Built at the turn of the 20th century, this handsome six-bedroom house in Ramsgate has been thoughtfully renovated in a pared-back style that complements its late Victorian bones. Inside, elegant rooms are well-proportioned and adorned with decorative moulding, stained glass and terrazzo floors. Its original windows and second-storey balcony frame sea views over the East Cliff and to the Channel beyond. The beach is just a few minutes from the house, while Ramsgate Station is a short walk away and runs regular services to London St Pancras and London Victoria.
Setting the Scene
Set on the eastern coast 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 in c.1850. This spurred its emergence as a popular seaside resort with a plethora of guest houses, restaurants, and a long promenade. Ramsgate’s resort status was also helped by early royal patronage, with Princess Victoria having favoured the historic Albion House hotel. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Grand Tour
The house’s panelled front door is flanked by red-brick pilasters and topped with a transom light. In typical Victorian fashion, the door opens to a vestibule where an original yellow and pink-flecked terrazzo floor with a red-toned trim runs underfoot. The terrazzo continues in the main hallway, which lies behind a glazed doorway fitted with stained glass.
To the left of the hallway is the living room, where a box bay at the front of the room contains original six-over-one sash windows. Light falls through the bay to land on the oiled pine floorboards and Bauwerk-finished walls, revealing their delicate textures. There is a wonderful flow between the living room and the dining room; a pair of archways sit on either side of a central fireplace to connect the two. The fireplace, laid with early 20th-century hearth tiles, is open to both the living room and the dining room, an arrangement which is perfect for hosting parties. From the dining room, a glazed door opens to the back garden.
To the rear of the ground floor is the kitchen. Cream-painted timber cabinetry with an oak work surface is fitted with a ceramic butler sink, and along one wall is a seven-ring Stoves gas cooker. There is plenty of space for a breakfast table in the middle of the room atop the parquet pine floor. Beyond the kitchen is a useful utility room.
A staircase with stripped-back timber treads rises from the main hallway. On the first floor, there are three bedrooms, a family bathroom and a handy WC. Two of the bedrooms are to the front of the plan and open from a hallway lined in House of Hackney’s intricate ‘Tremantonia’ wallpaper. The bedroom to the rear of the plan looks over the leafy rear garden through a large sash window and has a useful built-in wardrobe on one side. A claw-foot roll-top bath basks in the light flooding through a four-paned sash in the bathroom, which is finished a shade of teal to match the hand-painted Moroccan floor tiles. There is also a separate shower and bathroom fittings that chime with the period origins of the house.
On the floor above, there are three further bedrooms, including the primary bedroom with an en suite shower room. A balcony surrounded by an ornate wrought-iron rail opens from the primary bedroom, where the current owners have arranged a table and chairs to take in the spectacular views across the English Channel.
The Great Outdoors
There is a well-planted garden at the rear of the house. Extending from the dining room is a patio bordered by climbing honeysuckle and beds of hydrangea.
Beyond the patio, raised beds surround a lawn, and mature fig tree offers a leafy backdrop and a bounty of fruit each year.
Out and About
Ramsgate has a burgeoning cultural scene, with a variety of independent shops, restaurants and cafés. Local favourites include Little Ship, Flavours by Kumar and the Dining Rooms at Albion House. Sundowners are a must at the Albion House or the Royal Harbour Brassiere, located at the end of the harbour arm, both of which command fabulous sea views. The recently opened Union Café serves as a yoga studio and an excellent spot for lunch. The Modern Boulangerie is known for its freshly baked bread, while Sorbetto serves authentic Italian ice cream.
It’s under an hour’s walk along the coast to Broadstairs, which has also enjoyed a palpable resurgence in recent years. The town has a thriving community of independent shops and restaurants including the Michelin-starred Stark and renowned seafood spot Wyatt and Jones. The Funicular Coffeehouse is built into the old ticket office of a long-decommissioned clifftop funicular. The old town itself remains a haven of antique shops and cafés and Morelli’s ice cream parlour is a wonderfully over-the-top institution on the seafront.
Nearby Margate is also experiencing an exciting period of change and is home to the internationally renowned Turner Contemporary along with the recently restored Dreamland amusement park. Head towards Sandwich, about eight miles south, to check out Delf Farm Shop for locally grown produce and Updown Farmhouse for a luxurious staycation or gourmet meal (or both). Both are accessible by car in less than 20 minutes. Only a few minutes further is The Dog at Wingham, a gastropub and boutique hotel.
The house’s setting near the Kent coastal path means it is possible to walk along the promenade to Margate and beyond or stroll along the endless sandy beaches when the tide is low. Pegwell Nature Reserve is also an excellent place for a relaxing walk. There is plenty to do within the town, including visiting the Victorian tunnel system or going to one of the many art galleries that have opened on the other side of the harbour. Ramsgate Festival of Sound, in late August, turns the town into a buzzing hub.
Ramsgate is well connected to the rest 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 and take an hour and 35 minutes and an hour and 45 minutes respectively.
Council Tax Band: D
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 headports and seven limbs and still plays an active part in the formal affairs of the 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.
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.
As a coastal port town, Ramgate’s position made it a target for enemy bombing raids in World War I and World War II, which in turn has 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 and varied mix of historic buildings.
Of Ramsgate, artist Vincent Van Gogh (who briefly lived in Ramsgate) said that “this town has something very singular, one notices the sea in everything”.
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