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The Goodwin Sands lie six miles off Deal rounding the North Foreland in the English Channel, the series of sand banks eleven miles long and six miles across have for centuries been a grave yard of ships. A mixture of strong winds and powerful tidal currents keep the sand banks shifting and the channels through them, the exact number of ships that have perished on the sands is unknown but it is probably nearing two thousand. During the notorious bad weather conditions in the English Channel and strong currents rounding the North Foreland ships are driven and pulled towards this shipping hazard where they run aground and are slowly broke up and swallowed by the swirling sands.

How different they can be in the summer months at low tide when there is an annual cricket mach played upon them, cycles ridden and vehicle driven.

Legend has it that the sand are the drowned estate of the Earl of Godwin (Earl of Wessex) who was Britain's most powerful man during the reign of Edward The Confessor (1003 - 1066). Godwin was considered the father of Britain and a very loyal supporter of the town of Dover. Godwin organised seafarers on the south coast into a defensive force and obtained a charter from the king giving them special privileges. He then became their first Warden and resided in his much loved Dover with his family. In 1051 the residents of Dover rioted against supporters of Eustace of Boulogne who demanded accommodation in the town "droite de gite" (right of lodging) a number of Dover residents were killed in the riots. King Edward The Confessor ordered Godwin to punish the town of Dover and it's residents for their rioting Godwin refused. The King enraged by Godwins refusal sought revenge and Godwin had to flee into exile in Flanders. The people of Dover begged him to return which he did but he was now an old man, he landed on the coast at Sussex and triumphantly returned to Dover where they held celebrations on his return. Godwin made his peace with the King but died shortly after at Winchester in 1052.