Growing Up In Ramsgate

A Memory of Ramsgate.

I was born in Ramsgate in 1947. An only child, I lived with my parents in Grove Road. I have many happy memories of the town. Each night, as a young child, I used to go out with my father for "a little walk around" and we covered a lot of ground. Because he worked for the Council, my father got to know every nook and cranny of Ramsgate. I used to love the atmosphere created by the old gas lamps. We had one opposite our house and I well remember it catching on fire one night. I had a grandstand view of the proceedings from our front bedroom window!

I loved the Harbour area with "The Bounty" moored permanently close to the Clock Tower. I loved "Merry England" and all the lights and bustle of the amusement arcade area. I loved the lights that changed colour in the waters of the waterfall in Madeira Walk. I used to love to watch the unloading of fruit from cargo ships in the inner harbour basin. Lorries would be standing by to transport this up to Covent Garden (or so I was told).

Who remembers St Lawrence Boys (and girl's) schools - now long gone? I used to spend an hour or so after school watching the trains from the footpath that connected Newington Road with the front of the station.

I was given music lessons in Willson's Road by a gentleman by the name of Eddie Payne. He used to put on variety shows in local halls throughout Thanet and also ran these on a professional basis for Ramsgate Council at the West Cliff Hall and Granville Theatre for several years in the late fifties/early sixties.

I moved away from Ramsgate when I went to university in London in 1966 but I recently went back on a nostalgia trip. Yes, there have been changes, but the old magic is still there for me. Happy memories!

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