Leysdown on Sea Village Sign
Date: Friday 2 October, 2009
A stunning village sign commemorating Leysdown as the Birthplace of British Aviation has been installed at the boundary to the Parish.
The Leysdown-on-Sea Village Sign was commissioned by Leysdown Parish Council to commemorate 100 years since the Birth of British Aviation and to depict the natural, coastal landscapes of the Parish.
The sign stands on Leysdown Road (B2231) at the entrance to the Parish, which is made up of Bay View, Harty, Shell Beach and Leysdown Village.The silhouette design, created by Kent-based metal artworker Rod Fender of BlackForge Art, was cut from one piece of stainless steel, recommended for its endurance to our sea air.
The sign shows JTC Moore-Brabazon in his aircraft, The Bird of Passage, as he took the first flight in the UK in May 1909, travelling 500 yards at a height of 40-50 feet in the fields adjacent to the historic 16th Century Muswell Manor at Shell Beach. The Short Brothers set up the first aircraft factory in the world here, and on 30 October 1909, JTC Moore-Brabazon then became the first Briton to fly a circular mile in the Short Brothers' British-built Wright Flyer, again at Shell Beach. Famous early aviators gathered here, including Charles Rolls, the Wright Brothers and Frank McClean, to commission and fly aircraft built by the Short Brothers, whose success led to a move to bigger premises in neighbouring Eastchurch in 1910.
Beneath the Bird of Passage, a birdwatcher views some of the wildfowl and waders attracted to the special protection area of salt marshes, grazing marshes and creeks of the Swale National Nature Reserve which extends from Shell Beach to Harty. He looks out towards a typical Thames Barge on the Swale as it sails passed, while a marsh harrier and geese fly overhead. Oyster-catchers are watched by a short-eared owl, perched on part of the original winding mechanism for the Harty passenger ferry, dated 1657, the remains of which still stand near the Harty Ferry Inn. Shell Beach, famous for the droves of shells that wash up there, is also represented by shells at the bottom of the sign.
The wording is painted in gold, and a plaque mounted on the oak post beneath the sign reads "The Birthplace of British Aviation 1909-2009".
Parish Councillors hope you and many generations to come will enjoy the new Village Sign, and that it will inspire and remind you of the heritage of the Parish and the natural beauty of its coastal landscapes.