Price £1.00 where sold © Spring 2012 THE RAMSGATE SOCIETY’S QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF NEWS, VIEWS AND HERITAGE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SEASIDE TOWN OF RAMSGATE ALSO IN THIS ISSUE... The work of the Ramsgate Pilot Boats. Picture from: www.bobleroi.co.uk Ramsgate Celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the birth of A.W.N. Pugin The Wombles? Sir Charles Warren See page 6 Ramsgate resident and our centre pages’ feature. By Terry Prue The Ramsgate Society is a Founder Member of Civic Voice and is affiliated to the Kent Federation of Amenity Societies and to The Kent History Federation. Patron Sir Terry Farrell CBE, RIBA, FRSA, FCSD, MRTPI. The Ramsgate Society is a Registered Charity - number 1138809 Aims and Objectives of The Society To encourage high standards of architecture and town planning, to stimulate public interest in, and to care for, the beauty, history and character of the town and its surroundings; and to encourage the preservation and improvement of features of public amenity or historic interest in Ramsgate. This educational magazine ‘About Ramsgate’ seeks to fulfil those ideals in an informative and entertaining way. We would like to receive contributions to this magazine About Ramsgate from anyone with an interest in the town. Articles - typed, handwritten or by email, may be sent to the Editor: - Robert Holden, 6 Chatham Place, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 7PT. Tel: 01843 582997. Email: [email protected] Alternatively, it is possible for articles to be produced from a recorded interview. The next issue is due to be published June 2012 Website of The Ramsgate Society: www.ramsgate-society.org.uk NEW MEMBERS... A very warm welcome to our new members. We hope that you will all enjoy membership and take a keen interest in the activities of The Society. From Ramsgate Mrs Jane Williams, Mr Dieter Johannsen, Mr Wally Smith, Mrs Joan Hewitt, Miss Ray Bryce, Mrs Hazel Morphy, Tony & Suzanne Coates, Neville & Joan Court, Nigel & Janette Phethean Mrs M. Beacon & Mr D. Larg, Mr Steve Harper, Mr Dennis Franklin. From Further Afield Sheila Jones - Beckenham, Mrs Jennie Curtis - Woodmansterne, Mr Alan Turtle - Ringwood, Ken & Janet Williams - Rochester, Iris Bean - Ryde I.O.,W., Julian & Inna Cottrell - London, Dennis & Lesley Streeter - Epsom, Mr Christopher Randall - Spilsby, Mr Barry Purvis - Burnley. From Overseas Mrs Janice Taranchokov - Otaki, New Zealand. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW DUE FOR 2012 Members wishing to continue paying by cheque should PLEASE COMPLETE THE ENCLOSED RENEWAL FORM PROMPT RENEWAL IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED All monies to be made payable to The Ramsgate Society Addressed to: Miss Jennifer Smith, Hon Treasurer, The Ramsgate Society, Mayfold, Park Road, Ramsgate, Kent. CT11 7QH New Members joining The Society on or after January 1st in any year, the subscription will cover the period until April of the following year Members now have the option of paying Subscriptions by Standing Order Page 1 Important - please note change of our email address to: Editorial [email protected] Travelling to New Zealand for 5 weeks - returning 21st March - has meant we have had to do a little early prep of this issue to at least get it out on circulation ASAP after return. Mention was made of this in the Winter 2011 issue so that hopefully readers understand beforehand the lateness anticipated. To that end, I type this first part of the Editorial with a garden still full of snow (7th Feb 2012). Nice though it may be to look at, I trust it will all be gone by our return! On Page 6 you will see our John Walker writes about the ‘Love Where You Live’ Campaign with particular reference Your Editor’s footprints, swept away moments later by the surge of the next big wave at location... to litter. Now returned ,we might reflect that 43° 45.60’ S and 169° 36.34’ E. time was when people would take Anyone care to write in identifying the name of the bay pride in keeping their own bit of from these Latitude and Longitude co-ordinates? footpath clear. As far as possible we continue to do so here in feeding litter in through the beak - and thus perversely Chatham Place, as do our neigh- beneficial - making them inherently seagull proof. All it bours when need arises, most takes is a little imagination. Not forgetting either that the notably on dustbin day when the use of the word ‘please’ on notices goes a long way. odd bag gets torn and the strewn Let’s make it fun to use litter bins. Indeed Ramsgate could contents left by the dustmen. All go a step further and turn bin design into an art form invit- credit too to the Working Men’s Club ing people to come