Cliffsend is a village and civil parish situated almost west of Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom, in the Thanetlocal government district. Hengist and Horsa landed near here in 410AD, and St Augustine in 597. Pegwell BayCountry Park is located here. Also on permanent display on the cliff top at Pegwell Bay is a replica of the Viking longshipHugin, which sailed from Denmark to Thanet in 1949 to celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the invasion of Britain, the traditional landing of the two men, and the betrothal of Hengist's daughter, Rowena, to King Vortigen of Kent. The Hugin was offered as a gift to Ramsgate and Broadstairs by the Daily Mail for preservation.
Amenities
The village has a petrol station and convenience store on the former A256. There was formerly another convenience store in the centre of the south-side of the village - which contained a post-office. This post-office was supported by local residents, and was the only post office to be saved from closure nationally during the closure scheme in 2008. However the village shop closed in the summer of 2017, whilst the post office continues in operation. The village has a golf club, St Augustine's GC and did have one pub, the Sportsman Inn. The pub closed permanently in April 2017 for redevelopment. The village is the site of several local tourist attractions, including 'The Viking Ship', which is a recently restored replica Viking Ship similar to that which landed on the site during the invasion. The ship sits on the cliff top, on open grass. This overlooks Pegwell Bay nature reserve. On a clear day, visitors can see a large expanse of east Kent to the West, Sandwich, Deal, and the northern tip of the French Coast. To the east, the cliffs curve round into the nearby town of Ramsgate. Though the village has no hotels itself, both Ramsgate and Minster have numerous facilities. The Anglican parish church of St Mary is in Foads Lane. Originally a Methodist church it was rented by the Church of England from the early 1930s, eventually being bought in 1956.
Governance
Cliffsend is part of the electoral ward called Cliffsend and Pegwell. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 4,703.
Notable residents
Although a small area with an accordingly low population, Cliffsend has had a number of notable residents.
Another notable couple in the acting and entertainment world are Melanie and Martina Grant who spent their childhood living with their mum in Walmer Gardens.
For a small village, Cliffs End has been lived in by two accomplished jewellers/artists:
*Jeweller Barry Carthew lived north of the train line in his childhood.
*Artist and Jeweller, Fraser Wallin, who now lives in Whitstable spent his childhood in Beech Grove.
Historically, Augustine of Canterbury briefly lived in the Cliffs End area around the year 597.
Transport
The village is between the A299, the end of the Thanet Way, and the A256, which meet at the Lord of the Manor roundabouts to the east of the village. The village is divided into two by the Canterbury to Ramsgate railway line, with the nearest stations being Minster to the west and Ramsgate to the east both at Manston Airport or 'Kent International Airport' is to the north of the village, with the East end of the runway preventing the village expanding northwards. The airport partially closed in May 2014. At the south east corner of the village are the remains of Hoverlloyd's cross-channel hoverport. Vehicle and passenger carrying hovercraft were operated here from 1969 until 1982. The New East Kent Access Road intersects the village at the same point as the railway line, though here it is in a tunnel, so the effect on the village is minimal. Both the A299 and A256 have been diverted onto new roads in this scheme; the former A299 and A256 remain in place to serve the village. Access from the new road to the village can be gained from the Thanet Intersection southwards, from Ebbfleet Roundabout eastwards, from the Sevenscore roundabout along Cottington road, and at Cliffsend roundabout heading eastwards.
