Named by Time Out as one of best places to visit in 2024, Ramsgate is a destination in the throes of reinvention, but for those who love history and architecture, it’s the town’s colourful past that makes it such a special place to visit. Home to the world’s only Royal Harbour (a status granted by George IV in 1821), the Isle of Thanet town boasts hundreds of listed buildings: rows of handsome Regency terraces rub shoulders with landmark churches, Victorian pleasure gardens, war-time tunnels, maritime buildings and some curiosities (like an artificial gorge and a 1950s concrete fountain). The harbour itself – recently upgraded to A National Heritage Harbour – is Grade II* listed. Ramsgate is familiar with reinvention: from fishing harbour to port of embarkation for Napoleonic troops to fashionable resort (shaped by royal patronage and some of the country’s most celebrated architects) to modern marina, it’s seen it all. Use our guide, to find out more about Ramsgate’s intriguing collection of landmark buildings.
EAST OF THE HARBOUR
Italianate Glasshouse
Dated: Early 19th century. Grade II* listed.
This delicate glass and cast-iron beauty, is set in walled Italianate gardens in a corner of the King George VI Memorial Park – the site of the former Eastcliff Lodge estate (the Gothic mansion was demolished in 1954). It’s not local, and it’s certainly not Italian: originally, built for Bretton Hall in Yorkshire, the glasshouse was sold at auction in 1832 to Jewish philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore who brought it all the way to Ramsgate and rebuilt it in the grounds of Eastcliff estate (which he bought a year earlier). The centre-piece of the glasshouse garden was a fountain imported from Italy – hence the name. Constructed from curved ribs of cast iron and fish-scale glass panes, it’s now owned by Phil and Janice Dadds, provides a hothouse for vines and rare American agave and is open during the summer months (check website for dates and times). The Grade II* listing, also applies to the crenelated brick wall to which the glasshouse is attached.
• Montefiore Avenue CT11 8BD
Victoria Gardens (and architectural furniture)
Dated: Various. Grade II listed.
On the cliff-top walk that heads east from the harbour towards Broadstairs, Victoria Gardens is home to two curious structures – both of which were Grade II listed in 2019. The first is a cute octagonal kiosk, built in 1876 in the picturesque Gothic style, and originally used as a ticket booth for visitors entering the gardens which were, at the time, enclosed. By 1920, the kiosk was used to sell postcards and newspapers; it’s since been reinvented as the Toll Gate Kiosk, a seasonal vendor of ice creams and gifts. Nearby, look out for the Festival of Britain fountain - the only survivor of three fountains built as part of Ramsgate’s post-war celebrations in 1951. The three-tiered, cast concrete water feature was illuminated with colour as part in the town’s Festival of Light in the same year.
• Victoria Parade CT11 8DE
Eastcliff Lift
Dated: 1910. Grade II listed.
With a cute upper pavilion on Wellington Crescent (note the domed roof and tiled ‘Lift’ sign), a lower entrance on Harbour Parade and red-brick shaft in between, this is one of three Ramsgate cliff lifts that opened between 1908 and 1926 – to providing easy access between the clifftop parades and the seafront promenades or, at the time, between beach and boarding house. Only two survive (see Western Undercliff lift below), neither still in working order. This one closed in 2021.
• Wellington Crescent and Harbour Parade
Credit Lesley Gillilan
Rock Gardens and the Pulhamite legacy
Dated: 1894-1936. Grade II listed
The name Pulhamite is rooted in a Victorian company, founded by James Pulham in 1845, specialising in realistic but artificial rock formations, often made of rendered cement mixed with industrial waste and used in architectural landscaping. Ramsgate has more PAR (Pulhamite Artificial Rock) sites than anywhere else in the UK. Going east to west, your first port of call is Winterstoke ornamental garden, shelter and rockery, overlooking the sea from Victoria Parade, and largely constructed by Pulham & Sons in the 1920s. The central feature is a semi-circular shelter carved into a Pulhamite recess; there is also a cliff of fake rock that descends from the gardens to the East Promenade. Next up, is Madeira Walk and the rock garden and ‘cascade’, created (circa 1892); in a rocky imitation gorge, a waterfall tumbles downhill from Albion Gardens, under a Pulhamite bridge, and into a pool by Madeira Walk. There are seating areas among rocky recesses. West of the harbour, there are two more PAR sites: on Royal Parade (see Harbour arches below) and Royal Esplanade Gardens.
