Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Cathedral ‘slavery statues’ to remain
A controversial memorial installed outside the Cathedral was relocated to the Dane John Gardens 100 years ago...
Bosses at Canterbury Cathedral are expected to reject a suggestion from the Archbishop that statues with links to slavery be removed from the Kent landmark.
Like many historic buildings across the country, the Cathedral came under pressure to review its monuments at the height of Black Lives Matters protests in June last year. During the demonstrations, a statue of the 17th-century merchant Edward Colston was thrown into Bristol Harbour, sparking calls for others with links to slavery to be toppled. Speaking at the time, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the Cathedral’s statues would “need to be put in context”, adding: “Some will have to come down, some names will have to change.”
But sources close to the Cathedral have told the Gazette it is “highly unlikely” any statues will be removed when the results of an internal review are considered later this month. It looks likely that any monuments with links to slavery or colonialism will instead have plaques clearly displaying con
textual information.
The move is welcomed by University of Kent historian Dr Ben Marsh, who last year identified a number of statues in the Cathedral of figures with unsavoury pasts.
They include priest Richard Hooker, who acted as the mentor for the Anglican clergy of the first English slaveholding colonies.
Another is the former Dean of Canterbury, Isaac Bargrave,
who hailed from a family who “cemented their position” thanks to overseas trade and settlement.
A further controversial statue is that of George Stanhope, who viewed Native Americans as “heathens” and spearheaded the Society of the Propagation of the Gospel, which accepted slavery as “fundamentally sanctioned by both natural law and the bible”.
A statue of William Juxon, a
former Archbishop of Canterbury, who had forged connections to the early English slave trade, includes “four black Moors” heads’ on his coat of arms, was also identified. But Dr Marsh believes statues are in need of “re-curation” rather than damaging or defacing.
“Most professional historians would like to see full contextualisation — that’s what good history is about — it’s not about
judging,” he said.
A Cathedral spokesman says its own initial internal review to identify items such as memorials, statues or heraldic images that may have links with colonialism or the slave trade is now nearing completion, after being delayed by lockdowns and staff furlough.
The statement continued: “This interim review will be discussed by the Cathedral’s governing chapter later this month, before being assessed and reviewed by a wider external group, representing a diversity of expertise and cultural perspectives.
“We hope that this process will be complete – and any recommendations made public - within the next two to three months.
“The outcome of the Cathedral’s own review – in conjunction with the central guidance currently being created by the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England – will then determine how any items at Canterbury Cathedral connected with slavery, colonialism, or contentious figures from other historic periods, are displayed with clear objective interpretations and contextual information, and are presented in a way that avoids any sense of aggrandisement. “We hope that by providing this context – and acknowledging any associated oppression, exploitation, injustice and suffering connected with these objects – all visitors to the Cathedral can leave with a greater understanding of our shared history and be inspired to undertake further learning and discussion.”
What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk.
About 130 years ago a committee met to discuss how best to commemorate Canterbury’s most famous son, Christopher Marlowe, in his home city.
The prestigious panel included the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the actor Sir Henry Irving, and the biographer Sir Sidney Lee. They commissioned sculptor Onslow Ford, who created a scantily-clad bronze ‘Lyric Muse’ to honour the 16th century poet and playwright. On September 16, 1891, the life-size statue was unveiled by Sir Henry in the Buttermarket. Before long, it was affectionately dubbed “Kitty Marlowe” by the city’s residents.
The statue was mounted on a pedestal which was supposed to incorporate bronze figures of Marlowe’s characters in a niche on each of the four sides: Tamburlaine, Barabas, Faustus and Edward II. But at the time of the unveiling the committee had run out of cash and could only afford to pay for the Tamburlaine figure.
Many objected to the halfnaked Kitty’s presence outside the Cathedral. And the council’s response - the addition of an evergreen shrub surrounding the pedestal - did little to calm their nerves. After the First World War the statue was moved to King Street to make way for a memorial to those who died in the conflict. Then in 1921 Kitty was relocated to the Dane John Gardens.
Seven years later the funds had finally been raised for the other three bronze figures and the completed statue was unveiled again - this time by novelist Sir Hugh Walpole who, like Marlowe, was educated at the King’s School. Yet there was more upheaval on the way for poor Kitty. In 1942, the Baedeker Raids which destroyed the house in St George’s Lane where Marlowe is thought to have been born also blew Kitty off her pedestal.
To add insult to injury, she was put back facing the wrong way.
This meant that when in 1957 members of the Marlowe Society solemnly laid a wreath against the poet’s name, they appeared to be paying homage to Kitty’s thinly-veiled backside. A correspondent of the Times covering the event started off his piece: “Goings-on behind the Muse”.
