Kent's Strangest Tales

by Martin Latham

Kent’s Strangest Tales is a book devoted to the weird and wonderful side of the Garden of England. Home to historically rich towns such as Canterbury, Margate, and Ramsgate, Kent is a county with more strangeness than you can shake a strange-shaped stick at. From Chaucer's legendary tales of debauchery and naughtiness to Mick and Keef’s very first meeting on a rocking ’n’ rolling Dartford train, Kent has it all—coast, ghosts, castles, treasures, pirates, Britain’s oldest highway, and, lest we forget, the old lady who tricked the Luftwaffe. All the stories in this book are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious, and, most importantly, true. Perfect for Kent-dwellers and tourists alike, Kent’s Strangest Tales is a treasure trove of the hilarious, the odd, and the baffling—an alternative travel guide to some of the county’s best-kept secrets that date back many thousands of years. Read on, if you dare!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, British Literature

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[Helen Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I picked this book up to read as I’ve now learnt of a few more places to explore and some more deeply.
The individual tales are in bite size portions but packed with a lot of information. Easy to revisit on a separate occasion if wanting to then explore more fully.
Whoever knew the only green postbox in the country is in Kent?!

[Mairi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone bought me this as a gift as I used to do a lot of work in Kent. It definitely surpassed my expectations - due to Kent’s position as the most important port in the UK, Kent history is very often also British history. Stories were short enough that they held my interest as well as being quite quirky and interesting.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, being a Kent chap I found all the stories of interest and has left me with a list of things to look up as well as places to go and explore to see for myself.
Although the haunted cafe in the previous Waterstones location might be a step too far!
Great book and I suspect the author himself sold it to me lol

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read about Kent. Bing new to the area, I wanted to familiarise myself with the local history and lore.

Strangely, pages 113-116 appear twice in a row in the middle of my copy. This proved confusing.

Recommended to anyone interested in local trivia and history.

[Kirstie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the foibles of Kent's famous and infamous peoples and places.