Click to expand, Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs in the late 1700s

Pretty much as a continuation of my previous post I am still trying to put together what people were doing in Thanet in the 1700s and at the moment it still does seem to be mostly the seaside medical cure. Although in this 1779 guide there is definitely something like a holiday season developing. 

Ramsgate in 1795

Back in the late 1700s there were two ways of getting from London to Thanet, one was a Margate Hoy (type of boat)

Margate Hoy

The other was by stagecoach, I don't think there were any guide books for people traveling from London to Thanet by sailing hoy.

During the last quarter of the 1700s Thomas Fisher the bookseller in Rochester produced a guidebook with maps for people traveling here by stagecoach. If you are interested in this book we publish a cheap £6.99 reprint. I would recommend coming here to Michael's Bookshop in Ramsgate https://www.michaelsbookshop.com/index.htm and giving it a browse alternately you can buy it online at https://michaelsbookshop.com/catalogue/the_kentish_traveller_s_companion.htm

Below are some pages from the book

1779 map of Thanet

This map will expand, with a few clicks, so that it is big enough to read.

Starting with Margate, which up until the completion of Ramsgate Harbour in about 1795, was the main attraction for those wealthy enough to travel to Thanet.

  

On to Broadstairs 

And then to Ramsgate

As you can see this guide was published before Ramsgate Harbour's inner basin was finished, the inner basin allowed the sand to be flushed out of the harbour making the harbour deep enough to admit large vessels.

A side effect of this increased the shipping in the harbour and with it the tourism in Ramsgate. Wealthy people coming to the Thanet towns brought prosperity.

The general picture I am developing is of Thanet being very poor at the end of the 1600s with a steady improvement through the 1700s, better housing, more work and better food.

As you can see I have been rereading some of the local history books we publish and putting some of the information on the internet, hopefully to inspire more local people to develop an interest too.

This week I have also been reading novels by Kazuo Ishiguro, starting with "Clara and the Sun" and now I'm on the "Buried Giant" Michael's Bookshop where I work has been busy recently so apologies if the blogging is a bit fragmented. here is the link to the most recent books we have put out on the shelves https://michaelsbookshop.blogspot.com/