FRANK IS ON THE FIDDLE ...
ALL ABOARD
but enjoys his Christmas
Pudding thanks to Gwen!
Take a train ride to
Ramsgate Harbour
GOING BACK 150
YEARS for a site visit
to the tunnels
ISSUE 7
December 2012
PLEASE RECYCLE
ramsgatetunnels.org
NEWSLETTER OF RAMSGATE TUNNELS HERITAGE GROUP
A NEW YEAR AND A NEW PHASE …
As 2013 approaches, the Jubilee People’s Millions phase of the Tunnel Project draws to a close
and as a fitting end to the year, project group members made a visit to the tunnels to discuss
their plans “on site”. The tunnels have a very special atmosphere and the group’s plans are built
around retaining the ambience and authenticity as far as is practical whilst making them safe for
public access.
A report on the project is being presented to the Jubilee People’s Millions and a public meeting
is being planned for the New Year when the group will present their findings together with
details of how the project will be taken forward. The date, time and place will be announced as
soon as arrangements have been finalised.
In the meantime, Ramsgate Tunnels Heritage Group wishes you a
A MERRY CHRISTMAS, 1940’s style
Christmas 1940 was the first real wartime
Christmas of World War II. With wartime
restrictions and heavy rationing in place, the
people of Ramsgate reflected on events of the
past year. During 1940, Ramsgate had suffered
the first Blitz on any town, had witnessed troops
returning from Dunkirk through the miracle of
Operation Dynamo, was parted from many of its
children in the evacuation and was living under
the threat of invasion. By the end of the year
more than 3,500 buildings had been damaged by
bombing and shelling, 145 of which had been
completely demolished. Thanks to the tunnels,
only 45 people lost their lives.
Despite these tragic events, spirits were still high,
and despite wartime restrictions people were still
willing to share what little they had. As part of the
Ramsgate Tunnels Heritage Group’s project to
record oral histories, Gwendoline Langridge
recalled a Christmas story about life in the
tunnels:
“There was a very old man in the tunnel
and he hadn’t got a home of his own at
all. He was very good at music and used
to play the violin. He used to walk all
over Ramsgate playing his violin. His
name was Frank, and we always used to
speak to him. He used to sleep between
two deckchairs with a blanket over him.
On Christmas morning, I said to my
Mum,
“Can I take some Christmas pudding
down to Frank?”
She said, “Why?”
“Well, he’s got nobody. He’s got no Christmas
or anything,” I said.
She said, “Alright, if you want to.”
So when we were having our Christmas pudding,
she cut a large slice off and put it in a bowl with
some custard on it. Straightaway, I went running
down the road and down the tunnel, and found
him in his deckchair. I said “There you are,
Frank. Happy Christmas.” He was having this
Christmas pudding and he was so pleased. He
nearly cried, poor old thing. I’ve often wondered
what happened to him. He hadn’t got a soul in
the world, but he was a brilliant musician. He
was the sort of person who was very nicely
spoken, but to look at him, you would have
thought you wouldn’t want to have anything to do
with him, unless you knew him. We all knew him,
and we all knew he was alright. He was very
grateful for anything.”
Gwendoline was recently shown this photo and
immediately identified the musician as “Frank”.
MEMORABILIA WANTED
The group is collecting wartime memorabilia in
preparation for use in future displays within the
tunnels.
Throughout 2012 a number of interesting
Ramsgate items have surfaced including a pair
of zinc lined wartime coffins.
The coffins are a sinister
reminder of the realities of war. They were used
in Ramsgate for recovery and identification of
bodies in the immediate aftermath of raids.
Thanks to the Ramsgate Tunnels they didn’t see
too much use during the War and remained in
readiness for many years in Ramsgate Police
Station. The coffins have been loaned to the
project by W.S. Cole & Son of Minster.
If you have any wartime memorabilia, from
documents and photos to clothing and utensils,
which you would like to donate to the project
please contact the group by email to:
[email protected].
