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Seaside town in Kent, England
Photo: P A Woodward, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ramsgate is a seaside town in Kent close to Dover and Canterbury. Ramsgate's heyday has long since passed, in common with many seaside towns, but it has a rich history, stunning views and architecture, and a vibrant cafe culture that surprises many who visit the town.
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The town of Ramsgate has the only designated Royal Harbour in the whole of the United Kingdom. The harbour dates back to the 18th century and was given its royal status by King George IV in 1821 when he received a rapturous reception by the townspeople after he chose the port as his point of departure and return for a trip to his native Hanover with the Royal Yacht Squadron. An obelisk commemorating the King's trip stands near the Maritime Museum. The construction of the harbour began in 1749 and was completed in 1850 after several different stages of development. Some aspects of the harbour were the work of John Shaw and his son, John Shaw Jnr, most prominent among these being the lighthouse on the western harbour arm. The harbour was an important embarkation point during the Napoleonic Wars and played a vital role during the 1940 Dunkirk Evacuations: it was from here and Dover that many of the "Little Ships" plied their way across the English Channel to help rescue the stranded Allied forces from the beaches at Dunkirk in the face of the oncoming Nazi hordes; in the harbour stands a memorial to the event and moored at the nearby George IV memorial pontoon is the MY Sundowner, one of the "Little Ships" that was once owned by the 2nd Officer of the Titanic, Charles Lightoller. Today, the harbour has one of the most vibrant yacting marinas on the south coast and, thanks to the nearby offshore Thanet Wind Farm, remains a working harbour. An extension to the harbour allows cross-channel ferries to berth at Ramsgate and LD Lines (cars only) TransEuropa Ferries (predominantly freight) run services to Oostende in Belgium.
Dominant over much of the harbour is the characteristic Maritime Museum. Built in 1817 by Benjamin Wyatt and George Louch, the building was built as the harbour clock house. In the 1980s, it was turned into the town's maritime museum, containing four galleries examining the maritime history of the local area and describing the development of the eponymous harbour. Also featured are many artefacts from the various shipwrecks of the treacherous Goodwin Sands. The building is also the site of the unique Ramsgate Meridian, where the town's own Mean Time was calculated as being 5 minutes and 41 seconds ahead of Greenwich.
Another point of interest around the harbour is the Smeaton Dry Dock. A pioneer of civil engineering, John Smeaton was asked to design a dry dock for the harbour and work started in the mid-1780s. The building of the dock was to be Smeaton's last project; he was to die in the post of Ramsgate Harbour engineer.
Adjacent to the dry dock is the 350-ton Empire Steam Tug "Cervia". She is the last seagoing Steam Tug in the United Kingdom and believed to be the last example of an Empire steam tug. Empire tugs were the British equivalent of the American Liberty Ships and were built for specific purposes; "Cervia" was built for the Normandy Invasion in 1944 to an 'invasion design' but she was not completed until after the Second World War and never saw active service. Her features include an armoured wheelhouse and gun emplacements.
Ramsgate's main beach stretches towards the distant Broadstairs underneath towering chalk cliffs. Awarded a blue flag cleanliness award in 2010, the sands are busy in the summer months but don't get as crowded as the more popular beaches in Broadstairs and Margate.
As the Second World War approached, Ramsgate Borough Council embarked on ambitious but controversial plans to create a network of Deep Shelter tunnels linking to a former Railway Tunnel which would provide shelter for 60,000 people. Despite resistance from government the plan was given the go-ahead and the network was formally opened by the Duke of Kent on 1 June 1939. The tunnels are again open to the public. You can now explore the tunnels and experience how people sheltered and lived in the town below the town. Tours last about an hour, and operate from Wednesday to Sunday every week.
Ramsgate is an historic Regency town and is full of streets of 18th century townhouses. In the late 1870s, Vincent Van Gogh took a job as a supply teacher for a short time at Mr Stokes's School at 6 Royal Road. He lived across the road at 11 Spencer Square whilst he was teaching and he took to sketching the view he had, taking in the harbour and the building that now houses the Churchill Tavern. 19th-century social reformer Elizabeth Fry lived in Bellevue Road for many years and would visit the prison ships passing in the channel on their way to Australia. Karl Marx and his comrade Friedrich Engels stayed in the town around 9 times, and they are supposed to have visited Hardres Street.
These two magnificent Regency terraces dominate the West and East Cliffs. The author Wilkie Collins stayed at 14 Nelson Crescent and is thought to have written The Woman in White there whilst Samuel Taylor Coleridge stayed at various addresses along Wellington Crescent. William Frith painted his famous A Day At The Seaside (better known as Ramsgate Sands) whilst staying in Wellington Crescent.
Built in 1893, this striking building on Harbour Parade is now home to the Town Council, the local Tourist Information and an arts and crafts workshop.
The sweeping Military Road, with its monumental arches forming a characteristic backdrop to the harbour, was built around 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Its construction incorporates the Sailor's Church, Home for Smackboys and Jacob's Ladder.
