The Lord Warden visits Folkestone Museum Photo: Folkestone Town Council
Following the installation of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral Sir George Zambellas GCB DSC ADC DL, on 29 October at the Duke of York’s School in Dover, the Lord Warden expressed his wish to visit all 14 Cinque Port Towns.
The Lord Warden is a Royal appointment and was originally made by the Sovereign. Predecessors have included the Admiral of the Fleet Lord Boyce who held the office between 2004 and 2022, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Folkestone Town Council was pleased to welcome the Lord Warden, Lady Zambellas and Flag Lieutenant, Lt Alex Firth RN on 31 October. The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Lucy McGirr, fellow Councillors, Town Clerk and Officers were delighted to welcome the party to the Town Hall.
On arrival, after the introductions were made, the Museum Curator, Coralie Clover, gave a tour of Folkestone Museum, imparting some of her knowledge of the objects to guests and telling the history of the Town, starting with a dinosaur footprint to the current day. Following this, the party made their way over to the St Mary and St Eanswythe Church.
Lord Warden visiting the Church Photo: Folkestone Town Council
The new Reverend, Father Chris Johnson, hosted the group and welcomed everyone to the Church. Local historian, Ian Gordon, was on hand to give an interesting talk on the history of the Church, including the discovery of the bones of the Patron Saint, St Eanswythe. The guests were extremely honoured to be able to see the new Reliquary, holding the bones of St Eanswythe which will be intoned on 17 November 2024.
Finally, refreshments were served in the Church with the Lord Warden thanking everyone for making them feel so welcome and showcasing some of Folkestone’s history. The Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr Lucy McGirr said,
“I was honoured to be able to welcome the Lord Warden, Lady Zambellas and Lt Alex Firth RN to Folkestone and show them some of Folkestone’s history. It was a shame we could not get to show them the rest of Folkestone’s attractions, but I did recommend to the Lord Warden that he should come back to Folkestone in the summer to experience our lovely town on a summer’s day. I also want to thank Coralie for her tour of the Museum and Father Christopher Johnson for hosting us at the St Mary & St Eanswythe Church.”