Some Thanet photos some of Pegwell and video on Killing Commendatore by Murakami, Haruki

 Before I start with the photos descriptions I need some advice about using Facebook so if you know about this please read what I have to say at the end. 

First picture is the Tudor House Margate. This is obviously before or during the major restoration. 

Next one Ramsgate mayor Eddie Butcher lugworming at pegwell bay 

Next one is the tents for set up Margate carnival 

Next one the Medway Queen 

Next one the well known sailors grave in Margate 

Then we have a batch of pegwell pictures 

The last one being the most notable which was when the cliff collapsed taking the road with it this happened in 1947. 

If you are interested in Pegwell I strongly recommend coming to Michael's bookshop and browsing the book “Adventures in Shrimpville  Pegwell Bay 1760 1916” By Martin Easdown.

I will endeavor to add information on my Thanetonline blog where the pictures will probably expand better.

So my problem with Facebook is that what I do seems to disagree with its algorithm. Local people have donated and are still donating pictures to me, with the intention of me putting them online so that local people can enjoy them. 

What I do is to prepare a text with a rough description of the pictures and then post it to the local Facebook groups. There isn't an easy way of doing this as I wouldn't have time to post each picture individually to about 20 groups and put the description underneath the picture. Doing this however means that my posts drop to the bottom of the Facebook groups and people pick up just the photos from recently added photos and then comment asking me what the picture is showing. Obviously particularly in the local history groups these people really want to see them, so any ideas would be greatly accepted.

Paul Wells says Put the post as public on your own wall with descriptions on each image and share the post to the various groups

Pauline Danton says

Ahh the Medway Queen ..as a child my parents and my grandparents and some of my dad's siblings and sailed from Gillingham on her across the Medway and Thames on the way to Southend and back for a fun day at the seaside. The steam ferry was so packed with people that we had to use the jockey seats on the bridge. From there I watched the captain at the wheel next to her.. To clear the Medway she was pulled by tugs on a long chain. I was fascinated by the paddle wheel splashing through the water but it was a slightly windy day that blew the soot smuts over us as we were next to the funnel on the top deck and it did get a little breezy. Her pounding piston brass engines were polished so they shone and very smooth in operation as the steam from the boilers that drove them and in turn they turned the paddle wheels, but it was noisy.this was in 1958 when i was 8 yrs old.... I was so pleased to see her being restored and visiting Ramsgate a couple of years ago, she had to be towed as then she had no engine. I hope someday she does get an engine again as it would be wonderful to hear them turning her magnificent paddle wheels once more. I won't mind the the soot smuts if it happens and I would love to sail on her again before I die. Michael Child .

Thanet photos and classics vid

 First one is carol singers in Ramsgate town centre in 1952 

Second one I think is Margate 

Next one obviously Margate jetty 

Next one I think is the Surf Boat Friend of all Nations. The internet says built in 1857 by J Samuel white of cows and wrecked in the Great storm of 1877 

Next one is the launch of the Margate lifeboat 

Next one is pegwell village one of those strange hand tinted photographs so probably early 1900s 

Next one probably a tug on Ramsgate slipway I can't read the name perhaps you can 

And the last one obviously the convalescent home in pegwell 

It being Saturday I'm fairly busy here at Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate posting this between customers so apologies for mistakes and omissions.  We've also had some secondhand out of print Thanet local history books come in so you may want to visit. We are only open four days a week so best check on Google maps or our website before coming.

I am trying to add the information that comes from the Facebook comments to the photos where I have put them on my Thanetonline blog. So if you're particularly interested it may be worth looking there.

Robin Silman says The pic of the Jetty must be pre 1927 as the western lifeboat slipway is still in situ.

Bob Lee

Much significance attached to this photograph 1922-1923. One of the first major jobs awarded to Ramsgate's newly established marine engineering company Claxtons back then, was to shorten the bow length by 15½ feet of the Watkins company's Thames tug HIBERNIA seen here. The job was accomplished between Sept. 1922 and April 1923. The change was required to enable Hibernia to have better access and manoeuvrability in an ever increasing congested River Thames. Attached news article of April 1923 refers.

Old Pictures Ramsgate and Margate and Dandy Books Video

 First picture is Ramsgate Water Gala around 1905. I based the date on other similar pictures that are dated. It gives you a good insight and what people in Ramsgate were doing about 120 years ago. 

The next one I'm guessing is unloading coal and at Margate as you can just see the lighthouse far right. 

The next one is the building of Ramsgate Harbour Arches. Note the railway for the crane or digger on the left, obviously this would be in the 1890s. 

Charles Traill says the sailing barge is Cambria

Next the sailing vessel I think that is Margate in the background on the right. 

Next a small coaster on Margate Harbour arm. 

Next two are the toll booth on the East cliff in Ramsgate. I think these both date from the 1940s and relate to the condition it was in after the war and repairing it. This was originally used to charge people money for visiting the Eastcliff.

The next one Margate Harbour arm. 

The next one a coal lorry at Margate probably 1920s 

Charles Traill

Sailing barge Cambria

And finally Margate Harbor arm and lighthouse. Note the differences between the lighthouse in the picture an

d the one now which was completely rebuilt after the 1953 storm.

