Ramsgate Tunnels

The Kent Coast Railway arrived into Ramsgate Harbour in 1863, courtesy of engineer Frederick Turner and Messrs Peto, Betts and Crampton, his contractors. But the adjacent tunnel - almost a mile in length - added to a collection of operational challenges and the line through it closed in 1926.
To better serve visitors to the seafront attractions, a 2-foot narrow gauge railway was built from a site close to one of the town's new stations. It incorporated another tunnel, converging with the old one close to its midpoint.
The operation was suspended during the Second World War when 2½ miles of tunnels - driven beneath Ramsgate's streets - acted as a deep-level air-raid shelter. In January 1941, more the 1,700 people were recorded as living in 'Tunnel Town'.
Although the narrow gauge service was reinstated after hostilities ended, the operation was blighted by neglect and was brought to an end in 1965. The tunnels were locked up, but are now open to the public again as a tourist attraction.
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