The Postcard
A postcard that was published by Elgate Postcards of Fort Mount, Margate, Kent. The card was posted in Thanet, Kent using a 3½p stamp on Tuesday the 23rd. July 1974.
It was sent to:
Mrs. & Mr. Hedges,
211, Hook Road,
Epsom,
Surrey.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Dear M & B,
Still having a nice time.
Went to Broadstairs last
night to see my friends &
going again on Thursday
for the day.
Spent all day on the beach
yesterday - very hot, but it
rained hard at 6 o'clock
this morning, but it's quite
nice now with the sun out.
So will go on the beach.
Wish you were here - it
would do you a lot of
good.
Hope you are OK.
Love Ciss."
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town. It contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was built in the 1930's as a number of large, wide avenues with detached and semi-detached houses with driveways, garages and gardens. This land was sold by Mr Sidney Simon Van Den Bergh to the Palm Bay Estate Co. on the 23rd. June 1924. Such avenues include Gloucester Avenue and Leicester Avenue.
East Cliftonville
The Palm Bay estate covers the eastern part of Cliftonville, and was fields before the first avenue was built. It extends east beyond Northumberland Avenue and has been developed in phases. The later phase extending eastwards of Princess Margaret Avenue is a modern-style housing estate with small houses largely identical in appearance and of less substantial build quality than the original 1930's estate.
The eastward expansion of Cliftonville has included much of the former parish of Northdown, including Northdown Park and House.
West Cliftonville
West Cliftonville was originally developed as the up-market alternative to bustling Margate, and had many small private hotels and guest houses with outstanding Victorian architecture which catered for the many visitors to what was in the first half of the 20th. century a thriving holiday resort.
Many of the large hotels have been converted into one bed flats; this has brought about positive action from Thanet District Council which introduced selective licensing, ensuring that quality home improvements are maintained by landlords (2006) and restricting planning permission for one bedroom flats (2007).
Cliftonville now has many of its streets protected by conservation area orders. The seafront area once included many large hotels, including at one time a large Butlins complex. Some fantastic hotels remain, e.g. Smiths Court Hotel overlooking the sea, and The Walpole Bay Hotel.
Tourism and visitor numbers have increased in Cliftonville (2018) with the addition of newly opened bed and breakfasts changing the Cliftonville landscape. Northdown Road and Cliff Terrace have also had a resurgence, with many trendy and hip businesses opening up.
The Oval Bandstand and lawns run by community group GRASS Cliftonville bring an opportunity to bring community engagement to Cliftonville, and they host a monthly award-winning farmers' market on the last Sunday of every month.
During the summer there are a number of activities and events, including musical shows. The Tom Thumb Theatre brings a host of music events and theatre to Cliftonville.
Writing and Poetry
During the first half of the 20th. century, Cliftonville was considered the fashionable hotel quarter of Margate. It was during the autumn of 1921 that T. S. Eliot spent a period of convalescence at the Albermarle Hotel. His widow has confirmed that he found inspiration for, and wrote significant sections of 'The Waste Land' in the Grade II listed Nayland Rock promenade shelter.
The spirit of early 20th. century Cliftonville was caught by John Betjeman in his poem "Margate Pier".
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard was born in Cliftonville on the 29th. September 1913.
An Attempt to Bring Down an Aircraft
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, on the 23rd. July 1974, British Airways Flight 6356, flying to London after taking off from Belfast with 92 people on board, made an emergency landing in Manchester.
This was because an Irish newspaper and a news agency were tipped off by an anonymous caller that a gelignite time bomb had been placed on the aircraft.
A two-pound bomb was found in a paper bag under a seat on the Trident jet, apparently after being placed there by a passenger who had flown to Belfast and left before the plane departed again for London.
The plane was carrying a crew of seven and 85 passengers, including James Flanagan, police chief of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
The IRA claimed that they had put the bomb on the aircraft. They said that the bomb was not primed, and was not meant to detonate, but that it had been planted as a symbolic act, to show that they could get through the security at Aldergrove Airport, near Belfast. It is unknown how the bomb made its way on board.
The British Airline Pilots' Association called for sterner security measures at Aldergrove Airport, such as banning hand luggage, banning cleaners from boarding the aircraft during the turn-round, and not taking on catering supplies at Aldergrove.
Maurice Greene
The day also marked the birth, in Kansas City, Kansas, of Maurice Greene.
Maurice is a U.S. Olympic sprinter, gold medalist in the 100m dash in 2000, and winner of gold medals in three world track and field championships in 1997, 1999 and 2001.
