It was the revolutionary decade that brought us The Beatles, the moon landings, the Dartford Tunnel and flavoured crisps.
Thanks to a chance meeting at a Kent railway station, the 1960s also gave us the Rolling Stones.
A punter sips a pint of Guinness while having his hair cut by barber Ted Tole at The Chapter Arms in Chartham Hatch in 1964. Landlord Norman Askey is behind the barThe winter of early 1963 was so severe that coal barges were frozen on the Medway at RochesterMiss World, 21-year-old Ann Sidney, came to Canterbury in October 1965 to compere a wool fashion parade at Ricemans where two years before she had her first modelling assignmentLife guards at Yalding in June 1967Inside one of the many public houses in Snodland in 1968David Atkinson, Andrew Nicholson, Trevor Gransden and Paul Edwards raised money for 1st Strood Boy's Brigade in 1969 by collecting waste paper. The cash went to a fund for a campsite and training centre
There was rebellion in the air, with protests breaking out across the county, railing against everything from local traffic issues to the Vietnam War.
As these classic pictures from the 1960s show, it was a decade which saw Kent transformed.
1960
The decade began with Conservative Harold Macmillan in Downing Street, the first ever televised grand national - and Apache by the Shadows on the radio.
Meanwhile, May 1960 saw the first ever royal wedding to be shown on TV as Princess Margaret wed photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
Later that month, thousands of people packed Gravesend promenade to wave to the newly-weds as they passed by aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.
In another first, the opening of the Kingsferry Bridge in April meant buses were finally able to travel to and from Sheppey.
And in Canterbury, people were jiving the night at way at the Prince of Wales Youth Club.
The 'most popular amusement' at the Prince of Wales Youth Club in Canterbury in May 1960 was jivingCrowds packed the promenade at Gravesend, which was decorated from end to end with bunting in May 1960. They watched the Royal Yacht Britannia pass, carrying the newly-weds Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones off to their honeymoon in the CaribbeanQueues at Canterbury Post Office were not uncommon - in part, at least, because people had to wait at different counters for different services. But this picture from July 1960 was taken after the system changed and specific counters became a thing of the pastGo-kart racing came to Maidstone for the first time in April 1960, but proved a short-lived attractionResidents protest about flies and smells at the rubbish dump at Tennyson Avenue, Canterbury, in September 1960. Their placards were aimed at councillors making an official inspection of the tip. Note the prefabs in the backgroundThe new Kingsferry Bridge opened in April 1960, enabling buses to travel to and from the Isle of Sheppey for the first timePrincess Marina, Duchess of Kent, did the honours. The Kingsferry Bridge was completed in 27 months at a cost of £1.3 million. The Duchess told the waiting crowds: ''With the new railway and approach road it will make Sheppey far more attractive to both visitors and industrialists but because it is still an island it will lose none of its character."The end-of-term service at St Augustine's College, Canterbury, in June 1960, was held in the Abbey ruins. Priest-students from all parts of the world took part. Note the former Kent and Canterbury Hospital building in Longport looming up behind. St Augustine's was then the central training college for the Anglican communionIn gleaming bottle-green paint and new brass work shining, Loco 737 was a reminder of the colourful days before nationisation made all railway trains look alike. This picture from June 1960 is taken from the 'Images of Ashford' book by Mike BennettA typical scene in May 1960 as yardmen leave the main gate at the end of their day's work at Chatham DocksMembers of the East Kent Federation of Women's Institutes enjoy an afternoon of country dancing in the Deanery Gardens, Canterbury, in May 1960In 1960 the opening of Maidstone by-pass, now the M20, was to have significant effects on the area. This was these scene at the Maidstone-Chatham Road, near the Running Horse, as road improvements were carried out in readiness for the motorwayThese boys demonstrated their knot-tying skills when the Duke of Edinburgh visited the training ship, Arethusa, at Upnor, near Rochester, in November 1960Feeding the swans at the Royal Military Canal in Hythe in 1960. Picture: Douglas WeaverView of the esplanade as seen from Rochester bridge in February 1960
1960 also saw The Beatles play their first concert under this name, the first episode of Coronation Street, the UK's first nuclear submarine launched - and the first use of black bin bags for waste collection.
