Editing Sandwich, Kent

{{short description|Town in Kent, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|51.27472|1.33888|display=inline,title}}
| static_image_name = Coat of arms of Sandwich Town Council.svg
| static_image_width = 100px
| static_image_caption = Coat of arms of the Sandwich Town Council
| static_image_2_name = St Thomas' Hospital Sandwich, Kent.jpg
| static_image_2_caption = The 14th-century St Thomas' Hospital
| official_name = Sandwich
| label_position = left
| population = 4,851
| population_ref = (2021)
| civil_parish = Sandwich  <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/ |title=Home – Sandwich Town Council in Kent |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101104804/https://sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| shire_district = [[Dover District|Dover]]
| shire_county = [[Kent]]
| region = South East England
| constituency_westminster = [[Herne Bay and Sandwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Herne Bay and Sandwich]]
| post_town = Sandwich
| postcode_district = CT13
| postcode_area = CT
| dial_code = 01304
| os_grid_reference = TR335585
}}

'''Sandwich''' is a town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Dover District]] of [[Kent]], south-east [[England]]. It lies on the [[River Stour, Kent|River Stour]] and has a population of 4,985.<ref name="popn">{{Cite web |url=https://shareweb.kent.gov.uk/Documents/facts-and-figures/Population-and-Census/2011%20Census/2011-census-parish-level-population.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=5 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040202/https://shareweb.kent.gov.uk/Documents/facts-and-figures/Population-and-Census/2011%20Census/2011-census-parish-level-population.pdf |archive-date=6 January 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sandwich was one of the [[Cinque Ports]] and still has many original medieval buildings, including several [[listed building|listed]] [[public houses]] and gates in the old town walls, churches, [[almshouse]]s and the [[White Mill, Sandwich|White Mill]]. While it was once a major port, Sandwich is now {{convert|2|mi|0}} from the sea due to the disappearance of the [[Wantsum Channel]]. Its historic centre has been preserved.<ref>: "It had just closed up, and now it was preserved, two miles from the sea, in its own rich silt", as [[Paul Theroux]] remarked in ''The Kingdom by the Sea'', 1983:33.</ref> [[Sandwich Bay, Kent|Sandwich Bay]] is home to [[nature reserve]]s and two world-class [[golf]] courses, [[Royal St George's]] and [[Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich|Prince's]]. The town is also a home to many educational and cultural events. Sandwich also gave its name to [[Sandwich|the food]] by way of [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich]], and the word ''sandwich'' is now found in several languages.

