I think, of the three main Thanet seaside towns, that Ramsgate has to be my favourite. Sure, Margate is larger, and there's more going on, but it's looking so forlorn and run down, with many shops boarded up. I believe that a lot of that's to do with Westwood Cross, a large shopping centre with easy transport links opening in the centre of Thanet in 2005. Don't get me started on shopping malls taking away business from town centres. I'm someone who's not a fan of these large, soulless retail environments, filled with endless chain stores selling generic mass produced tat. But, looking on the bright side, I can visibly see customer buying habits changing. As more and more people (myself included) prefer to shop online nowadays, there has popped up a separate contingent who still like to visit shops, physically handle goods and, where clothing is concerned, like to try things on. These type of customers prefer a more personal service. From that, I can see smaller, boutique versions of these stores evolving, and the ideal place to situate these would be in the daintier units that tend to be found in High Streets, alongside charming independents. And therefore shopping malls will gradually either go out of business or will cater only as an outlet for massive sites selling larger (sofas, fridges, office equipment, Cash and Carry orders etc.) items. Bring it on!
Broadstairs is a town that's very much alive and also oh-so pretty and picturesque, but it seems to consist of only one street. Sure, if you're a Dickens fan, there's a couple of attractions to grab your attention, but there are only so many times you can visit these. As a town it strikes me as (dare I say it) a bit pretentious.
This was my first visit to Ramsgate and it sits somewhere between the two in terms of size, amenities and atmosphere.
Although rain was forecast we were lucky as it didn't appear! I can understand why artists such as J.M.W. Turner chose to paint here as the light coming off the sea is so striking.
Here's a rooftop view of the harbour, taken from the road that sits on top of one section of cliff, but underneath the other.
The harbour arms.
The harbour restaurant at the end. It looks like a ship!
Despite the overcast day, the sea was a beautiful, greenish colour.
The lighthouse under a moody sky.
Looking back towards The Royal Victoria Pavilion (now a Wetherspoon pub!)
Dean's not a big fan of sand, so here's his idea of 'walking on the beach'....
We then took a wander into town. Ramsgate has its own Meridian Line, five minutes and 41 seconds in front of Greenwich Mean Time...
We then visited the Ramsgate Tunnels, which consist of an old Victorian disused railway tunnel and a horseshoe-shaped section of Air Raid Protection tunnels, built in 1939 to provide shelter for up to 60,000 people (but in reality, used by less) as the onset of air raids looked inevitable. Whole families stayed down here, and the history is fascinating- don't leave Ramgate without doing it! I only took a few photos as the light was dim, my camera battery was going, and the quality of the pictures is not great.
In the entrance section there are a couple of coffins with lids over the face section. This is so that relatives identifying the deceased could do so without the trauma of seeing their injuries. Maybe it's quite fitting that we undertook our visit on November 11th.
This is the entrance railway tunnel.
Here is the start of the Air Raid Protection tunnel.
One of the sets of stairs leading out towards the ground- and civilisation! The top entrance is now blocked off.
Our guide was fantastic, the history soooo interesting and, I repeat:- DON'T LEAVE RAMSGATE WITHOUT VISITING THE TUNNELS!
As this tour lasted and hour and a half, we didn't have much time to do anything else. I hear that there's a rather nice park with an Italianate garden and a glasshouse tearoom nearby, as well as a couple of museums, so Ramsgate, I will return!
No comments:
Post a Comment