Winterstoke Gardens and Pulhamite Rock
Albion House
Dated: 1791. Grade II listed.
As you drop down from East Cliff to the harbour, you will see this striking Regency townhouse on the corner of Albion Place. Designed by Mary Townley – one of England’s earliest female architects – it boasts rows of sash windows and a wraparound wrought-iron balcony, but it’s chief claim to fame is as the temporary residence of the Duchess of Kent and her daughter Princess Victoria (the building bears a Ramsgate Society blue plaque saying the future Queen stayed here from September 1835 to January 1836). After serving time as a gentlemen’s club, a boarding house and local council offices, it was bought in 2014 by Ben and Emma Irvine and turned into a 14-bedroom boutique hotel. Enjoy some of the building’s original features with a cocktail in the restaurant-bar named after the architect, or upstairs in a room with a view.
• 27 Albion Place, CT11 8HQ
HARBOUR AND TOWN
Ramsgate Tunnels
Dated: 1939. Unlisted.
Billed as ‘Britain's largest purpose-built Second World War, deep-tunnel shelter’, this extraordinary network was constructed to protect the town’s inhabitants from the threat of enemy bombing – Ramsgate was a prime target and suffered heavy losses during Luftwaffe raids. In August 1940, over 500 bombs were dropped on the town in less than five minutes, but while buildings were destroyed above ground, the people of Ramsgate found safety here, in the two-and-a-half miles of underground passages which were dug, incredibly, in just a few months. After the war the shelter was sealed and abandoned, but thanks to the efforts of Ramsgate Tunnels Heritage Group, the local council and Heritage Lottery funding, they reopened to the public in 2014. A 90-minute Explorer tour, begins in a Victorian railway tunnel (part of the former Harbour Station) and continues into a warren of chalk passages, furnished as they might have been when hundreds of homeless civilians took up residence in this dimly-lit ’Tunnel Town’. Visitors can join guided tours (torches and hard-hats provided, but wear warm clothing and sensible shoes and be prepared for a mile-long walk), or browse the free-to-enter Tunnel Museum and Home Front collection (a fine exhibition of wartime relics, photographs and memorabilia) and enjoy a cuppa and a slice of cake in the Tunnels Teas Café.
• Marina Esplanade CT11 8FH
The Royal Victoria Pavilion
Dated 1903. Grade II listed.
One of the last remaining relics of the entertainment hub that once thrived on the town’s eastern esplanade during the first half of the 20th century, this striking domed pavilion was originally a concert hall and assembly rooms – designed by Stanley Davenport Adshead in the French Classical-revival style (think giant conservatory) with an interior said to be based on the Queen’s Theatre at the Palace of Versaille. During its gradual decline to nightclub, then casino and then, from 2008, an abandoned shell, much of its inner grandeur was lost. Then in 2018, the pavilion was restored to use as the UK’s largest Wetherspoon pub. Although the interior has been altered, much of the original plan survives including a metal-clad mansard roof and a first-floor promenade. It’s worth noting that the architect, S. D. Adshead, also designed Ramsgate’s Grade II listed library.
• Harbour Parade, CT11 8LS
The Clock House
Dated 1817. Listed Grade II*
A prominent feature of the Royal Harbour, this handsome Georgian building was designed as marine offices by architects Benjamin Wyatt and George Louch, sited on the Ramsgate Meridian Line (5 minutes and 41 seconds ahead of Greenwich) and later altered by Victorian civil engineer John Rennie (famously associated with canals, bridges and docks). The building was home to the town’s Maritime Museum until closing in 2021, and although the clock is in working order – and the building looks particularly lovely at night when it is partly lit – the Clock House is listed on the Heritage at Risk register and in need of urgent repair. Help is at hand, however: a portion of the £19.8m of funding secured for Ramsgate through the government’s Levelling Up Fund has been allocated to a refurbishment project with a view to bringing the Clock House back into use as a heritage hub, exhibition space and hospitality centre, opening in 2026.
• Pier Yard off Harbour Parade CT11 8LS
Custom House
Dated: 1893-4. Grade II listed.