==Etymology==
The place-name 'Sandwich' is first attested in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', where it appears as ''{{lang|ang|Sondwic}}'' in 851 and ''{{lang|ang|Sandwic}}'' in 993. In the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' of 1086 it appears as ''{{lang|ang|Sandwice}}''. The suffix ''[[-wich]]'' comes from the Anglo Saxon ''{{lang|ang|-wīc}}'', meaning a dwelling or fortified place where trade takes place. The name means "market town on sandy soil".<ref>[[Eilert Ekwall]], ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'', p.404.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Sandwich, town bridge (detail) - geograph.org.uk - 650895.jpg|thumb|The [[Sandwich Toll Bridge]], showing the town's coat of arms]]
Before Sandwich became a [[Cinque Port]], the ancient [[Saxon]] town of Stonar on the bank of the [[Wantsum Channel|Wantsum estuary]] (on the opposite side of the mouth of the [[River Stour, Kent|River Stour]]), was already well established. It remained a place of considerable importance but it disappeared almost without trace in the 14th century. The ruins of the major Roman fort of [[Richborough]] are close by. It was the landing place of the [[Roman invasion of Britain]] in AD 43.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7648033.stm |title=Dig uncovers Roman invasion coast |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=2 October 2008 |access-date=2 April 2010 |archive-date=1 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101125733/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7648033.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>  In 2008, an archaeological dig proved that this was a defensive site of a Roman beachhead, protecting 700 metres of the coast.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/roman-invasion-beach-found-in-kent-949717.html |title=Roman invasion beach found in Kent: Archaeologists unearth landing point of legions – only now it's two miles from the coast |work=[[The Independent]] |date=2 October 2008 |access-date=4 December 2017 |archive-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213050556/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/roman-invasion-beach-found-in-kent-949717.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1028 King [[Canute]] ({{circa|995}}–1035) granted a charter to the monks of [[Christ Church, Canterbury]], to operate a ferry across the river and collect tolls. In 1192, returning from the [[Third Crusade]], [[Richard I|Richard the Lionheart]] was jailed by the Holy Roman Emperor [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]]. Henry released Richard in February 1194. On 13 March 1194, Richard landed at the port of Sandwich and came back to England.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Richard I |last=Gillingham |first=John |year=2000 |isbn=0300094043 |page=251 |publisher=Yale University Press }}</ref> In 1216, Prince [[Louis VIII of France|Louis of France]] landed at Sandwich in support of the [[First Barons' War]] against [[John, King of England|King John]]. The [[Battle of Sandwich (1217)|Battle of Sandwich]] occurred just off the coast in 1217.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/the-sun-the-wind-and-the-battle-of-sandwich-9cc5c0ssh|title=The sun, the wind and the Battle of Sandwich|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=24 August 2017|access-date=26 October 2021}}</ref> By 1295, Sandwich was a borough within the [[Lathe of St. Augustine]].

[[File:Fishergate, Sandwich - geograph.org.uk - 1569.jpg|thumb|left|The Fisher Gate]]
The Fisher Gate on the quay dates from 1384, and has been scheduled as an [[Scheduled Ancient Monument|Ancient Monument]]. It is the only one of the original medieval town gates to survive. It is a [[Grade I listed]] building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069601 |desc=Fisher Gate |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> The nearby [[Barbican]] dates from the 14th century and stands at the end of the bridge over the [[River Stour, Kent|River Stour]] where it was used as a [[toll house]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069655 |desc=The Barbican |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref>

On 28 August 1457, the French took advantage of [[Wars of the Roses|political instability in England]] by sending a raiding party to Kent, burning much of Sandwich to the ground.<ref name=CBH>{{cite book |last1=Palmer |first1=Alan |last2=Palmer |first2=Veronica |year=1992 |title=The Chronology of British History |publisher=Century Ltd |location=London |pages=125–128 |isbn=0-7126-5616-2 }}</ref> A force of around 4,000 men from [[Honfleur]], under the command of [[Pierre de Brézé]], [[Marshal of France]], came ashore to pillage the town, in the process murdering the mayor, John Drury. It thereafter became an established tradition, which survives to this day, that the Mayor of Sandwich wears a black robe in mourning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/mayors.htm|title=Mayors|work=Open Sandwich|access-date=2023-11-22}}</ref>

Sandwich was a key town in the early [[History of the Huguenots in Kent#Return and settlement at Sandwich|history of the Huguenots in Kent]]. The town gained significantly from the skills brought to the town by many [[Flanders|Flemish]] settlers, who were granted the right to settle by [[letters patent]] from [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], dated 6 July 1561.<ref>F.W. Cross, "History of the Walloon and Huguenot Church at Canterbury." In: ''Publications of the Huguenot Society of London'', 15 (1898), p. 13.</ref> Sandwich was the only town in England that housed more so-called "strangers" than native Englishmen in the 16th century. Historian Marcel Backhouse estimated there were at least 2,400 Flemish and 500 [[Wallonia|Walloon]] exiles living in Sandwich at the time.<ref>M. Backhouse, ''The Flemish and Walloon Communities at Sandwich during the Reign of Elizabeth I (1561–1603)'', Brussels: Paleis der Academieën, 1995, pp. 32–34.</ref> These settlers brought with them techniques of market gardening, and were responsible for growing the first English [[celery]], which was already - and still is - very popular in Flanders. Elizabeth I granted 25 Flemish families permission to live in Sandwich, and St Peter became the "Stranger's Church" in 1564 when the plague came to the town, in an effort to halt the spread of the disease. The 1661 tower collapse was repaired by the Flemish community, and the distinctive tower reflects their work. The [[Huguenot]] refugees also brought over Flemish architectural techniques, that are now as much a part of Kent as the thatched cottage. One can still see the difference between the English (lower section) and Flemish (upper section) of the tower. In addition techniques of [[silk]] manufacture were imported, enhancing the Kent cloth industry.

