St Edward’s Presbytery, Ramsgate

Overview

St Edward’s Presbytery was built by Augustus Welby Pugin in 1850, part of this great architect’s original conception for this  important Gothic revival site on the West Cliffs.

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Beds 1 Twin, 1 Double

Sleeps
4
4 nights from
£380 equivalent to £23.75 per person, per night

Augustus Pugin’s family home

A. W. N. Pugin, master of the Gothic Revival, came to Ramsgate in 1843 for "the delight of the sea with catholic architecture & a Library." He sought to create his ideal of medieval life: a Catholic church and Benedictine monastery, with a family home in their benevolent shadow. That home is The Grange, another Landmark; St Augustine's church is still a thriving centre for Catholicism and and those interested in the Pugins. The monastery next door, completed by his son Edward, is now a spiritual retreat.

A glimpse of the sea

Part of Pugin’s original vision for the site was this Presbytery. Started in 1850, this attractive, compact house at the gates of The Grange was intended as a home for the secular priest to serve Pugin’s Catholic church next door. This was bold: there had been few Catholic presbyteries or churches built in England since the Reformation. The house provided a set of rooms for the priest on the first and second floors with a glimpse of the sea from their south-facing windows.

Edward Pugin's studio

The Presbytery has much restrained Pugin detailing to admire, although this simple house was not given the rich interiors of The Grange. It housed priests for only a few years. In the 1860s, Edward Pugin added a well-lit studio overlooking the courtyard of The Grange for his own architectural practice. Pugins lived here until 1928, when the Presbytery became part of the monks’ school.

We acquired the Presbytery, left at risk when the monks moved away, to protect this remarkable Gothic Revival site and enable smaller parties the chance to experience it, and lively Ramsgate too.

 

Floor Plan

Access to Pugin’s studio is via a separate staircase from an entrance in the courtyard and not from inside the Presbytery itself.

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Supporters of St Edward's Presbytery

We are hugely grateful to those who have supported St Edward's Presbytery, including:

Guardians:
Mr J Scott

Major Donors:
Mr R Jenkinson

Patrons:
Mr T Youngman, Mr A Bartleet, Mr D Holberton, Mr R Nelson, Mr B Sealey CBE  

Legacies:
Mrs S Preston, Mrs J Abrams, Miss J Suter

Charitable Trusts and Statutory Grants:
Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, The Syder Foundation

 

Map & local info

Certain rooms on the ground floor of The Grange next door and the Cartoon Room in its grounds are open for guided visits on Wednesday afternoons between 2 pm and 4 pm. To book a place on a Wednesday tour, please email [email protected].

The viewable rooms are the hall, sitting room, dining room, library, and chapel.

Visit the magnificent St Augustine's Church, the 'ideal Church' that Pugin built next door to his family home.

Take a short walk from here into the centre of the seaside town of Ramsgate with its fine examples of historical architecture, its bustling harbour with a Maritime Museum and its popular sandy bay. Go underground to explore the secret network of wartime tunnels, which formed a town below Ramsgate itself.

Nearby in Margate is the award-winning Turner Contemporary which showcases contemporary and historical art in new and dynamic ways. Entry is free. 

The Montefiore Arms at 1 Trinity Place, Ramsgate, CT11 7HJ, has been feted by the Financial Times as offering some of the country's best cask beer selections. 

For more ideas and information on things to see and do during your stay at The Grange, take a look at our Pinterest page.

Please Note: The Landmark Trust does not take any responsibility and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings about the content of any website accessed by hypertext link. Links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind. The Landmark Trust has no control over the availability of the linked pages.