Step back to get the best view of this striking red-brick and terracotta building with its copper dome, columned lantern and weather van; and then get closer to admire the intricate detailing in the brickwork – the carved pillars, balustrade, ornate columns and quoins. Built in place of an early 19th century pier house, this was part of Victorian harbourside regeneration and, as the name suggests, it was designed as an office for Customs & Excise. Since the 1980s, it has been in use including Ramsgate Visitor Centre, various eateries, gift shop and home to the RNLI gift shop. The town council have the first floor.
• Harbour Parade, CT11 8LP.
St George’s Church
Dated 1827. Grade I listed.
There is so much to love about this special place of worship: built in the English Gothic style to seat a congregation of up to 1300 people, featuring battlements, parapets, ribbed roof vaulting, a Grade II listed Hill organ, a crypt, a Vulliamy clock and, above all, an octagonal stone Lantern tower designed as a navigational aid to shipping (it was funded by Trinity House). Over the years, the stonework has been degraded by salt winds and, although the Lantern has been restored, the building is on the Heritage at Risk register. The church suffered damage during WWII, losing some of its original stained-glass windows. Look out for the Dunkirk Memorial window, installed in 1961 to commemorate Ramsgate’s role in the famous evacuation (and beneath it, a casket of sand from the Dunkirk beaches). There are regular Tower Tours (book in advance) – for those who can manage the 141 steps – and the tower is illuminated in winter. Visit the website for more information.
• Church Road / Broad Street, CT11 8RE
WEST OF THE HARBOUR
Harbour Arches
Dated: 1893-1895. Grade II listed.
A masterclass in 19th century urban planning, this ensemble of harbourside arches and the ascending roadway above, is one of the features that makes Ramsgate so special. The long row of red-brick arches on Military Road, once intended as maritime warehouses, now house a quirky collection of independent businesses – from cafes, bike hire and studios to the Royal Harbour Emporium (celebrating the ‘golden age of the 60s’), a traditional chandlery and the Greek Arch Taverna. Note the stone dressing, the wide pilaster buttresses and the terracotta keystones which feature the arms of Ramsgate and Kent. Overhead, where Royal Parade heads uphill to the west, a corresponding line of arched road supports are set into Pulhamite rock formations inset with seating areas (which are somewhat redundant since the genteel horse and carriage was replaced by busy traffic).
• Military Road, CT11 9LG
Sailors Church and Home for Smack Boys
Dated: 1878-1881. Grade II listed.
The smacks were a type of sailing boat and the boys – often orphans – were the young, apprentices of the smack fishermen. They were housed, at first, in rooms above the Sailors Church (by architect WE Smith); later, they were moved into the handsome red-brick building which adjoins the church (you can’t miss the ‘Home for Smack Boys’ sign). The church, or Harbour Mission, which also offered refuge to shipwreck survivors, is open to the public: a peaceful chapel, simply furnished with model ships and Victorian maritime relics (entrance is free).
• Military Road, CT11 9LG
West Pier Lighthouse
Dated: 1842. Grade II listed.
Designed by John Shaw Junior (who also designed London’s Royal Naval School and buildings at Eton College), this cylinder of Cornish granite, topped by an octagonal glass lantern sits on the end of the west pier, which curves a protective arm around the harbour. Built to replace an earlier lighthouse, the Georgian tower is encircled by a carved frieze inscribed (three times) with the Latin words Perfugium Miseris – meaning ‘refuge for those in need’. The lantern – featuring a decorative iron cornice – was originally lit by an oil lamp; today it shows a fixed red electric light. In marine terminology, this is a ‘rear range’ lighthouse, paired with a front range light – set on a pole on the east pier. The two are positioned to line up vertically when an approaching vessel on the right course. For views across the harbour to Ramsgate, it’s worth a stroll along either pier, particularly at dusk
• West Pier, CT11 9RN
Addington Street
Dated: early 19th century. Grade II listed
This often quiet but colourful street, is worth visiting, not just for the architecture, but for the charming array of independent shops, cafes, galleries and the sense of history and community. Billed as Ramsgate’s ‘original’ high street, it’s a pleasing confection of brick and flint, coloured stucco, painted pantiles, plate glass shop windows, bays, gables and fanlights – no two buildings are exactly alike. To our knowledge, numbers 14, 20, 27, 33 (a former butcher’s shop, dated 1860), 35 and 37 (a former chemist with Art Nouveau flourishes), 41 and 49 are all Grade II listed as fine examples of 19th century commercial premises – and it’s rare to find so many unsullied shop fronts in one street. Stay at The Falstaff (bar and restaurant with rooms); check out The Queen Charlotte (Ramsgate’s ‘quirkiest pub’); note the Pickfords’ ghost sign on the wall of the ‘all things lovely’ shop, Number 36 by SP.