The coat of arms of Sandwich is blazoned ''Per pale Gules and Azure three demi-Lions passant guardant in pale Or conjoined with as many sterns of demi-Ships Argent'';<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/weald_downs.html |title=Sandwich Town Council |work=Civic Heraldry of England |access-date=29 September 2014 |archive-date=3 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203192921/http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/weald_downs.html |url-status=live }}</ref> see photo. It is one of the earliest heraldic examples of [[dimidiation]], an early method of combining two different coats of arms: in this case the [[Royal Arms of England]] (1198–1340), ''Gules three lions passant guardant Or langued and armed Azure'', and the Arms of the Cinque Ports, ''Azure three ships Or''. The title [[Earl of Sandwich]] was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral [[Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich|Sir Edward Montagu]] (1625–72).

[[File:Sandwich kent map1945.jpg|thumb|right|A map of Sandwich from 1945]]
In 1759, [[Thomas Paine]] (1737–1809) had his home and shop in a house at 20 New Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/scrapbook/thomas_paine.htm |title=Thomas Paine |work=Sandwich People & History |publisher=Open Sandwich |access-date=2 April 2010 |archive-date=11 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411080111/http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/scrapbook/thomas_paine.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The house is now marked with a plaque and is a listed building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069586 |desc=20 and 22 New Street |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref>

In 1912 Sir [[Edwin Lutyens]] (1869–1944) built [[The Salutation, Sandwich|The Salutation]] in [[Queen Anne style architecture|Queen Anne style]]. The gardens were laid out by [[Gertrude Jekyll]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069643 |desc=The Salutation |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> In [[World War I]], Sandwich was important as a transit location for troops heading to [[Ypres]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/history_of_sandwich.htm |title=Sandwich History: Introduction |work=Open Sandwich — History of Sandwich |access-date=29 September 2014 |archive-date=17 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817074620/http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/history_of_sandwich.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1980 [[Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington|Jean Barker]] became, in the full recitation of her life peerage, Baroness Trumpington, of Sandwich in the County of Kent.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48091|date=7 February 1980|page=1977}}</ref> In 2014 an original copy of [[Magna Carta]], issued in 1300, was found together with a copy of the [[Charter of the Forest]]. It was only the second time in history that the two documents have been found together.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/uk-and-ireland/66399757/how-a-longlost-magna-carta-was-found-in-a-british-town |title=How a long-lost Magna Carta was found in a British town |date=19 February 2015 |access-date=20 February 2015 |archive-date=21 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321231417/http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/uk-and-ireland/66399757/how-a-longlost-magna-carta-was-found-in-a-british-town |url-status=live }}</ref> They are now displayed alongside other historical artefacts in the [[Sandwich Guildhall|Sandwich Guildhall Museum]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/guildhall/museum.htm|title=Sandwich Town Council: The Guildhall Museum|website=www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk|access-date=31 October 2019|archive-date=23 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923071625/https://www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/guildhall/museum.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Governance==

[[File:Sandwich Kent Rathaus.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sandwich Guildhall]]]]
The [[Parish councils of England|town and parish council]] has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. It comprises sixteen town councillors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/council/councillors.htm|title=Sandwich Town Council: List of Councillors|website=www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk|access-date=31 October 2019|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031125708/https://www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/council/councillors.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and [[Neighbourhood Watch (UK)|neighbourhood watch]] groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

The town falls within the [[non-metropolitan district]] of [[Dover District|Dover]]. The district council is responsible for [[planning permission|local planning]] and [[Building regulations in the United Kingdom|building control]], local roads, [[council housing]], [[environmental health]], [[market (place)|market]]s and fairs, [[refuse collection]] and [[recycling]], [[cemeteries]] and [[crematoria]], leisure services, parks, and [[tourism]].

