Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
This film is part of Free
Canterbury and Dover
Peter Mills' film provides a glimpse of Canterbury and Dover in the early 1960s - where buildings, ancient and modern, sit side by side and Dover's castle is a backdrop to the port
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Overview
Starting at Canterbury's medieval Cathedral we next see the modern Dover Stage Hotel. After a ride of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway we see wet streets in Canterbury's Longmarket shopping area. Back in Dover, we view the town from Wellington Dock. The ancient castle dominates the skyline. We get an evening view of Canterbury Cathedral before returning to Dover where ships arrive and depart. A pilot boat and steam tugs are also glimpsed.
The Dover Stage Hotel, seen in this film, was a post-war modern style building designed by Louis Erdi. Construction began on the 42 room hotel in January 1956. Built on the site of a Regency villa, badly damaged by shelling during the Second World War, the six floors of the hotel were balanced in large V-shaped struts and every room had a view of the sea. It also had an American Bar, a ballroom, a tea room and various lounges. In May 1957 the hotel was opened by the Mayor of Dover, who rode to the opening ceremony in a period stagecoach. The building was demolished in 1988 to make way for blocks of flats but these were never built and today the site houses a car park.
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