• Addington Street, CT11 9JJ
Christ Church
Dated: 1846-47. Grade II listed.
Designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Early English style, this soaring Anglican church was part of a Victorian scheme to develop Vale Square, one of Ramsgate’s prettiest, leafiest and, in real estate terms, most desirable garden squares. Gilbert Scott was one of the country’s leading Gothic Revivalist (think the Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station), but his work here is deliberately restrained – a counter for Pugin’s more elaborate Catholic church less than half a mile away – and features sombre ragstone walls, a tall shingled spire and a rather plain interior. Despite its architectural provenance, the church has been under-used and is currently closed.
• Vale Square, CT11 9DB.
St Augustine’s Church
Dated: 1850. Grade 1 listed.
This is the embodiment of A.W. Pugin’s ‘delightful plan of a flint seaside church’, which he built and paid for himself on land next to his Ramsgate home, The Grange. In 2012, the church was designated as the ‘Shrine of St Augustine’ (credited with forming England as a Christian nation. The saint arrived in Kent in the 6th century). In addition, it doubles as the National Pugin Centre – thus it’s a place of pilgrimage for both followers of religion and architectural heritage. As was often the case, Pugin collaborated on the design with John Hardman (metal work and stained glass), Herbert Minton (encaustic tiles) and George Myers (stonework and carvings). His own very personal relationship with the church can be seen in the memorial plaques to his family on the walls of the chantry chapel where he is buried. The church is open 12.30-3.30pm except Tuesday and Sunday. Entry is free.
• St Augustine’s Road, CT11 9NY
The Grange
Dated: 1843. Grade 1 listed.
Few of Ramsgate’s landmark buildings are as celebrated as this important house: part of a visionary community of buildings created here by prolific Gothic Revivalist, Augustus Welby Pugin – best known for the interiors of the Houses of Parliament. The Grange is the house he built for himself and his family, alongside a Catholic Parish Church and a Benedictine Monastery, all bearing the hallmarks of his oeuvre. Pugin was responsible for the design of every detail from stone masonry and stained glass to tiles and hand-blocked wallpapers (some of the latter are faithfully reproduced here). The house is run by conservation charity, the Landmark Trust who rescued and restored the building and now offer it as a grand holiday let. On guided tours (every Wednesday afternoon, book in advance), learn about the life and work of the architect (his four wives, six children, over 100 Catholic churches) who died at his Ramsgate home, aged only 40. Next door, St Augustine continues Ramsgate’s Pugin legacy (note, there is a Pugin Town Trail).
• St Augustine’s Road, CT11 9NY
The Grange staircase. Credit Lesley Gillilan
Western Undercliff Lift
Dated: 1928. Grade II listed.
Nearly 10 years younger than its East Cliff sister, the structure has a distinct Art Deco look, particularly as seen from its seafront base. Built of rendered concrete, the original had capacity for 20 passengers and the tall pylon-like central shaft was fitted with glass panels, graded from dark blue at the bottom to white at the top (these have since been replaced with Perspex). When in service (until 1993), it linked Westcliffe Promenade to what is now the roundabout on Royal Harbour Approach. The structure (lift, shaft and engine house) was sold at auction in 2021 but for now its future is uncertain.
• Westcliffe Promenade, CT11 9NZ
The Boating Pool
Dated 1928-1929: Grade II listed.
Designed by Basil Deacon, the same architect (we think) responsible for Western Undercliff lift, this was originally an outdoor dance floor, auditorium and bandstand flanked by a pair of pavilions. The latter survived (there is a café-bar) but the bandstand was converted into a boating pool after WWII. There are pedalos and pop-up events during the summer.
• Westcliff Promenade / Royal Esplanade CT11 0HE
