Kelly's Directory of Folkestone, Sandgate, Hythe & Neighbourhood 1901–1902 - Digital Download or CD-ROM

The Perfect Companion to the 1901 Census 

Step back into Edwardian Kent at the turn of the century. Published just as the 1901 census (taken on the night of Sunday, 31 March 1901) was being counted, Kelly's Directory captures Folkestone, Sandgate, Hythe and the surrounding villages in remarkable detail — naming the residents, tradespeople, officials and institutions that filled these seaside towns at the height of their Victorian/Edwardian heyday.

Available In Two Formats

• Instant Digital Download – Scanned images of the original book, delivered as a PDF.
• CD – The same scans posted to you on disc for your collection.

Easy To Use — Even Though It's A Scan

Although the pages are scanned images rather than re-typed text, Kelly's directories are wonderfully simple to navigate thanks to their alphabetical structure:

• Private residents are listed alphabetically by surname
• Trades and businesses are listed alphabetically by trade (bakers, bootmakers, chemists, fishmongers…)
• Streets are listed alphabetically, with householders shown under each address

And modern PDF readers make things even easier. Google Chrome and other modern PDF readers perform OCR (optical character recognition) on the fly, meaning you can search, highlight, translate and copy text from these 120-year-old pages. Using Chrome's built-in tools and Google Lens, you can even have the text read aloud with text-to-speech (desktop PCs) or translated into other languages — invaluable if English isn't your first language or for visually impaired researchers.

A Snapshot Of The Area In 1901

Folkestone – A fashionable, thriving resort and port of over 30,000 people. The Leas promenade overlooked the harbour, from which steam packets crossed daily to Boulogne, and one of the south coast's busiest fishing fleets landed mackerel and herring. Sea-bathing, hotel orchestras and seaside entertainment drew thousands of holidaymakers by direct train from London.

Sandgate – A quieter, exclusive little resort beneath Sandgate Castle (built by Henry VIII in 1539), known for its sea air, sea-bathing and convalescent homes.

Hythe – One of the original Cinque Ports, home of the Royal Military Canal (built 1804–09), the famous School of Musketry where the British Army trained its riflemen, the chilling medieval ossuary of 2,000 skulls at St Leonard's Church, and the chain of Martello towers along the coast.

The Neighbourhood – A string of villages through the Elham Valley and beyond: Cheriton, Seabrook, Capel-le-Ferne, Hawkinge, Newington, Lyminge, Elham, Postling, Stanford, Sellindge, Westenhanger, Saltwood, Lympne, Denton, Acrise, Paddlesworth and more — orchards, hops, market gardens and downland sheep country.

Famous Faces & Local Connections

• H.G. Wells – The great author was living at Spade House, Sandgate in 1901 (he resided there 1897–1909), and published The First Men in the Moon that very year. His Folkestone-set novel Kipps followed in 1905.
• William Harvey – The physician who discovered the circulation of the blood was born in Folkestone in 1578; his statue stands on the Leas, and the Harvey Grammar School (founded 1674) bears the family name.
• Roger Quilter – The composer, famed for his songs, was born in Folkestone in 1877 and was making his name on the London music scene by the time of this directory.
• Wilkie Collins – The Victorian novelist (The Moonstone, The Woman in White) spent his final years in Folkestone and died there in 1889.
• Samuel Plimsoll – "The Sailors' Friend", whose load line saved countless lives, lived his last years in Folkestone, dying there in 1898.
• The garrison connection – Shorncliffe Camp, with its tradition of military training dating back to Sir John Moore, dominates the hill above Sandgate and Cheriton, its officers and regiments appearing throughout the directory.

Music, Sport & Industry

• Music: Band concerts on the Leas, hotel and pavilion orchestras, choral and operatic societies, and theatres and music halls that drew top London performers every season.
• Sport: Folkestone Town Football Club (founded 1890) at Cheriton Road; cricket clubs across the district; the Folkestone Rowing Club (founded 1873) and its regattas; bathing and swimming clubs; and new golf links at Folkestone and Hythe.
• Industry: The fishing fleet and fish trade; the cross-Channel passenger and goods service to Boulogne; the booming holiday and boarding-house trade; the military presence at Shorncliffe and Hythe; and the fruit, hop and market gardens of the Elham Valley.

Why A Directory Is Essential Next To The Census

The 1901 census is not perfect — and this is where Kelly's Directory proves its worth:

• Refusals and evasions: Distrust of government collecting personal information is nothing new. In 1901 — an era of compulsory vaccination controversies and suspicion of the state — a number of householders simply refused to fill in the census forms or avoided the enumerator altogether, leaving gaps in the official record. Those same people, however, almost certainly appear in this directory.
• People missed on census night: Folkestone's fishermen at sea, ferry and railway crews, night workers, lodgers, patients and staff in institutions, and local soldiers serving in the Boer War in South Africa were all easily missed.
• Timing: The census is a snapshot of 31 March 1901; the directory was compiled across 1901 into 1902, so it catches new arrivals and movers the census never saw.
• Sorting out your family tree: With occupations, addresses and trades listed, the directory helps you distinguish two people of the same name and confirm exactly where a family lived — even when census handwriting defeats you.

How to use them together: Find your ancestor's trade in the commercial section → note their address → check the street directory for neighbours → compare with the census return to confirm the household.

What's Inside — Section By Section

1. County map of Kent – see the disclaimer below
2. Period advertisements – a goldmine of local shops, hotels and services of 1901–02
3. Town histories & descriptions – Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe: churches, schools, charities, public buildings, municipal corporations and parliamentary information
4. Alphabetical private residents' lists – for every town and parish, perfect for finding "well-off" ancestors
5. Commercial & trade directories – every trade, alphabetically, from accountants to wine merchants
6. Folkestone street directory – householders listed street by street, house by house
7. Postal information – post offices, collection times, money order, savings bank and telegraph offices
8. Railways, carriers & transport – stations, carriers' routes and timings
9. Parish-by-parish gazetteer – history, churches, landowners and principal residents of every village in the neighbourhood
10. Institutions & officials – hospitals, convalescent homes, banks, county court, magistrates, the School of Musketry officers and the garrison

Disclaimer — The Map Of Kent

Please note that a period map of Kent is included in this scan. As an original fold-out map over 120 years old, it may show age spots, foxing, slight skewing or split folds, and its boundaries and features reflect 1901 — not the modern county. It is provided as-is for historical reference. Likewise, occasional pages throughout the book may show the natural wear, show-through or faint print of a well-used Victorian volume.

System Requirements

Works on any device that opens PDF files. OCR searching, translation and text-to-speech features require a modern PDF reader such as Google Chrome (text-to-speech available on desktop PCs). CD version requires a CD drive.