions and gave many children out to make the most of the September sun a perfect end to the school summer holiday. The chosen 'sacred' site, by the way, was at the end of Marine Drive, Tankerton, near the Priest and Sow.

Artists open houses

Artful Whitstable!

We have an artful way of stretching out the tourism season in Whitstable. Just as family holidays finish with the start of the new school term, the nationally-acclaimed Whitstable Biennale (well, it was listed in The Guardian's guide at the weekend) is under way to attract perhaps a different kind of visitor. And when that's over, our home-grown artists will once again welcome unashamed 'nosey parkers' like myself to their houses and studios over three weekends in October.
As my own creative talents are very limited, I'm in awe of people who can effortlessly dash off a beautiful and/or meaningful piece of work, and the chance to chat to them and see them in their own habitat rather than a gallery is irresistible. This year, there's an opportunity to peep inside the former Coastguards' Lookout near the West Beach tennis courts, which is now a studio for Mozambiquan textile artist Sidonio Givandas.
Programmes for the East Kent Artists Open Houses 2012 were being delivered today to the usual outlets in town including Horsebridge Centre and the Whitstable Shop. See photo below to make sure you pick up the right thing!

Why do I feel a peculiar sense of pride in noticing that 23 out of the total of 53 'houses' are in Whitstable?

Introduction

For two years I was hired as the community publisher for a website called whitstable people, which is owned by a national media company and is now undergoing re-organisation.
I enjoyed posting up bits of topical information about Whitstable, and I think many people liked reading them, so although that particular contract has ended, why stop there? I still come across bits of news I'd like to share with you so that's what this blog is for.
Bear with me as a newbie to blogging, but I hope you will find something of interest and it will gradually develop into something useful!

Arty Whitstable

This fortnight, starting yesterday 1st September, the town is hosting the Whitstable Biennale, a contemporary arts festival held... yes, every alternate year.
This will be (probably!) the explanation for any particularly quirky sights and sounds you may come across over the next fortnight, such as those illustrated here: (have you seen them?)