[[Kent County Council]] is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as [[Local Education Authority|education]], [[social services]], [[library|libraries]], main roads, [[public transport]], [[police|policing]] and  [[fire service]]s, [[Trading Standards|trading standards]], [[waste disposal]] and strategic planning.

It is also part of a [[county constituency]] represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]], and at the general election in 2024 became part of the [[Herne Bay and Sandwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Herne Bay and Sandwich constituency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/cgi-bin/calcwork.pl?seat=Thanet%20South|title=Thanet South: New Boundaries Calculation|publisher=Electoral Calculus|access-date=6 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716025024/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/cgi-bin/calcwork.pl?seat=Thanet%20South|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> It elects one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) by the [[first past the post]] system of election.

===Twin towns===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom}}
Sandwich is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*[[Sandwich, Massachusetts]] in the United States
*[[Honfleur]] in France<ref name="Archant twinning 3">{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|title=British towns twinned with French towns ''[via WaybackMachine.com]''|access-date=20 July 2013|archive-date=5 July 2013|work=Archant Community Media Ltd}}</ref><ref name="Honfleur twinnings">{{cite web| url = http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-region.asp?action=getRegion&id=4#tabs3| title = National Commission for Decentralised cooperation| access-date = 26 December 2013| work = Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères)| language = fr| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://archive.today/20131127063207/http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-region.asp?action=getRegion&id=4#tabs3| archive-date = 27 November 2013| df = dmy-all}}</ref>
*[[Ronse]] in Belgium
*[[Sonsbeck]] in Germany

==Geography==
[[File:Boats on the River Stour at Sandwich.jpg|thumb|Boats on the River Stour at Sandwich]]
There is [[Monk's Wall nature reserve]] and a [[bird observatory]] at [[Sandwich Bay, Kent|Sandwich Bay]], which provides a home for wild [[duck]] and other wildlife in a [[wetland]] [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]]. The [[nature reserve|reserve]] was opened by celebrity bird-watcher [[Bill Oddie]] in May 2000. Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust proposed the design and a management plan, including modifications to ditches and control of water levels to create [[Ecology|ecological]] conditions that attract wetland [[species]] of plants, animals and birds. Historically the land was [[Land reclamation|reclaimed]] from the river and sea by the monks of Sandwich, and the northern boundary is still the old Monks' wall of the 13th century. In the 1953 floods the sea covered the whole area around Sandwich and after these [[field (agriculture)|field]]s were drained a new river bank was created and the land [[plough]]ed for [[Arable land|arable]] farming, with heavy use of [[fertilizer|fertiliser]].<ref>[http://www.sbbot.co.uk Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318041739/http://www.sbbot.co.uk/ |date=18 March 2010 }}</ref>

There is also a {{convert|15|acre|ha|0}} [[Local Nature Reserve]] known as Gazen Salts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breathingplaces.org/public/place_by_name/Gazen-Salts-Nature-Reserve?id=28154|title=Gazen Salts|work=Breathing Spaces|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 April 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511094345/http://www.breathingplaces.org/public/place_by_name/Gazen-Salts-Nature-Reserve?id=28154|archive-date=11 May 2011}}</ref>

Sandwich lies at the southern end of [[Pegwell Bay]], which includes a large nature reserve, known for its migrating [[wader]]s and [[wildfowl]], with a complete series of seashore [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]]s including extensive [[mudflat]]s and [[salt marsh]].

