Harbours & ports · South East England
Folkestone Harbour
Folkestone Harbour — harbour at Folkestone, Kent, England, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Nearest railway station
- Folkestone Central · 1.5 km
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
About
Folkestone Harbour is a harbour in the United Kingdom. Wikidata describes it as: "harbour at Folkestone, Kent, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.0795°, 1.1896°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Kent Downs
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Folkestone Harbour is the main harbour of the town of Folkestone in Kent, England. The harbour was developed during the 19th century, and became prominent after the South Eastern Railway (SER) began running boat trains to France. It was an important embarkation point for soldiers during both World Wars, and continued to be a popular traffic route for holidaymakers and goods traffic. The opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994, along with a reduction in the local fishing industry, caused the harbour to decline in importance. In the 21st century, it has been redeveloped into a centre for leisure and tourism.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
In 1541, King Henry VIII of England was about to wage a war against the French. A plan was made to use Folkestone as a port of embarkation to supplies and troops. He sent a Master Tuk and Master Captain of Sandgate to look for a site for the new harbour. Plans were made but never implemented. On 2 May 1542, the king came to Folkestone but then headed to Dover on 6 May. The Folkestone Harbour plan was abandoned. In 1703, a heavy storm swept away one of the fishing boats on the shingle beach and damaged many other boats. Also several houses had their foundations undermined as the beach was carried away. An engineer from Romney Marsh advised the local fisherman that the construction of three…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.0795, 1.1896
- County
- Kent
- District
- Folkestone and Hythe
- Parish
- Folkestone
- Postcode
- CT19 6AB
- Parliamentary constituency
- Folkestone and Hythe
- Established
- 1807
- Nearest railway station
- Folkestone Central — 1.5 km
- Official site
- www.folkestoneharbour.com
Sources
- wikidata: Q5464522 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Folkestone Harbour (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Inner Harbour, Folkestone - geograph.org.uk - 1718495.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
Loading nearby places…
Nearby
📷 5Public art & sculpture · South East England
Holiday Home
Holiday Home — a public art in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
📷 5Public art & sculpture · South East England
Other People's Photographs The Stade
Other People's Photographs The Stade — a public art in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
📷 5Public art & sculpture · South East England
Climate Emergency Services
Climate Emergency Services — a public art in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
📷 5National landscapes (AONB) · South East England
The Folkestone Mermaid
The Folkestone Mermaid — Public artwork (sculpture) by Cornelia Parker.
Cinemas · South East England
The Harbour Screen
The Harbour Screen — a cinema in england south east.
📷 5Historic bridges · South East England
Folkestone Harbour Viaduct And Swing Bridge
Folkestone Harbour Viaduct And Swing Bridge — Grade II listed building-listed bridge in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
More places in this region
Flagship📷 10Harbours & ports · South East England
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea — seaside town and port in West Sussex, England.
📷 5Harbours & ports · South East England
Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour — Harbour & Site of Special Scientific Interest in Chichester, West Sussex.
📷 5Harbours & ports · South East England
Colt Hill Wharf
Colt Hill Wharf is a harbour in the United Kingdom.
_2025-03-02.jpg?width=1200)
📷 5Harbours & ports · South East England
Cormorant
Cormorant — Public artwork (sculpture) by Christian Funnell.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Folkestone Harbour?
- Folkestone Harbour is in Kent, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode CT19 6AB), in the parish of Folkestone.
- When was Folkestone Harbour built?
- Built or established in 1807.
- Who owns Folkestone Harbour?
- Folkestone Harbour is owned by The Folkestone Harbour Company.
- Is Folkestone Harbour a protected site?
- Yes — Folkestone Harbour is part of the Kent Downs National Landscape (AONB).
- How do I get to Folkestone Harbour?
- The nearest railway station is Folkestone Central, about 1.5 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CT19 6AB.