A Walk in the Past.

On sale now !    In shops throughout the town (including Michael’s Bookshop) The Ramsgate Town Trail booklet, written and produced by the Ramsgate Society. It features seven seafront walks from Cliffsend to St George VI Memorial Park. The walks are continuous but can be taken individually, or as long as time and energy permit.

The walks will take you back into the grand history of this remarkable town, starting at a Viking ship called “Hugin”, on to see the work of A.W.N.Pugin, “God’s own Architect”, and then contemplate a sketch done by Vincent Van Gogh, maybe in his lunch hour, whilst teaching at Royal Road and living in Spencer Square.

Visit the most remarkable harbour in the UK, the only one with royal recognition, the guide explains how this happened and shows you the work of many famous people who crafted the Ramsgate we know today.

A wealth of bygone celebrities and architectural masterpieces jump out of the book and are displayed in real life before your eyes. You will walk past, squares, crescents, mansions, churches, lighthouse, waterfall, harbour, military installations, monuments, gardens and each one will tell a different story, from the past to the present.

The book is 80 pages, packed full with information about Ramsgate, together with a postcard attached to the last page which can be detached and sent to family or friends saying “wish you were here” and they will when they read the guide. Ramsgate Town Trail booklet costs £5.99 and is available from outlets in the town displaying “Town Trail on sale here” posters. All the proceeds will be re-invested in charitable projects about the town by the Ramsgate Society.

Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and Thanet District Council for funding the initial project. Also thanks to Pomegranate for great work in designing and publishing this complex project. Brilliant job !

Thanet Art Gallery “opening” soon.

 
Chalky Walker and his outside broadcast team are oiling their tripods and polishing their lenses in preparation for the big opening event, Local people are excited to see the result of 12 years of hoardings around the site and have high hopes that the finished product will live up to their full expectations. Chalky will be out interviewing visitors and getting their views about the future regeneration potential from such as local masterpiece.

The opening ceremony will be conducted by GO’D who is a larger than life figure in the area, expected to hold back the waves and get the sun shining especially for the event and also for the hoards of local people expected to turn out for the well-wishing.  It is hoped that the blue skies of Thanet so often revered by famous artists will decorate the ceiling of the new gallery.

Numerous local artists have been commissioned to provide a colourful array of varied artistic talent from Thanet and beyond and the response has been overwhelming. My own meagre contribution (see picture above) will have to remain in cyberspace and at the wrong end of town (Whatever happened to my board Gerry! :-()

The “Van Gogh Alfresco” commonly known locally as the Great Wall of Ramsgate “opens” on the 23^rd of April 2011 at 3pm, so put that date in your diaries. Where’s my diary? ….. ah! yes…only 22 days to go!

Oh, you thought I was referring to …er … the other…………………………..