Ramsgate is a seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline, and its main industries are tourism and fishing. The town has one of the largest marinas on the English south coast, and the Port of Ramsgate provided cross-channel ferries for many years.
The earliest reference to the town is in the Kent Hundred Rolls of 1274–5, both as Remmesgate (in the local personal name of 'Christina de Remmesgate') and as Remisgat (with reference to the town).[3] The names Ramisgate and Raunsgate appear in the parish of St. Laurence records c.1290.[4][5] These are all derived from late Anglo-Saxon 'Hremmes' from earlier 'Hræfnes' (raven's) and 'geat' (gate), with reference to the gap in the cliffs.[6] In 1357, the area became known as Ramesgate.[7][8][9]
Ramsgate was a member of the Confederation of Cinque Ports, under the 'Limb' of Sandwich, Kent.[10] The construction of Ramsgate Harbour began in 1749 and was completed in around 1850. The harbour has the distinction of being the only Royal Harbour in the United Kingdom. Because of its proximity to mainland Europe, Ramsgate was a chief embarkation point both during the Napoleonic Wars and for the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.
The Official Illustrated Guide to South-Eastern and North and Mid-Kent Railways (June 1863) by George Measom from[word missing?] describes Ramsgate thus: 'It is impossible to speak too favourably of this first-rate town, its glorious sands, its bathing, its hotels, libraries, churches, etc. etc. not forgetting its bracing climate...The streets of Ramsgate are well paved or macadamed and brilliantly lighted with gas.'
The artist Vincent van Gogh moved to Ramsgate in April 1876, at age 23. He boarded at 11 Spencer Square, which is identified by a blue plaque. He obtained work as a teacher at a local school in Royal Road, where he received his post.[11] In one of his letters[12][13] to his brother Theo, he described his surroundings: "There's a harbour full of all kinds of ships, closed in by stone jetties running into the sea on which one can walk. And further out one sees the sea in its natural state, and that's beautiful."
The Lighthouse Ramsgate by A.R. Quinton (postcard marked 1921)
In 1915–1916, early aircraft began to use the open farmland at Manston as a site for emergency landings. The location near the Kent coast gave Manston some advantages over other previously established aerodromes. During the First World War, Ramsgate and its harbour were the target of bombing raids by Zeppelin airships[14] and German Navy torpedo boats. By 1917 the Royal Flying Corps was well established and taking an active part in the defence of Britain. As RAF Manston, the aerodrome played an important role in the Second World War. It is now called Kent International Airport, but is currently not operational.
In 1923, Ramsgate elected its first woman Mayor, Janet Stancomb-Wills, after whom the Dame Janet Primary Academy on Newington Road is named. As the Second World War approached, Ramsgate Borough Council embarked on plans to create a network of Deep Shelter tunnels linking to a former railway tunnel which would provide shelter for 60,000 people. The tunnels were opened on 1 June 1939. In 2014 (75 years later), part of this network was opened to visitors.[15]
In October 1939, the Royal Navy established a Coastal Forces base at Ramsgate called HMS Fervent, which operated Motor Torpedo Boats, Motor Gun Boats and Motor Launches until September 1945. From 27 May 1940, Ramsgate harbour was the main assembly point for the build-up of small craft needed for Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk.[16] Once the evacuation was under way, Ramsgate became the second-busiest port after Dover, and just under 43,000 men passed through the port, transported onwards by 82 special trains.[17]
In 2017 Ramsgate was chosen as one of the first ten Heritage Action Zones (HAZ) by Historic England, with the aim of stimulating economic growth by taking advantage of Ramsgate's historic environment.[18][19] Part of this project included a Historic Landscape Characterisation Study which assessed and mapped the patterns of historic character in the town, using geological and topographical surveys, and covering aspects from the Neolithic, medieval, Georgian, Victorian, and through to the First and Second World War periods.[20][21][22]
Geography
A map of Ramsgate from 1945
Ramsgate is located 78miles from central London in an east south-easterly direction at one of the most easterly points of the United Kingdom (the furthest point east is Lowestoft in Suffolk).
The town is an amalgamation of two settlements: a fishing community on the coast in the shallow valley between two chalk cliffs, and an inland farming community that is now the Parish of St Lawrence. The cliffs are known as the East Cliff and the West Cliff and are predominantly residential areas. There are promenades along both cliff tops with parks at either end and sandy beaches on the coast.
