Pike's Directory Blue Book Of Folkestone Hythe & Sandgate 1890-1891

Pike's Directory Blue Book Of Folkestone, Hythe & Sandgate 1890-1891 - Digital Download or CD

Product Description:

Step back into the late Victorian era with this high-quality reproduction of Pike's Directory Blue Book Of Folkestone, Hythe & Sandgate 1890-1891. An essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and house researchers, this directory offers a fascinating snapshot of life on the Kent coast just before the turn of the century.

Format & Navigation This product is available as a digital download or on CD. Please note that this directory consists of scanned images of the original pages. While the book is not text-searchable in its original file format, the directory has been meticulously organized alphabetically by section and surname, making navigation intuitive and straightforward. Furthermore, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) offer "Run OCR" capabilities, allowing you to search the text on the fly if you require that functionality.

Why This Directory is Essential for Genealogy For family historians, this directory is a vital tool for bridging the gap between the 1881 and 1891 censuses. If you have "lost" an ancestor between these two census years, this directory serves as the perfect mid-point census substitute. It allows you to pinpoint exactly where your ancestors were living and their trade or profession in 1890-1891.

Contents of the Directory This comprehensive Blue Book is packed with detailed information, divided into easy-to-use sections:

• Street Directory: A comprehensive list of streets in Folkestone, Hythe, and Sandgate, showing the head of household or business at each address. Perfect for tracing the history of a specific house.
• Commercial Directory: An alphabetical list of trades and professions. Find out who ran the local inns, who the blacksmiths were, and the details of the shopkeepers your ancestors might have visited daily.
• Private Residents Directory: An alphabetical list of private residents (the "elite" and middle classes of the time), often providing their full names and addresses.
• Official & Municipal Information: Details of local government officials, clergy, medical officers, and public institutions, giving context to the civic administration of the time.
• Local Information & Advertisements: A treasure trove of period advertisements, local postal regulations, and carriage rates, offering color and context to your ancestor's daily life.

Local History: Folkestone, Hythe & Sandgate (1890-1891) The area was booming during this period, transitioning from traditional fishing towns to fashionable seaside resorts and important military garrisons.

• Famous Connections: This era saw Folkestone as a playground for the wealthy. Dr. William Harvey, the famous physician who discovered the circulation of blood, was born in Folkestone (1578), and his legacy was still a point of immense local pride in the town's identity during the 1890s. The area was also frequented by royalty and the gentry, often staying at the prestigious hotels like the Royal George or the Metropole.
• Sport & Leisure: By 1890, Folkestone Football Club (established 1874) was a central part of the town's social fabric. Cricket was also immensely popular, with matches frequently played at the Cheriton Road grounds.
• Industry & Trade: While tourism was the engine of Folkestone, the fishing industry remained the heartbeat of the town, with the harbors bustling with trawlers. Hythe maintained its importance as a Cinque Port and was home to the School of Musketry, which brought a strong military presence to the area. Sandgate was known for its shipbuilding and its picturesque "Painters' Colony," attracting artists and musicians to its shores.
• Transport: The directory captures the heyday of the railway and the cross-channel steam packet trade, Folkestone being the primary gateway to the Continent (Boulogne) at this time.

Important Note Regarding Maps Please be aware that in many original directories of this age, the map plates were designed to be removable. Consequently, they were often lost or separated from the book over the last 130 years. We have included all pages present in the original scanned source. If the map is present in your copy, please consider it a bonus. We cannot guarantee its inclusion as it was not bound into the spine in the standard manner.