NEWS UPDATE: WHITSTABLE BENCH TO BE RESTORED AND THE BRASS PLAQUE TOO!

A VERY GOOD UPDATE, to the story about the Peter and Helen Cushing Bench at Cushing's View in Whitstable. Also news on the brass plaque and the reason why it went missing. I am SO happy to know, it's disappearance was NOT down to an act of vandalism and theft. These details were printed on the Canterbury Council News site today . . . This is good news, thank you Canterbury City Council!

WORK TO RESTORE Peter Cushing’s memorial bench in Whitstable is about to get underway. The city council has commissioned artist Will Glanfield to carry out the project. He originally made the seat, which is located at Cushing’s View on the seafront behind Keam’s Yard car park, in 1990 and will be restoring it using original Jarrah timber. A few weeks ago, a member of the public contacted the council to say the bench’s plaque had gone missing. The council had begun making arrangements for a replacement when Peter Cushing’s former personal assistant, Joyce Broughton, got in touch to say the original plaque had been handed into Whitstable Museum. The council believes the screws had rusted and the plaque had become loose, prompting a member of the public to remove it and hand it in. And when an officer met Joyce at the bench to collect it, the need for the restoration work to the bench itself became clear.

Peter Cushing on the day of the grand opening of Cushing's View on the sea front at Whitstable, Kent.

THE BENCH WILL BE REMOVED in the next week or so and repairs are expected to take around a month. The bench’s dedication plaque will also be reattached. Chairman of the council’s Community Committee, Cllr Neil Baker, said: “We know how important Peter Cushing’s bench is to the people of Whitstable. The last time it was removed for repairs, there were concerns it had been taken away forever, so we want to be clear this is only temporary and that it will be back in a little while, looking better than ever. “It’s particularly good that we’re using the original artist, Will Glanfield, for this project. He will treat the bench with the tender loving care it deserves and we know he’s going to do a great job.”

YOU'LL FIND TODAY'S POST AND AN ARCHIVE OF MOST OF OUR PCASUK WEBSITE POSTS AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! IF YOU ENJOY OUR POSTS AND WANT TO COMMENT OR DISCUSS THE WORK AND LIFE OF PETER CUSHING, COME AND JOIN OVER THIRTY THREE THOUSAND OTHERS, AND TAKE PART IN THE OLDEST PETER CUSHING FAN CLUB, NOW ON FACEBOOK BOOK! POSTS ARE UPDATED THERE EVERYDAY! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK HERE  AND THEN CLICK LIKE THERE! YOU'LL BE MOST WELCOME!

PLEASE PUT THE PLAQUE BACK! WHISTABLE CUSHING BENCH STILL WAITING ELEVEN MONTHS ON

ONE OF THE MANY GREAT things about managing the PCASUK facebook fan page and website during the summer months, is the steady stream of photographs and posts from the many of you who have taken a trip to Whitstable, in Kent. As I am sure many of you know, Whitstable was the home of Peter and his wife Helen, for many years. They LOVED the town and it's residents. Peter was extremely fond of the walk way from his sea side front door, along the front to what would one day become, 'Cushing's View'. It was a walk he would take most days, chatting and meeting the public along the way. In 1990, Peter dedicated and donated, a beautiful bench to the spot, where walkers and 'lovers' could sit and take a rest, while taking in the sea air and sights. The bench was installed, along with a brass plaque on it's back rest, 'Presented by Peter and Helen Cushing who love Whitstable and its people very much' . . .

SINCE 1990, the bench has been used, photographed and adored by the public, tourists and ..fans. It never was damaged, vandalised or abused...until September 2017, when someone removed and stole the brass plaque. I received many enquiring, worried emails and photographs, from visitors to this site. It was PCAS follower David Perry, who managed to find out that it had been stolen, and the good news that it was now in the safe hands of the Whitstable Museum and it's volunteers..to be reinstalled . . .soon. I am very thankful for a message and photograph from another PCAS follower, John Charles this week that sadly shows the plaque still isn't back in place. It's summer, Whitstable like the rest of the UK is enjoying a wonderful season. The town is very busy with tourists and visitors, many ...sitting on that bench! Many taking photographs of it. Personally, I have kept an eye on the development of the repair. I have emailed, telephoned and contacted the museum and local authority, since September last year. I know budgets are tight, tasks are never ending, but . . thank you

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NEWS CUSHING HOME RELOCATING TO ROMANIA!

NEWS: Peter Cushing's former home in Whitstable, Kent is to be moved 'brick-by brick' to a Dracula theme park in Transylvania, Romania later this year. The beautiful beach front home in Sea-Salter, Whitstable was home to the actor Peter Cushing and his wife, Helen from the late 1950's. The house attracts many visitors through-out the year, who want to take a snap of the 'blue-plaque' home that was once residence to the actor who is famous for having played the Dracula's nemesis and vampire hunter, Van Helsing in FIVE Hammer horror films.

Spokesperson for the Romanian Tourist Board, Ivan Youon said in a press release today, 'We are very excited and honored to soon have what was Peter Cushing's home in our theme park. We know it draws hundreds of tourists who want to see it every year in Whitstable. We have been in secret talks with the town council for many, many months, and now I can't believe, it is really about to happen. This summer we will under-take a huge exercise in moving the house to the site at our Dracula Theme Park, here in Transylvania, brick by brick. It is a very long, expensive and complicated process, but we were very successful in moving a summer house and garden shed from the one of Bram Stoker's homes a few years ago. Bram Stoker was the author of the novel Dracula and our museum at the park holds many rare items from Stoker's life, his writing desk, his bed and his beard grooming comb. The museum also holds many items and props that were used in the Hammer Dracula films: Dracula's cloak, used in the 1958 classic 'The Horror of Dracula', Christopher Lee's tooth brush,and a rare cinema poster from the film, thought to be worth £30,000. 'Cushing's home will be the perfect addition to the other Dracula themed attractions we have at the park' said Ivan.'I think it will be very popular'  

Work is expected to start on the site next month. Whitstable Town Council were unavailable for comment when this went item to post. - Marcus

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