£2 Ramsgate Matters The Quarterly Journal of the Ramsgate Society Autumn 2015 Ramsgate Matters Chairman’s Report Autumn 2015 Contents 2 Aims, New Members, Chairman 4 West Cliff Park: The Green House 5 West Cliff: 225 Years by Benedict Kelly 7 Two Charities: one roof 8 The Royal Harbour 10 Lost & Found: 250 year old Stained Glass 11 Who am I? by Terry Prue Ramsgate: Television Star 12 Remembering Freddy Hargraves by Terry Prue John Walker 15 Letters after the Little Ships Issue 16 Spencer Square 17 Notes, Past, Present & Future Our first task has been to review what the 18 Diary Dates society needs to do, to better enable it to 19 Who am I revealed carry out the role defined in its constitu- In Memoriam tion: Contacts “To encourage high standards of architec- ture and town planning in Ramsgate. To stimulate public interest in and care for the beauty, history and character of the town and its surroundings. To encourage the preservation, develop- ment and improvement of features of general public amenity or historic interest. To pursue these ends by means of meet- see p.8 ings, exhibitions, lectures, publications, other forms of instruction and publicity, and promotion of schemes of a charitable nature” The Ramsgate Society welcomes My first task as Chairman will be to thank the outgo- new members: ing Chairman Jocelyn McCarthy for his outstanding contribution to the work of the society over the last John Hughes, Ramsgate ten years. Jocelyn has done a superb job during his John and Susan Holton, Ramsgate term of office to promote a sense of civic pride in James Patterson, Ramsgate the town and it is for those of us who follow him to build on the work he has already done. The Ramsgate Society is a Registered Charity: 1138809 The Society is a Founder Member of Civic Voice, An affiliate of the Kent Federation of Amenity Groups And the Kent History Federation Front Cover: Julian Cottrell, Jenny Dawes, Brian Daubney Below: Slipways Exhibition Centre, concept by del Renzio 2 With this in mind there are things we need to do so that we have the internal resources to function well as the civic society for Ramsgate. It is going to be important to reinforce the executive committee of the society with members who are committed to delivering the aims of the society and also to review the committee structure so that we are able to deliver the things the society stands for. I am pleased to report that following the AGM we now have five new committee members who bring with them the skills and enthusiasm that we need and I am confident that the new committee will work well as a team. We intend to raise the profile of the society in the town and to encourage better cooperation between the various organisations who share our concerns and values. Our immediate concern has been the promenade shelters. We have now got the CCTV system up and running to protect the shelters from the mindless vandalism and damage that we have seen over the last twelve months. Any further attacks will be captured on CCTV and the police will be able to use this as evidence in any subsequent pros- ecutions. We hope this will have the deterrent effect that is intended. I would like to thank all those who have helped us with this including Rebekah Smith and the Ramsgate Town Team who have helped with the necessary finance and to Paul Smith of PTS CCTV who has installed the system for us and set up the necessary monitoring controls. Our thanks too go to Ramsgate Glass who have replaced the damaged glazing at a price which barely reflects the cost of the materials. Under our lease from TDC the society has an obligation to maintain the shelters for the next 9 years so we will be actively seeking ways of raising funds to fulfil this obligation. Committee member Gerry O’Donnell is leading on this so if you would like to help please contact Gerry at email address <gerryo’[email protected]> As members will already know the society had to vacate the shop in Harbour Street when developers wished to carry out extensive improvements and alterations to the building. A new lease was offered to the society to reoc- cupy the property when works were completed but the terms were beyond the society’s finances and with regret the committee decided it would be unsustainable to continue. When offered the opportunity to occupy part of the Ramsgate Maritime Museum on a temporary basis, the committee agreed we should relocate the shop there until September of this year. We will monitor how this arrangement performs and consider our options later in the year. Other projects we are currently investigating for the society are: • Taking on the promotion of Heritage Open Days in Thanet in 2016. • Working