The seaside town of Ramsgate in Kent developed as an important port in medieval England, associated with the Cinque Port of Sandwich. Close to the Continent, its harbour was a major embarkation point for the Napoleonic Wars and during the Dunkirk evacuation in the Second World War. In the nineteenth century Ramsgate became popular as a seaside resort, and was the home of architect A. W. Pugin, who built several buildings in the town, and later Vincent van Gogh lived and worked as a teacher in Ramsgate. Today Ramsgate is the major fishing port on the Kent coast and also attracts visitors to its large marina and beaches.

In this book author Andy Bull reveals the hidden history of Ramsgate, from the landing of Roman invasion forces, St Augustine’s mission to bring Christianity to this country, the famous writers who lived in or regularly visited the town such as Wilkie Collins, Jane Austen, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and how the future Queen Victoria almost died here and the crucial role of a Ramsgate doctor in saving her life, to the country’s only royal harbour, the secret harbour built at Richborough to transport munitions during the First World War and the vast network of tunnels built to shelter 60,000 people during the Second World War. With tales of remarkable characters, unusual events and buildings lost or hidden, and fully illustrated throughout, Secret Ramsgate will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this Kentish town.