Meanwhile, everyone was reading Lady Chatterley's Lover, which sold 200,000 copies in one day after a ban on the publication of DH Lawrence's novel was lifted.
And on December 31 the last man was called up for National Service, as conscription ended.
The times really were a-changin', although Bob Dylan wouldn't say so until 1964.
1961
In October 1961, a chance meeting at Dartford railway station would change the history of music forever.
Former school mates Mick Jagger and Keith Richards bumped into each other on the way to their respective colleges and discovered their mutual love of rock and roll.
Customers at Grafton's fashion shop in St George's Street, Canterbury, in March 1961 had a chance to plan their wardrobe when models paraded the year's collectionThe US Airforce at West Malling Airfield in May 1961. Six years later the site was used for filming scenes in The Beatles' film Magical Mystery TourThe New School in Brompton Farm Road, Strood, pictured in January 1961Firemen from Canterbury and Sturry tackle a blaze which destroyed the staff canteen at the Tannery in December 1961. It was discovered by Town Sergeant Harry Surridge, of Rosemary Lane, who was on his way to feed his two goats in St Mildred's churchyard. He tackled the fire with the Tannery's own equipment until the firemen arrivedFoster Clark's printing works in Maidstone suffered badly from a fire in August 1961Huge crowds turned out to welcome the Queen and Prince Philip to Rochester for the Maundy service in the cathedral in March 1961. The couple walked from the Guildhall along the high street to the cathedral for the distribution of the Maundy money. The Queen is seen here with the Mayor of Rochester, Cllr I J PhillipsDepending on your point of view, the 'shoe box' building which dominated the post-war redevelopment of the Longmarket, Canterbury, in August 1961was either an eyesore which blocked out the Cathedral or a building which provided tantalising glimpses of it. The adjoining cafe used the open-air terrace next to it for its customersChatham Town FC's line-up for an Aetolian League game in September 1961. Player-manager Don Rossiter (seated second left) later became a prominent Rochester councillorTV personality Hughie Green opens an exhibition of furniture and household equipment at Jays Furnishing Stores, St George's Street, Canterbury, in September 1961. Police controlled a 'huge crowd' which blocked the pavements on both sides of the street for half an hour before he arrivedThe sign indicates that demolition was underway to eradicate a traffic blackspot in Strood High Street in 1961The Royal Star Hotel, Maidstone, pictured in March 1961. It was converted into the shop-lined Royal Star Arcade in 1986The construction works at the new Medway Bridge in 1961Working on the shrimp boats at Gravesend in September 1961A sprayer at work in the hops at Lashenden Farm, Biddenden, in September 1961This view of Wincheap Green, Canterbury, from autumn 1961 looks along Pin Hill from where Wincheap roundabout is today. The Castle Hotel (left) was pulled down in 1963 and most of the buildings from left to centre were demolished to make way for the ring-road within a few years. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church was pulled down in 1973
In other significant events, new laws came into force permitting the operation of bingo halls, the UK applied to join the European Economic Community - and Tottenham Hotspur won the double.
1962
The winter of 1962 brought the arrival of a deep freeze in December which was to last several months.
There were no frost-free nights until March 1963.
