Elvington and Eythorne Heritage Group

We are a heritage group that collects information and archives for the village of Eythorne, near Dover, along with Waldershare, and the mining community of Elvington and the heritage of Tilmanstone Colliery. Our heritage centre is located in the Elvington Community Centre and was opened in March 2013, which helped to commemorate the centenary of the first coal raised at Tilmanstone Colliery on 12th March 1913.

We have an increasing number of archives that include several hundred local images and photographs, which we have copies of in original and digital formats. To add to our archives we have been starting to collate oral history interviews with some of the local residents, who have lived in the area for many years.

There have been changes to the area with the main different being the closure and disappearance of Tilmanstone Colliery, which was one of the main four collieries that was part of the Kent Coalfield.

In 2014, we produced our first local heritage book to show how the local area of Eythorne, Elvington and Waldershare have changed over the years. The book titled ‘A Pictorial History of Eythorne and Elvington (with Waldershare and Tilmanstone Colliery)’ has been well received by many of the local residents and also those people, who may have been born and lived in the area, but have since moved away. The book has allowed people to reminisce and helped residents recall and chat about their memories of how they remember the area when they were growing up. 

For 2015, we produced our first Calendar that displays vintage images of local views of the area in Eythorne, Elvington, Waldershare and Tilmanstone Colliery. 

Our heritage centre is open on a Tuesday from 10am until 2pm, situated at Elvington Community Centre, St. Johns Road, Elvington, CT15 4DZ. Our archives can be viewed on other days of the week y prior arrangement.