Notable People From Folkestone
There are a large number of people with connections to the town who have made themselves important in one sphere or another. Men such as William Harvey and his father Thomas Harvey Mayor in 1600 a.d. here, discoverer of the circulation of the blood; and Samuel Plimsoll who invented the line named after him for ship safety. There have been many actors and actresses, some starting their careers at Arthur Brough's Folkestone Repertory Company including Robert Arnold; comedians including Michael Bentine; and a large number of artists in various fields. Wilkie Collins, Radclyffe Hall and A.E. Coppard were all writers; and there have also been musicians: Noel Redding among them. Les 'Fruitbat' Carter, one half of indie rock band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine currently lives in Folkestone. Sam Pepper was in the UK reality TV show Big Brother, he was educated at Pent Valley Technology College. Sport is well represented: numbers of cricketers and football players have Folkestone connections. King Edward VII and his mistress Alice Keppel (great-grandmother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall) regularly enjoyed the luxury (and discretion) of the Grand Hotel on The Leas. Eamon Everall, Artist/Educator and founder member of the Stuckism, art movement attended the Harvey Grammar school and Folkestone School of Art and still maintains a base here. He is currently working on a series of twenty portraits of artists associated with Stuckism including one of Billy Childish, he plans to exhibit them in the town at the end of the current year. June Brown (wife of Robert Arnold) still has two homes in the town. Professional wrestler Big B Mac was born and educated in Folkestone before moving to the USA to embark on his wrestling career. Ross Godfrey and Paul Godfrey, brothers from Folkestone, are main members of the UK music group, Morcheeba. Jimmy Hill, presenter of Match of the Day, was stationed at Folkestone Garrison during World War II, during which time he entertained troops. The novelist Jocelyn Brooke, who died in 1966,writes evocatively about Folkestone and Sandgate in his memoirs. Rosemary Stewart the Canadian insurance heiress resided here for an extended period, known for dedication to coastal swimming from the harbour. During her time she continued to increase her fortune by becoming a significant player in the rag trade.
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