Three people were treated in hospital for cuts and shock after this London-bound coach crashed into a telegraph pole in Wincheap, Canterbury. Snow swept over Kent on December 27, 1962, bringing chaos in its wake. By lunchtime there were up to six inches and 50 snowploughs were trying to keep the roads open. The big freeze was to last several monthsThe buses struggled on during the severe winter of 1962-3, but there was not much other business in Military Road, Chatham, on this dayJudy Garland and Dirk Bogarde were in the Cathedral Precincts in June 1962 to film a few scenes for The Lonely Stage (actually released as I Could Go On Singing), directed by Michael Neame. But the 87-year-old Dean, Dr Hewlett Johnson, took exception to a group of scruffy and untidy extras dressed to look like King's School pupils. School captain Michael Morpurgo had been concerned at the boy's long hair and suede winkle pickersRebuilt after bomb damage in the war, this 20-yard section of the city wall in Canterbury near Riding Gate collapsed in August 1962Children's Day was a major pre-Christmas tradition in Ashford High Street when families turned out in their thousands to greet the arrival of Father Christmas. Here staff from Crouch's Garage pose with their 1962 float entry. Picture: Images of Ashford by Mike BennettThe Tunbridge Wells Agricultural Show celebrated its centenary in July 1962 with a visit by the Queen Mother, who is seen admiring the champion dairy female after presenting the prizes. She had paid her first visit to the Tunbridge Wells show 30 years earlierSt Bart's nurses in Rochester in 1962. Founded in 1078 for the care of the poor and lepers, the hospital was later taken over by the NHS before closing permanently in 2016Maidstone's first multi-storey car park opened in Medway Street in 1962Transport minister Ernest Marples, second from the left, visited the site of the M2 motorway bridge at Rochester as it neared completion in 1962. He said it would pass ''one of the worst bottlenecks on the A2"Nurses looking after a patient in ''Miriam'' Women's surgical ward at All Saints Hospital, Chatham, in January 1962Castle Inn licensees, William & Ethel Lack, not looking very happy in December 1962, faced with the imminent demolition of their pub to make way for the new Canterbury ring-road
It was also the year of the first James Bond film, Britain's first casino (in Brighton) - and flavoured crisps hit the shelves thanks to Golden Wonder (cheese and onion).
1963
Today, the thought of having to drive through the Dartford Tunnel is enough to fill many motorists with dread.
But in November 1963, the opening of the route under the Thames was cause for celebration.
In more major changes to the Kent road network, the initial section of the M2 - junctions 2 to 5 - opened. Junctions 1 to 2 and 5 to 7 opened two years later.
This was also the year that Princess Anne started at Benenden School in Cranbrook. And in Canterbury, there was a huge fire at Ricemans department store.
The long-awaited Dartford Tunnel finally opened in November 1963, as reported here by the Kent MessengerThe 13-year-old Princess Anne was one of 65 new girls at Benenden School in September 1963. She arrived with The Queen and was introduced to the head mistress, Elizabeth Clarke. The Princess was ''mothered'' by Elizabeth Somershield, who was the same age but in her second term. She was in Magnolia dormitory with three other girlsRenovation work at Ricemans department store in Canterbury in June 1963 after the spectacular fire of March that year, when the top floor was badly damagedDJ David Jacobs reopens the top floor at Ricemans in September 1963Much missed hostelry The Duke of Marlborough pictured at the top of East Hill, Ashford, in June 1963Shepherd Neame continued to use horses for deliveries for many years as well as using motor transport. The horse era ended at the brewery in 1968. Charlie, the last of the dray horses, appears in this picture taken in 1963 outside the Caslte Inn in West Street, FavershamCrowds outside the Leopard's Head pub in Canterbury in 1963 waiting for the carnival procession. Picture: dover-kent.comInside the old corn exchange in Ashford, traders discuss seek deals in this 1963 picture. The building was demolished and replaced by an office block for the Commercial Union Assurance and shops on the corner of Bank Street and Elwick Road. Picture: Images of Ashford by Mike BennettChildren build an igloo at Bossingham in January 1963
In national news, the UK had a new Prime Minister as Alec Douglas-Home replaced fellow Conservative Harold Macmillan in October.
It was also the year of the Prufomo Affair, the Great Train Robbery - and The Beatles' first number one.
1964
Some of the biggest stars in the history of music were in Kent in 1964, during the early days of their career.
The Rolling Stones performed at the Odeon in Folkestone, while Paul McCartney was smuggled into the Marlowe in Canterbury to see his girlfriend perform on stage.
Meanwhile in February, the British and French governments agreed a deal for the construction of a Channel Tunnel, which was expected to take five years to build. After many false starts, the actual tunnel was not complete until 1990, and opened in 1994.