closely with TDC and The Friends of Ellington Park in the £1m bid to the Heritage Lot- tery Fund (HLF) for the restoration of this popular park in the heart of Ramsgate. • Working with TDC on a review of the register of Locally Listed Buildings in the Town. • Nominating further sites and buildings in Ramsgate as Assets of Community Value (ACV) • Supporting TDC with a £2m bid to HLF to improve and restore some of the Listed structures around the Royal Harbour. • Assisting the Ramsgate Maritime Museum in progressing their plans for improvements to the Clock House and the museum collection. • Working closely with TDC, Ramsgate Town Council and other community groups to promote a sense of civic pride in the town of Ramsgate. • Representing the society on the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Plan Group. • Engage the ordinary members in the work of the society and encouraging their support for what the society is doing. • Organising a litter campaign to take place in June 2016 and beginning in October 2015 3 West Cliff Park: The Green House After years of neglect the original greenhouses, heated frames and gardener’s buildings within the walled garden of West Cliff House have been lost or destroyed. A small section of a south facing espalier wall that remains in the middle of the 0.2 acre plot is now preserved as a reminder of the garden’s heritage. In 2011 a modern energy efficient single story eco-house was completed along the eastern wall incorporating the benefits of a living green roof, solar gain, high levels of insulation, MVHR (me- chanical ventilation with heat recovery) photovoltaic solar panels and rainwater harvesting. Since then the land to the west and south of the three bed- roomed dwelling is being designed and grown as a sustainable and edible forest garden using proven permaculture principles. The resident owners of the walled garden are committed to ‘green’ ideals and have created a wildlife haven well in keeping with the original purpose of the land. 4 West Cliff: 225 Years Benedict Kelly The 1925 sales map of Ramsgate’s West Cliff shows the recently planned St Lawrence West Cliffs Estate. When the main house was built in 1795, Joseph Ruse had named it “Belmont.” The 4th Earl of Darnley bought it in 1804 and renamed it “West Cliff House”. The Times of October 2nd 1830 described “Lawn and pleasure gardens sloping towards the sea. It contains 10 principle bed chambers, servant’s ditto, water closets, dining and drawing rooms of large dimensions, ladies boudoir, library etc. 3 coach-houses, stabling for 8 horses, together with about 9 acres of rich meadow land. More land may be had if required’. Thomas Warre (1752-1824) had purchased West Cliff in 1817. His family came from Somerset and were notable in the port wine trade; their company still is today. Besides Ramsgate, Thomas had one house in Stratford Place off Oxford Street and another in St Petersburg Russia. On his death in 1824, he left £60,000 in cash to relatives and West Cliff was inherited by his nephew John Ashley Warre (1787-1860). John A Warre appeared in Ramsgate’s poll book of 1832. His eminence was confirmed when on 1st October 1836, Princess Victoria and her mother arrived to stay for two months. Variously MP for Hastings, Lostwithiel, Taunton and Ripon, Warre was also Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for Kent, President of the Ramsgate Seaman’s Infirmary where he laid the foundation stone on 17th August 1849. His son John Henry Ware (1825-1894) inherited in 1860 and he too became a Magistrate in Ramsgate and life Governor at the Seamen’s Infirmary. When he died in 1894 he was buried in St Lawrence Churchyard. His brother Arthur Braithwaite Warre, is probably best remembered for donating 7 acres of land to Ramsgate in March 1897: the Warre Recreation Ground. His heir and eldest daughter, Caroline Ashley Warre married Charles Murray Smith on 8th June 1904 and West Cliff became the Murray-Smith Estate. 5 West Cliff: 225 Years Continued. In 1921, Caroline sold the estate to The Ramsgate Corporation. House and grounds, fields from Grange Road to West Cliff Terrace, and beside Pegwell Road, in all 58 acres, with another 28 acres north of Pegwell Road, cost £50,000. The same year West Cliff House became St Winifred’s Girls School and remained so until World War Two. Land on Downs Road and portions of Norman Road that was not bought by the Corporation, was later offered for sale from 3 pounds 10 shillings per foot of road frontage. Also In 1921 the Corporation bought West Cliff Terrace Mansions for just over £11,500 and was offered land to make an eighty-foot road, London Road, to the north of Norman Road at £600 an acre.