Catholic Town

Its spire was never completed you know

Neither was the central tower

Pretty was walking on the wide path that separated the wall of Pugin’s garden and the west cliffs that fell deeply into the sea

Solange was a few steps behind her and was holding an umbrella tight against the fierce wind

Give me a hand I want to look over the wall

You will fall and be blown over the cliff silly

No I will not

And what about my umbrella?

Put it down

And get wet

We are wet already

Solange cupped her hand and let Pretty place her boot into the sling

No I think you are right let us look at the building from another vantage

Do you know that the word cloister comes from the Latin?

No

Yes it comes from the Latin

Really and what is the Latin for rain?

It comes from the word Claustrum which means enclosed

You are a mine of information today Pretty

Pretty smiled and lightly touched her friends arm

It is not like Majorca is it?

Not in the slightest

I do not know why I am wearing this coat as I am soaked to the skin

Me too

Let us walk towards the road to see if we can get a better view and then we can visit the church

Cloisters often featured in monastic houses

You don’t say

It was a place where the monks could work and pray

They were usually open on one side but here in Ramsgate the cloister was enclosed

And dry

And dry although I imagine it would not have been very warm

Well if the church is open then we will find out

Solange looked at the deserted footpath which was almost flooding due to the ferocity of the rain and wind

Just think we are standing here on a cold January day and there is nobody else around

There are few dog walkers and joggers

They are as mad as we are

And to think this used to be a place of hope and devotion

It still is

Pugin’s vision was that of a Catholic town here on the edge of town with an aspect to open fields

There are no open fields within view

I know they were being sold off even in Pugin’s time

I can only see houses and even more houses and the grey grey sea

As I said it was once a place of hope

In 1856 Thomas Grant invited monks to make a foundation here in Ramsgate

An English monk called Wilfred Alock who had been in Italy was sent by the Subiaco Congregation to form a monastery here in Ramsgate

There were high hopes

Where has it all gone?

This place is so godless now

Holy Ramsgate

Beloved Catholic Town

What a vision these people had

Are there any monks left?

Not to my knowledge

And what is Pugin’s house used for now?

Is it a hotel?

Sort of it is owned by a trust that helped to save it from demolition and it does take visitors

The girls reached the busy road which dissected the holy and secular buildings

They found that both the house and church were closed to visitors

Suddenly a passing van splashed them as it ran through a puddle that had formed

Uh what a liberty

Typical one gets wet and wetter still

They both looked towards the town

Let us visit Julie Doo on the Plains of Waterloo

 

How Beautiful it is

About an hour after Pretty and Solange walked away

To visit their dear friend in Waterloo

A frail middle aged man walked into his church and remarked

How beautiful it is

This was his final visit to the church

 

Ramsgate Margate Sister Towns

Both Ramsgate and Margate are very similar

What do you mean?

They  faded and became infested as the decay set in

And then they were rescued

I wished that was the case

Explain

Both towns are improving but there is a long way to go

As you have seen they are both sisters who are wearing pretty dresses but their knickers are soiled

Hidden and unseen and that in my view spoils everything

They should be wearing dirty dresses and clean underwear you know

Then nobody would visit them

Clean dresses are a must even if their underwear smells

 

Wine Cold Wine

The acrid taste of the dying night fires

Hung rigidly and quietly in the fret frost air

My town is sleeping

The morning is frigid

Only the night owls are awake

And they are busy watching the early creatures

In the dark lanes and hedgerows of the hour

As I walk away from you a curiosity haunts me

Are you still wearing my favourite shirt?

 

Wet Paint on a Blue Billboard

The blue billboard was vacant apart from a message that had been daubed roughly in blue paint

WET PAINT

The instruction was ignored by most people with the exception of Meret Oppenheim who had never visited the railway station where the billboard was situated