The Rolling Stones performing at the Odeon Cinema in Folkestone in 1964. The Sandgate Road venue is now home to Boots. Photo: Alan Taylor Lost FolkestoneActress Jane Asher, 17, (then girlfriend of Paul McCartney) poses by the Kitty Marlowe memorial (then in Dane John) in February 1964. She was in Canterbury to star in The Jew of Malta, the play by Christoper Marlowe being produced at the old Marlowe Theatre to mark the 400th anniversary of his birth. During the play's run, and with Beatlemania at it's height, McCartney was smuggled into the theatre by Kentish Gazette staff one night so that he could watch her performance unrecognisedA plaque was unveiled at St George's Clock Tower in Canterbury in February 1964 to commemorate the christening there of Christopher Marlowe on February 26, 1564. There was also a procession along the city wall to the newly-restored Marlowe memorial in Dane John, where wreaths were laidThe new 13-storey County Library at Springfield, Maidstone, pictured in July 1964Canterbury's new general market, the first since the war, opened at the cattle market. Thousands of people turned up to browse through the 350 stallsWomen living in Edward Road, Canterbury, used dustbins to stop students from the Technical College parking outside their homes in October 1964. Since the college had opened the previous month, the residents of Edward Road and Albert Road had signed a petition asking for parking restrictions to be imposedA coffin and a wrecked car were included in a protest procession through the streets of Bridge, near Canterbury, on Easter Sunday 1964 as part of the villagers' bypass campaign. Eight people had died and 50 had been injured in the village in the previous five years. Bridge Bypass opened in June 1976Jack Guy the Pork Butcher, pictured in 1964, operated from premises in Castle Street, Ashford, next to the Castle Hotel. The building is now occupied by independent jeweller ToppsThe Upper High Street junction with Bank Street in Ashford pictured in 1964 when traffic was still two-way and the street hadn’t been pedestrianisedSteptoe Snr (AKA Wilfred Brambell) escorts actress Julia Foster to the ABC Cinema in Canterbury for the provincial premiere of Becket in April 1964. Other guests included Ronald Fraser and Charles Hawtrey. The cinema site in St George's Place is now home to the Odeon, used as a vaccine centre during the Covid pandemicKim Novak was in Chilham in the summer of 1964 to film The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders. There was filming inside the castle, the square and castle grounds. It also starred George Sanders, Angela Lansbury and Leo McKern. The square was transformed into an 18th century market for this sceneTroy Town flats in Rochester, pictured in 1964. Picture: BAMA blaze broke out at Courts furniture showrooms and store in Burgate, Canterbury, in May 1964. The store was built only five years before to replace another severely damaged by fireFire at John Reed's shop in King Street, Maidstone, in January 1964A fashion show in Folkestone in 1964Rough seas in Folkestone in 1964The seafront in Folkstone on a scorching day in July 1964. Picture: Richard TaylorThe Valley Dairy at Lyminge endeavours to get the milk through the snow in 1964Anti-pigeon measures in Longmarket, Canterbury, went wrong in 1964. A substance smeared along the edges of roofs was intended to put the pigeons off - but birds became gummed up and fell to the ground. Three pigeons and 17 starlings had to be destroyed. Here, Longmarket Traders Association chairman Andrew Price helps cover the substance with newspaperThere was FA Cup defeat in November 1964 when Canterbury (in striped shirts) lost at home to Fourth Division Torquay United 6-0. A crowd of 3,000 was then the biggest at Kingsmead to watch Canterbury, who had been waiting 16 years to meet Football League opponents againThe Queen Mother paid a number of visits to Folkestone Races, including here in November 1964. She made a surprise visit to a National Hunt meeting at which her horse Arch Point, ridden by Bill Rees, won the opening race, the Marden Hurdle. 'I've had a wonderful afternoon,' the Queen Mother told the crowdOldborough Manor School in Maidstone pictured in 1964. In 2007, Oldborough Manor merged with Senacre Technology College to become the New Line Learning Academy, which opened on the same site but with new buildingsQueenborough School pupils photographed in 1964. Picture: Ray BallardDover Ferry Terminal pictured in January 1964. Picture: Ray WarnerLinton Hospital pictured in 1964. It was originally a Maidstone workhouse
In politics, Alec Douglas-Home's term as Prime Minister proved short-lived, as Harold Wilson brought Labour back into power in October.
There were violent clashes between Mods and Rockers in Clacton and Brighton.
And 90% of households in the UK now owned a TV, compared to 25% in 1953.
1965
It was the beginning of a new era in 1965 as the first undergraduates arrived at the University of Kent in Canterbury.