Climate
Ramsgate has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb) as is typical in the United Kingdom; the nearest Met Office weather station for which data is available is Manston Airport, about two miles west of the town centre.
The highest temperature ever recorded is 34.6°C (94.3°F)[23] in August 2003, though typically the warmest day of the year averages 28.5°C (83.3°F)[24] and 8.8 days[25] will record a temperature of 25.1°C (77.2°F) or above.
The lowest recorded temperature is -14.5°C (5.9°F),[26] in February 1986, though typically the coldest night of the year averages -6.2°C (20.8°F).[27] A total of 21.4 days[28] of the year should record an air frost.
Rainfall averages around 600mm[28] per year, a figure similar to that for the driest parts of England. Over 1mm of rain can be expected on 110.1 days.[28] Averages refer to a mixture of the 1971–2000, 1981–2010 and 1991–2020 climate periods.
Being close to the coast, and in Southern England, sunshine compares favourably with most of the United Kingdom, at over 1800 hours[28] a year. Only the Sussex coast tends to be notably sunnier, although much of the remainder of the south coast receives a similar amount of sunshine as Ramsgate.
Climate data for Manston, elevation 54m, 1991–2020, extremes 1960–
Ramsgate was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1884. This was abolished in 1974, since when Ramsgate has been part of the Thanetlocal government district. The town is made up of seven electoral wards: Central Harbour, Cliffsend and Pegwell, Eastcliff, Nethercourt, Newington, Northwood, and Sir Moses Montefiore. These wards have seventeen of the fifty-six seats on the Thanet District Council; since the 2019 local elections eleven of those seats have been held by Labour, three by Thanet Independents, two by the Conservative Party and one by the Green Party.[30] Currently the council is run by a Conservative minority.
Following a successful campaign by local activist Gerry O'Donnell, a town council was established for Ramsgate in June 2009.[31] The Town Mayor of Ramsgate is currently Councillor Raushan Ara.[32]
Economy
Ramsgate marina, location of many popular bars and pubs
Ramsgate's main industries are tourism and fishing. The town has a thriving marina with over 800 moorings and a range of marine-related businesses that operate in the renovated arches under Royal Parade. Colleges in the town also cater for students of English as a foreign language.
Although Ramsgate has the most valuable fish landings in Kent (~£700,000 in 2003)[out of date], the fishing industry is in decline.[33] The Port of Ramsgate has provided cross-channel ferries for many years. Previously, Sally Ferries UK provided a passenger and car ferry service to Dunkirk. Until April 2013, Transeuropa Ferries operated a freight and car ferry between Ramsgate and Oostende.
Unemployment in Thanet stands at 4.1%; this is higher than the national average (2.5%).[34] There is some light industry in the town. An emerging industry is power generation, with 800 jobs expected to be created[when?] by the Thanet offshore wind project, a wind farm just off the coast. Ramsgate market is held in High Street, King Street and Queen Street every Friday and Saturday.[35]
Ramsgate has a LETS scheme (RAMLETS) which was set up in 2014 enabling residents to trade goods and services using the virtual currency RAMs. It is working with the Newington Wellbeing Network to improve the lives of people living in the Newington ward of Ramsgate.[36]
The place of birth of residents was 95.6% United Kingdom, 0.7% Ireland, 0.6% Germany, 0.6% other Western European countries, 0.3% Eastern Europe, 0.6% Far East, 0.5% Africa, 0.3% North America, 0.3% South Asia, 0.2% Middle East, 0.2% Oceania and 0.1% South America.[37]
Religion was recorded as 71.6% Christian, 0.3% Muslim, 0.1% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.1% Sikh and 0.1% Jewish. 17.9% were recorded as having no religion, 0.3% had an alternative religion and 7.1% did not state their religion.[37]
For every 100 women, there were 91.2 men. The age distribution was 6% aged 0–4years, 16% aged 5–15years, 5% aged 16–19years, 31% aged 20–44years, 24% aged 45–64years and 18% aged 65years and over.[37]
Culture
Tourism
Ramsgate Main Sands
The town's main attraction is its coastline, particularly Ramsgate Main Sands, which was awarded a Blue Flag in 2015.[38][39] Ramsgate's wartime deep shelter tunnels are open to the public for tours, which have been running since 2014.[40]
