Historic stone recovered by chance comes back home

A rambler spotted the stone in a salvage yard

A foundation stone from a historic seaside pier has been returned to its original seafront, after being spotted in a salvage yard.

The stone was laid in Folkestone, Kent, on 7 May 1887, ahead of the pleasure pier's official opening on 21 July 1888.

After being damaged by fire in 1945, the last section was demolished in 1955.

The inscribed stone, made of white Cornish granite, was rediscovered by chance and has been reinstated thanks to Go Folkestone, a group that promotes the town.

The stone was originally sited at the beach end of the pier, between the entrance kiosks

Tony Hill from Go Folkestone said: “Having received an inquiry from a local rambler about a large stone that he had walked past on many occasions, I went to investigate.

“What I discovered was a piece of Folkestone's rich heritage and there began my quest, through the good works of Go Folkestone, to return the stone to its rightful place.”

Folkestone's pleasure pier stood from from 1887 until just after World War Two

The stone had been moved to the salvage yard in Stelling Minnis in 2003 after a fire at the site where it had been stored since the pier's demolition.

The inscription has been recut and the stone can be seen in the Lower Leas Coastal Park, close to the site of the Victorian pier.