Whitstable is a seaside town with a working harbour on the north coast of Kent in south-east England, only 5 miles (8 km) north of Canterbury. It had a population of about 32,000 in 2011, roughly double that of the 1960s.
Famous for its ‘Native Oysters’, these were collected from beds beyond the low water mark from Roman times until the mid-20th century. The celebrated annual Whitstable Oyster Festival didn’t take place in 2020.
Modern day Whitstable is known for an eclectic mix of independent shops, restaurants, pubs and artists. With most of these closed during lockdown, most found solace from access to the sea and shingle beach/ This did at times create tension with among residents when day trippers (and possibly locals), littered the beach with empty packaging, food and bottles after spells of warm weather.