The city's Christ Church College - founded as a teaching college in 1962 - was also visited by the Queen.
Some of the first 460 undergraduates arrive to occupy Eliot College at the University of Kent in October 1965. Rutherford College opened a year later, followed by Keynes in 1968 and Darwin in 1970In April 1965 the Queen, in Canterbury for the Royal Maundy service, toured the new Christ Church College with the principal, Dr Frederic MasonThe Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attended the Royal Maundy service, held for the first time in the Cathedral, in April 1965A vain attempt is made to empty the River Stour with buckets at the King's Bridge during 'rag week' in May 1965, when students from Christ Church College, Wye and Nonington Colleges took part in stunts around CanterburyStudents from Christ Church College line up after a hectic 60-yard pancake race from Burgate to the Longmarket in 1965Prince Charles stood as godfather to Nicholas and Timothy, twin five-month-old sons of Lord and Lady Brabourne, at Mersham Church in April 1965The Queen Mother was guest of honour at a garden party at Withersdane Hall, Wye College, in July 1965 after the formalities of the commemoration ceremonies were out of the way. She mingled with the 1,000 guests and delighted many of them by stopping for a chatItalian-born Franco Bevan, helped by Marlowe actress Lynne Ashcroft, opened Canterbury's new nightclub, the Beehive in Dover Street, in May 1965. There were three rooms where members could dance, talk or drink coffee'Something never seen before in Canterbury,' reported the Kentish Gazette in February 1965. An 'Off-Beat Youth Service' in St Mary Bredin Church heard Top 10 tunes such as I'll Never Find Another You and Downtown accompany the hymns. The curate, the Rev John Barton, looks onYoungsters having fun in Loose Stream, Maidstone, in 1965The M2 bridge in 1965. Traffic is seldom so light todayThe Mayor of Rochester, Councillor Stuart Fry, hands over a television on behalf of the Keg Megs club at an old people's home in Balfour Road, Chatham, in 1965300 supporters of the Christian Group of CND, pilgrims for peace, completed their walk from Southwark to Canterbury in June 1965Looking down Gravel Walk, Canterbury, towards Rose Lane in Autumn 1965, before the building of the multi-storey car park and the Whitefriars complexArtists at work in the Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, in October, 1965. Picture: A SinclairThe Beatles were banned at Barham in October 1965. The four dolls were among 16 that stood outside the Doll's House on the Elham Valley Road. But Bridge-Blean Rural District Council said they should go because they did not have planning permission. Owner Mrs Vera Hayes said: "This is rather ridiculous."Over the years Rootes Ltd expanded a small section of its Canterbury workshops into a thriving little industry employing over 150 staff at Rhodaus Town, pictured in February 1965, in premises that were originally part of Canterbury Motor Company
On January 24, Sir Winston Churchill died aged 90 at Chartwell, near Westerham, his home of more than 40 years.
The year also saw the first Asda open in the UK, the first Pizza Express restaurant - and the introduction of the miniskirt.
1966
It's a year which will always be remembered for one thing - but what was happening in Kent in 1966?
In April, Hoverlloyd launched the first regular hovercraft service across the English Channel, from Ramsgate Harbour to Calais. The service was discontinued in 2000 due to competition with the Channel Tunnel.
In May, The Kinks performed at the University of Kent in Canterbury, while protests were held over the prosecution of a pirate radio station which had been broadcasting from the Red Sands Towers in the Thames Estuary.
