Ramsgate

Ramsgate began as a fishing/farming hamlet in medieval times (at least 600AD) called ‘Ramisgate’ or ‘Ramesgate’. The Royal Harbour started construction in 1749 and was completed around 1850. It is the only Royal Harbour in the UK (designated as Royal by King George IV) and has been important throughout history for the Napoleonic Wars and the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 for World War II, for example. One of the ships that took part in the Dunkirk evacuation is still in the harbour – ‘Sundowner’.

In the 1820s, Princess Victoria (later to become Queen) stayed in Ramsgate and it became a fashionable seaside resort. Other famous people to have stayed in Ramsgate include Jane Austen (writer), Vincent Van Gogh, George du Maurier and James Tissot (artists).

You can visit a lovely Regency Italianate greenhouse (early 1800s) in the King George VI Memorial Park.