Pugin’s Abbey Church St Augustine’s Ramsgate

This church is open to the public every Sunday from 2pm until 4pm and I recommend taking the opportunity to visit this iconic Ramsgate Building.

At the moment the future of the church is uncertain as the monks are leaving Ramsgate, services there are conducted by the incumbent of St Ethelbert’s Church, he is also leaving and it is uncertain if his replacement will be prepared to take on both churches.

Because of this there is a possibility that at some time in the future there may be no, or very limited public access, which is another reason to take advantage.


Click here for the pictures

I have taken the liberty of adding the Pugin Society’s leaflet about the Abbey at the bottom of the page of pictures.

Pictures of the historic vehicle bucket and spade run at Ramsgate July 2010

Here are the links to the first lot, there are more on other cameras and I will add them after this lot have published.

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id3.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id4.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id5.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id6.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id7.htm

as before there are over 500 in this first batch so it will be sometime before they have all published on the internet.

Just one other point, breakfast sandwich (bacon, egg and sausage) and a cup of coffee at the Lookout Café there, total cost £2.50.

Entrance to this event is free, so all in all a pretty cheap day out including food and drink.

Another page of pictures at http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id8.htm a big one I think.

Even more pictures at http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id9.htm no idea why the first few are so small

My children now have cameras and their perspective is a little different click on the link for an eight year olds view of the bucket and spade run http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id10.htm

Yes twins so this is the other ones view http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/bs2010/id11.htm

Bucket and spade run Ramsgate today

A reminder for those of you who are wondering what to do on rather a dull day.

Classic vehicles will arrive at Government Acre Ramsgate at around 11am; I will take some pictures for those of you who can’t get there.

Pictures of Ramsgate and some thoughts

This first batch were Wednesday I think, it’s good to see the seagull proof rubbish bags, their effectiveness evidenced by the lack of rubbish strewn all over the road.

You can also see the vegetation growth in the cracks of the cliff façade behind Pleasurama is building up as the season progresses, I am afraid looking at this and considering that £1m of council tax money has recently been spent on filling the cracks and coating the façade surface, makes me rather annoyed.

The Pleasurama roof drainage pipe is progressing slowly through all of the various underground obstacles along Harbour parade. I have noticed that the reinstatement work to both the road and the footpath is of such good quality that you can’t really see where they have been.

The situation with the coloured concrete dance floor surrounding the eastcliff bandstand is getting very bad indeed, the severe cracking displacement and vegetation growth can’t be helping with the cliff stability there. There is a maze of caves and tunnels in this area, many associated with the world wars, particularly HMS Fervent.

Click on the link for the pictures http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/610/id8.htm

This next batch were taken yesterday, it is sad to see the commemorative plaques around the town being stolen for scrap metal, suppose it is synonymous with our broken society that our heritage is reduced to its scrap value.

The King George IV Maritime Heritage Pontoon is still empty after the council deciding to charge nearly full harbour fees to the historic vessels, meaning that they have all left.

Then there is the business of the maritime museum, I have re written Parkinson to illustrate what may of happened here.

The councillors and council executives meet to discuss two new projects: a modern art gallery and a museum. None of them understand modern art and the gallery is bewilderingly expensive, and non-experts risk embarrassment if they speak up, so it gets approved in two and a half minutes. But everyone knows about museums and local history, and everyone has an opinion. The museum, "will be debated for an hour and a quarter, then deferred for decision to the next meeting, pending the gathering of more information.

Don’t underestimate the bewilderingly expensive factor here, every one can relate to the difference between charging an historic yacht £20 per week and £80 per week to tie up outside the café culture, however say £2m for an historic project in Margate, well the figure is so large that it is meaningless to most people.

Click on the link for the pictures http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/610/id9.htm

Entrance fee to Margate’s Big Event doubles in two months

Back in April I published Thanet district Council’s big event press release see http://thanetpress.blogspot.com/2010/04/margates-big-event-takes-off-for-2010.html if you read it through, I know press releases aren’t that much fun to read, so you can take my word for it that is says that a token admission fee of £1 will be charged this year.

I was quite surprised today when I noticed that the council have now published on their website that this fee will now be £2 see http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/big_event_tickets_on_sale.aspx

Yes I know that this doesn’t sound that much, but for a family of six this is a rise from £12 for the two day event to £24, there is also a reference to parking charges by default at http://www.thanet.gov.uk/leisure__culture/margate_big_event/fathers_day_lunch_package.aspx where it says that a £32 per person VIP ticket entitles you to free parking.

With the cost of parking, perhaps it will tell you that, where it says, “Coming soon Visitor Information”

I would imagine that there is also some effect here on the Qfest event that was to have been held on the same days at Quex Park but has been cancelled due to lack if ticket sales see http://www.qfest.co.uk/

Update I have had a response to my enquiry about this from the council, the information was in a press release that seems to have gone astray, the extra money is due to extra Red arrows, seems reasonable to me.

Date: Friday, 30 April 2010

Press and Media Manager


NEWS RELEASE

MARGATE FIRST STOP FOR RED ARROWS IN 2010

Margate is to be the first UK stop for the world famous Red Arrows for 2010, with their appearance at Margate’s Big Event starting off their season of displays.

The team will now be opening Kent’s leading land and air festival on Saturday 19 June, in addition to their confirmed appearance on Father’s Day on Sunday 20 June, when they will be closing the packed programme of flying.

