Ramsgate - a pain in the arts

Margate retailer and arts columnist Philip Page takes a walk on the south side of the Isle of Thanet, and discovers that the arts scene in Ramsgate has all but disappeared.

With the IOTA Gallery closed, the West Cliff Hall derelict, and the library burnt to the ground, the prospect of any arts-led regeneration looks remote.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Ramsgate
• Thanet
• ECR
• TV
• arts
• regeneration

[ukvid]

Good to see someone who cares about thanet.

I find it incredibly sad to see how neglected the whole area is, thank god there are some people that still bother to fight the fight.. are thanet council, quite possibly the most useless in the country?

[eastcliffrichard]

I don't think there's anything 'quite possibly' about it!

They've just presided over the demolition of a listed Victorian photographer's studio on the seafront, for example. Yet another in the long list of cock-ups. Still, at least the library in this film is now being rebuilt. Albeit they want to put a one stop benefits services shop in it rather than, um, books.

All the best,

Richard

[dylanwinter1]

how delightfully sad - I hugely enjoyed the film

[eastcliffrichard]

It's had some effect. The library is being rebuilt at least.

[eastcliffrichard]

Two more updates. It has subsequently been denied that any lease has been signed on West Cliff Hall. And work on the library started last week.

[eastcliffrichard]

Also, I should point out that the library was burnt down in 2004, not 2005 as Philip Page states in the film. And that a month since we made this film, the council have signed a lease with a church group who are going to spend a year restoring West Cliff Hall (the former Motor Museum, the building in the film with the unkempt sunken garden and bedding in the portico)and turning it into a community centre.

[wyrda222]

would there be enough interest in taking over one of the empty shops and turning into a small volunteer run gallery / shop n cafe?

It doesn't sound like the council would help at all getting a place, but surely some landlords, or agents would rather have someone in a place looking after it than it going to the dogs. If its set up as a charitble thing they get a big discount on their business rates also.

if the place has a cellar you've got a studio / rehearsal rooms as well

[trickyflyingdave]

They took the money and ran. They have a track record of doing the same scam across the country.

[wilber41]

There was proof of the arson attack - police were informed and done nothing!

[brenchen]

thats good, at least people will stop going there to do drugs now!

[brenchen]

another quality video from eastcliffrichard. as a former resident of ramsgate this video really saddened me. it felt bad to know that my friends and family were still living in a place where culture has completely dried out

[tigger123whip]

I agree the place is run down and neglected however I really dont understand why ART is the only form of regeneration ever peddled for Thanet, surely there's another way? Oh and there was no evidence at all of an arson attack at Ramsgate Library.

Keep up the good work ECR!!!