The Ramsgate Tunnels X This Was Our Thanet

Updated: Sep 13, 2020

In July 2020, I received a very exciting email to the This Was Our Thanet email account. In the midst of the Covid-19 lock down, a wonderful man named Isaac Naylor reached out to the project. He wanted to know whether we would be interested with collaborating with the Ramsgate Tunnels Museum!

Due to the Covid restrictions, I was unable to meet with Isaac, the lead historian of the Ramsgate Tunnels, in person. However the JOYS of technology soon over came this, and I was sent a zip file which, quite literally, froze my entire laptop. Oodles of 90 year old meeting minutes, photographs and maps flooded my screen, and suddenly a whole underground world began to envelope before my eyes!

Prior to my conversations with Isaac, and even this project's humble beginnings, I had little knowledge on the expansive tunnel system of Ramsgate. As an ex-Clarendon House girl, I knew of the secret door that was kept firmly under lock and key, and the slab of concrete on the floor of the neighbouring Chatham House. I'd heard of the old entrance of Ellington Park, and was even aware that my aunt had a mysterious door in her Victorian house that led to who-knows-where.

Yet what I remained ignorant to was the sheer scale of the Tunnel system.

And it is large.

And so our story begins...

The Ramsgate Tunnels started life on the 5th October 1863 as an underground railway system, designed to connect the town centre and sea front with the rest of the Kent Coast Railway. It has been reported that this new line ran for approximately 2.5 miles underground, creating the basis for a new, subterranean world.

In 1926 the current Ramsgate Station (situated at the top of Station Approach road, no less) was opened, and the newly established Southern Railway (formed by the uniting of the South Eastern Railway and the London Chatham and Dover Railway) chose to close the underground railway.

Until 1936, that is...

Ramsgate Olympia converted the railway to become part of the expanding tourist industry on the Ramsgate seafront. By late July of that year, the scenic railway was opened, and connected the seafront with its warm sand and plethora of rides and fun with Hereson road. The photograph above was sent to me by Isaac and shows the small electric train on the station at the sea front (the sign at the top remained inside the entrance to the tunnel, slowly decomposing on the floor, long after the system was shut down).

The new scenic railway offered a short 5 minute trip and boasted scenery from around the world, lit up upon the dark walls. An extension to the seafront amusements, the railway offered a new adventure for all!

Shelter for 60,000? Bit soon, isn't it?

In 1938, a plan was constructed to create a deep shelter system to service all of Ramsgate. The plan was created by the borough engineer, Dick Brimmell, and was hoped to become the largest tunnel system in England.

Although there had been pre-existing tunnels available on the west and east cliffs of Ramsgate during WWI (as Ramsgate has been littered with many caves and tunnels over the years - ask the smugglers and the monks), it was thought that the distance of these tunnels from many inhabitants would prove treacherous in the case of an aerial attack. The engineer proposed to the local council that a new system, extending and expanding this pre-existing system would be of extraordinary benefit.

But the council said, no.

There were far better things that the council could spend their money on.

But they would think about it.

Following the Austrian annexation in 1938, the local council agreed to finally put the plans to the Government to ask for permission.

But the Home Office replied, it's all a bit soon, don't you think?

Another attempt was made later in the year of 1938. England was reconsidering its approach to Air Raid Protection following the Prime Minister's peace agreement with Germany, and so the borough of Ramsgate council resubmitted Brimmell's extensive plans to the Home Office for reconsideration.

Its still a bit expensive, don't you think?

By February 1939, the Lord Privy Seal had finally agreed to the construction of the tunnel system, but the local air raid committee remained displeased by the organisation of the situation.

Enter: A B C Kempe, The Top Hat Mayor of Ramsgate!

After much deliberation, the committee chose to entrust their town mayor with another attempt to persuade the Home Office to pick up the pace with the planning permission and funds. Captain H. H. Balfour (a member of Parliament) agreed to set up a new meeting between Sir John Anderson and Kempe r.e. the shelters.

Sir John Anderson -

In 1938, Anderson joined the House of Commons, and in November of the same year, then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain elected Anderson to become head of the ARP (Air Raid Precautions).

But where have I heard 'Anderson' before..?