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
To create a unique exploration experience, a heritage
destination and a versatile venue. To use compelling
and innovative technologies to reveal our national story
as seen from our unique strategic location at the
gateway of British civilisation. To regenerate our local
economy and to reignite the community’s pride in
themselves, their town and its unique contribution to the
culture of the nation
ISSUE 7
December 2012
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
To create a unique exploration experience, a heritage destination and a versatile venue. To use compelling and innovative
technologies to reveal our national story as seen from our unique strategic location at the gateway of British civilisation.
Big Lottery Fund
Ramsgate Town Council
SUPPORTERS OF THE
Ramsgate Tunnels
Heritage Group
Email: [email protected] or visit: ramsgatetunnels.org
Ramsgate Tunnels (Ramsgate Tunnels Heritage Group, Custom House, Harbour Parade, Ramsgate, CT11 8LP
All Aboard for Ramsgate Harbour
Both the chalk Air Raid Precaution tunnels and
the main line Railway Tunnel have played a
major role in the history of Ramsgate. Without
shelter given by the famous A.R.P. tunnels many
of today’s families may have been wiped out in
the many bombing and shelling attacks suffered
during the war years. Important as these tunnels
were, the former main line railway tunnel also
had a major impact on the town’s development
as it brought wealth and prosperity to the area. It
is this tunnel that will accommodate our vision for
the future of Ramsgate Tunnels.
FIRST TRAIN ARRIVES
The first trains came to Ramsgate in 1846
courtesy of the South Eastern Railway (S.E.R.).
The line came from Ashford via Canterbury and
arrived at the Town Station situated at the top of
Chatham Street. Trains then reversed out of this
station and followed a line to Margate which ran
roughly parallel with Margate Road, terminating
at Margate seafront. Little evidence remains of
the Town Station with just a few sections of flint
being visible in the structure of Chatham Court
apartment complex, which now occupies the site.
The name of the railway company is still
celebrated in the aptly named South Eastern
Tavern opposite the old station site and South
Eastern Road which runs from Grange Road to
Park Road and once continued to the Town
Station. The Shakespeare Pub a few doors along
also reflects the coming of the railway. The name
Shakespeare isn’t derived from the Bard of Avon
but celebrates the "Shakespeare Class"
locomotive which puffed its way into the Town
Station in 1846.
HARBOUR STATION
In 1863 a line from Faversham finally arrived at
Ramsgate via the three quarter mile long tunnel
which spectacularly exited the cliff face on the
existing S.E.R. Company. Initially the Herne Bay
and Faversham Railway proposed, and were
granted permission in 1859 to build a line to
Margate and the company name was changed to
the Margate Railway. Further permission was
obtained in 1861 to extend the line to Ramsgate
via Broadstairs and another company name was
introduced, the Kent Coast Railway.
Construction of the line to Ramsgate Harbour
was undertaken by a consortium of companies
involving the well know railway names of Peto,
Betts and Crampton. Thomas Crampton was a
local man and resigned from the Kent Coast
Railway board of directors to assist in the
construction of the track and tunnel. It was
envisaged that the line would provide a regular
communication with Ostend via Packet ships
from Ramsgate Harbour. Thomas Crampton was
also responsible for constructing the Crampton
Tower in Broadstairs which today houses a
railway museum.
The line opened on 5 October 1863 along with
Ramsgate Harbour Station and was worked by
the London Chatham and Dover Railway
(L.C.D.R.) under a lease. The L.C.D.R. and
S.E.R. were renowned for their mutual animosity.
Despite this it appears there was an attempt for
the two rival companies to work together when in
November of 1863 notice was given that an
application was to be made to Parliament for an
Act to be made permitting a new railway at
Ramsgate. Plans were deposited with the Clerk
of the Peace for the County of Kent detailing the
construction of two new railway lines which would
connect the existing S.E.R. and L.C.D.R. lines
with a terminus to be sited in or near to Watson’s
Livery Stables in Broad Street and Turner’s Place
in Ramsgate. The line was to be known as the
Ramsgate Railway and was to be paid for and
operated by “the South-Eastern Railway
Company, the Kent Coast Railway Company and
the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway
Company, or either of them”. This new railway
never materialised and it was some time before
the companies would end their rivalry.
