Julius Caesar , in Walmer
Julius Caesar reputedly landed on the beach here in 55 BC and 54 BC. It is only one possible landing place, proposed judging from the distances given in his account of the landings in his
Gallic Wars. In the 19th century it was thought that he had landed by
Deal Castle – hence a house there with
SPQR emblazoned on its gate – but in 1907 the landing point has been proposed to be half a mile further south, beyond the lifeboat station, and marked by a concrete memorial. However, new archaeological excavations performed since 2015 suggest instead that the landing occurred at
Ebbsfleet, at the head of
Pegwell Bay, in
Thanet, further north along the Kent coast.
Medieval The coastal confederation of
Cinque Ports during its mediæval period consisted of a confederation of 42 towns and villages in all. This includes Walmer, as a 'Limb' of
Sandwich, Kent.
Walmer Castle Walmer Castle and its formal gardens are an attraction for visitors. The official residence of
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports since the 18th Century, the building is now an
English Heritage property. Famous Lords Warden have included
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Sir
Winston Churchill,
William Pitt the Younger first created the gardens), and
the Duke of Wellington The others were nearby at
Deal (southern Deal) and
Sandown (north Deal) - the Deal one survives, the Sandown one has been lost to
coastal erosion.
Walmer Aerodrome Walmer Aerodrome was a First World War airfield established by the Royal Naval Air Service in 1917 on Hawkshill Down near Walmer, Kent. Its primary role was to provide air defence during both World Wars. The station operated fighter aircraft including
Sopwith Camels during the First World War, and accommodated both British and Allied pilots.
Walmer Brewery (1816–1978) Brewing in Walmer is thought to date back to at least the Tudor period, but the best-known brewery began in 1816 when Edmund Thompson acquired a small brewery on Dover Road, just south of old Walmer village. He operated it as Thompson & Sons until 1867, when the business was sold to John Matthews, who expanded and modernised the site while retaining the Thompson name. By the late nineteenth century the brewery included
maltings, a
brewhouse, a
bottling plant, stables and workers’ cottages, making it a significant local employer. The name of the Thompson’s Bell public house commemorates the brewery’s former bell tower, although it is unclear whether the original bell was ever relocated to the pub, and some reports even suggest the bell may have been damaged in the move and might no longer be on site. ==Governance==