==Economy==

The local economy has benefited from significant investment by [[Pfizer UK]], the British subsidiary of the multinational [[pharmaceuticals]] company [[Pfizer]], which built a research and development centre near Sandwich, employing over 3,000 people. Laboratory experiments at the site aroused negative comment by animal rights activists. On 18 June 2007 Pfizer announced it would move the Sandwich Animal Health Research (VMRD) division to [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]].<ref>[http://www.wwmt.com/news/kalamazoo_36503___article.html/research_pfizer.html Pfizer Reorganization Could Bring Jobs To Kalamazoo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021192405/http://www.wwmt.com/news/kalamazoo_36503___article.html/research_pfizer.html |date=21 October 2013 }}, WWMT.com, 18 June 2007</ref> Several important drugs including [[Viagra]], Pfizer's treatment for [[erectile dysfunction]], [[Maraviroc]], a drug used for treatment of [[HIV]] and the horse wormer Strongid P were developed here. On 1 February 2011 Pfizer announced that the entire research and development facility at Sandwich would be closed within 18–24 months, with a loss of 2,400 jobs,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12335801 | work=BBC News | title=Pfizer to close UK research site | date=1 February 2011 | access-date=20 June 2018 | archive-date=31 October 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031193513/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12335801 | url-status=live }}</ref>  though it later announced up to 650 jobs would stay.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-15584902|work=BBC News|title=Pfizer site in Sandwich set to retain 650 jobs|date=4 November 2011|access-date=20 December 2012|archive-date=20 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120160156/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-15584902|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[University of Kent]] was considering use of the campus style site.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-12353162 | work=BBC News | title=University of Kent to consider Pfizer proposal | date=3 February 2011 | access-date=20 June 2018 | archive-date=11 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211010731/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-12353162 | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[UK Government]] intervened to establish an 'Enterprise Zone' on the site,<ref>{{citation | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-enterprise-zones-announced | title=New enterprise zones | work=UK Government | date=17 August 2011 | access-date=7 December 2016 | archive-date=20 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220104804/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-enterprise-zones-announced | url-status=live }}</ref> which is now run as a business park called '''Discovery Park Enterprise Zone'''.

==Landmarks==
[[File:Barbican gate, Sandwich - geograph.org.uk - 1566.jpg|thumb|left|The Barbican]]
[[Sandwich Guildhall]], in the town square, was built in 1579. It is a Grade II* listed building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069731 |desc=The Guildhall |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> The courtroom is still used regularly for civic functions, such as 'Mayor-making', and available to hire as a wedding venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/council/meetings.htm|title=Sandwich Town Council: Meetings and Civic Functions|website=www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk|access-date=31 October 2019|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031125706/https://www.sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/council/meetings.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandwichweddings.co.uk/|title=Weddings at the Guildhall Wedding Venue, Sandwich, Kent|website=www.sandwichweddings.co.uk|access-date=31 October 2019|archive-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021170713/http://www.sandwichweddings.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Admiral Owen is a [[public house|pub]] in a two-storey, 15th century [[Timber framing|timber-framed building]]. It was refronted in the 18th century, but this work preserved the overhang of its first floor on a [[bressummer]] and massive corner post with three brackets.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069656 |desc=The Admiral Owen Public House |access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> The nearby Crispin Inn was originally called the Crispin and Crispianus. It has similar timber framing and was built in the 16th century.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1343736 |desc=The Crispin Inn |access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> Across the road on the quay is the Bell Hotel, which underwent major rebuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries. There has been a Bell Inn on the quay since the 14th century.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069666 |desc=Bell Hotel |access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref>

The three pubs cluster around The Barbican which was built in the late 14th century. It consists of 2 round towers, with chequered work of stone and flints. A narrow road passes between the towers with a semi-circular timber [[barrel roof]] over it. A small 2-storeyed 20th-century house built on to north side of the north west tower was occupied by the toll collector for the bridge.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069655 |desc=The Barbican |access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> The [[Sandwich Toll Bridge]] was built in 1773 of [[Portland stone]] with a Dutch type timber raised platform which was replaced in 1892 with an iron swing bridge.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1343735 |desc=Toll Bridge |access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref>

