Welcome to the Westgate Heritage Centre

Now in our third year, the Westgate Heritage Centre aims to tell the story of Westgate on Sea, a unique Victorian development, from 1865 the year when the first houses were built to the present day by a series of displays called “Time Line”.

Roger Gale MP at the 2008 opening. View more images in our photo gallery

It was opened officially on 31st March 2007 by Roger Gale 2007 M.P. for North Thanet and is located in St Saviour's, the Parish Church for Westgate on Sea. includes something of the history of Westbrook, which lies east between Westgate and Margate, because the history of the “two new towns” as they were called in a letter of 1871, is inextricably linked.

There is also much supplementary material both pictorial and written available in files and boxes  - we have too much for it all to be put on display. It can easily be accessed by anyone interested – there are facilities for sitting down and reading. There is a list of material available from the stewards. It is being added to all the time, as people bring in things they think may be of interest.

The section on Wartime Westgate contains a great deal of oral history of Westgatonians who were living in the area during the Second World War. The permanent “Time Line” exhibition is supplemented by smaller displays about particular subjects of interest often linked with anniversaries – for example in 2007 “Westgate in 1917” linked with the 90th anniversaries of the Battles of Arras and Passchendaele.

This year the Westgate and Westbrook Residents’ Association celebrates its 50th anniversary and the 2008 season opens on Saturday 5th April with a special exhibition “Focus on ‘58”. It is interesting to see what were the concerns of the Association in 1958 and compare them with the concerns today. There will be some surprises!

This year we are starting a special permanent section on the history of St Saviour’s C.E. School founded in 1886. There are some really fascinating exhibits. Come and read about the troubles of the school during World War I or the poignant stories of the evacuation of the school to Staffordshire in 1940 or the post-war problems when their classes were accommodated all over the town or the exciting story of the building and opening of the new St Saviour’s Junior School in 1995!

Three guided walks around “Historic Westgate” are planned for the second Sundays in April, May and June in the afternoon. Look out for details later. There will also be a “Victorian Evening” when there are dramatised readings of episodes in Westgate history based on archival material.

The Centre received some generous donations from local residents and businesses last year and a grant  of £300 from Thanet District Council’s Small Awards’ Scheme, which helped to set it up with display equipment and other necessities, but it relies on donations to help keep it going. The members of the Steering Group who lead it and the stewards are all volunteers. Two members of the group are students under 16, whose IT skills are particularly valuable – they designed the logo.