Bleak House Damaged.
Just as I was falling asleep last night I heard on the radio that firefighters were battling a fire at Bleak House in Broadstairs. I spent a good eight years of my youth in Broadstairs and was in the same class at school as the owner’s daughter so I’ve had the odd peek inside this house. You can see it here at the top left:
I’ve read that it has been sold recently to a new owner, which is a relief, who is apparently a jewellery magnate so locals are now calling it Bling House.
Broadstairs is in/on the Isle of Thanet, or Planet Thanet as its affectly known as, which is made up of Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and a big airfield. Once an Island it’s now connected to the Kentish mainland, although you wouldn’t be able to tell that if you went there. People are still wearing Campri ski jackets.
For the latest Thanet news you must check out the Thanet Life blog. You’ll be able to read for yourself that this is unlike any other island. Dr Moores, who runs that site, has taken some amazing aerial photographs from his plane. You can see them at his Flickr photoset.
I’d also recommend the humourous Eastcliff Richard blog, subtitled “Ramsgate, the new millionaires’ playground, as seen by a new millionaire”. A post this morning has already called the Bleak House fire the “Bling Blaze”.
Nice timing – Just booked the family in for a luxurious weekend in Ramsgate for this May! Planet Thanet!
Thanks for the Thanet links, they led me here
http://www.thebigchill.co.uk/Video.htm
I thought bodysurfing in 3 metre sydney swells was extreme but that was nothing – surfing! in thanet! :O :O :O
Dig out the board and get down Brighton seafront asap.
Hi Rich, that’s a great site. Nice to see the Joss Bay 1968 surf video. Joss Bay was my hang out from 1986-1990 and you get some great waves there. The bay is so flat that the waves went on for over 100 metres sometimes and they were perfect bodyboard size.
I remember one cold windy evening when there was a huge swell and there were about 30 surfers in the water. You had to get past a wall of foam sewage about a metre high just to get into the water. I rode a few big-uns on my bodyboard which was satisfying. We all came down with some weird illness for the next week. Toxic poisoning?
The ‘secret place’ on that website is Ramsgate Harbour I think. Never bodyboarded there but was our equivalent of a wave machine. Think we had a lot of fun on our lilos.
Contact me for accommodation possibilities in Brighton.
Cheers, John, will do.
Sure is one brown wave they got down in Thanet – a sweet ride down the tube, then a sweet ride down the tube. ;)
No wonder you picked up a few bugs on the way but true surfers don’t worry about the sh_t just the ride man :D