New Year's celebrations as revellers welcome in 1966 at Sheerness Clock TowerThe Kinks were the main attraction of the 'rag ball' at the University of Kent in Canterbury in May 1966University students demonstrate in November 1966 outside Canterbury Sessions House, where Radio 390 (broadcasting from the wartime Red Sands Towers in the Thames Estuary) was the first pirate radio station to be prosecutedKent Fire Brigade headquarters in Maidstone in 1966Workers producing lengths of gullies and drainpipes at Marley Tile Co. Ltd. in Harrietsham in November 1966The flags of four famous regiments were lowered for the last time at Howe Barracks in Canterbury in December 1966. With them came down the flag of the Home Counties Brigade Depot. The ceremony marked the passing of four Home Counties regiments: The Queens Royal Surrey, Queen's Own Buffs (The Royal Kent Regiment), Royal Sussex and Middlesex. Seconds later a fanfare sounded and a new flag was raised, marking the birth of the Queen's RegimentConnaught Barracks in Dover pictured in April 1966Dungeness B power station during construction in 1966. It began operation in 1983. Its reactors have been non-operational since 2018 with decommissioning beginning in 2021Miss Arnold's class at Loose Primary School in 1966The once familiar store and premises of Lee’s Furnishers in 1966 at the foot of the High Street in Ashford and beside the County Hotel. The old building with its ornate shopfront made way for a new supermarket for the long-defunct Pricerite chain
As well as England winning the world cup - watched by a never-beaten TV audience of 32.3 million - there was also a General Election in which Harold Wilson's Labour won with a majority of 96 seats.
1967
The rebellious rumblings of the Sixties were in full swing by 1967, with protests erupting across the world over the Vietnam War.
Students in Canterbury held their own 100-hour demonstration against the conflict.
Meanwhile, Mods were posing on top of the Kent Messenger's offices and Maidstone's first ever club specifically for teenagers opened.
A group of Mods pose on the roof of the Kent Messenger office in Week Street, Maidstone, in 1967Opening night at The G-Ranch in Rose Yard, Maidstone, in 1967. It was the town's first club intended specifically for teenagers and was labelled Maidstone’s home of ska and reggaeCoats with stand-up collars, striped sleeves and tent dresses were some of the fashions modelled at Ricemans in Canterbury in March 1967Queues outside The Star Bingo and social club at No 1 Grace Hill, Folkestone, on opening night in 1967. Picture from Alan Taylor's book, Lost FolkestoneA picture of the Ashford Carnival procession in 1967Shifts of up to eight hours were arranged by students taking part in their continuous 100-hour vigil in the Buttermarket, Canterbury, in protest against American action in VietnamPrincess Margaret paid a visit to St Christopher's Nursery Training College at Tunbridge Wells as president of Dr Barnado's in May 1967. The Princess later flew from Tunbridge Wells to Canterbury to visit the new Dr Barnado's home, Woodlands, at St Thomas's Hill, overlooking the cityMaidstone bridge was already constantly jammed with traffic by 1960. One of the first major road schemes opened up Bishop's Way in 1964. The impact on the landscape is clearly shown in the picture taken in 1967Maidstone's last trolleybus, pictured in April 1967Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck leads a showbiz XI on to the field at Kingsmead in Canterbury in November 1967 for a charity match against past and present Canterbury City players. His team included ex-Spurs and Northern Ireland international Danny Blanchflower and Ray Davies of The Kinks. Canterbury won 7-5 (with Tarbuck scoring two)The Duchess of Kent opened the 'Y' Sports Centre in Loose, Maidstone, in November 1967The One & Only pub in Shepway, Maidstone, pictured in January 1967
In music, The Beatles released Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - rated as the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 - while Pink Floyd's debut also hit the shelves.
1968
It was a dramatic year in Maidstone as the town was hit by floods - and the Kent Messenger's offices caught fire on a deadline day in April.
Some editions had already been printed when the company’s bookbinder, Ray Martin, smelt smoke. Through a crack in the floorboards he glimpsed flames in the storeroom above him.
The alarm was sounded and the 200 staff working in the building - along with Scoop, the office cat - were evacuated, assembling in Brenchley Gardens and 50 firemen tackled the blaze.
Shortly afterwards, the Kent Messenger moved to new premises at Larkfield. The old site is now occupied by Brenchley House and Wetherspoons.