The Sailor's Church dates from 1878 and is still in use. Sea Scouts and Cadets use the rooms above the church, and the church is home to some interesting exhibits connected with Ramsgate's fishing heritage. The Home for Smackboys accommodated boys as young as 10 from the Minster workhouse who worked on the fishing smacks between 1881 and 1915. Adjacent to both buildings is Jacob's Ladder, a flight of steps leading up to the top of the Westcliff. Built by Jacob Steed in the early 19th century, the steps were said to have been a favoured means of access to and from the harbour for gold coin smugglers.
Still in use, the impressive Chatham House was founded in 1797 as a private boys' school by William Humble. The building and its railings are Grade II listed and its architecture is in the style of Gothic revival. Former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath and television personality and humorist Frank Muir attended school here.
Albion House was the holiday home in 1835 of the Duchess of Kent and her daughter, the future Queen Victoria. It was here that Victoria developed typhoid fever. Sir Francis Austen, brother of Jane and an Admiral of the Fleet lived at 14 Albion Place.
Standing in front of the Royal Victoria Pavilion and still in use today is a very rare Type 'A' Edward VIII pillar box. Edward VIII was king for only a few months in 1936 before his abdication so the post box was produced within a very short time frame.
Augustus Welby Pugin's Gothic house built in 1845, The Grange can be seen in St Augustine's Road on the Westcliff (it is now rented out by the Landmark Trust). There are occasional opportunities to visit the house but these are few and far between. The house was the subject of a substantial renovation some years back by the Landmark Trust and appeared on a special episode of Channel 4's archaeological series Time Team.
Established in the mid-19th century, the abbey is one of only four Benedictine abbeys in the UK.
Built by Augustus Pugin in 1847 in the neo-Gothic style, St Augustine's serves the Catholic community of the town and the adjacent abbey. It is situated next to The Grange in St Augustine's Road.
Standing sentinel over the skyline of Ramsgate is the Church of St George the Martyr on Church Hill. Consecrated in 1827, the most striking feature of the church is the impressive lantern tower with its flying buttresses and balustrades that were constructed as a navigation aid for shipping in the English Channel. As a child, Queen Victoria worshipped here when she holidayed in Ramsgate.
Just up from the town centre, in Chatham Street, is the Georgian Townley House. The house now accommodates a furniture store but once hosted the infant Queen Victoria for several months in the 1820s and was also visited by King William IV.
Along Victoria Parade on the Eastcliff is King George VI Memorial Park which houses the Italianate Greenhouse. The greenhouse is a Grade II listed building and dates from the early 19th century. The park was formed of the grounds of Sir Moses Montefiore's Eastcliff Lodge and remains a haven of wildlife and a place to get away from the bustle of the town.
In a prime position next to the Main Sands and the Maritime Museum, this grand old building that dates from the Edwardian era was conceived as a Concert Hall and Assembly Rooms. It has been in a neglected state for some years but in its heyday it was the centre of attention in the town.
The oldest church in Ramsgate, the church was established in 1062 and its architecture is from different medieval periods. It's in St Lawrence High Street.
Sir Moses Montefiore was an internationally-renowned Jewish philanthropist who had close connections with the town of Ramsgate. When he died, Montefiore was laid to rest inside his own mausoleum which he had built some years previously and which can still be seen today near Dumpton Park Drive. There is also a synagogue next to the mausoleum that was also built by Montefiore.
Built in 1904 by the Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the library was all but destroyed by fire in 2004. A new building was constructed in its place using the shell of the old one and it was reopened in 2009.
During World War II, Manston was a vital Royal Air Force airfield and the Memorial Museum commemorates this history. Two aircraft, a Spitfire MkXVI and a Hurricane MkII, are housed within the museum buildings as are a host of military and civil memorabilia and a small, but popular, cafe.
The reserve constitutes 16 acres of a reclaimed chalk quarry and has many important habitats. There are over 350 species of flowering plants and the reserve is home to the first artificial bat cave constructed in the UK. The Thanet Observatory is also a feature of the reserve.
Focused on experimental and obsolete scientific and musical technology.
The Arts Festival offers several different events throughout the year at venues across the town. The culmination of the Festival is the Summer Squall (August).
Situated on the A256 to Sandwich and easily reachable by bike and by foot, Pegwell Bay is an internationally important area of saltmarsh and coastal scrubland that forms part of the Great Stour estuary. Ideal for birdwatching and nature walks, the reserve includes a bird hide, wheelchair access and information boards. The Coastal Park has a car park and a small mobile cafe. The Number 37 bus to Sandwich stops at the Sportsman Public House next to the park.
In the summer, this public space on the Westcliff is often the venue for fairs and other events.
Pub with 8 rooms, chic interiors, good food.
Pleasant well-run hotel on East Cliff.
By coach
National Express coaches run from Victoria Coach Station and are typically somewhat cheaper than the railway.
By plane
The nearest major international airports are at London Gatwick (LGW) (approx 84 mi/135 km) and London Heathrow (LHR) (approx 104 mi/168 km).
By foot
This is a very walkable seaside town and its neighbouring towns include Margate and Broadstairs.
By taxi
There are several taxi firms within Ramsgate and the Isle of Thanet including Chauffeur Taxis (+44 1843 333333), United Cars (+44 1843 581581; incorporating Star Cars, Deelux Cars and Ramsgate Cars),…
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