Littlestone-on-Sea, Kent

Littlestone-on-Sea is a small coastal village in Kent, established in the 1880s by Sir Robert Perks as a resort for the gentry. It lies within the parish of New Romney and is notable for its historic lifeboat station. Along the shoreline, a World War II Mulberry Harbour Phoenix breakwater remains visible at low tide, a relic of the D-Day landings that was abandoned when it could not be refloated for use in Normandy.

The village also features a former P.L.U.T.O. (Pipe Line Under The Ocean) station, which was used to transport petrol across the Channel during the Second World War. Littlestone holds a place in literary history as the landing site of Mr Bedford’s sphere in H. G. Wells’ novel The First Men in the Moon, where a local boy witnesses the arrival and later disappears in the sphere.

Littlestone Golf Club, founded in 1888 by textile entrepreneur Henry Thomas Tubbs, is a key local landmark. Tubbs built a house next to the course, known as Netherstone, which served as the original clubhouse until 1910. Notably, Tubbs, a committed Methodist, initially prohibited alcohol at the club, which may have affected its early popularity. Netherstone remains a private residence today, distinguished by its balcony overlooking the links rather than the sea.