up with their own designs by way of a who take care of their own footpath competition. frontage. On a less important note; I might observe that you go Seagulls also are a pest in this A top loading bird halfway around the world only to be confronted with a proof litter bin in regard, though we have just been street named after your home town beside your hotel. The issued with seagull proof bags so cultural design next street along was Margate Street! The town in which hopefully this will improve matters. seen in they feature is Kaikoura in the South Island of N.Z. We even have a go at our back alley Oamoru - N.Z. - Chatham Passage - on occasion, They are about though the fly tipping at our back 100ft apart, thus gate is often a bit beyond that. encouraging Which brings us on to the present their use. culture of today’s society. Having just returned as mentioned Can’t get away from Ramsgate from a period of time in New Zealand (and Singapore) I can - even on our holidays! report that they are wholly litter free, entirely a consequence of a non-littering society, copious provision of rubbish bins and rigorous enforcement with stiff penalties. No evidence was seen of chewing gum spots either - so prevalent here. Maybe it is banned from sale - something in desperation we might support. So what to do? The problems are manifold. Certainly there needs to be a culture of town pride embedded in us Whilst visiting Art Deco Napier on the North Island - all, which of course starts at a very young age. My parents flattened by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in that style insisted upon proper disposal of litter and to this day we to some acclaim - I took the opportunity to try and leave nothing but our footprints, as indeed do - in turn - develop links. Art Deco Napier and Regency Ramsgate if our own children. This needs to be heavily restated to our you like. For the moment we will merely exchange young citizens for the future. For the present penalties newsletters / magazines - but it is a start. need to be a whole lot stiffer with unforgiving enforcement. Packaging also needs to be addressed to reduce the Part of bulkage of waste - the sort of product on sale of small size Napier’s and huge packaging. Defiant of access without proper litter free tooling to penetrate the encasing plastic is a particular thriving wasteful problem and frustration. We should not be blaming the council for litter strewn town areas, we should be addressing the problem ourselves as centre. individuals. The provision of litter bins needs to be far more generous, they could be of attractive varied design, to provoke com- ment and use. Seafront ones might be of seagull design, Page 2 THE CHAIRMAN'S LETTER Dear Members funding available from the Ramsgate Town Council. I Welcome to the Spring edition of About Ramsgate. I believe this would be a good way of raising awareness hope the winter was not too difficult for you, and that of The Ramsgate Society and would significantly improve the appearance of the town centre. If this goes we can look forward to a brilliant summer. In my last letter we anticipated the completion of the ahead, once again we would require some volunteers. two pilot schemes on the shelters. Unfortunately, they Please look on our website for information, or there will be more news at our General Meeting. were not completed due to manufacturing problems with various components including finials and metal We've recently been approached by the Acting Head panels that had to be remade. We've been advised that Teacher of the Marlowe Academy, Mr Carl Wakefield, by the time you receive this issue they will be completed who invited Peter Landi, our Vice President, and me to We have instructed the contractors to start work on all meet with some of the teachers and students of the the smaller shelters, and these have been cordoned off. Academy. This was a very interesting and fruitful meet- The shelters will be taken away to their workshop and ing. We had a tour of the Academy and met quite a foundry to be refurbished. number of students The contractors have prom- from the history, IT and ised that they will be re- drama departments. Mr turned in June - we hope Wakefield would like the some of them will be students to be made aware returned in time for the of the history and heritage Queen's Diamond of their town and believes Jubilee, fingers crossed. that The Ramsgate Society Our fundraising has made is the perfect partner in this great progress thanks to enterprise. Peter Landi in various donations including his role as Academic Liaison one of our life members in for The Society, together the States who has with Peter Borrough, could donated $200 for which we give a presentation to the are truly grateful.