Pugin's Ramsgate: a guided tour of gothic revival art and architecture

Image: The Grange and St Augustine's Church taken by Michael Coppins licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Please meet your Arts and Humanities rep, Sarah, at 11.45am at the entrance to Pugin and St Augustine's visitor centre.

If you take up the transport option (£4 extra), we will depart from the front of Ramsgate train station at 11.25am sharp. If it's raining, you can wait in the ticket hall.

Probably one of Ramsgate’s most famous residents, the international architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52), is best known for the magnificent interiors, furnishings and fittings of the Houses of Parliament. Pugin passionately believed that architecture helped the soul. His contribution to the townscape of Ramsgate brought lasting fame to the town and you too can discover the remarkable landmarks both designed and inspired by Pugin.

Pugin moved to Ramsgate with his family in 1843 and having acquired land in the town, designed and built The Grange on the West Cliff overlooking the sea. In his library, he produced much of his finest work. The Grange, now owned by The Landmark Trust, has been carefully restored.

As a Catholic convert, Pugin wanted to design and build a church with his own funds and in 1845 began St Augustine's Church. Not only did he design the church, but nearly all the fittings. It is here in the Pugin family vault, beneath the Pugin Chantry, that he, his wife Jane and other close members of the family were laid to rest.

The Church is also the shrine of St Augustine of England and a working Catholic church. Arriving on the shores of Thanet in AD 597, very close to Ramsgate, St Augustine had the mission to bring Christianity to the English for the first time. He was successful and his legacy is still with us today throughout art, culture, legal systems, music, and more. The shrine houses a relic of one of St Augustine’s bones.

The Pugin and St Augustine Visitor Centre, an education, research, and visitor centre, aims to increase knowledge and accessibility around two themes: the Victorian architect Augustus Pugin, and St Augustine of England, who brought Christianity to southern English for the first time.

Our tour

We'll start at St Augustine's Church - also known as the Shrine of St Augustine - and the National Pugin Centre with a history talk and fascinating guided tour of the site, followed by exclusive 'behind the scenes' access to the extraordinary collection of Pugin artifacts in the company of one of the in-house experts (approx 2 hours).

After that, you'll have some time for a comfort break to make a tea or coffee in the visitor centre, or have stroll along the cliffs and pop into one of the local cafes for a snack (approx 45 mins).

We'll regroup at The Grange next door to the Church just before 3pm for a guided tour of Pugin's home and the beautifully restored interiors and Cartoon Room (approx 1 hour).

Directions

Ramsgate train station is served by trains from London including Victoria, St Pancras (fastest option) and Charing Cross. It is a 30-40 minute walk from the station to the Pugin sites we will be visiting.

Another option is to take the Loop bus from Ramsgate Train Station (bus stop to the right when you leave the train station) to 'Grange Road roundabout' and the Pugin sites are about a 10 minute walk down towards the sea.

To assist those travelling by train, we have included an optional extra for private transport to and from the sites. If you would like to take up this option please add it to your ticket at the point of booking (extra £4 for a return trip).

If you are travelling by car, there is plenty of parking available along the Royal Esplanade which is close by.

For more travel options see: https://www.augustine-pugin.org.uk/visit-us/how-to-get-here/