The town has a small population of feral rose-ringed parakeets. The story about them appearing in Ramsgate still remains a mystery. According to some sources, they may have flown away from the trading ships coming from British India in the 1800s.[41] The local council publishes a website specifically aimed at tourists visiting Ramsgate and neighbouring towns.[42]
There is an annual regatta event during the summer.[43] Ramsgate Carnival is an annual parade that takes place during the summer.[44] Other events include the annual Addington Street Fair[45] and the French Market.[citation needed]
Sport
The town's main football club, Ramsgate FC, plays in the Isthmian League Division One South. The local rivals of the club are Margate FC, situated 4miles away. When the two teams meet, it is known as the Thanet Derby. The club run a reserves team, which plays in the Kent Football League Second Division, and a women's team, which plays in the South East Counties Women's League Kent County Division. Ramsgate FC run five youth teams; the under-13 to under-18 teams compete in the Valley Express Kent Youth League and the club also runs Ramsgate Youth U7 to U16, which play in the Molten East Kent Youth League. Two other youth teams in Ramsgate are Trinity and Hugin Vikings; both play in The Molten East Kent Youth League.
Thanet Wanderers is the island's only rugby team and has played at London Division 1 level, achieving its best result by defeating Doncaster at Twickenham in the final of the Intermediate Cup in 1997. The club runs five senior sides and many junior teams, all of which play at St Peter's. Cliftonville Hockey Club plays its home matches at St Lawrence College and has a clubhouse that it shares with Broadstairs Cricket Club.[46]
Thanet Galaxy is a pan-disability football club that provides structured coaching for male and female footballers of all ages, who qualify within the nationally and internationally recognised Pan Disability categories. The club trains at Chatham House Grammar School and plays in Kent Disability Football League in three age bands: U-11, U-16, and 16+. In their first season (2008/2009), the adult A team won the Kent Disability League Adult Championship.
Ramsgate's sports facilities include a public swimming pool,[47][48] and a fitness centre[49] with a gym and sports hall. Tennis clubs can be found at Spencer Square and St Laurence. Ramsgate has three golf clubs: St Augustine's,[50] Stonelees,[51] and Manston.[52] There is also a sailing club, the Royal Temple Yacht Club, which is steeped in yacht-racing history and hosts racing throughout the year for a variety of historic trophies. The highlight of the season is the annual international sailing regatta, known as 'Ramsgate Week', which is usually held in August.[53]
Arts and local media
Ramsgate Maritime Museum
The Gallery IOTA (Isle Of Thanet Arts) was based on the town's west cliff but is now on the harbour front.[54]Ramsgate Maritime Museum near the harbour quayside has exhibits showing the evolution of Ramsgate Harbour and east Kent maritime history. The Museum Building featured in the 2018 romantic comedy Juliet, Naked as the fictional Sandcliff Museum where the film's star Annie Platt (Rose Bryne) works. The King's Theatre, near the town centre, offers shows, community events and a seniors' club every Monday. Talks on Ramsgate's history are frequently held there.
Ramsgate has two paid-for newspapers, the Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times, both of which are owned by Northcliffe Media.[55] Free newspapers covering the town include the Thanet Extra, part of the KM Group; and yourthanet, belonging to KOS Media.
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South East & ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Dover TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated in the town centre. [56]
The local radio stations are KMFM Thanet, owned by the KM Group, community radio station Academy FM (Thanet), and the county-wide stations Heart Kent, Gold and BBC Radio Kent. Thanet Community Radio (TCR)[57] offers an online arts- and features-based service for Thanet District and the surrounding area where people can listen to podcasts of local interest. The service works closely with Dover Community Radio.
Landmarks
Hugin Viking longship in Pegwell
The Hugin is a reconstructed Viking longship located at Pegwell Bay in Ramsgate. It was a gift from the Danish government in commemoration of the 1500th anniversary of the legendary arrival of conquering brothers Hengist and Horsa to England in the year 449.
