The beautiful town of Folkestone, overlooking the gorgeous Folkestone harbor, is known today as one of the most impressive and enjoyable seaside resorts in all of England. It wasn't always this way, though. Before the 1800s, Folkestone was a pleasant, peaceful fishing town that was of little importance to the rest of the world. The citizens went about their daily lives in bliss, owing much to the fact that Folkestone was just as idyllic back then as it is today.
After the turn of the 19th century, however, Folkestone was forced into bed with the rest of the world. The Folkestone harbor came early but it was nothing if not beneficial to the town. The construction of the railroad in 1843 was what truly changed the town's fortunes. The various railways being built around England connected London to many smaller cities like Folkestone and the now brief traveling time allowed people who lived inland to travel to Folkestone and revel in the beautiful seaside offerings. Incidentally, this wasn't seen as a bad thing to most of the folks who lived in Folkestone. The overnight increase in tourism meant a great increase in opportunity for the residents of the town with hotels, resorts, and further sea trading adding to the income of all who lived there. Unfortunately, the panache of Folkestone as a tourist haven didn't last as long as many had hoped and the popularity of the town as a vacation destination was already in decline by the 1950s. Folkestone did all it could in the following years to reclaim some of its former glory but even today it seems that the city is no longer a draw for tourism with other British seaside towns offering much better amenities and more pleasant weather. Similarly, many other harbors have been constructed in the hundred-plus years since the advent of Folkestone's and the city's shipping income has reduced drastically as well.
This isn't to say that Folkestone is in any imminent danger of bankruptcy, however. On the contrary, the city has bounced back from its waning fame in the tourism and shipping trade and has rebuilt itself into a force to be reckoned with in the post-World War II landscape. The famed Channel Tunnel injected some much needed income and construction work into the city and now the tunnel is in heavy use throughout all of the surrounding area. Many large corporations have also opened up headquarters in Folkestone including insurance giants like the Saga company and international bottlers like the Silver Spring Mineral Water Company. There is also a rising number of popular malls and shopping centers that are helping to boost the fortunes of the once sagging Folkestone, including the much famed Bouverie Place. Though Folkestone has completely reinvented itself many times over the last few hundred years, it has never given up and allowed itself to fall into ruin. This should be a lesson to all cities around the world but especially those in danger of falling into chaos such as Detroit and Cleveland. Fortunes change with the times and sometimes a city must bend to the will in order to not break in the wind.
| 
+44 (0)1303 850075
