Herne Bay is a quiet seaside town near Margate in Kent. The clock tower visible in the panorama is the world's first purpose-built freestanding clock tower, built in 1837.

Herne Bay Harbour - Herne Bay visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Herne Bay Harbour' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Kent.

Herne Bay is a popular seaside resort town on the north coast of Kent in England between Margate and Whistible. The town grew up around shipping as a stop-over point for sailers travelling between London, Canterbury and Dover. Herne Bay was a popular destination during Victorian times, after a local consortium developed the pier and promenade along the shoreline.

Herne Bay is named after the nearby village of Herne, which is a derivative of 'hyrne', meaning 'corner'. This may refer to a sharp corner in the Roman Road between Canterbury and Reculver. In the 1100' the village was known as 'Hyrnan'. The oldest building in Herne Bay is The Ship, and 18C inn. The first pier was built in the 1830's. This was redeveloped and extended in 1896, giving Herne Bay had the second longest pier in England until much of it was destroyed by storms in 1978.

Herne Bay Harbour was formed by the building of the Neptune's Arm sea defence jetty which now provides anchorage for a small number of boats and yachts. From here seal watching trips depart regularly for the Thames Estuary. Herne Bay is undergoing regeneration and is still a popular destination today.

Train: Herne Bay railway station
Road:Herne Bay is about 9 miles north of Canterbury (A28 then A291) and 12 miles west of Margate (A28 then A299).