For part of his precaution package, Anderson decided that each household should have access to a cheap and convenient means of personal protection in the instance of an air raid. He roped in the help of William Patterson to design a shelter that could be delivered to those living in areas expected to be of high risk and easily assembled. And thus the Anderson Shelter was born.

The Top Hat Mayor of Ramsgate Succeeds!

The meeting and communications between Anderson and Kempe proved successful, and finally the 3.5 miles of ARP tunnels were accepted by the Home Office! The letter above was sent to me by Isaac, and clearly shows the Ramsgate Town Clerk sending thanks on behalf of Ramsgate to the ARP office - finally proper protection of the town could begin construction. By June of the same year, the Duke of Kent attended the opening ceremony of the first finished segment of the tunnels; the section between 'Queen Street' and 'Harbour East'. A clip of this occasion can be found on the Ramsgate Tunnels website, of which is linked at the bottom of the blog.

The first of the pictures below was taken from a magazine article sent to me by Isaac. It breaks down the proposed areas and services to be made available in the tunnels, including lavatories and first aid posts to be placed at equal intervals so that each street may be adequately serviced. The next two photos show the government's answer for those who live away from the catchment areas for the new tunnel system. Here we can see the form that local residents, of whose income was lower £250 a year, could apply for an Anderson shelter for their own back yard - with the costs covered by the ARP department.

A large majority of Ramsgate was, however, covered by the tunnel network; Brimmell's plans ensured that no citizen should, at any point, be more than a 5 minute walk away from an entrance to the system.

24th August 1940 was a devastating date for the history of Ramsgate.

My father, when enlightening me with the snippets of local history he has hoarded over the years, often told me of how his Gran would often watch, from her window, the sky became filled with plumes of smoke upon Manston as the bombs rained down. This was long before Newington Estate came to fruition; there was nothing but fields between her window (where I sit now as I type) and the airport itself.

No air raid lit up the sky like that on the 24th August 1940, however. 500 bombs were dropped over Ramsgate in just 5 minutes. Over 1,200 houses were either damaged or completely destroyed by the inundation, making it the worst attack the town would go on to experience during the entire war.

And yet, miraculously, only 29 civilians and 2 soldiers were killed.

Kempe's insistence to the underground city can never go forgotten. Between himself, Brimmell and their team, immeasurable lives were saved that day through the easy access to the tunnels available to so many of the Ramsgate citizens. Whilst above ground the town was attacked and deformed like never before, below ground was a bustling city of survivors.

One of the stories my father picked up over the years provides an alleged reason for the attack. He believes that on the fateful occasion the lead aircraft of the German squadron was taken down en route to attacking Manston airfield by the anti-aircraft battery on the clifftop. Out of revenge, the rest of the flight dropped their bombs upon the town, aiming for the flour mill, viaduct, gas works and the area surrounding Albion House accordingly. If anyone can confirm whether or not this is true, I'd be exceedingly interested to hear!

This Link, WATCH IT!

I found the link above whilst perusing the Ramsgate Tunnel's website. It truly is a beautiful piece of history, and if you have 2 minutes spare, is very much worth the watch.

Kempe's UNDERGROUND CITY

The success of the tunnels during the attack convinced many of the Ramsgate citizens to take permanent residency underground. Crude dividers were erected to offer privacy to families as they shared beds and adjusted to subterranean existence. The video above clearly shows that as humans, we soon adjust, and people are shown merrily making tea, playing cards and listening to the wireless deep beneath Ramsgate town itself.

Soon canteens were popping up alongside barbers, hairdressers and a whole host of other facilities. Concerts and dances were also put on, helping to boost morale and make the new normal as familiar as possible.

The End of The War, The End of an Era

The end of the war saw the abandonment of the tunnels. In 1945 the ARP tunnels were cleared and the scenic railway made its return. Apart from sewerage for Newington, the only other plan for the tunnels came in 1952, with the proposal for the reconditioning - and Newington expansion- of the tunnels for protection during the Cold War.

When the Scenic Railway closed in 1965 the tunnels became completely vacant. Apart from the occasional urban explorer or bored student, no person entered and no plans for redevelopment came into fruition until 2011, when the Ramsgate Town Council won the bid for Lottery Funding, and the Tunnels Museum as it is now came alive!