insideKENT Magazine Issue 41 - August 2015 | Page 129

TOWNSPOTLIGHT
S P O T L I G H T

O N

RAMSGATE

BY LISAMARIE LAMB

Ramsgate – part of Thanet’s Cinque Ports – is a town with Europe at its doorstep and a chic yet
ebullient atmosphere all around. From its busy harbour and yacht-filled marina to its cosmopolitan
pavement cafés and welcoming bars that look out over the English Channel and beyond, Ramsgate
is a bustling, friendly town with activities for everyone, and a history to be proud of.

Viking Ship © VISIT KENT

Ramsgate by Night © VISIT KENT

Royal Harbour, Ramsgate

Ramsgate is the place where Vincent Van Gogh
once made his home and found inspiration (and
taught in a school in Royal Road); where architect,
A. W. Pugin, practised his art and built a number
of beautiful buildings; and where an inter-urban
tramway was set up to connect Ramsgate with
Margate and Broadstairs – quite a feat of
engineering in 1901.

History in Brief
Ramsgate Beach, 1899

charming and rather descriptive name hasn’t
changed much since then, and it is interesting to
see just how words have evolved – or not – over
the centuries.
The town only really began to grow in 1749 when
the harbour started to be built (it was completed
by 1850). This was – and is – the only royal
harbour in the country, and this, along with its
proximity to mainland Europe, meant that it
became an incredibly important and strategic
point for both the Napoleonic Wars and the Dunkirk
Evacuation (1940).

Ramsgate Local Shoppers

Things to Do
Ramsgate Maritime Museum – Located right
on the quayside, the Ramsgate Maritime Museum
offers an insight into the town’s seafaring past.
Within the walls of the beautiful Clock House,
there are four excellent exhibits, which include
information on the harbour, fishing, lifeboats, and
of course shipwrecks.
Once upon a time (in around 1275, in fact),
Ramsgate was known as Ramisgate (or
Remmesgate), which became Ramesgate in 1357.
It comes from the Anglo Saxon for Hraefnes
(translated as ‘ravens’) Gate, which related to a
gap found in the cliffs above the town (then a
hamlet that survived on fishing and farming). This

back to the 1940s, but where the museum really
excels is showing items from the 1970s to the
1990s.

The Micro Museum – The Micro Museum is the
place to go to discover more about computing,
and this is where you can find a unique and
extensive collection of personal computers,
calculators, games, and other pieces of fascinating
technology. There are devices on display dating

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Ramsgate Local Shoppers – Ramsgate Local
Shoppers was set up this year by Ramsgatonians,
Maria Thompson and Mary Louise Sharrock. With
a membership of almost 500 (and rising), the aim
is to support local independent businesses in
Ramsgate. Members are passionate in preserving
the traditional high street and surrounding areas,
and 'shop-bombing' is the new Ramsgate verb!
Once a month, or more, locals meet at a preselected local independent business and 'shopbomb' – shop and then share information about
that business down to friends and family. This
creates a ripple effect and results in increased
footfall to that business. After the shop, they meet