
A new exhibition celebrating the life of actor Peter Cushing, who lived in the seaside town for 35 years, is now open at Whitstable Museum and Gallery.
Peter Cushing – The Legacy will run until September 2025 and features some never-before-seen items, including a head and shoulders sculpture of Cushing as his Star Wars character Grand Moff Tarkin.
Cushing’s six-decade career included an appearance in the first Star Wars film, more than 20 Hammer Horror films and two popular Doctor Who films during the 1960s.
The display also includes film material, his cartoons and drawings, plus his famous slippers worn on the Star Wars set – and the bicycle he often used to ride around Whitstable, a full-size replica movie Dalek, and a life-size cast of his face used for prosthetic special effects for his part in Top Secret.
A bust of Peter, as his Star Wars character, Grand Moff Tarkin, created by Brad James of Brush Work Studios, is also on display, now a permanent feature of the Museum.





“Throughout the exhibition we have tried to show Peter’s sense of humour,” a museum spokesperson told the BBC last month. “His comments can be very witty.”
Peter and Helen Cushing purchased a cottage by the sea in 1959. They called Whitstable “The Village”, and recuperated there, from their frenetic lives on stage and in film and television. Residents tell many complimentary stories about them.
“Such a gentleman,” local Karen Isaac commented on Facebook. “He used to sit in the Tearooms and have the same table, reading the newspaper and smoking with white cotton glove(s) on.” This is around the early 1980’s or before. In fact was in the Tearooms the other day and couldn’t get myself to sit at ‘his’ table after all these years.”
Many celebrities visited Peter Cushing while he lived in the area, including Gordon Jackson, Ian Richardson, Sir John Mills, Timothy West, Rona Anderson, Ernie Wise, Paul Eddington and Alan Titchmarsh. Peter Cushing walked or cycled almost daily; he had several favourite walks in and around the town. Among them was the walk from his home in Island Wall across the golf course, either into Alexandra Road or to the benches behind Joy Lane. He also enjoyed walking along by the sea wall and the beach to the Sportsman pub, and beyond.
The actor still has many fans. Last year, for example, writer Stephen Walsh and artist Keith Page completed a graphic novel, Sing Cuckoo, centring on an imagined road trip by Peter and fellow actor Christopher Lee, searching for the lost uncut reels of The Wicker Man, partly set in Whitstable. (They are seeking a publisher).

Whitstable Museum and Gallery, family friendly museum with plenty of hands-on activities for children, is a community run museum dedicated to capturing the town and district’s rich history. Its volunteers are on hand to show you the “Wonders of Whitstable”, in particular the Invicta steam locomotive built by Robert Stephenson to run on the World’s first steam locomotive passenger railway from Whitstable to Canterbury. You will also see how underwater salvage and treasure hunting was a Whitstable first too with the invention of the diving helmet by local people.
And of course, Whitstable is famous all over the world for its native Oysters so there is lots to discover about the origins of the fishing industry and associated boat building and much more besides.
Whitstable Museum and Gallery is supported by Canterbury City Council.
• Peter Cushing – The Legacy Exhibition runs until September 2025, Whitstable Museum and Gallery, Forester’s Hall, Oxford Street, Whitstable, CT5 2DS | Web: whitstablemuseum.org
Drop into the museum during the school holidays between 10.30am and 4.30pm Wednesday to Saturday
Web Links
• The Peter Cushing Association
• Peter Cushing – Gentleman of Horror
• The BFI: Peter Cushing: 10 essential films
• The Dulwich Society: Peter Cushing Profile
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, Film, Other Worlds, Star Wars