Ramsgate Tourism Boost: Thanet’s “Hidden Gem” Pugin’s St. Augustine’s Church Now Open 7 Days a Week

Ramsgate’s heritage tourism receives a boost from 1^st April as Pugin’s personal church of St. Augustine’s, Ramsgate, increases its visiting times from three days a week to seven.

The new opening times are 10am – 4pm every day.

The new opening times will open up access to the church for the increasing number of visitors who come from around the world. St. Augustine’s is developing an Education, Research, and Visitor Centre, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the new opening times are key to bringing more visitors to Thanet.

Rector, Fr. Marcus Holden, said, “Recently day-trippers visited from London, expecting such a major building to be open each day. We are delighted to be able to meet this expectation.” The extended opening is in addition to the daily worship that already takes place at the church.

St. Augustine’s has several cultural events planned for this year, as well as numerous architectural, archaeological, and religious visits. In the last week of May – the half term holiday – the site is hosting the annual St. Augustine Week. In September, the site will host the inaugural Pugin Festival.

Many stories are told on the site – from the story of St. Augustine bringing Christianity to England, to the nineteenth century and Pugin with his family. The new opening times make it possible for organised groups, tourists, and nearby residents to visit the church much more easily.

St. Augustine’s is one of the most important sites in Thanet, being the ideal design of the famous architect Augustus Pugin, who designed much of the Houses of Parliament and helped to reshape the world’s cities.