There are many Regency and Victorian buildings in Ramsgate. In all, there are 900 listed buildings in the town with more than 200 in the vicinity of the harbour.[58] One of the town's most notable buildings is the 18th century Townley House designed by Mary Townley.[59]
The town has three notable churches:
The first building used for worship in the Thanet parish of St Lawrence was at St Laurence-in-Thanet; it was built in 1062 and rebuilt during the following centuries, with the most significant changes made in the 16th century. Note the difference in spelling between the village of St Lawrence and its church, which is dedicated to the RomanmartyrLaurence.
The second notable church is St Augustine's, on the town's West Cliff. It was designed by Augustus Pugin in 1847 in the Gothic Revival style. Its dedication commemorates Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, who landed at Ramsgate in AD 597 bringing Christianity to Britain. In March 2012 the church was designated a shrine to St Augustine of Canterbury; this ended a five-century absence of a shrine to St Augustine, as the original (at St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury) had been destroyed during the Reformation.
The town's parish church of St George is situated just off the High Street. Its lantern tower was added at the request of Trinity House as a navigational aid to passing ships, and it looks over the town. The ground was consecrated on 23 October 1827.
Ramsgate library was originally built and paid for by Andrew Carnegie in 1904. On the evening of Friday 13 August 2004, it was destroyed by fire just two months short of its 100th anniversary.[60] Though suspicions were raised about the causes of the fire, due to a similarly timed fire at Aberdeen House (the town's registry office), an investigation was unable to establish how the fire had started.
Shortly after the blaze, planning permission was granted for a new library. The library was fully restored, and was officially re-opened on 20 February 2009.[61]
The Port of Ramsgate has a 700 berth marina, Royal Harbour Marina, and a ferry terminal built on reclaimed land. The harbour provides shelter from the effects of storms. The Goodwin Sands are nearby. In 2005, the marina had 12,000 visiting boats.[citation needed]Transeuropa Ferries passenger (with vehicle only) and freight ferries sailed until April 2013 to the Port of Ostend in Ostend, Belgium. The Port of Ramsgate has its own road access tunnel from outside the town, avoiding town centre congestion. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution's Ramsgate Lifeboat Station is in Ramsgate Harbour.
A new high-speed service to London St Pancras started in December 2009, running on High Speed 1, the UK's first high-speed rail line, between London and Kent. The journey time from Ramsgate to St Pancras is 76 minutes.[62]
In March 2015, it was announced that journey times between Ramsgate and London St Pancras are expected to be reduced to 63 minutes in 2019,[out of date] due to infrastructure enhancements.[63]
Other trains run from Ramsgate to London Charing Cross and London Victoria. Commuting time to the capital on these lines is approximately 1hour 50minutes.
Thanet Parkway railway station, opened on 31 July 2023, is situated near the village of Cliffsend just outside Ramsgate, and easily accessible by road off of the A299 (Hengist Way).
A municipal airport was opened on 1 July 1935, operating until World War II broke out in 1939. Following a short spell as a satellite of RAF Manston, it closed in 1940. The airport was re-opened in 1952 and operated until closure in 1968.
From September 2004 to August 2005 a low-cost airline EUjet operated frequent flights to many European destinations, replacing a large freight operator. However, flights were suspended after the collapse of its parent company, PlaneStation Group plc.[64]
Manston was sold to Infratil on 26 August 2005. Until May 2014, KLM Cityhopper operated two daily passenger flights from the airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands. The airport was regularly used by freight operators such as Cargolux and Meridian.
The airport was sold to Ann Gloag in November 2013. She was reported to be seeking a buyer, but her spokesman reported that a buyer had not been found, and the airport closed on 15 May 2014.
If the airport were to resume operations, the town would be directly under the flight path.
Kent is a county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north; the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover to the south-east; East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.
Dover is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at 33 kilometres (21 mi) from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District and home of the Port of Dover.
Minster, also known as Minster-in-Thanet, is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is the site of Minster in Thanet Priory. The village is west of Ramsgate and to the north east of Canterbury; it lies just south west of Kent International Airport and just north of the River Stour. Minster is also the "ancient capital of Thanet". At the 2011 Census the hamlet of Ebbsfleet was included.
The Isle of Thanet is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the 600-metre-wide (2,000 ft) Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island.
Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about 80 miles (130 km) east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 of about 25,000. Situated between Margate and Ramsgate, Broadstairs is one of Thanet's seaside resorts, known as the "jewel in Thanet's crown". The town's coat of arms' Latin motto is Stella Maris. The name derives from a former flight of steps in the chalk cliff, which led from the sands up to the 11th-century shrine of St Mary on the cliff's summit.
Margate is a seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of 2 miles long, 16 miles north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. In 2011 it had a population of 61,223.
Manston Airport was a British airport. Originally operated as RAF Manston, from 1916, it has also operated as a commercial airport and was known as Kent International Airport and, briefly, London Manston Airport. It has been closed since 2014. Located in the parish of Minster-in-Thanet and partly adjacent to the village of Manston in the Thanet district of Kent, England, 11 NM north-east of Canterbury.
Thanet is a local government district in Kent, England. The council is based in Margate and the district also contains the towns of Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Westgate-on-Sea, along with several villages. It takes its name from the Isle of Thanet, a former island which gradually became connected to the mainland between the 12th and 16th centuries.
Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of Kent, England. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate. Its two sandy beaches have remained a popular tourist attraction since the town's development in the 1860s from a small farming community. The town had a population of 7,517 at the 2021 Census.
Manston is a village and civil parish in the Thanet district of Kent, England. The village is situated one mile northwest of Ramsgate. The parish includes four hamlets and the former Manston Airport.
The A299, better known as the Thanet Way, is a major road of 22 miles (35 km) in the county of Kent, England, and runs from Brenley Corner near Faversham to Ramsgate via Whitstable and Herne Bay.
Ramsgate as a name has its earliest reference as 'Ramisgate' or 'Remmesgate' in 1275, from Anglo-Saxon 'Hraefn's geat, or 'Raven's cliff gap', later to be rendered 'Ramesgate' from 1357.
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England, with a population of 39,639 in the '2001 UK Census. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline, and its main industries are tourism and fishing. The town has one of the largest marinas on the English south coast, and the Port of Ramsgate provided cross-channel ferries for many years.
The Port of Ramsgate is a harbour situated in Ramsgate, south-east England, serving cross-Channel freight traffic and smaller working and pleasure craft. It is owned and operated by Thanet District Council.
Broadstairs East Kent College is a further education college located in Broadstairs, Kent on the southeast coast of the United Kingdom.
Cliffsend is a village and civil parish situated almost 2 miles (3 km) west of Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom, in the Thanet local government district.
Thanet District Council elections are held every four years to elect Thanet District Council in Kent, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 56 councillors representing 23 wards.
Ramsgate Airport was a civil airfield at Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom which opened in July 1935. It was briefly taken over by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War, becoming RAF Ramsgate. The airfield was then closed and obstructed to prevent its use. It reopened in 1953 and served until final closure in 1968. The site has now been redeveloped as an industrial estate.
Thanet Parkway railway station is a railway station in Cliffsend, Kent, that serves Discovery Park Enterprise Zone and new housing developments. It opened on 31 July 2023.
References
↑ Ltd, Hudson Berkley Reinhart. "Ramsgate". Ramsgatetown.org. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
↑ The register of St. Augustine's abbey, Canterbury, commonly called the Black book; Turner, George James, d. 1946; Salter, H. E. (Herbert Edward), 1863-1951; Robarts - University of Toronto
↑ The History and Antiquities of the Church and Parish of St. Laurence, Thanet, in the County of Kent, Charles Cotton, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Company, Limited, 1895
↑ ICT_FRANKLIN_210x210_Inners.indd 3ICT_FRANKLIN_210x210_Inners.indd 32/20/2020 2:05:19 PM2/20/2020 2:05:19 PMRamsgate The town and itFranklin, Geraint with Dermott, Nick and Brodie, Allan (2020). "Ramsgate: The town and its seaside heritage". Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Martin Easdown, A Fateful Finger of Iron: The Story of the Ill-fated Ramsgate Promenade Pier Within a Resort History of the Town, Michaels Bookshop (Jul 2006), ISBN1-905477-65-1
Bob Simmonds, Ramsgate From the Ground: An Alternative Look at the Town and Its History, Michaels Bookshop (April 2006), ISBN1-905477-47-3
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