LIFE IN DUNGENESS – THE 1920’S

For what life was like in the 1920’s there is an interesting tale from a family who moved here from Ashford, lock stock and barrel, expecting to move into a newly purchased railway carriage. But alas no! The carriage was still on the track and was occasionally moved around in the evening when shunting of other rolling stock was required.

Read the whole story of the Lusted family in ‘Memories’ under the ‘History’ page or click here. Submitted in February 2012, the article did appear in the original website before it was maliciously taken down by a not so pleasant ‘webmaster’ a few years ago.

I recall milk being delivered by bowser – with jugs being filled at the roadside. Water hand pumped from a communal bore hole in the beach. No electricity. ‘Elsan’ toilets, the contents of which were dumped in the sea at high tide. All this of course dealt with by the adults. For us children a massive landscape of a playground with lakes to sail on (on railway sleepers), gun emplacements, air raid shelters, bombed school.

What freedom! and all due to the fact the Health and Safety Executive had not been created to provide the ‘nanny’ state which mollycoddles the youth of today.

About the Author: Mike Golding

Born in Ashford a long time ago I have had a lifelong relationship with Dungeness having spent every year here for a fortnights holiday up to the age of 15. In those good old days there was no electricity and hence no radio, no running water and no adequate sewage solutions. Nothing to do other than enjoy the vast expanse of the Ness and all it offered for the young children of that era. Out after breakfast and back before nightfall. There were lakes to swim in. Same lakes to boat on (well old railway sleepers). A derelict school and long disused railway station in and on which to play. Gun emplacements, underground shelters. Sheer bliss. That all ended at 16 when I joined the RAF, finally purchasing a shack – as indeed it was then – in 1971 for the princely sum of £750.00. Only 15 years prior to that we could not afford the £150.00 asking price for what was then known as ‘Windwhistle’, reported to be one of Queen Victoria’s entourages carriages. Still there today, sold last year (2022) and still awaiting planning permission to re construct, but the original structure still concealed behind painted shiplap. Leaving the mob I travelled, retuning ‘home’ as oft I could, and realistically, only becoming a permanent fixture since 1977. In those days there was a vibrant community here with annual gatherings for the Mayday festival – spit roast and all and open days at the Lifeboat station – with bosuns chairs, zip wires to keep the kids happy. I think Health and Safety put paid to that and other activities, as did the moving away of many locals. The result of which , today there are probably less than 20 families residing here permanently, (I have been told not to use the word ‘shacks’ as now, at £650,000.00 plus they are 'desirable bungalows in a well sought after locale'. So ‘Shacks’ they are! End. P.S A few originals left to rent from £500 per week.