Clear directions
Essential info
What you need to know about this building
  • No.
  • Directly from the main road.
  • Ramsgate – 1 mile.
  • No – but there is plenty of parking in the Royal Esplanade, a short walk from the property.
  • There is a gas fired central heating system and two open fires.
  • Logs may be purchased and delivered under a private arrangement. Further details will be provided with your booking confirmation.
  • To check up-to-date mobile network coverage in the area, visit signalchecker.co.uk.* Due to the location and structure of many of our buildings, signal strength may differ to those indicated.
    * Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only.  We do not endorse any such websites and we are not responsible for the information, material, products or services contained on or accessible through those websites.  Your access and use of such websites remains solely at your own risk.  For further information, visit our website terms of use.
  • The majority of properties do not offer WiFi but many now have mobile coverage. Facilities in some properties rely on WiFi to function and we are currently piloting guest use of WiFi at a few of our buildings. We are going to extend the pilot across more properties and review customer feedback in 2025.
  • The kitchen is fully equipped with all plates, cutlery, fridge etc.
    There is also a gas cooker, dishwasher and a microwave.
  • There is one bathroom with a bath and an ensuite bathroom with a shower over the bath.
  • Yes, the stairs are steep and twist at the top.
  • There is an enclosed garden.
  • Yes, St. Edward's Presbytery is on a main road and you may experience a level of noise associated with an urban location. 
Booking and Payment
  • If the weather is bad, please contact our booking office who will be able to tell you whether the Landmark is accessible. If the housekeeper can safely get to the building to prepare it then we consider that it is open and available for guests. However if we cannot undertake a changeover then we will do our utmost to transfer your stay to another Landmark, depending on what we have available. It may not be of a similar size or in the same part of the country as your original booking. If the building is accessible but the customer cannot travel due to poor weather in his/her local area then please be aware that Landmark will not provide a refund. However the customer may be able to claim on his/her own travel insurance. We recommend that all guests take out travel insurance when they first secure a booking.
  • We accept Maestro (if issued in the UK), Visa, MasterCard, direct transfer and sterling cheques drawn on a UK bank. Cheques should be made payable to the Landmark Trust except for Lundy stays and boat/helicopter tickets which should be payable to The Lundy Company Ltd. All payments must be in sterling.
  • The key arrangements will be included in the Further Infomation document which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
  • If your stay starts more than two months from the date you make the booking, you are required to pay a deposit of one third of the cost of your stay (or £100 per booking, if greater) at the time of booking. Camping on Lundy and The Bunk House at Llwyn Celyn must be paid for in full at the time of booking.
  • If you wish to cancel or change your booking, please contact our Booking Office on 01628 825925
  • At the moment we only accept payment in sterling.
  • Our housekeeper will leave the key in a suitable place, the details of which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
  • It depends. Some of our most popular Landmarks are booked up a long time in advance, but many can be booked at short notice. We will always have Landmarks free for the coming weekend so it’s always worth checking our availability list.
  • No, Landmarks are available to be booked for anyone.
  • No, all the information you need can be found on our website, although we’d like you to buy one anyway as it will be a pleasure to own!
Staying at a Landmark
  • Some of our Landmarks are suitable for people with disabilities or limited mobility. However, many Landmarks have steep or narrow staircases, uneven floors and thresholds, changes of level, low ceilings or beams, as well as indistinct colours on steps and in corridors. We recommend that you call Booking Enquiries on 01628 825925 if you would like to find out the suitability of a particular Landmark for anyone with a specific disability.  Further information on access when visiting Lundy can also be found here.
  • Yes, Landmarks are only available as self-catering accommodation. We do not offer bed and breakfast.
  • Landmark does not provide catering, but we can recommend Greycoat Lumleys who can arrange for expert and well-trained staff to cater for one evening or for your entire holiday. Their cooks and chefs are able to work with you to meet your specific requirements
  • You may bring up to two dogs to properties where dogs are allowed (please see specific property details for exemptions however dogs are not permitted on Lundy except assistance dogs). They must be kept off the furniture and under proper control. A charge of £20 per stay is made for each dog. Please contact booking enquiries if a registered assistance dog is supporting one of the guests, for which there is no charge.
  • Apart from two dogs (see above) no other pets are permitted.
  • Arrival is from 4pm and departure is by 10am.
  • We do not carry insurance for breakages. However we appreciate that accidents do sometimes happen. If you have a breakage during your stay, please let the housekeeper know and if appropriate we reserve the right to invoice you accordingly.
  • Yes, most of our Landmarks are perfect for children, with gardens to play in and secret places to discover. Our furniture is surprisingly robust and we positively encourage families to stay. However, some of our buildings may not be suitable for small children; for example, some of them have steep or uneven spiral staircases. We recommend that you call the Booking Enquiries team if you would like to find out the suitability of any of our Landmarks for young children.
  • Unfortunately, most of our Landmarks are not licensed for weddings. However, you may get married on Lundy.
  • All our larger Landmarks are perfect for gatherings of family or friends. You may invite an additional two guests to visit you during your stay, however they must not stay overnight. This is very important because our fire regulations specifically note the maximum number of people in any one building. In addition our properties are prepared, furnished and equipped for the number of people specified and greater numbers cause damage and excessive wear and tear to vulnerable buildings. Should this condition be ignored we shall make a retrospective charge per person per day (whether or not they stay overnight) for each guest over the permitted limit, the charge being pro-rated on the total cost of your booking.
  • We deliberately do not provide televisions and find that most people appreciate this.
  • One of the challenges of restoring unloved buildings is gaining access to them. We frequently have to negotiate rights with our neighbours and share tracks with them. In many cases tracks do not belong to us and we have no right to maintain them. Wherever possible we work with our neighbours to provide you with a good quality surface, but where this is a problem then you will be warned at the time of booking.
  • Yes, we have standard electricity sockets for UK appliances. If you are coming from outside the UK, you will need to bring your own adaptor plug(s). If you are visiting one of our European properties we have standard European electricity sockets. If you are visiting from the UK, you will need to bring your own adapter plug (s).
  • Landmark’s electrical systems have not been designed to provide continuous power from one socket over several hours.  If an ordinary socket is used to charge an electric vehicle, there is significant risk of an electrical fire and consequent danger to life.  Therefore, we are unable to allow electric vehicle charging from most of our Landmarks at present.

