For 100 years, Hastings has flown the flag as the birthplace of television - but what if that isn’t quite the full picture?

Here Ben Barton, a filmmaker from Folkestone, investigates this almost-forgotten part of his town’s history…

When Daniel Fosbery moved his lighting business into 26 Guildhall Street in Folkestone two years ago, one of the first things he did was rip up the cladding lining the walls left behind by the previous occupants.

And as they did, they uncovered an usual find- a small black plaque commemorating television pioneer John Logie Baird.

“We ripped off all the cladding from the walls and there it was,” Daniel tells me from his studio, where the plaque can now be seen near the shop’s entrance.

“We had no idea, but we don’t want to hide it.”

The plaque he’s referring to states: “John Logie Baird 1888- 1946. The pioneer of television conducted some of his early experiments on these premises during 1924.”

Baird, the Scottish inventor, is famous for living in nearby Hastings, where he first built and showcased a working television system, which transmitted outlines of images. Well, that’s what I was taught at school anyway.

Some of my Hastings friends are very proud of their hometown being the home of this invention.

But if that’s true, what does this curious Folkestone plaque mean?

Later, I head over to Hastings, where I am welcomed by a sign reading: Hastings, the birthplace of television.

This town, Baird’s home for a few years, was where the Scotsman first officially showcased his world-changing invention in 1924. But the true order of events is a little… muddled.

It seems that Baird preferred to tell a more concise version of how – and where – he invented the technology.

Born in 1888 in Dunbartonshire, Scotland, from a young age Baird was a pioneer bursting with ideas.

Prior to television, some of his quite fantastical inventions included air-cushioned inflatable shoes and an un-bluntable glass razor blade – an idea he abandoned after cutting himself one too many times.

Unable to serve in the First World War due to poor health, Baird became an electrical engineer and later set up his own business.

In 1922, his health still bad, he made the move to Hastings where the weather was kinder. There he rented a room, and began work in earnest on what was to become known as ‘television’.

So, how does Folkestone fit into all this?

According to Baird’s memoirs, published after his death, he simply moved from Scotland to Sussex and invented TV there.

He never mentions Kent at all – let alone Folkestone. But it seems that’s not quite true.

Luckily, Folkestone History Society has a treasure trove of documents and records showcasing the actual timeline, which places him here in the town sometime in 1923.

The fact is, Baird was secretive. He knew he was on to something and was very guarded about who he discussed his experiments with.

So while he was renting a room in Hastings, he was also staying right here in Folkestone, undertaking clandestine work.

He rented a room at 10 West Terrace, Folkestone, a boarding house run by landlady Mrs Gilbert.

When his room became cluttered with electrical equipment, she suggested he move his work to an electrical and radio shop owned by the landlady’s brother, called TC Gilbert and Co.

This is 26 Guildhall Street, where the hidden plaque was found.

Baird was given a bench in the electrical shop. Here, surrounded by the latest radio electronics, including Western Electric audio frequency amplifiers, he was able to make great strides in developing what he then called ‘the televisor’.

And yes, it’s suggested it was actually here, where he first captured a live image and transmitted it to another device across the room, a few feet away.

It was only after these successful pioneering experiments in Folkestone that he returned to Hastings, where he continued to refine the invention.

This is where the ‘official’ timeline kicks in. Baird debuted his working television system to the public in Queens Arcade, Hastings, in early 1924. This first official broadcast was a crude, flickering image of a Maltese cross.

Baird went on to develop many other inventions, including early colour television, demonstrating his work across the world. Still suffering with his health, he died in 1946 at the age of 57.

And so Folkestone’s role in the early development of television might have been completely forgotten.

However, in the early 1960s, a former member of staff at TC Gilbert and Co spoke about his memories of Baird and his early experiments in the town.

Mr P.A. Bennett, who was one of the former directors of the electrical shop, wrote a letter to the Folkestone Herald newspaper, which was published on February 25, 1961.

It detailed the “two or three months” that Baird was living in Folkestone and gave details of his time in the TC Gilbert and Co workshop on Guildhall Street.

Following this new information, an official plaque was unveiled later that year outside the shop’s old premises.

A special presentation revealing it to the public was attended by Baird’s widow, Margaret Albu.

Sadly, the plaque has the date ‘1924’, which is a little erroneous, as we know Baird’s early Folkestone experiments actually took place in 1923. Either way, it was eventually all but forgotten and covered up.

Quite fittingly, 26 Guildhall Street continued to be used as an electrical shop for decades, later becoming a Radio Rentals store.

And while we don’t know exactly at what point the plaque was boarded over, it’s now back on display for visitors to see.

Hastings is certainly the spot where John Logie Baird first showed a working television system to the public.

But now, 100 years on, we can also say it was in Folkestone where his revolutionary technology first sparked to life.