Do we realise that this little corner of England is loaded with so many events that have shaped the course of English history?
Where time began:
Before Greenwich meantime was established it was in Ramsgate where seafarers first set their chronometers to measure time from the clock on the Maritime Museum where it still proudly displays Ramsgate mean time which is 5 minutes and 41 seconds BEFORE Greenwich!!
Augustus Pugin and Gothic Britain:
The extraordinary 19th century architect Augustus Pugin and his church St Augustine’s whose mission to recreate a gothic inspired renewal in church buildings is buried.
Inspiring & Aspiring Arches:
Where will you find a great bit of Victorian engineering? On Ramgate’s Royal Parade by the harbour. The connecting of West and East Cliff for the first time with a new road adding in typical Victorian flourish, decorative terracotta & brick arches to support it.
Sea light and Turner:
Painters such as Turner and others have been mesmerised by the light of the Thanet coast. Seascapes in many other locations can't always reflect the meditative qualities that you find here.
Ramsgate’s Famous Rockeries:
The Victorian craze for rock gardens started here. The first coastal landscaping site of artificial rock unified the town and led to it finding its way to Buckingham Palace gardens.
Additional details
This tour is organised and managed by Sandra Silva, Blue Badge Guide.
The tour is appropriate for everyone.
Our start time can be either 12noon or 3pm and the tour lasts approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.
We start outside The Lookout Cafe, Westcliff Promenade. The tour will end at the The Obelisk, Ramsgate Habour.
This walking tour requires comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather.
Facilities & refreshments
There are refreshments and toilets available at the Lookout Cafe at the start of the tour, and in the harbour at the end of the tour. There are many other alternative places for refreshments around Ramsgate.
There is free street parking at the start location. The nearest paid car park is the Royal Harbour Car Park, Leopold Street, CT11 9EF. There is no dedicated coach park in Ramsgate but plenty of easy space to drop off and pick up at the start and end locations.
Accessibility
The tour is on foot throughout. Walks are gently paced and go on a downhill direction.
There are multiple steps and flights of steps so it's not accessible to wheelchair users or suitable for pushchairs. Please contact us for details or to see if we are able to offer an alternative.
