Saturday 25 March 2023

The Hovelling Boat Inn Ramsgate, ten year anniversary and a ramble from the Bookshop.

Michael's Bookshop, where I work in Ramsgate was once a pub but I don't expect the building will ever return to being one. 

Stranger things have happened,  The Hovelling Boat Inn became The Perseverance Dining Rooms in about 1910 and didn't change back to being a pub for 104 years. 

Below is what I wrote here when it reopened as a pub 10 years ago.

 After being closed for 104 years The Hovelling Boat Inn, 12 York St, Ramsgate has reopened as an Ale and Cider House with no music, TVs or games machines.

 Ale and Cider straight from the barrel in a relaxed and friendly setting wine and soft drinks are also available but no spirits.



picture of The Hovelling Boat from Ramsgate Remembered website


 I note that ten years ago I didn't go for a pint there but instead I was painting in the dark in the Belgian Café

I expect an expert could enhance the picture, but it was pretty dark and it looks pretty dark.

As you see from above I have been messing about with photos that display well on a smartphone.
As far as I can see most people will be reading this on their smartphone, so this probably makes sense.


Next AI I, asked Google's Bard to "produce an article about Ramsgate's obelisk" the following is what it came up with:-


The Obelisk of Ramsgate

The Obelisk of Ramsgate is a monument located in the town of Ramsgate, Kent, England. It was erected in 1823 to commemorate the visit of King George IV to the town in 1821. The obelisk is made of Dublin granite and weighs 100 tons. It is 52 feet high and was unveiled by Lord Liverpool.

The locals at the time referred to the obelisk as the royal toothpick.

The obelisk is located on the harbor front, close to the Royal Harbour Hotel. It is a popular tourist attraction and is often used as a landmark for navigation.

The obelisk is a Grade II Listed Building and is considered to be an important part of Ramsgate's history.

History of the Obelisk

The obelisk was erected in 1823 to commemorate the visit of King George IV to the town of Ramsgate in 1821. The obelisk was designed by the architect James Wyatt and was built by the local masons.

The obelisk was unveiled by Lord Liverpool on July 19, 1823. The unveiling was a public event and was attended by a large crowd.

The obelisk was originally located on the beach, but it was moved to its current location on the harbor front in 1868.

Description of the Obelisk

The obelisk is made of Dublin granite and weighs 100 tons. It is 52 feet high and has a square base. The obelisk is topped by a pyramid-shaped capstone.

The obelisk is inscribed with the following words:

"This obelisk was erected by the inhabitants of Ramsgate to commemorate the visit of King George IV to the town in 1821."

Importance of the Obelisk

The obelisk is an important part of Ramsgate's history. It is a Grade II Listed Building and is considered to be a landmark for navigation.

The obelisk is also a popular tourist attraction. It is often used as a backdrop for photos and is a popular spot for picnics."

As you would expect it is American.

Far less blog posting recent as I have been busy at work in the bookshop here is the link to the books we put out recently



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Comments, since I started writing this blog in 2007 the way the internet works has changed a lot, comments and dialogue here were once viable in an open and anonymous sense. Now if you comment here I will only allow the comment if it seems to make sense and be related to what the post is about. I link the majority of my posts to the main local Facebook groups and to my Facebook account, “Michael Child” I guess the main Ramsgate Facebook group is We Love Ramsgate. For the most part the comments and dialogue related to the posts here goes on there. As for the rest of it, well this blog handles images better than Facebook, which is why I don’t post directly to my Facebook account, although if I take a lot of photos I am so lazy that I paste them directly from my camera card to my bookshop website and put a link on this blog.