Cliffs End: Hugin, Local History and Pegwell Bay

Cliffs End brings together local history and nature and coastal themes around Pegwell Bay. Key landmarks include the Hugin Viking Ship on Hugin Green, St Augustine’s Cross and a birdwatching tower in the sea cliffs of the bay. This gives you a choice of different interests when deciding where to visit: historical traditions and structures on the one hand, wildlife and geological significance on the other.

Historical Traces in Cliffsend

The Hugin Viking Ship stands on Hugin Green in Cliffsend. The site is on Sandwich Road, and there is a car park beside the ship. The ship, its location on the road and the adjacent car park therefore serve as practical local landmarks. The ship and St Augustine’s Cross represent different historical themes.

St Augustine’s Cross in Cliffs End is a 19th-century cross in the Saxon style. It is associated with the traditionally accepted landing place of St Augustine on the coast of England; his arrival is dated to AD 597. Granville George Leveson-Gower, the 2nd Earl Granville, commissioned the cross in 1884. The structure thus brings together the cross’s stylistic description and the tradition surrounding St Augustine’s arrival. The cross dates from considerably later than the story associated with it.

Tradition also associates Cliffsend with the arrival of the Jutish chieftains Hengist and Horsa in AD 410. Together with the connection to St Augustine in 597, this gives two distinct historical reference points for the area. The dates belong to different traditions, not to a single shared event. Comparing them in time helps distinguish these early local connections.

Another chapter concerns the former Primitive Methodist Chapel on Foads Lane in Cliffsend. It was built in 1871 and opened as St Mary the Virgin in 1954. The construction date and the later opening can therefore be distinguished: the building dates from the 19th century, while the name St Mary the Virgin is associated with 1954. This sequence adds another historical period to the area’s early traditions.

The Way of St Augustine passes through the village of Cliffsend. For your trip planning, this route adds a dedicated walking theme and another perspective on the area alongside its historic structures.

Pegwell Bay: Nature and Geology

Pegwell Bay offers a different focus. The bay is considered a nature reserve of international importance and is geologically significant. There is a birdwatching tower in the sea cliffs of Pegwell Bay. The bay is home to wading birds not found anywhere else in East Kent. The waders’ regional significance and the bay’s geological importance offer two different perspectives: one on wildlife, the other on the landscape.

Discover more destinations: Petham, Eynsford, Goudhurst, Saint Margaretʼs At Cliffe, Maidstone, Leaveland, Westerham, Deal.

For the main travel overview: Kent.