Organisers are welcoming this addition to the Big Event as fantastic news for Margate. Entry to the event will be adjusted to £2.00 to cover the extra costs associated with the higher numbers expected.

Gill Shepherd, Events Manager said: “We are really excited to have secured the Red Arrows for both days of our flying programme and it’s a real scoop for the area that they will make their first appearance of the season in Margate. We’re expecting this year’s crowds to be bigger than ever, which is great news for Thanet. To make sure we can look after the expected numbers safely and keep the event family friendly, we need to increase our price to £2.00 with children under the age of five free of charge.”

The two day festival, which is organised by Thanet District Council, will also pay tribute to the Battle of Britain, on its 70th anniversary. A specially choreographed display will see historic Spitfires once again taking on German planes over the skies of Kent, in remembrance of the events of 1940. There will be a full programme of flying on both days and, on the ground, visitors can enjoy live music, street performances and entertainers.

Gill added: “There is so much free entertainment on offer at Margate’s Big Event, with a huge line-up of top street acts, live music and our Magic of the Beatles evening concert on the Saturday night. This represents a great value weekend and will rival anything in the South East for price and quality.”

The event will be open from 10am until 10pm on Saturday and from 10.30am to 6pm on Sunday. Ticket holders can leave and return to the site as often as they wish during the course of the day and there is no additional charge for the concert on the Saturday evening. Tickets are expected to go on sale for Margate’s Big Event in early June.

For more information about the Big Event, go to www.thanet.gov.uk/margatesbigevent

Pictures of Broadstairs

As you see from the picture above you don’t need grant funding to get people to walk round the paddling pool in Broadstairs, just a bit of sunshine.

This first lot of pictures were taken early on Sunday morning, rather gloomy bank holiday weather, but at least it wasn’t raining, click on the link for the pictures http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/610/id5.htm

The next lot were taken on my day off yesterday, I went over first and foremost to visit the bookshops there, as you see a much better day on the weather front http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/610/id6.htm

Thanet Matters or does it and a few other thoughts

Earlier this week I got the press release saying that new edition of Thanet District Council’s magazine Thanet Matters was available online, I couldn’t find it on the council’s website, so I let them know there had been some sore of glitch.

This sort of thing quite often happens and I suppose in instances like this the council see me as irritating but useful, anyway I got the response that it was going up on the internet, which it eventually did.

Once they finally managed to publish it and I was going to put up on the Thanet press release blog as I do, however when I looked at the online edition I noticed that the pictures were all blurry see http://www.thanet.gov.uk/pdf/TDC_Thanet_Matters_Issue47_web.pdf I informed the council that it hadn’t published properly about 24 hours ago, well I still haven’t had a response about this and the pictures are still all blurry.

I know that this sort of thing may not seem that important, but publications like this cost us the council taxpayers a tidy sum and to do the final web publish badly really isn’t necessary.

I think much of the problem here is the way the council doesn’t use the internet as well as it should do, to put the magazine up as a pdf file, something that is difficult for older computers manage.

Now if this was a commercial magazine it would probably be published as a series of interactive web pages, something like all the local papers do now.

Another thing here is that when the council first failed to put it up they did put the press release about it on the council’s website, now because the part of the website where they put press releases has feeds this means that probably a great many people would have gone to look for this non existent magazine.

One really bizarre aspect of this edition of Thanet Matters is that the blurry picture of Ramsgate Sands shows the Royal Sands Development (Pleasurama) completed, there is no mention in the magazine that work hasn’t even started on it yet. I do wonder if council even know anymore that this 12 year deserted building site in Ramsgate’s most prominent leisure area even exists.

Anyway enough of moaning about the council, I will end on a positive note, a usually reliable source from within the council told me today that they have managed to get The Rank Organisation to promise to repair the structure and the outside of The Royal Victoria Pavilion. My understanding is that it isn’t part of the agreement that they will refurbish and redecorate the inside, but I think it fair to say that this will be enough to get this iconic building back into use.

My only reservation is that the pavilion has an inadequate sea defence and that resolving this issue should be an important part of any refurbishment work done there.

Sorry about the lack of punctuation and other errors this is a mobile post made on my day off.

Some steam engineering marine engineering and model engineering books in the bookshop.

With my recent coverage of The Steam Tug Cervia, see http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Steam%20Tug%20Cervia%20in%20Ramsgate%20Harbour and the Dunkirk evacuation model tug display see http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/2010/05/dunkirk-evacuation-model-tug-display-at.html I have been reading up on steam and model engineering.

This means I have been reading some of the books about this in my bookshop, I have just photographed excerpts from some of them to amuse other people with this sort of interest see http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/510b/id22.htm

Looking at the post so far it does look as though it’s about building a somewhat eccentric and in some cases rather expensive gentleman’s library, so here are some pictures of other arts and crafts books on the bookshop selves today http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/610/id4.htm none should be expensive, very few over £10 per book with an average price about £6.

I hope these will have a somewhat broader appeal, selling engineering and craft books as I do it occurs to me that this is for the most part an area where sexism still flourishes, with nearly all of the books about fabric related craft being bought by females and nearly al of those about wood or metalwork being bought by males.

Staying with a craft related theme I repaired the staircase between the shop and the flat above over the bank holiday weekend. This is something that I hadn’t done before and started by trying to find out how to do this using the internet, after some exasperation going from site to site trying to sell me a new staircase, once again I resorted to the books in the bookshop for the information.