Ramsgate Tunnels

Image: © Alan Murray-Rust Taken: 4 Sep 2022

The tunnels originally brought the railway to Ramsgate Harbour station which was on the site now occupied by modern apartment blocks, and closed in 1926. In 1936 the former railway tunnel was converted to form the 'World Scenic Railway'. This used the old tunnel with a new link to a point close to Dumpton Park Station to provide railway passengers with a convenient link to to the beach, the new Ramsgate station being a considerable distance inland. The railway was a 2-foot gauge line, with overhead electric supply and two trains which shuttled between the two termini. The railway closed during the war when a network of additional tunnels was created to from air raid protection, and the concrete facade appears to date from this period. The scenic railway reopened after the war, finally closing in September 1965 due to the decline in traffic with the increase in car ownership. The tunnels reopened in the early 21st century as a tourist attraction featuring the various uses of the tunnels, particular the World War II period.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0