TAKE A RIDE - Victorian Style
seafront to terminate at the Ramsgate Harbour
Station. The site of the station was previously
used as a shipyard and coastguard base and
was very compact for a terminus, which caused
numerous operating problems over the years. At
the end of the line a turntable rotated the
locomotive and tender unit which then
manoeuvred to the other end of the train for the
long haul back up the 1 in 75 gradient. Often two
engines were used to achieve this task. On
several occasions trains coming down the tunnel
were unable to stop and ran through the
turntable, crashing through the boundary wall
onto the road below.
Many company names were associated with this
line which was built in fierce rivalry with the
So what was it like for customers when the
station was first opened? Let us catch a train in
Mid Victorian England; for a start it would have
been darker; gas light was available but was
powered by jets of coal gas giving out a feeble
light. The gas mantle was still twenty years away
from being invented. The platforms were lit by oil
lamps giving out even less light. The station was
covered in part by a tall roof, which both
protected the passenger from the elements and
trapped the escaping steam and smoke from
waiting locomotives, so that these pollutants
could be enjoyed by the waiting passengers.
For many years the railways of Britain operated
two classes, 1st and 3rd, 2nd having been
abolished in order to
circumvent government
legislation
on
the
standard of rolling
stock. Third class travel
had moved away from
the early days of
open wagons but only
just as the internal accommodation of coaches in
1863 was sparse and consisted of plain wooden
benches, with small windows affording minimal
illumination. Change was on the way but would
take thirty years to come to a reasonable
standard and on railways like the South East and
the ‘Chatham’ longer still. Even in first class,
comfort was an adaptable term as it is a fourwheel non-corridor carriage, lacking any toilet
facilities and lit by oil light. The train itself lacks
any continuous braking system as only the
engine steam brake and tender brake are
available to stop the train in an emergency,
furthermore the Victorian railway passenger
could not be sure that the locomotive would not
explode, because of poor maintenance, age or
mechanical failure. Under the highly polished
exterior of the locomotive could lurk danger and
there are constant reports of explosions on
Britain’s railways right up to 20th century. The
locomotive itself would give off the acrid smell of
coke as at that time locomotives could not burn
whole bituminous coal without giving off
excessive smoke, even for those days.
L.C.D.R. Locomotive from around 1900
Throughout the 63 year history of the line very
little changed. The station remained much as it
was in 1863 and the track layout was restricted
by lack of space. The L.C.D.R. did have rights to
build a tramway linking the harbour to the station,
but it was never built. A short-lived ferry service
did start, but failed to thrive and an opportunity to
build a rival ferry port to Dover was lost. Despite
this, Ramsgate Harbour was one of the first
stations to offer trains direct to the North of
England. In the 1920s you could catch a train
from Ramsgate direct to Liverpool which carried
the name "Sunny South Express" and took 7hrs
35 mins. This was run jointly by the L.N.W.R./
L.M.S. and although locomotives changed as the
train passed through different regions the
carriages and their occupants made the journey
without interruption. The very popular Granville
Hotel also ran its own express train from Victoria
to Ramsgate Harbour in the 1920s.
In 1923 the S.E.R. and L.C.D.R. were absorbed
into Southern Railway and rationalization of the
lines took place. A new line was constructed
linking the old S.E.R. line to the L.C.D.R. line at
the Broadstairs end of the tunnel. The current
Ramsgate and Dumpton stations were built and
both the Town and Harbour Stations were closed
in 1926.
END OF THE LINE
Ramsgate Harbour station was transformed into
the Merrie England amusement arcade, funfair
and zoo. The railway tunnel was brought back to
life in 1936 by Ramsgate Olympia who
introduced a narrow gauge electric railway
from a new station in Hereson Road to
the seafront via a new spur tunnel.
Apart from the war years this service
remained in operation until 1965. The
former Ramsgate Harbour Station
building was destroyed by fire in 1998.
LCDR Third Class Carriage