Chapel Place, Ramsgate, KentSold

Kent House

Its rusticated base and ornate plaster windows borrow rhythms and language from classical architecture, whilst the original curved marble sign indicates the elevated importance of its first incarnation as ‘Kent House’

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This Grade II-listed end of terrace house makes a rather elegant full stop to the genteel Georgian street Chapel Place, once known as the ‘Harley Street’ of Ramsgate for its abundance of doctors and dentists. Unfolding over three stories and a cellar, this London stock brick four-bedroom house is characterised by the high ceilings and copious natural light typical of the Georgian era. The house has recently undergone a complete and sympathetic restoration, including restored windows and flooring to a high specification. To the rear, a courtyard garden sits alongside the kitchen return, creating a direct connection between the two that conjures the perfect environment for hosting. The location, within Ramsgate’s historic conservation area, ensures a peaceful setting that is still close to the centre of town and the beach.

Setting the Scene

Set on the eastern coast of the Isle of Thanet, Ramsgate is a limb of the Cinque Port town of Sandwich. Its heritage dates back to the Medieval period, but it developed into the town it is today following the completion of Ramsgate Harbour, around 1850. This spurred its emergence as a popular seaside resort with a plethora of hotels, restaurants, and a long promenade. Ramsgate’s resort status was also helped by early royal patronage, Princess Victoria having favoured the historic Albion House hotel.

Ramsgate’s strategic position and role as a port made it a target for enemy bombing raids in World War I and World War II and this opened up pockets of the town for subsequent redevelopment. These very different influences in Ramsgate’s development have combined to confer the town a rich mix of historic building types in close proximity which is rarely seen elsewhere. For more information, please see the History section below.

The Grand Tour

Distinct from the rest of the terrace in finish and proportion, the house has a number of elegant details that set it apart. Its rusticated base and ornate plaster windows borrow rhythms and language from classical architecture, whilst the original curved marble sign indicates the elevated importance of its first incarnation as ‘Kent House’.

Today, the dark olive-green front door opens into a spacious entry hall, replete with original Carrara marble steps up into the hallway proper. Upon entering, a view directly through to the sunny courtyard creates a visual link to the outdoors and a great source of light. Guests are announced by a brass tubular doorbell which resonates happily through the house. Pared-back original floorboards run throughout, one of many considered design decisions made in the recent whole-house renovation which included the refurbishment or replacement of all external windows.

The living room, ideally situated for a sun-drenched morning spent reading, is brightly lit by large double-sash windows and Little Greene’s ochre-hued paint ‘Sunlight’. Thoughtfully salvaged shutters and minimalist linen café curtains allow for privacy from the street, while an original fireplace with Charnwood wood burner is perfect for evenings in.

A china blue dining room anchors the plan, adorned with new, refined plasterwork and a fireplace resplendent with coloured tiles. New timber-framed French doors open out directly into the courtyard garden with access onto Chapel Place Lane through a large double gate. A concise bathroom is discretely located in the hallway and is tiled with Calacatta Viola marble.

Recently constructed within the shell of a tumbledown lean-to, the kitchen stretches out into the back of the plan and includes a considerable utility space to the rear with a freestanding butler sink, great for muddy paws and sandy wellies. Core materials of oak and limestone complement one another and give a resounding durability to this convivial space. A very spacious cellar sits beneath the entire footprint; a vast and versatile space, it is unusually well-lit by two large windows facing the street.

Ascending to the first floor, a well-proportioned room painted in ‘Sir Lutyen’s Sage’ by Little Greene – which is currently organised as a living room but equally suited to a principal bedroom – opens out onto a balcony perfect for watching the world go by. A refined fireplace, with a working wood burner, is flanked by custom shelving, and stripped original oak floorboards run throughout.

To the rear is a bedroom, currently used as a studio, with a high sash window that floods the space with diffused light. A contemporary concrete basin from Ashbee and Stone sits to the side of an elegant original fireplace. Prescient plumbing could allow for the installation of a bath in the future.

Between the two rooms is a handsome jewel-box bathroom painted in Little Greene’s ‘Bronze Red’ in contrast to the striking Rosso Levanto marble floors and ornate antique sanitaryware.

