About the Royal Marines Heritage Trails

In March 2016,local man and history enthusiast, Bill Butler began to wonder what certain buildings were once used for on the site of ‘The Depot’ – the former home of the Royal Marines that dominates North Walmer. 

Bill set himself a challenge to produce a simple 6-page trail guide called the Globe and Laurel Trail to learn about and maintain important background history to these iconic buildings despite their modern use.

He shared his thoughts with various people at the Dover Museum who agreed it was a very interesting idea and agreed to help in any way they could. Interest grew, especially from Walmer Parish Council, Deal Town Council and the then-Editor of East Kent Mercury and the project gathered pace.

Momentum and enthusiasm grew in May 2016 when the Mayor of Deal offered his support and on the 9th July 2016 the Globe and Laurel Trail was officially supported by Deal Town Council. Over the next few months support and interest grew for what had now become known as The Royal Marines Heritage Trails – often simply abbreviated to RMHT.

The Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Robert Magowan CBE RM, offered his full support and accepted an invitation to become the Patron.

On 12 December 2016 RMHT became a registered charity opening the door to funding from a wide range of sources and allowing us to broaden our vision and goals.

Throughout 2017 we worked tirelessly to complete our research on the Royal Marines and their history with Deal and Walmer and on 23rd April 2018, as part of events to commemorate the centenary of the Zeebrugge Raid, we officially launched our trail guide and website.

Thank you's

We’d like to express our deep gratitude to all those that have funded us directly, as well as those that helped secure the funding.

  • The Heritage Lottery Fund
  • The MOD Covenant Fund
  • Port of Dover Community Fund
  • Kent County Council
  • Dover District Council
  • Walmer Parish Council
  • Deal Town Council
  • The Drapers Company
  • English Heritage – Deal Castle
  • Walmer Parish Council
  • Deal Sergeants' Mess Pantomimes
  • Royal Marines Association - Deal Branch
  • The White Cliffs Walking Festival
  • The East Kent Mercury

 

We would also like to thank the following people:

The RMHT Research Team Adrian Wilkinson MBE, Bill Butler, John Puddle, Jon Iveson, Judith Doré, Linda Mewes, Lyndon Smith, Matt Stanley-Webb, Nick Weekes, Tony Hogben and Susan Butler.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy, The Royal Marines Museum, The Royal Marines Historical Society, The Globe and Laurel Magazine, The Blue Band Magazine, Dover Museum, Deal Maritime & Local History Museum, The Deal Society, The Dover Society, Dover Town Council. The Royal Marines Corps Secretariat, Royal Marines Band Service, mtstudios (Design and Website), Prosper Devas (Illustrated Map), Buckland Creative (Printing), Leander Architectural (Heritage Trail Markers), Mick Godden Construction (Trail Marker Installation), John Bailey (photographer), Iain Forbes (HMS Ardent Photo).

Get your copy of the Trail Guide

Our trail guide is a free booklet that can be found in many establishments throughout Deal and Walmer. Alternatively, you can use our interactive trail guide or download a copy of the booklet.

Visit Interactive Guide Download Guide (PDF)