Back in 1788 when Benjamin West painted The Bathing Place in Ramsgate everyone knew exactly what they were doing.
The head of the household was suffering from an illness, as you would expect he had - being wealthy - consulted the best physicians in london, bleeding had been tried, to no avail, leaches had been applied with no improvement. So he had rented a house in Ramsgate for a year, for the cure, family, servants, horses had all be transported to the seaside. The first part of his daily cure is to stripp off and drink a pint of seawater, you can see the jug in his hand.
Next the professional dunkers will ensure that he is totally immersed in seawater, at this time neither the bathing costume nor the holiday had been invented, so this has to be seen purely as medical treatment. Much of the prosperity of our local economy was based on this treatment.
Roll down the years and the maritime museum is open again for the summer months, flaming June has begun.
The steam tug Cervia is also open
The council have made a film about Margate
Summer in Kent - Explore Margate from
Go To Places on
Vimeo.
The Belgian now to be called the Green Tara will be open again in about a fortnight
Work is going along at what was The Bench and I think is due to be a Turkish eatery
Plenty to look at in the bookshop .
Just in case you think I am forgetting Margate here are a few Margate pictures
