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This hoverport, the pad of which is still intact at Ramsgate with the approach markings and car park outlines still visible, was the home to four SRN4 Mk II craft owned by Hoverlloyd between 1968 and 1987 prior to its shutdown resulting from the merger of Seaspeed with Hoverlloyd to form HoverSpeed. The ramp had terminal buildings and an access road coming from just north of Cliff's End on the A256 Sandwich Road. The access road still exists today but is blocked off to traffic by a barrier. The pad is accessible on foot, however, from the road or from the nearby beaches. Hoverlloyd was a Swedish company jointly owned by Swedish Lloyd and the Swedish American Line [Hovercraft Museum, 2007]
See also: SRN4s operating from Pegwell Bay Hoverport
Photo: Pegwell Bay hoverport in full swing back in the 1970's (FotoFlite in Cowsill & Hendy, 1991). The hoverport was opened on 2nd May, 1969 by the Duke of Edinburgh [Cowsill & Hendy, 1991].
Flickr user EZTD took the following photos of Ramsgate hoverport and its terminal buildings in 1992, standing derelict but mostly complete after its closure 5 years earlier (Ramsgate Photoset | EZTD's Photostream).
Entrance road, looking in. |
Main terminal from the hoverpad. |
Hoverpad and main terminal. |
Inside the (derelict) terminal building. |
Looking down at the site. |
Car entrance booths. |
You can still see the outlines of the terminal buildings from the interactive Google map below. Also note the two hovercraft outlines to the left of the pad, corresponding to the maintenance areas where craft were lifted above the ground by five hydraulic jacks for regular skirt inspection.
View Larger Map
You can also see the hoverport as it is today in much greater detail on Windows Live Maps' oblique aerial photograph views. Rotate the image around or zoom in and out as necessary.
Page updated:
08/15/2010
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James' Hovercraft Site is not affiliated in any way with The Hovercraft Museum, Hoverspeed, Sea Containers or British Airways. The intent of the two sites (JHS Concorde Site and James' Hovercraft Site) is for them to be built up by contributions from viewers: photos, pictures, data, information, stories, video captures and more are all very welcome. If you have any comments, questions or issues regarding this website, its content, or anything about hovercraft, please use the "Questions or Feedback about this Site or Page " link at the top-right of each page.
Website design, layout, background and non page-credited images, including main logo are © James Rowson 1999 - 2010. If I have missed crediting an image that is not mine, I apologise, please contact me using the contact form regarding the matter. If you wish to publish images or information credited to a person or publishers that aren't myself, I can try to get their contact details for you, otherwise I wouldn't be able to personally grant you permission to use such data.
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