Ramsgate, Kent

Historical Description

Ramsgate, a town, a parish, a municipal borough, and a popular seaside resort in Kent. The town stands on th& coast, in an opening between cliffs, at the N side of the entrance of Pegwell Bay, and has stations on the L.C.&D.R. and S.E.E., 72 miles from London, 3½ SSW of the North Foreland, and 4 SSE of Margate. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office. Acreage of the borough, 2343; population, 24,733. It takes its name from Ruim, the ancient British designation of Thanet, and the " gate " or opening between the cliffs; was only a small fishing village about the beginning of the 18th century; began then to have a good commerce with Eussia and the east country; acquired importance from the construction of a pier harbour at it in 1750-95; rose thence into increasing prominence as a seat of trade; was the place where George IV. embarked for Hanover in 1821, and where the King and Queen of the Belgians landed in 1837; figures-now as a well frequented watering-place; consists of two portions, ancient and modern, the former occupying a depression of the chalk cliffs, the latter containing the principal streets, with handsome crescents and terraces; commands a. delightful prospect of coast and sea; and possesses all kinds of excellent appliances for the use of sea-bathing visitors. The town was incorporated by royal charter in 1884, and has a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors, who act as the urban district council; is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, a coastguard station, and a port. It publishes three newspapers, has several fine hotels and a large number of boarding-houses, a market-place, a town-hall, a custom-house, theatre, assembly rooms, a music hall, an obelisk commemorative of George IV.'s embarkation, elegantly fitted baths, seven churches, several dissenting chapels, a Roman Catholic chapel, a Jews' synagogue, good libraries, several public schools, a dispensary, liospital, and convalescent homes. St George's Church was built in in 1827 at a cost of £30,000; is in a florid Pointed style, with tower and spire 137 feet high; measures 148feet by68½, and was thoroughly restored in 1884. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; net value, £400 with residence. Patron, the Arch bishop of Canterbury. The chapel of ease was built in 1791, and has been 'restored. Holy Trinity is a building of flint erected in 1844 and restored in 1888. The living is a vicarage; net value, £245 with residence. Christ Church is a building of Kentish ragstone, picturesquely situated in Ramsgate Vale, and surrounded by gardens. The living is a vicarage; net value, £450 with residence. St Paul's Church was erected in 1874, has since been enlarged, and is a brick building in the Pointed style. The living is a vicarage; gross value, £300 with residence. St Luke's, consecrated in 1875, is a vicarage; net value, £205. The church is a handsome new building. The population of the ecclesiastical parish of St George's is 7308; of Holy Trinity, 1624; of Christ Church, 6141; of St Paul's, 3534; and of St Luke's, 4007. The Sailors' Home and Mission Church were opened in 1878. St Augustine's Catholic Church is a very beautiful and richly decorated building, erected at the expense of the late A. W. Pugin, and is regarded as his masterpiece. The Benedictine monastery, situated near the church, was built for the Fathers of this order who serve the church; near the monastery is St Augustine's College for boys. There are Wesleyan, Congregational, Baptist, and Methodist chapels. The Granville Marina, opened in 1877, slopes in an easterly direction from the Ramsgate railway station near The sands for 600 yards, thence by a broad curve is carried westward by a gradual ascent to the brink of the east cliff, thus enabling persons to reach the summit from the beach. The promenade pier on the east cliff, erected in 1881, is a light structure of iron 500 feet in length. The Ellington Park estate, which had been purchased by the corporation, was opened as a public park in 1893. In 1893-95 an immense improvement was made by the construction of a new road along the sea front; it connects the quay, by gradual ascents, with the east and west cliffs. The unsightly Government stores and harbourmaster's house in the pier yard were demolished, thus allowing the approach to the town from the L.C. & D.R. to be widened. A new custom-house has been built, and a free public library was established in 1895. The town as a seaside place enjoys great popularity; the sands, which extend to Broadstairs, are specially adapted for bathing; and the air is very bracing.

Markets are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays; ship-repairing, rope-making, brewing, and fishing are carried on; much business arises from the presence of numerous yachts, the plying of steam packets, and the visits of ships seeking refuge in the harbour; and a considerable commerce, both coastwise and with the continent, is carried on. The harbour occupies an area of about 51 acres; is formed almost circularly by two stone piers; has an entrance 253 feet wide; and includes a patent slip 480 feet long and 60 wide. The E pier is nearly 3000 feet long, and the W pier is 1500 feet. Each pier is 26 feet wide, and forms a fine promenade, while a lighthouse on the W pier shows a red light 37 feet high and visible at the distance of 6 miles. The number of vessels registered as belonging to the port in 1895 was 190 (6700 tons). The entries and clearances each average 1600 (259,000 tons) per annum.

The parish includes part of Ellington hamlet, yet is regarded as conterminale with Ramsgate town; it formed part of St Lawrence parish till 1827. Numerous mansions and villas are either within the parish or in its immediate vicinity.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Ramsgate from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ramsgate (St. George))

Maps

Online maps of Ramsgate are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Kent newspapers online:

• Kent & Sussex Courier
• Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
• Dover Express
• Kentish Gazette
• Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald
• Kentish Chronicle
• Maidstone Telegraph

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitation of Kent, 1619 is available on the Heraldry page, as is also The Visitation of Kent, 1663-68.