===Windmills===

[[File:White Mill, Sandwich.jpg|thumb|White Mill]]Sandwich has had at least eight windmills over the centuries, the earliest reference to a mill being dated 1608.<ref name=West>{{cite book | first = Jenny| last = West| year = 1973| title = The Windmills of Kent| pages = 68–71| publisher = Charles Skilton Ltd.| location = London| isbn = 0-284-98534-1}}</ref> Two windmills were marked by [[Edward Hasted|Hasted]] at the New Cut on the [[River Stour, Kent|Stour estuary]]. They were most likely pumping mills associated with the saltworks there in the late eighteenth century.<ref name=West/>

The [[White Mill, Sandwich|White Mill]] is the only survivor. It was built in 1760 and worked by wind until 1929, then by engine until 1957. Today it has been restored and is a heritage and folk museum. The Black Mill was a [[smock mill]] which burnt down {{circa|1910}}.<ref name=Finch>{{cite book | first = William| last = Coles Finch| author-link=William Coles Finch| year = 1933| title = Watermills and Windmills| pages = 271–72| publisher = C W Daniel Company| location = London}}</ref> There was also a [[post mill]] which stood near the Black Mill, and was worked in conjunction with it.<ref name=Finch/> A smock mill on the Millwall was also known as the Town Mill. It was burnt down. Another mill of unknown type is known to have stood on the Millwall.<ref name=Finch/> A sixth windmill stood to the north west of Sandwich, and west of the railway. It formed a group of three with the Black Mill and its neighbour.<ref name=Finch/>

=== Museum ===
Sandwich Guildhall Museum houses original copies of the [[Magna Carta]] and the [[Charter of the Forest]] from 1300.<ref name=":0" /> Other exhibits explore the history of Sandwich and include Roman relics, famous figures and a wide variety of medieval and modern artefacts. Admission is free and visitors can view the Guildhall Tudor courtroom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sandwichguildhallmuseum.co.uk/|title=Sandwich Guildhall Museum|website=Sandwich Guildhall Museum|access-date=31 October 2019|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031125706/https://www.sandwichguildhallmuseum.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The museum was fully refurbished in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sandwich/news/museum-reopens-after-100k-refurbishment-124966/|title=Museum reopens after £100K refurbishment|date=3 May 2017|website=Kent Online|access-date=31 October 2019|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031125708/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sandwich/news/museum-reopens-after-100k-refurbishment-124966/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Sandwich Guildhall Archives adjoins the museum and holds material related to the history of Sandwich. This includes maps and plans, photographs, burial information, postcards, newspapers, books, personal collections as well as research relating to Sandwich up to the present day. Access is open to the public by appointment.<ref name=":1" />

===Fingerpost===
[[File:Ham Sandwich finger post - geograph.org.uk - 302959.jpg|thumb|right|A [[fingerpost]] pointing towards the village of [[Ham, Kent|Ham]] and the town of Sandwich]]
There is a nearby village to the south called [[Ham, Kent|Ham]]. A [[fingerpost]] three miles from Sandwich in the hamlet of West Street points towards both Ham and Sandwich, thus reading "[[Ham sandwich|Ham Sandwich]]".

==Transport==

The town is served by [[Sandwich railway station]]. It was formerly also served by [[Sandwich Road railway station]] on the [[East Kent Light Railway]].

