blank

St Marys Bay in Kent

Google map showing area surrounding St Marys Bay
(Holidays and Beaches)
Location: 51.008459,0.978942
General Details
St Marys Bay in Kent lies on the south east coast of the Romney Marsh , between the villages of Littlestone and Dymchurch. It is a modern 1900's village which catered for the boom in seaside holidays in the 1920's. On the 16th July 1927, the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (RHDR) a narrow gauge railway was opened, St Marys Bay one of the original stations was called Holiday Camp then St Mary's Bay until the 1980's when it became Jefferson Lane, finally back to St Marys Bay in 2000.

The railway was built by Captain J. E. P. Howey and Count Louis Zborowski to serve the local population and tourist trade, it stretches for nearly 14 miles from Hythe through Dymchurch , St Marys Bay ,its base at New Romney ,Romney Sands and then to the fishermens cottages and lighthouses at Dungeness . It is still a major tourist attraction and well worth a visit. (Click here for the Official RHDR site) Out to sea, lies a section of the Concrete Mulberry Harbour built during 1944 for the Dunkirk landings in the Second World War. This section became detached from its tug and drifted back to St Marys Bay .

With the advent of package holidays the UK holiday camps have been slowly shutting down, and St Marys Bay is no exception, its heyday was in the 1960's.
Views
St Marys Bay in Kent lies on the Dymchurch wall sea defences, and has fine views to the White Cliffs at Folkestone to the east and to Dungeness to the west.

The village is fairly modern and caters for the visitors who come to stay and take in the sand and sea.

The beach is provides safe bathing for most people with its deep sandy beach that goes out over 1/2 mile at low tide.
Services
St Marys Bay in Kent has the usual shops and amusements found at holiday resorts.

The nearest main shops are at Hythe about 4 miles to the east and Folkestone a further 2 miles.
Map
St Marys Bay is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages

(click on symbol to see the village page)
Village= Town= Recorded in Domesday=
Brenzett (St Eanswyth a saxon princess)
5.47 miles
Brookland (13th century wooden spire)6.32 miles
Burmarsh (The fortress in the Marsh?)
2.85 miles
Dymchurch (The Romans and the sea wall)1.68 miles
Greatstone (Parabolic Sound Detectors and PLUTO)3.36 miles
Ivychurch (The burial ground on the Island)3.97 miles
Littlestone (The Genteel Resort)1.85 miles
Lydd (The Cathedral of the Marsh)5.10 miles
Newchurch (The Church Tower with a kink)3.29 miles
New Romney (Cinque Port and Storm)2.37 miles
Old Romney (Sheep and Wool Smuggling)3.86 miles
Ruckinge (Smuggling and Traction Engines)
5.60 miles
Snargate (Sluice Gates made by Royal Order)6.18 miles
Snave (the Remote church)5.10 miles
St Mary in the Marsh (Ancient Celts)1.51 miles
Warehorne (A good place to explore the Marshes)
7.03 miles
Copyright Villagenet 1998-2024
 
Local Interest
Just click an image
Ninfield History Group
Roman, Saxon and Norman History of the South East
Wealden Iron Research Group
Wadhurst History Society
Battle Museum of Local History
(Hard to find but worth the Visit)
Bexhill Museum
Rye Museum
Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group
World War 2 Vehicle database
Battle and District Historical Society
Talk in Code fabulous new Album
Hastings Rock the place to listen to