Pugin’s church of St Augustine, Ramsgate, is now the Number 1 attraction on TripAdvisor for the coastal resort in Thanet.
The ranking, voted by visitors to the Kent town, is an endorsement of the interest and value that St Augustine’s adds to Ramsgate. In April it began opening every day between 10am-4pm and has averaged over 150 visitors each week, plus organised groups and tours.
Some of the comments include:
Loved this church which has been restored beautifully - friendly volunteers who were keen to share their knowledge with us. Beautiful.
Wonderful building and lovely interior. Interesting layout and passion tableau. [F]riendly steward who took time to explain about the architect and the buildings. Serene atmosphere and beautiful colours. Opportunity to light candles and buy postcards and homemade preserves.
Outside the church looks quite dark and spooky, but inside...wow!! What a beautiful place.
It is an absolute gem, and should not be missed. … My little grandson, who is not yet five, latched on to her [the guide] and she took him round pointing out very things to him, and he actually listened to every word enraptured!
To me, this was by far the most outstanding attraction.
The Duke of Kent visited in May, and he showed great interest in the restoration and development project for the Education, Research and Visitor Centre. He spent time examining Pugin’s Chantry chapel, the baptismal font, and the great East Window, before being shown the areas which will be transformed into learning and display areas. He also saw a display of Pugin metalwork and craftsmanship.
This news crowns a successful week of celebrations around the church, marking its patron, St Augustine, who brought Christianity to England and has been called “Ramsgate’s first celebrity”. The week – a festival held annually – featured lectures, processions, Masses, a coach trip, a walking tour, and more, which were all very well attended.
In September the first “Pugin Week” will be held to mark the work of St Augustine’s famous architect, who is buried in the church and built his home, The Grange, next door.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please note comments that may be libellous, comments that may be construed as offensive and anonymous derogatory comments about real people will be deleted. Also note the facility to leave anonymous comment will be turned of during periods when I am unable to monitor comment, this will not affect people commenting who are signed on to their blogger accounts.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.