St George the Martyr

While in Ramsgate a visit to this fascinating church will delight the spirit and the eye. It is a Grade I listed building made of brick with stone string courses, battlements, parapets, pinnacles and dressings, completed in 1827 by which time Ramsgate’s increasing population meant there was insufficient church room for the poor, and more was required.

A particularly impressive feature is the octagonal stone Lantern, funded by Trinity House and residents of Ramsgate, to provide a navigational guide to shipping in the Channel. The Vulliamy clock is one of the main timepieces in the town with dials facing south, north and west.

The style of the interior is English Gothic with Early English and Perpendicular influences. It is a high light space with seating for 1,300.  

There are a wealth of interesting features including The Dunkirk window, commemorating the evacuation of Dunkirk; it shows the small ships sailing from Ramsgate to evacuate troops from the Dunkirk beaches, the housewives greeting the returning men with food and blankets, evacuation of troops from the railway station and worship in the crypt where services were held during the war. Under the window is a casket of sand from the Dunkirk beaches. 

The Grade II listed Hill organ has four manuals and there is an interesting screen installed to commemorate the Golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. Much of the original stained glass was destroyed during WWII but there is a splendid replacement east window, the only original glass being in the Lady Chapel known also as the Victory Chapel.

This lovely church is steeped in the history of the development of Ramsgate since the 19th century up to modern times.