Living in Ramsgate
I went to live in Ramsgate, on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, towards the end of the 1970s.
I had been appointed as Manager of the Classic Cinema in this attractive Regency town on the coast, but did not really know the town beforehand – I don’t think I’d ever been there before.
So Anne and I moved from Knightthorpe, Loughborough to Ramsgate. At first we lived in a hotel on the West Cliff, with fantastic views across the English Channel to the white cliffs near Calais.
Of course, living in a hotel has its problems, so after a few weeks, while still looking for something more permanent, we moved to a flat, still overlooking the Channel, but beside a Yacht Club closer to the town centre.
On days off, we explored the area. The Isle of Thanet is great, and hugely historic. It’s where the first English landed. They were given the island in return for acting as mercenaries to fight other English invaders. It’s also where St. Augustine landed, when sent to convert the English to Christianity.
We explored Ramsgate, of course, but also the other Thanet towns – Broadstairs and Margate – and other interesting places close by, such as Canterbury, Sandwich and Deal.
And it was great to be able to just stroll along the seafront, breathing in the salty air. I come from the Southend area, and really miss being on the coast.
After a few months, we found a flat at Pegwell, a suburb of Ramsgate, and went to live there.
If anybody reading this has any connections with Ramsgate, or the Isle of Thanet in general (Born? Lived? Worked? Ancestors? Relatives?), I will be very pleased to hear from them.
Posted by colin on Saturday 8th April, 2006 at 4:46am