Fifty photographs of Ramsgate, Kent in winter – architecture, great bars, the beach and the harbour -

Ramsgate is a small town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England, and back in the 19th century it was a hugely busy seaside resort.

The impressive booking hall at Ramsgate station reflects that this was once a major destination for holidaymakers and day-trippers.

The Official Illustrated Guide to South-Eastern and North and Mid-Kent Railways (published in June 1863) waxes lyrical about the town:

‘It is impossible to speak too favourably of this first-rate town, its glorious sands, its bathing, its hotels, libraries, churches, etc. etc. not forgetting its bracing climate…

The streets of Ramsgate are well paved or macadamed and brilliantly lighted with gas.’

The 1970s brought about a steep decline in the town’s fortunes, with the growth of cheap package holidays abroad taking away their traditional visitors.

Howling Sounds record store on Chatham Street.

Rose of England pub on the High Street.

The stunning tiled façade of the Grade II listed Queens Head on Harbour Parade.

Harbour and a low winter sun

Ten years ago, the Victorian Society warned that the 1903 Grade II-listed Royal Victoria Pavilion on the beach front was “dilapidated and neglected,” but it’s now been fully restored as a popular Wetherspoon’s pub.

Sculpture outside the pavilion.

Ramsgate Boulevard.

Man looks out to sea,

Shell detail in wall.

Ramsgate Maritime Museum on the quayside of the Royal Harbour at Ramsgate.

The Clock House was built in 1817 by Benjamen Wyatt and George Louch. It was later altered by John Rennie and is now designated as a Grade II* listed building.