More trouble followed when vandals struck in 1977, stealing two of the statuettes.
But finally, in 1993, Kitty was put where she truly belongs - now facing the right way outside the Marlowe Theatre. Sir Ian Mckellen was on hand to rededicate the statue.
■ Information sourced from Canterbury Historical and Archaelogical Society (CHAS) and marlowe-society.org.
Parking charges in the heart of the city will increase by 70p an hour despite a stark warning from Canterbury Cathedral and high street traders. Councillors voted through proposals to hike fees from £2.10 to £2.80 in certain car parks, and to scale back the length of stays for Blue Badge holders, at a virtual meeting on Tuesday.
The redraft of the Conservative-led authority’s strategy is hoped to draw in thousands of pounds of much-needed income, but the move has attracted a wave of criticism. Canterbury Business Improvement District (BID) chief executive Lisa Carlson called for a rethink and warned the increased charges could cause “irrecoverable” damage to already struggling traders. Bakery chain Greggs also hit out at the proposals, while the Cathedral warned the changes would do little to help Canterbury when competition between cities over attracting visitors resumes after the pandemic. Nathan Crouch, head of marketing and communications at the world famous landmark, said: “The Cathedral’s concern is that increased parking charges will dissuade visitors, disadvantage our staff, volunteers and worshippers, impact negatively on local businesses - including the Cathedral’s commercial tenants - and lead to increased congestion and pollution within the city. “Competition between cities and destinations to attract visitors will intensify post-lockdown and post-covid. Even locally, why should someone go into Canterbury as opposed to Westwood Cross or Bluewater where there is ample free parking and you can make a day of it.”
A previous BID survey with city firms revealed that 94% of businesses feared trade would be harmed by the rocketing fees. Calling for a rethink, Mrs Carlson said: “If businesses which are already struggling go under as a result, there will be a further reduction in occupied units and a negative impact on council revenue through lost business rates.
“The impact on businesses, employees and residents will be huge and may be irrecoverable alongside the impact of the pandemic
“We need a vision which is for the longer-term and strategic rather than based on shortterm financial fixes.”
But despite the barrage of concerns - which included some from disabled residents, who will see their third hour of free parking cut - councillors on the policy committee approved the proposals by eight votes to five. Cllr Rachel Carnac (Con) said: “Parking is always a very emotive subject. We have to have a balanced budget and these are very difficult times.” Drivers opting to park in the heart of the city - Watling Street and Queningate - will pay £2.80 an hour (up 70p), while those further away - in Castle Street, Holman’s Meadow and Station Road West - will pay £1.80 (down 20p). Meanwhile, rates at the likes of Whitefriars, Pound Lane, St Radigunds and Longport - where there is medium demand - will rise to £2.30 (up 30p).
The daily cost of Park and Ride will also jump from £3.50 to £4. The council hopes lowering prices at car parks on the periphery of the city centre will help curb congestion.
The council’s head of transport, Richard Moore, said: “We know pricing affects how people travel and if they continue to come to our towns and cities. We looked to make sure we are as competitive as we can be. “We need to try and tackle congestion and get people to travel more sustainably, and more recently it has become a priority for us to ensure revenue streams are maintained to protect our other vital services.” In Herne Bay, the hourly rate between April and September at Reculver Towers and Reculver Country Park will rise by 40p to £1.80. Charges will also be introduced at Hampton, Reculver Drive, Ocean View, Swalecliffe Avenue car parks, which are currently all free. Along the coast in Whitstable, the two main car parks will see their fees increase by 40p an hour between April and September.
The parking strategy is set to be officially rubber-stamped at a full council meeting later this month, before being implemented from April 1.
‘You’ll see them rolling joints, and someone was caught twice with cocaine’
Shocking revelations of drug-taking, illicit sex and fake Covid results have emerged at a mass testing centre. Staff at the former Manston airport site, set up by the Government to test lorry drivers heading for Europe, have been warned by Wincheap-based security contractor Rightguard following reports of a number of concerning incidents. These include sexual encounters between employees brought in to manage the testing operation and reports of staff routinely taking and offering cannabis and cocaine to each other. A warning letter sent to staff also details how some lorry drivers have been presenting forged papers showing negative Covid test results.
The leaked letter reveals the disturbing antics have led to an investigation and stark warning from Rightguard.
It says: “The senior management team have been made aware of a number of incidents and allegations that have recently occurred across day and night shifts. “Drugs: Over the past 10 days there have been a number of reports of staff taking and offering drugs to others whilst on shift. Two operatives have been searched and found in possession of drugs and have been dismissed from the site. “Verbal/aggressive behavior: Incidents have been escalated around verbal abuse towards a member of the army/gurkhas on the night shift.