Sandwich has been bypassed by the [[A256 road]], which connects [[Thanet District|Thanet]] to [[Dover]]. It is reached from [[Canterbury]] by the A257, which joins the A256 at Sandwich.<ref>{{Cite map |publisher=[[OpenStreetMap]] |title=Sandwich, Kent – OpenStreetMap |url=http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=51.2808&lon=1.3274&zoom=14&layers=M |cartography=OpenStreetMap contributors |access-date=9 April 2012 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131222056/https://www.openstreetmap.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Stagecoach in East Kent]] operate local buses to other major towns in East Kent. The main routes from Sandwich are 43 to Canterbury, 45 to Ramsgate, 80 & 81 to Deal/Dover and 43 to Discovery Park

==Religious sites==
[[File:StPetersChurch.Sandwich.jpg|thumb|[[St Peter's Church, Sandwich|St Peter's Church]], now redundant]]
St Bartholomew's Chapel was restored and enlarged by Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]] in the 19th century.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1343722 |desc=St Bartholomews Chapel |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> Nearby were two religious [[almshouse]]s: St Bart's Hospital dates back to around 1190, and St Thomas's Hospital was built in the 14th century and named in honour of [[St Thomas Becket]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/ancient_hospitals.htm|title=The ancient hospitals of Sandwich|publisher=Open Sandwich|access-date=2 April 2010|archive-date=11 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011031120/http://www.open-sandwich.co.uk/town_history/ancient_hospitals.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[St Peter's Church, Sandwich|Church of St Peter]] includes some evidence of early [[Norman architecture|Norman]] work, but was rebuilt in the early 13th&nbsp;century. In 1661 the top of the central tower collapsed, destroying the south aisle.<ref>{{NHLE |num= 1343813|desc= Church of St Peter, Sandwich|year=2011  |access-date= 24 April 2011}}</ref> The [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] [[parish church]] is [http://www.stclementschurchsandwich.org.uk St. Clement], which has a tower dating from the latter half of the 12th&nbsp;century; the rest of the church is from the 12th and 14th&nbsp;centuries.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1343695 |desc=Church of St Clement |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> [[St Mary's Church, Sandwich|St&nbsp;Mary's Church]] also has Norman features and was built on the site of a convent founded by [[Domne Eafe]], cousin to King [[Ecgberht of Kent]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1069541 |desc=St Mary's Church |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref>

==Sport==

Sandwich has two world-class [[golf]] courses, [[Royal St George's]] which hosts [[The Open Championship]] approximately every 10&nbsp;years,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalstgeorges.com/index.lasso?pg=24bcc501c9e8796d&mp=a6fc16427cb0678a|title=Open Championship 2011|publisher=Royal St George's Golf Club|access-date=3 April 2010|archive-date=15 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715205121/http://www.royalstgeorges.com/index.lasso?pg=24bcc501c9e8796d&mp=a6fc16427cb0678a|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich|Prince's]] which hosted The Open Championship in 1932,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princesgolfclub.co.uk/heritage-the-open.php|title=Open Championship 1932|publisher=Princes Golf Club|access-date=3 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404041726/http://www.princesgolfclub.co.uk/heritage-the-open.php|archive-date=4 April 2010}}</ref> and is currently an Open Championship Final Qualifying course. The Open Championship returned to Sandwich in 2011 and in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theopen.com/News/News/2017/02/Royal-St-Georges-Golf-Club-to-host-The-149th-Open-in-2020 |title=The Open - Royal St Georges Golf Club to host the 149th Open in 2020 |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030830/https://www.theopen.com/News/News/2017/02/Royal-St-Georges-Golf-Club-to-host-The-149th-Open-in-2020 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Education==

Within the immediate area of Sandwich there are four schools: Sandwich Infants (for children aged 4 to 8), Sandwich Juniors (8 to 11), [[Sir Roger Manwood's School]] (11 to 18) and [[Sandwich Technology School]] (11 to 18).

