Ramsgate see · Ramsgate attractions
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Ramsgate attractions
Ramsgate attractions
The Royal Harbour 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 it's royal status by King George IV in 1821 when he recieved 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.
The Maritime Museum Dominant over much of the harbour is the characteristic Maritime Museum. Built in 1817 by Benjamin Wyatt and George Louch, the building was originally 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 as well as 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.
The Smeaton Dry Dock 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-ever project; he was to die in the post of Ramsgate Harbour engineer.
Empire Steam Tug "Cervia" Adjacent to the dry dock is the 350-ton Empire Steam Tug "Cervia". She is the last sea-going 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 a pre-determined 'invasion design' but she was not completed until after the Second World War and as such never saw active service. Her features include an armoured wheelhouse and gun emplacements.
The Main Sands. Ramsgate's main beach stretches towards the distant Broadstairs underneath towering chalk cliffs. Awarded a blue flag cleanliness award as recently as 2010, the sands are busy in the summer months but don't get as crowded as the more popular beaches in Broadstairs and Margate.
Van Gogh, Elizabeth Fry and Karl Marx. Ramsgate is an historic regency town and as such 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. Nineteenth 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 nine times and one street they are supposed to have visited was Hardres Street.
Nelson/Wellington Crescent. 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.
The Customs House. 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.
Military Road. The sweeping Military Road, with it's monumental arches forming a characteristic backdrop to the harbour, was built around 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. It's construction incorporates the Sailor's Church, Home for Smackboys and Jacob's Ladder.
Sailor's Church and Home for Smackboys. The Sailor's Church dates from 1878 and is still in use. Sea Scouts and Cadets use the rooms above the church but the church itself is home to some interesting exhibits connected with Ramsgate's fishing heritage. The Home for Smackboys accommodated young boys (some 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 nineteenth century, the steps were said to have been a favoured means of access to and from the harbour for gold coin smugglers.
Chatham House Grammar School. Still in use, the impressive Chatham House was founded in 1797 as a private boy's school by William Humble. The building and it's railings are Grade II listed and it's architecture is in the style of gothic revival. Former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath and television personality and humorist Frank Muir both attended school here. Located in Chatham Street.
Albion House. 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.
Edward VIII Type 'A' Pillar Box. 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.
The Grange. 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".
St Augustine's Abbey. Established in the mid-nineteenth century, the abbey is one of only four Benedictine Abbeys in the UK. Situated next to St Augustine's Church and The Grange in St Augustine's Road.
St Augustine's Church. Built by Augustus Pugin in 1847 in the neo-Gothic style, St Augustines serves the catholic community of the town as well as the adjacent abbey and is situated next to The Grange in St Augustine's Road. As the name suggests, the church is dedicated to St Augustine.
St George the Martyr Church. 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 it's 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.
Townley House. 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.
King George VI Park and the Italianate Greenhouse. Along Victoria Parade on the Eastcliff is King George VI Memorial Park which houses the Italianate Greenhouse. Recently renovated, the greenhouse is a Grade II listed building and dates from the early 19th century. The park itself was once 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.
The Royal Victoria Pavilion. In a prime position next to the Main Sands and the Maritime Museum, this grand old building that dates from the edwardian era was originally concieved as a Concert Hall and Assembly Rooms. It has been in a neglected state for some years but in it's heyday it was the centre of attention in the town.
St Laurence-in-Thanet Parish Church. The oldest church in Ramsgate, the church was established in 1062 and it's architecture is from different medieval periods. Located in St Lawrence High Street.
Montefiore Mausoleum and Synagogue. 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.
Ramsgate Railway Station. A new classical-style station built by Edwin Fry between 1924 and 1926, the building is now Grade II listed.
Ramsgate Library. Originally built in 1904 by the Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the library was all but destroyed by fire in 2004. Since then, a new building was constructed in it's place using the shell of the old one and it was reopened in 2009. Situated in Guildford Lawn just a short walk from the town centre.
Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum. During World War Two, 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 well as a host of military and civil memorabilia and a small, but popular, cafe.
Monkton Nature Reserve. 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.
The Viking Ship "Hugin". Found next to the village of Cliffsend in Pegwell Bay, on the A256 Sandwich road, this replica of Hengist and Horsa's ship sailed from Denmark to Thanet in 1949 to celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of their landing on the isle. On the lane between Cliffsend and Sevenscore is a Celtic Cross erected in 1884 to commemorate St Augustine's first sermon in Kent.
Ebbsfleet. The site of two important events in British history: the 449AD landing of Hengist and Horsa, generally considered to be the start of the Anglo-Saxon Invasion of Britain and the landing of St Augustine on his mission from Rome to convert Kent and Britain to christianity. Follow the A256 to the Ebbsfleet Lane turning.
Richborough Roman Fort. Situated to the north of Sandwich, the fort is in reality a collection of many phases of Roman remains that are still visible today and are under the auspices of English Heritage. The fort stands in the middle of an area thought to be the sight of the Claudian Invasion of 43AD. Described by English Heritage as 'perhaps the most symbolically important of all Roman sites in Britain'.
Minster Abbey. Founded in the 7th Century, the ancient Benedictine Minster Abbey is situated in the village of Minster and is still run by nuns today. The monastic buildings and gardens are open from May to September (2.45pm to 4pm) and year-round (Saturdays 11am to 12 noon). Hospitality packages are offered for conferences and retreats.
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Ramsgate Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.