“Sex: information has been given to senior managers regarding sexual encounters that are taking place on the site during the night shift.”
It also refers to vehicles “clocking up a lot of miles” on night shifts.
“Should any of the incidents and allegations be proven, this will mean immediate dismissal of any staff involved,” it adds. A worker, speaking anonymously, says issues are rife with the “cliquey” younger members of staff. They said: “People treat it like a social event. Some are on furlough or looking for other jobs so they don’t really care about this job.
“You’ll see them rolling joints, and someone was caught twice with cocaine and the police were called. If they drug-tested they would catch them.”
The site was set up to swab lorry drivers just before Christmas after the French authorities insisted no one could enter France without a negative test result. Drivers continue to be directed to Manston to be swabbed ahead of any cross-channel travel. Rightguard is among those contracted to help run the operation, and on its website continues to advertise roles for traffic marshals, driver welfare operatives and checkpoint staff. In its letter to employees, it warns them of fake Covid test results being shown by lorry drivers, reiterating that all hauliers should be tested on entry to the site, even if they have a result from elsewhere. Rightguard director Tony Smith says it is down to the due diligence of his checkpoint staff that the fake papers were found and that the matter is being dealt with by Special Branch. He says as a collective group, they are running a huge operation and insists, to date, it has been very successful. “We’ve got a huge number working on site and we’re trying to reduce the risk of poor behaviour and to guide them along the way,” he said.
“It’s not a free-for-all here; it’s not a Sunday morning playing football - it’s a very busy site. “A number of the operatives working here are high-level professionals, such as ex-police, ex-prison service and ex-military personnel.
“But we’ve got a huge number of staff, 600-800 of all different people, and naturally some of them, a small number, need reminding about how to behave. “This is a huge process, it’s safely managed and I would not want all this to tarnish the hard work everyone is doing.” Mr Smith insists no physical sexual encounters have occurred on the site, but the anonymous worker said it involved a male and female in an airport hangar. Regarding allegations of abuse towards a military person, Mr Smith said there are “often high levels of stress” at the site. Commenting on the drugs he says they became aware of allegations of drug use on two separate occasions.
He says the people were challenged but, despite what the letter says, nothing was found and the employees chose to leave. He added: “We do random on-site searches as well as searches on entrance and exit.” A Department for Transport spokesman said: “These reports are concerning and we’re investigating with the company that manages the site as a matter of urgency.”
Train services were suspended after a lorry burst into flames close to a level crossing. The delivery truck - belonging to retailer Argos - caught fire near to the railway line in Chartham, near Canterbury, at about 12.20pm on Saturday. Flames several feet high and a huge plume of black smoke could be seen rising from the stricken vehicle.
A witness said the two Argos delivery workers were able to escape the lorry in Station Road as the fire took hold.
No one was injured. Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze, and the road was sealed off.
Southeastern said trains were unable to run on the line from Ashford International to Ramsgate via Canterbury West for much of Saturday, and a bus replacement service was in operation.
The fire is believed to have started accidentally within the engine compartment.
Twenty years ago large parts of the Canterbury district and Kent were submerged beneath floodwater after the heaviest rainfall for decades. Residential streets, fields and major roads were turned into lakes in October 2000 and then again just five months later in February 2001. Thankfully no lives were lost in the county during what was some of the worst flooding in living memory, but about 500 homes were damaged and when the levels relented - the county was left resembling a giant mudbath.
The first autumn of the 21st century was the wettest on record in the UK, and the deluge which led to hefty flooding began on October 10, 2000. While some residents of affected areas could recall water reaching similar depths in the past, none had seen water flowing with such speed and force through the county’s streets.
The then-deputy Prime Minister John Prescott described the severe weather as a wake-up call to the impacts of climate change. Emergency services raced to help homeowners as water levels rose across the county. The principal source of the floods was the sheer volume of rain that fell over relatively short periods onto already wet or saturated land - leading to rapid run-off into already swollen streams and rivers. While the Maidstone area was the worst hit, canoeists took to the floodwater in Canterbury when the River Stour burst its banks, taking a paddle in Sainsbury’s car park. Gorrell Tank in Whitstable was restored to its original reservoir state when the floods hit, with cars trapped as water left drivers stranded.
At the height of the operation, Kent Fire Brigade (now Kent Fire and Rescue) had some 150 personnel deployed to incidents.
During a house-to-house questionnaire survey following the disaster, a number of people complained that the main cause of flooding within their
properties were waves caused by vehicles travelling too fast along water-clogged roads. In an anniversary supplement of the Kent Messenger published in 2010, former editor Ron Green recalled the remarkable events.
