The Pilot Inn - Dungeness

History

Dungeness

Dungeness (meaning 'headland near Denge Marsh’) is steeped in the smuggling history of Romney Marsh. Many years before this though, Romney Marsh was largely flooded. It was the Saxons who drained the Marshes and used the land for farming and habitation.

Today Dungeness is reclaiming approximately 2m of shingle every year and although it has only a few hundred residents, is visited by some 500,000 visitors each year.

Smugglers Abound

Historically Dungeness point has been treacherous to navigate. Wreckers used to run ships aground to loot their cargo. In 1633 they did just that to the Spanish ship Alfresia, murdering the crew and stealing the cargo of spirits. The ships timbers were used to build the original Pilot Inn.