Cannonball - Sandgate Road, Folkestone, UK
N 51° 04.742 E 001° 10.762
31U E 372468 N 5660190
This cannonball was presented by the people of Boulogne (France) to Folkestone (UK) in 1976. The cannonball is located in a pedestrianised precinct in Folkestone town centre.
Waymark Code: WMKKBF
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/26/2014
Views: 1
The inscribed plaque adjacent to the cannonball tells us, in English and French:
This cannonball, fired by the English during
the Siege of Boulogne in 1544, has been returned
to us by the people of Boulogne as a gesture of
friendship now existing beyween us
1976
So, it was made in the UK, taken to France and fired there where it remained for 400 years before being given back as a gift! The cannonball is made of Kent ragstone rather than iron. Ragstone was often used to make cannonballs until the reign of King Henry VIII.