Broadstairs Castle, formerly part of the estate of Lord Holland but now converted into private residences. Broadstairs has a very mild maritime climate. The town is situated from both Dover and Canterbury, and about from the M25, London's orbital motorway. The town is also served by Southeastern train services to/from London, via either North Kent and Medway or Canterbury and High Speed 1. It is unusual in that trains to London can run either way through the station. As a seaside resort, the economy is mainly based around tourism; there are hotels and guest houses on and near the seafront to
Broadstairs its mediæval period consisted of a confederation of 42 towns and villages in all. This included St Peter's, as a 'limb' of Dover. On the nearby coast was a cliff-top shrine, the Shrine of Our Lady, at what was then called "Bradstow(e)", meaning "broad place" (perhaps referring to the wide bay). A fishing settlement developed in the vicinity of the shrine in the 14th century. This came to be called "Broadstairs", after a flight of steps which was made in the cliff to give access to the shrine from the bay. Older forms of the name include "Brodsteyr Lynch" (1434