Salute to the 40's

Salute to the 40's is one of those events that I had heard friends rave about but had never managed to get to so I decided I was not missing it this year!

Salute to the 40's is held at Chatham Dockyard in Kent, they have a calendar jam packed full of interesting events which you can view here.

Getting there: Getting to Chatham Dockyard is easy, from Victoria Station in London you can get a direct train which takes about an hour and then it's a short bus ride to the Dockyard itself. It's best to book train tickets in advance as it can be pricey to buy these fares on the day.

Music

Adam Hoffman was wonderfully funny as well as having a cracking voice!

The Polka Dot Dolls were fantastic 

The Hotsie Totsies kept everyone entertained

There were various stages hosting music that you could enjoy even when walking around enjoying the exhibitions which was fantastic. 

Experiences

There is plenty to see and do at Salute to the 40's such as....

The 1940's street - visit the tiny little pub to grab a drink or the see confectionery shop and the old fashioned store. So quaint!

 

The bombed out street was a sobering reminder of the period in history being remembered at events like salute to the 40's and always makes me think how lucky we are today that we don't live in such times.

 








As well as hosting Salute to the 40's, Chatham Dockyard is also where some scenes of Call The Midwife were filmed, it was so exciting to walk down the streets that were so familiar from the series. The dockyard do Call The Midwife tours which I am very tempted to do. 

I'm not much of a petrol head myself but I do love the old vehicles at vintage events and Salute to the  40's had plenty to see, I love the curiosity dealer truck, it's a job title to aspire too!

 

There is also a beautiful garden with a lovely nursery and real grapes growing from an awning, great for photo opportunities which some of us vintage people love!

 

Boats

Of course in a dockyard there was plenty of ships, boats and other maritime artifacts on display. You could climb aboard some of the ships and play captain too which was lots of fun.

 

 

Shopping

There were plenty of stalls with a good variety of vintage sellers and at different price points which was lovely to see. I would say that I found most of the sellers cheaper than London fairs, particularly those more local to Kent so it is definitely possible to pick up a bargain.

 

 

 

 

 

I had to give this seller a proper mention as their knitwear was gorgeous (see above), they don't sell online but they attend the big vintage festivals so look out for them! 

Food and drink

There were lots of places to buy food and drink, some traditional English offerings and some more street food styles so there is something for everyone.

Beware the fish and chip queue! It was certainly popular so you'd want to get in line for an early lunch. I settled on pie and mash which was delicious and at £7.95 it was reasonable value.

As well as the little pub there was also a bar on a bus, I always think these are such a fun novelty!

Cost

My one day ticket to Salute to the 40's cost £18 and for the access you get to all the various exhibitions as well as the entertainment I would say this is one of the best value vintage events I have been to so far. It's definitely going in the calendar for next year.

What I Wore

I wore an original 1940's dress which I got at Twinwood, I love this dress as I find the cut really flattering and it is flight enough for daytime events. 

I teamed it with a vintage hat which I picked up at Retromania in Pimlico, if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen me showing this off in a video. 

The gloves and blue bag, which is vintage, came from a carboot sale and I finished this of with some Hotter shoes to match the colour in the hat and which kept me comfortable all day long. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, I am already looking forward to the next Salute to the 40's event! 

Until next time 

Love 

Lucy 

xx