Ramsgate Tunnels - the town under a town: April 22 2022

I took a short cut through Ellington Park to get to the station and was delighted to see how lovely it was. Looked after by a Friends' Association, it is getting better all the time with a new cafe to join the bandstand, bowling green and bookshop. There's also a little nature reserve, sculptures and children's playground

I was intrigued to see this recent addition, signposts marking the two entrances to the Ramsgate Tunnels, part of the war-time protection system. Everyone in Ramsgate was within a quarter mile of a tunnel entrance and many thousands sheltered there during bombing raids on the town.

As well as dormitories and bathrooms, the tunnels housed shops, a cafe and a hospital. Some people lived there after their homes had been wrecked.

Some of the tunnels were 27 metres deep. They have been renovated recently and opened to the public for tours of just under a mile (plus tea-shop). They're part of regeneration plans for Ramsgate, building on its maritime and military cultural legacies.

The town does have some beautiful architecture and the only Royal Harbour in England. Along with 60 other towns, it also has some funding to re-invent its High Street, too.
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