    We are working to provide Type 2 Electric Vehicle charge points at our properties where there is private parking.  Where this is available, please request this facility when booking the property to ensure the outlet is enabled on your arrival.  There is a small charge to cover the cost of electricity provided.  Please book this facility in advance.
  • No, we do not allow smoking in any Landmark.
Facilities
  • Sometimes our kitchens and bathrooms have to be imaginatively fitted into the available space in buildings where before there were none, but they are all planned and equipped to a high and modern standard.
  • Yes, Landmarks are fully equipped with sheets and towels. All the beds are fully made up for your arrival. Except for the Llwyn Celyn Bunkhouse.
  • Yes, our kitchens are well equipped with cookers and fridges. There are freezers and dishwashers (in larger buildings) and, where space allows, microwaves as well as a wide and standard range of utensils. A full equipment list is available at time of booking.
  • Logs are provided at many of our Landmarks for an additional cost.
  • Mobile coverage varies. Some Landmarks have an excellent signal, but others have none at all. You can find those with 4G and 5G signal on our Landmarks with mobile signal page and each building has a link to signal checker in the Essential Information so you can check individual service providers' coverage in the area.
  • The majority of properties do not offer WiFi but many now have mobile coverage. Facilities in some properties rely on WiFi to function and we are currently piloting guest use of WiFi at a few of our buildings. We are going to extend the pilot across more properties and review customer feedback in 2025.
  • A welcome tray with tea and sugar awaits your arrival and you will find a pint of milk in the fridge. We also provide toilet rolls and a bar of soap per basin, but no other toiletries. Hairdryers are provided.

Do you have other questions?

Our Booking Enquiries team can help with information about each building.

Booking Enquiries
01628 825925
[email protected]

Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm


History

Pugin's personal project

St Edward’s Presbytery was built by Augustus Welby Pugin in 1850, and formed part of this great architect’s original conception for his site on the West Cliffs in Ramsgate. It appears in the bird’s eye view Pugin submitted to the Royal Academy in 1849, albeit half obscured behind the church and the gatehouse (now lost).

An ideal of medieval life

Pugin’s vision for Ramsgate was to create a perfect community here: a home for his own large family - The Grange; a magnificent new Catholic church - St Augustines; and between the two, a house for the priest who would mediate between the divine and secular worlds - St Edward’s Presbytery.

The boldness of this enterprise, when Catholicism had been illegal in England for centuries, and the process of Catholic emancipation was still underway, was remarkable. With anti-Catholic riots in Ramsgate and many other towns in the early 1850s, Pugin's priest’s house had no ground floor windows on the street and a sturdy front door, for good reason. Building a presbytery on an English town street was brave as well as ambitious.

St Edward’s Presbytery was bound up closely in the tragedy of Pugin’s last years. From his beginnings as a stage carpenter at Covent Garden, his career had been a whirlwind. He married his third wife Jane in his mid-30s, and for the following three years was simultaneously finishing the House of Commons, designing the Gothic Court for the Great Exhibition and building St Edward’s Presbytery. The pressure bore down on him and in 1852 he was declared insane and confined in Bethlehem Hospital - Bedlam. Jane brought him back to Ramsgate, tired and troubled, and here he died, aged just 40. 

Jane lived on at Ramsgate, moving into St Edward’s Presbytery herself, from where her step-son Edward Pugin continued his father’s architectural practice. When The Grange suffered a serious fire in 1904, newspaper reports reveal that Jane, by now in her late 70s, was fortuitously resident in The Presbytery. We believe the datestones 1827 and 1909 at the rear entrance record her lifespan, lived mostly at this site. Her son, Cuthbert also lived out his life here, dying in 1928. 

Boarding school accommodation

In 1928, both The Presbytery and The Grange were bought by the Benedictine monks, as ancillary classrooms and accommodation for their flourishing boys’ boarding school. When the Landmark Trust acquired The Grange from private owners in 1997, St Edward’s Presbytery still belonged to the Benedictine monks of St Augustine’s Monastery. It was sheltering a dwindling community of elderly nuns, while the former classrooms added in the 20th century, one known as the Parish Room, were used for church meetings. 

When the monks put The Presbytery up for sale in 2010, Landmark decided it was so integral to the site that the trust could not risk it passing into other ownership, and took the rare step of purchasing the Presbytery. Restored and with later inferior additions removed, this pretty gabled house by the sea now has a new lease of life. 

A short history of St Edward's Presbytery

A he full history album for St Edward's Presbytery

Restoration

We acquired the Presbytery, left at risk when the monks moved away, to protect this remarkable Gothic Revival site and enable smaller parties the chance to experience it, and lively Ramsgate too.

The Presbytery itself has been returned to a form in which it existed during the early part of Edward Pugin’s tenure, and one that would still be recognisable to his father, Augustus. The original floor plan will has been reinstated and two bedrooms provide accommodation for up to four people. Primary joinery and fireplaces have been conserved.

The ill-conceived 20th-century accretions have also been removed to recover the form envisaged by Augustus Pugin, while respecting the considered changes made by Edward Pugin, who added a drawing office.

 

Experience the presbytery

For up to 4 people


St Edward’s Presbytery was built by Augustus Welby Pugin in 1850, and formed part of this great architect’s original conception for his site on the West Cliffs in Ramsgate.


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