Two further bedrooms can be found on the second floor, each of a generous size with large sash windows. The larger bedroom has a broad aspect with views reaching across Ramsgate to the sea beyond. Both bedrooms are serviced by a sleek bathroom clad in Salome polished marble and finished with Lefroy Brooks fittings.

The Great Outdoors

To the rear of the plan is a courtyard garden, bordered with featherboard fencing that creates a private oasis and has direct access to Chapel Place Lane. It is best enjoyed in the morning sunlight, but in the summer, it is perfect for eating alfresco after the heat of the sun has subsided. With an L-shaped plan, there is ample space for storing bikes.

Out and About

Ramsgate is swiftly developing quite a cultural scene, with new restaurants opening all the time; Union Cafe serves as a yoga studio and an excellent place for lunch, or it is a short walk to the historic harbour for wonderful fresh fish and chips at Peter’s Fish Factory, or a coffee at Archive Homestore. There are plenty of good Kentish pubs nearby; the Ravensgate Arms is excellent, and its owners have recently opened an outpost at The Boating Pool. For cliff-top views of Pegwell Bay, there’s no better spot than the Belle Vue Tavern, perched on the rocks at the western end of town. Other local favourites include The Modern Boulangerie for pastries, The Royal Albion Hotel for a drink, House and Simply Danish for antique homeware and Potters for plants and accessories.

Ramsgate has wide sandy beaches that sit below the promenade and cliff-top walks that lead along the coast, past some of the best coves Kent has to offer; Stone Bay, Joss Bay and Botany Bay each have sheltered sandy beaches backed by stark white cliffs. It’s under an hour’s walk along the Saxon Shore Way to Broadstairs, which has enjoyed a palpable resurgence in recent years. The town has a thriving community of independent shops and restaurants including Wyatt and Jones, which features in the Michelin guide as a specialist in locally sourced seafood, and The Funicular Coffee Shop built into the old ticket office of a long-decommissioned clifftop funicular. The old town itself remains a haven of antique shops, cafes, and Morelli’s ice cream parlour is a wonderfully over-the-top institution on the sea front.

Ramsgate is well connected to the rest of the area of Thanet by train and road, meaning that the towns of Margate, Deal and Canterbury can all be accessed in under 30 minutes. Regular connections to London are provided by train from St Pancras and London Victoria.

Council Tax Band: C

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Inigo has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.

History

Ramsgate sits along a string of seaside towns on the coast of the Isle of Thanet, once a distinct entity to England before the silting over of the channel that separated it from the mainland.

Over the years, the number of towns grew to include what are known as ‘Limbs’ – Deal, Faversham, Folkestone, Lydd, Margate, Ramsgate and Tenterden, plus Rye and Winchelsea, which became Head Ports. Today the Confederation comprises seven head ports and seven limbs and still plays an active part in the formal affairs of state.

The earliest known reference to Ramsgate was in 1275 when it was referred to in Anglo-Saxon terms as ‘Remmesgate’ meaning Ravens Cliff Gap. It remained under the jurisdiction of Sandwich until the 18th century when the merits of the sea waters as a remedy for ailments were increasingly acclaimed. This instigated the influx of health tourists to the area which kickstarted the construction of affluent hotels and residences for those travelling from London to take in the healing waters.

Chapel Place was the first unified terrace in Ramsgate, built between 1788-90 by John Horn as Ramsgate was booming in the Georgian period. The terrace housed part of a boy’s academy, and Kent House was used as the headmaster’s home. Respectability and prestige were conferred by a central chapel of ease, dedicated to St Mary, which saved worshippers the uphill journey to St Laurence. The terrace is now Grade II Listed, representing a fine example of Georgian architecture.

Simultaneously, Ramsgate became known as a strategic point as a naval base. The construction of a new harbour saw it emerge as a critical launching point in the Napoleonic Wars, and as a launch base for those headed on the rescue mission to Dunkirk in WWII.

A final claim to fame for Ramsgate is that Vincent Van Gogh lived here for a year in 1876, stating that ‘this town has something very singular, one notices the sea in everything’.

Kent House — Chapel Place, Ramsgate, Kent
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