Ginny Bell

Ginny Bell went to school in Dover many years ago, but it was only when she started to research The Dover Cafe at War that she realised how difficult life must have been for those who lived there during World War II. Castle's Cafe was inspired by a bakery and restaurant called Igglesden and Graves that sat on the corner of Market Square and Castle Street, and was a favourite haunt for many servicemen and women. She figured that the place must have needed a strong person to run it: someone who didn't buckle under pressure and who kept going no matter how difficult life became. And so Nellie Castle was born. And she has been bossing Ginny around ever since.

Interestingly, that corner of Market Square is currently occupied by a cafe called the Market Square Kitchen, so that little part of the town has a long history of welcoming and feeding the people of Dover. If you're ever down that way, you should pop in and say hello.