Charles TraillSailing barge CambriaCharles Traill

Sailing barge Cambria

Here at Michael’s Bookshop in Ramsgate I am getting a lot of the history of our house or street enquiries at the moment. If you are trying to do this in the first instance I recommend you come here to the bookshop and look at the cheap reprints of old Margate Ramsgate or Broadstairs directories. When you do this you have to be careful to work backwards from the most modern one as sometimes the street numbering or the street name even changes. We always have some original Kelly's directories in stock but they tend to be expensive. After that we do have some books that give more detail but for most streets there's very little history. I should stress here that we really don't mind people sitting in the local history books section and looking at the books for a considerable time.

Bob Lee says

As is captioned on the photograph, depicts a "Swimming Gala" which was held in the inner harbour Thursday 13th August 1908. The gala featured novelty races and contests organised back then by Ramsgate Swimming Club. Pictured is what was called a 'hobby horse race'

Charles Traill

says Sailing barge Cambria

Charles Traill

says Sociality, the only Everard coaster to be registered in Kings Lynn

Charles Traill says

Looks like auxiliary barge Will Everard in the foreground, one of ‘the big four’ specially designed for the Margate trade

Thanet old pictures

 First picture a pram race at Wellington Crescent

Next looking from Ramsgate’s East pier towards the seafront and railway station my guess is around 1900 

Next looking across Ramsgate inner and outer Harbor fishing snacks in the foreground I'm guessing early 1900s 

Next Margate looking down at the paddle steamers on the jetty

Next a Thanet tram I'm not sure of the location

Next unloading coal at Margate Harbor arm 

Next Lockwoods contractors it says Westgate on the sign so this could be in Westgate 

Next some repairs to Margate jetty decking 

Next Pegwell I think this is the construction of the sea wall 

Next Pegwell coastguard cottages top right 

Next Pegwell you can see the coast guard station on the top of the cliff 

Finally pegwell you can see the newly constructed pier and seawall 

If you are interested in the history of Pegwell as a resort I recommend coming here to Michael's bookshop in Ramsgate and having a good browse of the book called “Adventures in Shrimpville  Pegwell Bay 1760 1916” by Martin Easdown.

Once I have posted these batches of pictures on the various local Facebook groups I often get additional information in the comments. 

I'm now doing my best to add this information to where I have put this post on my Thanetonline blog.

Old Thanet Pictures and video on secondhand philosophy books

 The first picture comes from the middle of a Bygone Kent magazine. To me at the moment the most interesting thing is that it shows the bell on the clockhouse. It says this is based on the painting by Kenneth Beacham Martin who was deputy harbour master in 1831. Ramsgate clockhouse was built in 1817 so this picture is likely to be fairly accurate, something that can't be said for some of Martin's other paintings. It also looks as though the clock face is black.

The next picture is the front of the bygone Kent magazine that it comes from. Here at Michael's bookshop in Ramsgate we are pricing a large collection of bygone Kent at the moment, all at 99p each if you wondered. 

The next picture is the mayor in Cecil Square Margate. 

The next picture shows Margate seafront you can see Hazardous Row on the right. Personally I have been looking for pictures of Margate slipway without a lot of success so this one came up. 

The next one I think is John Todd king of the donkeys so Ramsgate 

The next one Kent Terrace Ramsgate 

The next one is a break and I think it is outside Minister church probably around 1900 

The next one a Margate corporation horse-drawn vehicle not sure of the date but as it's got inflatable tyres probably around 1930. 

The next one a Thanet Times flyer 

The next one the convent in Margate 

The next one St Mildred's Bay Westgate as the first world war seaplane base. 

The next one a steamroller in Queens road Margate 

The next one Kent Terrace Ramsgate 

Next one Kent terrace in the background of this one from the foreground I think it's a fairly early photo 

The next one is what eventually became Pleasurama  I think this is in the early days just after the railway station and before it developed the Merrie England or Olympia name 

The next one looking up Madeira walk and you can see a picture of the houses that have just been rebuilt after the Second world war bombing. 

The next one Ramsgate East cliff I'm guessing this is 1920s 

The next one Westbrook bridge 

Another rush job today, in my previous post I missed posting to a lot of the Thanet Facebook chat groups and pretty much only posted to the local history Facebook groups. 

This is really down to the amount of time that I have. So sorry if I missed your group.

Michael Cates

says Lots of detail in the print 'after' K B Martin. The bell was, in fact, a 'nest' of 4 bells, like a Russian doll, of different pitch, to strike the hours and quarters etc.

There were steps up to the door of the clockhouse - today the ground level is higher than the threshold.

Mr. Gott's Vinegar Bottle House, is very prominent - was it really that large?

The early view of Margate Harbour, is great and I don't think I've seen it before. The Brig was probably a collier from the North East.

The cecil Square event is the review and welcome of the Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles by the Mayor and Corporation. The regiment came fairly frequently for training camps in the area and they always attracted lots of interest.

Attached is part of a report from May 1909 - it might be that occasion?

Mick Chapman

Trying to place this.. Margate Harbour before the Imperial Hotel was built? Corner building (2nd left, behind the sails) must be the old Evans chemist?

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Michael Child

Mick Chapman any ideas on the date

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Mick Chapman

Now, i think the Imperial was built around 1870ish. And s you can see on the far left of the photo, the harbour goes right over to where the road currently is. So, stab at 1865?

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Michael Child

Mick Chapman thanks I thought it had to be around that sort of date

Possibly 1873 the site of Globe. Notice the Harbour juts in compared to current shape. So your photo is around time of this one.