Compass stone to mark town's naval history

A new compass installation will sit in Sandwich Quay to mark the town's status as one of the Cinque Ports

A compass stone designed by a local sculptor has been installed in a Kent town to mark its history as one of the five Cinque Ports.

The Compass Rose in Sandwich aims to help visitors understand the role the town played in defending England's coastline from invaders.

The installation, created by sculptor Carrie Horwood, features arrows and distances to the other four ports - Dover, Hythe, New Romney and Hastings.

The compass, funded by £10,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will feature an information board, maintained by Sandwich Town Council.

Installed next to The Quay near the Bell Hotel, the compass was the idea of Jon Van der Dol, owner of the nearby Sandwich Card Gallery in King Street.

He said: "I wanted to educate the public about what the Cinque Ports are, when they were established and what it means."

Left to right: Jane Miles, from Dover District Council, sculptor Carrie Horwood and Jon van der Dol, who came up with the idea for the installation

The Cinque Ports were established before the Norman Conquest in 1066 when they were offered self-government and financial privileges in return for the loan of ships and men to the Crown each year.

Previous Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports, who had use of Walmer Castle in Deal as a residence, included The Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Ms Horwood, who previously worked on a grotesque for the Maison Dieu in Dover, said that it was pleasure to be able to use local builders and experts to complete the project.

She said the project took four days to install.