“There was nowhere for the deluge to go,” he said. “Readers, correspondents, reporters and photographers began to call in reports of rapidly rising floods. “The only way to capture the awfulness of the drama was from the air but our usual sources were grounded by the weather. Picture editor Barry Hollis tracked down a helicopter we could use. The fee was five times what we usually paid.
“Barry came back with remarkable pictures and memories he will never forget. ‘I had never seen anything like it before or since in Kent,’ he told me.
‘There were hundreds of buildings sticking out of a sea of brown water. They were people’s homes – it was a very sorry sight’.” Canterbury experienced high flows on the Stour in the month that followed, with the council having its emergency evacuation plans in place and rest centres prepared. The levels, however, never reached a point where evacuating residents to safety was necessary.
It was in February the following year when about 50 homes in the villages surrounding
Canterbury were hit by floods. Twenty years ago this month, the evening of February 8 saw intense rainfall concentrated mainly in the east of the county, with rain gauges recording up to 60mm over the course of a 24-hour period.
The ground floor of homes in Bridge, Patrixboume, Littleboume and Wickhambreaux were flooded.
On the other side of the district, homes in Chestfield were flooded nine times in the space of just 14 months.
The flooding during February was the worst recorded in the village since the 1950s, forcing the closure of the Thanet Way on two different occasions. In Herne Bay, soldiers were drafted in to help evacuate homes in Cherry Gardens. A team of 40 men from the Royal Irish Regiment, based in Canterbury, rescued residents from waist-deep water.
The troops used inflatable dinghies to get access to the flooded areas while the city council set up three emergency rest centres and issued 2,000 sandbags to residents. Following the events of February 2001, The Little Stour & Nailbourne River Management Group, a liaison committee between 11 parish councils in east Kent, was formed. It recently told the Gazette it fears a repeat of the floods should waterway clearance not be stepped up on the River Stour.
‘He was looking forward to the birth of our second child in April, and his death has left a massive hole in our lives’
The sudden death of an inspirational and gifted teacher has shocked his colleagues and pupils and devastated his family.
Matt Norris, 40, who previously taught at the Spires Academy in Sturry, died from a suspected heart attack in the early hours of last Tuesday morning. His wife, Lisa, 38, who is seven months pregnant, says he was a wonderful husband and loving father to their five-year-old daughter Alexis.
The couple met in 2001 while working at Sainsbury’s in Whitstable, where they live, before Mr Norris embarked on his teaching career. Distraught Mrs Norris, who still works at the supermarket, said: “He loved teaching - he was just was born to do it.
“He was good at it and just got on with everyone. He was also a wonderful husband and loving dad.
“We are all completely devastated by his sudden and unexpected loss.
“He was a kind and caring person with a great sense of humour who brought a smile to everyone’s face.
“He was looking forward to the birth of our second child in April, and his death has left a massive hole in our lives.” Mr Norris was teaching at Herne Bay High at the time of his death, but had previously taught history at the Spires Academy.
Head teacher Nicki Mattin said: “Although Matt was only with us for a short time he had a big impact.
“He was a very positive person who loved teaching hjstory. “Our students enjoyed his lessons and respected him. “Our staff were shocked to hear the news as he was the type of colleague who was friendly to everyone. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.” Herne Bay High head teacher Jon Boyes broke the tragic news to parents in an emotional letter, saying the school and teaching
staff had been “impacted significantly” by Mr Norris’s death. He told the Gazette: “Matt had found his calling at Herne Bay High.
“Coming to work made him happy, and he loved sharing that happiness with the students.
“The reaction since his death is a true reflection of the man and teacher he was.
“He was always positive, bubbly
and happy and that shone through. He’ll be sorely missed.” In his letter to parents, Mr Boyes said Mr Norris had “forged relationships and friendships that were both deep and long lasting”.
“Matt was a true reflection of what the school represents,” he continued.
“He was bubbly, happy, positive, would help anyone and would always go the extra mile to support staff and students, no matter what the issue. “Personally, I knew Matt well and his passing will leave a big hole in the fabric of the school; it is just so sad.
“I had the sad task of informing our staff body tonight and, as you can imagine, the news has impacted them significantly.
“I am sure that there will be many of you, both parents and students, who will be devastated by the news.” Commenting on his death on Kent Online, one pupil wrote: “Mr Norris was a true inspiration to me. He really helped me settle down at Charles Dickens, and would be there to talk to when I needed it. He was an amazing man and human being, and he cared about his students and fellow staff excellently.”