Ramsgate Tunnels - Kent

 Ramsgate Tunnels 

                                           Date: May 

                                           Location: Ramsagate

                                           Abandoned or Public : Public 

                                           Delmoished: NO

I've always wanted to explore the Ramsgate Tunnels. It's been on my "to do" list for a very long time. So, I had a free Thursday morning while my daughter was at nursery, and I headed to Ramsgate to take the first tour of the morning. I have to say, the tour was pretty interesting, and the amount you get to see is also very impressive. You get to explore a fair amount of the tunnels, and the tour guide provided a lot of good information too.

The Ramsgate tunnels were originally a trail line that ran for about 2 and a bit miles. They closed down in 1926, but reopened in 1936 for a short period of time. When World War II hit, a second phase of the tunnels was constructed to hold around 60,000 people during the air raids. Unfortunately, in 1940, 500 bombs were dropped by the Germans, destroying 1,200 homes and leaving around 300 families homeless. The tunnels became an underground town with shops, an underground hospital, and much more. However, over the years, parts of the tunnels became abandoned. After the war, the railway tunnel reopened around 1946 and then closed for good in 1965. The tunnels were left abandoned until around 2014 when they were opened as a tourist attraction.