==Culture==

The town's connection with the [[sandwich|food item of the same name]] is that [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich]], who lived in the 18th century, allegedly invented it. As the story goes, he was an avid gambler, and since he often did not have time to sit for a meal due to his gambling habits, he would order his valet to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Because Montagu was the Earl of Sandwich, others{{who|date=June 2012}} began to order "the same as Sandwich!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/SandwichHistory.htm|title=Sandwich History|first=Linda|last=Stradley|date=20 May 2015|website=What's Cooking America|access-date=8 December 2019|archive-date=4 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104031541/https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/SandwichHistory.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the exact circumstances of the invention are still the subject of debate. A rumour in a contemporary travel book called ''Tour to London'' by Pierre Jean Grosley (although not confirmed) formed the popular myth that bread and meat sustained Lord Sandwich at the [[gambling]] table.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faktoider.nu/sandwich_eng.html|title=Hexmaster's Factoids: Sandwich|website=www.faktoider.nu|access-date=2 April 2010|archive-date=4 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504220227/http://www.faktoider.nu/sandwich_eng.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An alternative suggestion by Sandwich's biographer, [[N. A. M. Rodger]], is that due to Sandwich's commitments to the navy, to politics and the arts, the first sandwich is more likely to have been consumed at his desk, a practice perpetuated in offices ever since.<ref>Rodger, N.A.M, The Insatiable Earl: A Life of John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich (London: Harper Collins, 1993), {{ISBN|0-00-215784-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-00-215784-1}}</ref>

===Sandwich Festival===
The town of Sandwich has an annual festival period towards the end of August,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sandwichevents.org.uk/sandwich-festival/|title=Sandwich Festival|access-date=8 December 2019|archive-date=8 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208144857/https://sandwichevents.org.uk/sandwich-festival/|url-status=live}}</ref> when a number of events are staged. During Sandwich festivals of the past there have been European markets, motorcycle meets, an illuminated boat parade or dressed ship parade on The Quay, a street barn dance, various concerts (both classical and modern pop/rock), a Simultaneous Chess Tournament with Grand Master John Emms and a vintage car show. The festival usually lasts for eight days.

===Newspapers===
Sandwich has two paid-for newspapers, the ''Deal and Sandwich Express'' (published by Kent Regional News and Media) and the ''[[East Kent Mercury and Dover Mercury|East Kent Mercury]]'' (published by the [[KM Group]]). Free newspapers for the town include the ''Dover Extra'', part of the KM Group; and ''yoursandwich'', part of [[KOS Media]].

===Radio===
The local radio station for Sandwich is [[KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country]], although the town has good coverage of [[KMFM Thanet]].

Sandwich is also covered by community radio service DCR 104.9FM [[Dover]] Community Radio, <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcrfm.co.uk/|title=DCR Local Radio for Dover, Deal, Sandwich and the surrounding areas.|website=www.dcrfm.co.uk|access-date=8 December 2019|archive-date=31 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042702/http://www.dcrfm.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> who cover [[Dover District]] broadcasting on 104.9FM since May 2022 and online since 30 July 2011, after being founded as a podcasting service in 2010. In May 2020 it was announced by OFCOM that Dover Community Radio have been awarded a community radio licence, and they started broadcasting on 104.9FM FM in May 2022 to Dover, Deal and Sandwich and White Cliffs Country.
{{Clear}}

Thanet's Academy FM, the community radio station for Thanet, can also be received in Sandwich on 107.8FM.

==In popular culture==

Author [[Russell Hoban]] repurposes Sandwich as "Sams Itch" in his 1980 post apocalyptic novel ''[[Riddley Walker]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.errorbar.net/rw/Places|title=Places - Riddley Walker Annotations|website=Errorbar|access-date=21 August 2022|archive-date=29 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729025537/http://www.errorbar.net/rw/Places|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://sandwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/ Sandwich Town Council]
*[http://www.discoversandwich.co.uk/ Discover Sandwich, Kent, UK including a brief history of the Town]
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Sandwich (England)}}
*{{commons category-inline|Sandwich, Kent}}

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[[Category:Sandwich, Kent| ]]
[[Category:Dover District]]
[[Category:Towns in Kent]]
[[Category:Market towns in Kent]]
[[Category:Cinque ports]]
[[Category:Staple ports]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Kent]]