Stables in Cecilia Road gone for a Burton

A chance conversation about an animal and a fire reminded me to post this. These pictures click here to view the rest of them all relate to Pc Jordan who rescued some horses from the sables in Cecilia Road when the caught fire in 1932. I am afraid that is the only information I have at the moment, so if anyone knows any more please post a comment or email me one to post.

What are you drinking the water or the wave?

Click on the picture to enlarge

Manston airfield, and the agricultural land around it doubles as our drinking water reservoir, you can’t see the water because of geology, the chalk underneath the ground acts as enormous sponge. Not only does this sponge collect the rain water that falls on the land above but our water is pumped there from other sources for storage.

In recent years there have been pollution problems both with oil and fuel from the airport and fertiliser used on the farmland, now the Chinese want to build a huge factory complex on top of this, our drinking water reservoir.

Understandably some people are unhappy about the idea and most of the comment blogwise is going on at Thanet Strife, link on the sidebar, however I thought that this was such an important issue that I should put up a post and add a few thoughts.

There is an added consideration that the Chinese, like any other large employer, take Nissan for example, can simply go elsewhere in the EU, whenever they wish, leaving much of the Western side of Thanet concreted over. If that happens, then it’s easy to imagine a rapid change from industrial to residential development.

So, perhaps we should “Beware of Chinese bearing gifts” as we look for a short term economic gain for Thanet without considering the longer term risks to our quality of life. Jobs at any cost may not be the best solution. What do you think?

Click here for some additional information

Photographing Ramsgate Library

I was talking to a prominent local figure who has done a lot of work with the save Ramsgate Library group yesterday, he visited the library last week with other prominent local figures for a meeting and viewing of the restoration’s progress.

What he said beggars belief. “The developers and Kent County Council’s representatives said we were under no circumstances to take photographs, a lady journalist had already started photographing the work and they stopped her.”

“What reason did they give?” I asked.

“You’re not going to believe this one.” He said.

They said. “Because the library is next to Clarendon House School any photographs taken in or of the library have to be approved by the head teacher to ensure none of the pupils appear in them.”

“What even the pictures taken inside the library.” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, “and the funniest part of all was that the meeting was at 4 pm and all of the pupils hade gone home.”

I have published a few pictures of Ramsgate school children click here to view them and I await with interest to see if Kent Count Council, or anyone else asks me to remove them.

The Grange

Oh yes and a few pictures of Pugin’s Grange taken at yesterdays open day, sorry if they are a bit strange the lens is old and came a bit unscrewed Click here to view

Pleasurama?

I've been abit tied up today but this might interest some people (especially those laying slabs on loose sand).

"A remarkable and dangerous high tide occurred in … August…about midday, when the bathing was at it’s height, a very rapid rise of the sea took place, not unlike the “bore” seen in some tidal rivers, accompanied by a succession of heavy waves rolling up the harbour with prodigious force. The rush of water was so enormous and sudden that the lives of a number of bathers were in great peril…thirty of the bathing machines were floated away…Fifteen of Gore’s machines were utterly wrecked…ladies and gentlemen were with the loss of their clothes…The tide rose over the sea wall and up the the level of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway.” 1870, Ramsgate. (A Gossiping Guide)

Another local blog gone

If there is one thing that most of the local blogging community don’t like it’s when one of us is forced to remove their blog. No this isn’t about Eastciff Richard, Thanet Life or One Voice this is about the vanishing of the only blog by a local journalist.

The only inference I can draw is that local politicians didn’t like what he was writing on it and told the bosses at out main local paper to stop him.

Were I living in a banana republic I would of course expect this sort of thing here in England though the home of political satire, if our politicians can no longer laugh at themselves, god help us.

Below a sample from the offending blog I shall be interested to see if I am asked to remove it and who by, you may wish to ponder who doesn’t want you to read it.


