As cherry blossom trees are in full bloom across the country, Kent County Council (KCC) has been highlighting Kent’s role in the cultivation of the trees in the UK.
In the late 19th Century Algernon Mitford, the grandfather of the famous Mitford sisters, built a seaside house and lived in Westgate-on-Sea.
He had worked for the Foreign Office in Russia, China and Japan and is believed to have brought some of the earliest Japanese cherry trees to England.
“Trees like these are an important part of Kent’s character and its history,” said Peter Osborne, the council’s cabinet member for highways and transport.