STORY
KENT’ S CHRISTMAS INDIES:
MEET THE MAKERS & SHAKERS
NOWHERE DOES CHRISTMAS LIKE KENT. AS THE COLD, CRISP SEASON TO BE JOLLY APPROACHES, AS IF BY MAGIC, THE COUNTY’ S TOWNS AND CITIES SHINE BRIGHTLY WITH MORE SEASONAL SPARKLE THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A SNOW GLOBE AT. OURS IS A COUNTY PACKED WITH ARTISAN MAKERS AND ARTSY ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE AT THEIR CREATIVE BEST TURNING OLD SHOPS, STUDIOS, GALLERIES, FISHERMAN’ S HUTS AND FORGOTTEN CORNERS INTO INDEPENDENT SPACES BRIMMING WITH FESTIVE CHEER.
BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
Folkestone Harbour: A High Street by the Sea
Folkestone has made an art form of repurposing its seaside architecture, so it feels fitting that the harbour’ s fisherman-style huts should spend winter moonlighting as tiny independent shops. Its buzzing Festive Marketplace returns for a sixth year from 13 November until Christmas Eve, bringing more than 40 independent businesses to the waterfront alongside films, music and other seasonal showcases.
The draw is the enticing lack of sameness- rather than stacking identikit retail units, the harbour handpicks makers, bakers, artists and small businesses, with its huts acting as blank canvases. At Christmas, the result is a miniature high street beside the sea, where artwork, ceramics, homeware and food sit behind doors small enough to make browsing feel like nosing around somebody’ s particularly stylish shed.
Tunbridge Wells: Tradition Gets an Indie Update
The Royal prefix gives Tunbridge Wells away- this is a town long associated with Georgian elegance, smart boutiques and an upmarket well-to-do vibe, but its creative personality has become considerably harder to pigeonhole. Today, Camden Road’ s eclectic independents, record shops and cafés sit alongside a thriving live-music culture, while artists and makers increasingly occupy some of its most historic spaces.
Christmas brings those two personalities together with a suitable sprinkle of seasonal charm. From 13 November to Christmas Eve, The Pantiles’ Georgian colonnade hosts a tightly curated Boutique Christmas Market with just 14 chalets, each chosen for distinctive independent products rather than sheer scale. Then, on 19 December, Folk & Bespoke fills nearby King Charles the Martyr with more than 25 artists, artisans and craftspeople, proffering everything from original artwork, ceramics and contemporary silver jewellery to handcrafted candles, woodwork, bags, soaps and textiles. www. insidekent. co. uk • 213