Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Tributes to respected and knowledgeable tour guide ‘who had a heart of gold’
Loved ones mourn death of ‘kind and generous’ Dorothy
Retired tourist guide Dorothy Bolton had a wealth of knowledge of the history of Canterbury and east Kent and delighted in sharing its heritage with visitors.
Her sparkling personality, generosity and efficiency won her respect among colleagues and the many who benefited from her tours.
Now, her death on February 24 - seven days after her 84th birthday - is being mourned by family and friends.
A Lancashire lass and the eldest of eight siblings, she came to Kent when her parents moved to Dover in the early 50s and was a pupil at Dover Grammar School for Girls.
She trained in catering and hotel management at Thanet College and worked at hotels in
Littlestone and Folkestone, and then at Berkley Square Garages and Pfizer in Folkestone and Sandwich.
Dorothy had met her future husband, Dick, also a now-retired guide, at a holiday club when they were teenagers. They had been married for 62 years when she died.
Dick’s military career as an officer in the Royal Artillery took them on a tour of Europe and further afield.
In Germany, she was a divisional girl guide commissioner, and later, in Belgium she ran a Brownie pack.
Choral singing was always one of her passions and she was secretary of the Dover Choral Society while still at school. She sang in choirs in Belgium and Germany, then, after returning to Dover, joined the East Bridge Choral.
The couple later moved to Blean where they raised their three children, and then to Wickhambreaux, which was their home for 30 years. Both Dorothy and Dick enrolled as guides at Canterbury Cathedral which led to them training to become registered Blue Badge Tourist Guides for the South East of England. Dorothy worked in Dover with tour operators when the cruise terminal opened, to plan programmes and lead guided tours, before becoming a city guide in Canterbury.
In 1998, Dorothy helped research and took part in Prince Edward’s ‘Crown and Country’ television series, for the programme filmed in the city. She also featured in a BBC Radio Kent series, travelling around looking for tales of the unexpected as well as smugglers and ghosts.
Yvonne Leach, who is chairman of the South East England Guides Association, says Dorothy will be remembered for her “military precision” organisational skills and kindness and generosity.
“When she did something, she always made a proper job of it,” she said.
“But I will also remember her for her great kindness. She had a heart of gold and was very generous with her knowledge, especially with newer guides.” She leaves husband Dick, sons Robin and Anthony, daughter Ali and nine grandchildren. Her funeral is at 2pm on Monday, March 21 in the Crypt of Canterbury Cathedral.
‘She was generous with her knowledge, especially with newer guides...’