In our first Hawkinge & Capel-le-Ferne magazine of 2021, CommunityAd featured Hawkinge Hero Peter Brun who cycled an incredible 417 miles to raise money for Pilgrims Hospice last year. On his journey, Peter pedalled past and took photos of many glorious sites, none more so than Summerhouse Hill in Beachborough.
After posting an image of the wonderful hill on his Facebook page, several replies came in discussing the history behind Summerhouse Hill with local resident Melita Godden offering some insight which intrigued CommunityAd to the fullest.
Legend has it that the Summerhouse Hill name originates from a man who suffered with tuberculosis and so had a house built behind the hill so he could get lots of fresh air.
As the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital in Margate was a special TB hospital at the time, it’s a possibility that people came to the seaside for treatment of TB. Because of how fresh and clear the air is, people would often, in the summer, sleep outside Summerhouse Hill at night for the perfect snooze.
The land itself also has quite an incredible legacy where, in 1813, it was developed into a small landed estate known as Beachborough Park, first owned and passed through several generations of the Brockman family.
During WWII, the land was used, by the allies, as an American hospital before later becoming Stowe College. Former Prime Minister David Lloyd George also lived there in the early 20th century.
Beachborough Park, now owned by the Wallis family, has a well-developed wildlife and equestrian centre and a B&B.