NEW BOOK TELLS THE STORY OF RAMSGATE HARBOUR

 The first book to tell the colourful history of Ramsgate harbour is being published this month.

 

Author Michael Hunt said: “The last book about the harbour was written 25 years ago and concentrated on its construction. My book looks at the bigger picture – a whole history of the harbour from medieval times to the present day.”

 The book, A History of Ramsgate Harbour & Guide to its Existing Features, tells of the aspirations, triumphs and failures of the harbour project and the people involved with it.

 

Mr Hunt, former curator of Ramsgate Maritime Museum, said: “Ramsgate’s harbour has played an important role in British history – I’ve tried to give a sense of how significant that role has been, and explain the factors which lay behind its development.”

 “The book features the engineers and artisans involved in the harbour’s construction, and the politicians and monarchs who influenced its development,” Mr Hunt: “But I’ve also described the vessels that used the harbour, together with some of their more notable passengers and cargoes.”

 

The book also explores Ramsgate’s involvement with the ‘Cinque Ports’, the part the harbour played in two World Wars and its long history as a cross-Channel port.

 “I hope I’ve covered the life of the harbour in sufficient detail to interest history buff and general reader alike,” Mr Hunt said. “This is a description of one of the historic and architectural gems of Kent – and the only harbour in the United Kingdom to bear the Royal appellation.”

 

A History of Ramsgate Harbour, price £9.99, is available from Michael’s Bookshop, 72 King Street, Ramsgate Kent CT11 8NY.   www.MichaelsBookshop.com