These are some of the Smudgers that could not make it into the paper.IT was Easter Sunday and Sandy Ezekiel and his best friend OBE were tucking into creme eggs and dunking chocolate fingers into them when there was an almighty earthquake. Suddenly Jo Gideon appeared and told them not to be afraid and suddenly created a technical evaluation and public consultation. Residents flocked to their house at the news of the consultation but when they opened the front door they found the Thanet Tsar and OBE gone.“Don't be afraid,” said Jo, “I know that you have come to see Sandy and Rog. They are not here, for they have risen. Come inside and see the place where they were eating eggs.” The people went inside the house and found it empty, just as Jo had told them. “Go quickly and tell the others that Sandy and Rog have risen from their beds, and they are going to Margate where you will see them.” No one believed the constituents but later on at a full cabinet meeting Sandy and Rog were seen with strange brown markings on their mouths and suddenly everyone agreed that they both had been eating eggs. Just like they said they would.DID you know that the leader of Thanet council has his own cereal? As we all know Ezekiel was a prophet and priest in the Bible who prophesied for 22 years in the 6th century BC.Crafty church goers have turned a passage from Ezekiel (4:9) “Take also unto thee wheat and barley and beans and lentils and millet and spelt and put them in one vessel and make bread of it,” and turned it into a 100 per cent flourless sprouted grain cereal.The puff reads: “This biblical cereal is truly the staff of life. Yeast free, no added oil, no artificial flavours.” A bit like Sandy I suppose.THE winners of Thanet’s smokefree local business awards were presented on National No Smoking day last Wednesday.There were over 20 entries for the awards, set up by Thanet council, which recognise those local businesses that have followed the law since it came in last July.Smudger feels this is somewhat pointless and assumes that awards will be given out to those who haven’t stolen a car, robbed a bank and the top 10 people who paid their road tax.At a glittering ceremony hosted by Cllr Jo Gideon trophies will be given out to everyone who follows the law. It will be called “I didn’t break the law.” Smudger has been given a special trophy because he didn’t dump black bags in the middle of the road.THE council’s new yoof publication, Youth Matters, is back bulging with Easter details to keep kids entertained. However, what you may not realise is that if you haven’t received your copy you can ring 577050, and if you add 5, 7, 7, 0, 5 and 0 you get 24, which is exactly how many pages the magazine consists of. Smudger thinks that to really get the Yoof interested you have to have some animated adventures with the councillors. It would be a bit like the Fantastic Four. Financial mega-brain, Martin Wise, would become a giant talking calculator called Professor Wise who battles negative numbers and inverse ratios. Tourism legend Roger Latchford would become Corporal Bark, a talking dog who goes around imprisoning evil-doers in art galleries when they graffiti. Exalted leader Sandy Ezekiel would become Sandyman, clad in a tight PVC suit with utility belt containing high-speed consultations and sustainability appraisals that fly through the air at 132mph. The whole show would be called Cabinet Combats: The fight for freedom.Not surprising really.

Thomas Morris

Three men in a boat

The report of the Standards Board is now published
Click on the members names to read the findings.

Clive Heart

Doug Clark

Sandy Ezekiel

Killing Ramsgate’s café culture

As you will have noticed from the papers this week TDC have said that they intend to go ahead with the Pleasurama development without a flood risk assessment, against the advice of the environment agency.

This means that the building work will start soon and that heavy construction lorries will be bringing in the building materials through the heart of or café culture. Building dust on you cappuccino and all over your dinner.

I suggested that the building materials be brought in down the old mainline railway tunnel, which would mean that none of the heavy construction materials came into the town at all, I don’t believe that they bothered to look at the idea seriously.

That means that there are only two routes to the building site right through the café culture that is thriving and expanding, and appears to be what is stopping the towns economy collapsing in the way Margate’s has, or down the arched slope and along Marina Esplanade.

I had previously been lead to believe that the arches were not strong enough to take the weight of the lorries, however when I pointed out that the main sands car park had been removed for a roundabout for busses to turn and that busses were also heavy, I was assured by TDC that the slope was able to take 40 tones.

So they can’t have it both ways and although it may be a little unpleasant for the people in the few remaining buildings left on Marina Esplanade, when the alternative is damaging the whole towns economy it is obvious that the building material should come in that way provided it’s safe.

The pictures were taken last summer and I find it difficult to see how construction vehicles would fit in.