The clothes suggest it was a nice day - apart from the extent of these floods in Maidstone in 1968An abandoned car stuck in the flood waters in Tonbridge in 1968A fire broke out at the Kent Messenger's offices in Week Street, Maidstone, in 1968Crowds watched the blazeFirefighters were sent to the sceneTraffic in Canterbury High Street passes the old Baldwin and Son store in August 1968View from the Bell Harry tower of Canterbury Cathedral in February 1968Mother and daughter took a keen interest in Eridge Horse Trials in August 1968. The Queen presented the trophies - including a rosette to Princess Anne who took fifth place in the class for novice under-21sPrince Charles drove to Brands Hatch in his blue MGC GT car in July 1968, where he went to the Paddock and met some of the top Grand Prix stars including Graham HillA crowd of 7,000 people, then the biggest ever at Kingsmead stadium, turned out to see speedway come to Canterbury in May 1968Unrecognisable today, a view down Lower Bridge Street in Canterbury in May 1968 towards what is now St George's roundabout. The Saracen's Head pub (right) on the corner of Burgate, was demolished in 1969 to make way for the ring-roadCanterbury newsagent and tobacconist Eric Pettit moved from St George's Gate, where the family business had been for 118 years, to Burgate to make way for the second stage of the ring-road in 1968Gravesend's civic centre was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent in November 1968. Afterwards the Duchess chatted to some of the many schoolchildren waiting outsideHuge crowds at Navy Days in Chatham in 1968Chatham Technical School pictured in October 1968Protests became a way of life in the 1960s and 1970s, but this one against the Vietnam War - at the Broadway war memorial in Maidstone in 1968 - looks gentle enoughMorris dancers in Tenterden in 1968. Picture: Gordon HerdMajorettes at Mereworth Castle in 1968Rochester High Street in August 1968Construction of Rochester Bridge in 1968Bill Ware from Strood keeps an eye on the four powerful kilns at Snodland cement works in 1968Inside one of the old village shops in Snodland in 1968Leeds, near Maidstone, pictured in 1968The Royal School for Deaf Children in Margate pictured in March 1968River scene at Eynsford in 1968Folkestone Harbour pictured in October 1968The Albion in East Cliff, Dover, in February 1968. The pub is now known as the First & LastThe Christmas decorations in Dover's Market Square in December 1968Christmas lights in Sittingbourne in November 1968
It was the year Enoch Powell made his infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech - and was dismissed from the Shadow Cabinet the next day by Tory leader Ted Heath.
Meanwhile, the country was hit by the Hong Kong flu pandemic, which led to 80,000 deaths in the UK.
1969
The decade ended with a sign of tempestuous years ahead in the 70s, with strikes being held by dockers and teachers.
The big event of the year was the moon landings. But the 22 million who watched the coverage was eclipsed by the 30 million who tuned in to the Royal Family documentary - which the Queen later had banned.
Teachers vote to strike during a meeting of Gillingham branch of the National Union of Teachers at their centre in Gardiner Street in 1969There were plenty of cars by 1969, but many of their drivers were prevented from entering Chatham Dockyard on this occasion by a massed gathering of strikersBoughton villagers forced A2 traffic to make a 12-mile detour via the Thanet Way in August 1969 when they had a sit-down protest in the main street over road safety fears and a call for a bypass. Boughton Bypass opened in March 1976Peter Firmin (left) and Oliver Postgate at work on the children's TV Programme The Clangers in their Blean studio in November 1969This picture shows Pin Hill in March 1969 during work on the second stage of the Canterbury ring-road. Note the terrace (right) which was opposite Canterbury East station until it was demolished in the 1980sAs the second stage of the Canterbury ring-road progressed in October 1969, the massive roundabout at St George's Gate was brought into use for the first timeThe traditional Maidstone Cricket Week attracted excellent support. This scene from 1969 is a good example of spectators watching Kent in actionStudents on the dry ski slope shared a joke with the Duke of Edinburgh when he officially opened the Bowles Outdoor Pursuits Centre at Eridge, near Tunbridge Wells, in 1969Princess Anne named the second of British Rail's Seaspeed hovercraft after herself at Dover in October 1969. She unveiled a nameplate, signed a portrait of herself inside the terminal building and then took a 30-minute trip on the hovercraft to the Goodwin Sands and backThe top end of Chatham High Street in 1969High Street in West Malling in August 1969Medway Hospital and Accident Centre in Gillingham in November 1969Maidstone East Railway Station in April 1969Dover firemen pictured in August 1969A packed Broadstairs beach in July 1969Biddenden shops in 1969
Just five years after performing at Folkestone's Odeon, the Rolling Stones played in front of a crowd of at least 250,000 at a free festival in Hyde Park.
You can see more classic pictures of Kent in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
