The Grange, Ramsgate

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The Grange, Ramsgate, designed by August Pugin as his own home.

The Grange in Ramsgate, Kent, on the coast in southern England (aka St Augustine's Grange) was the home of the Victorian architect and designer August Pugin. It was designed by him in the Victorian Gothic style.

Pugin bought the land for the site at West Cliff, Ramsgate, in 1841.^[1] The house was built between 1843 and 1844 by the builder George Myers. Pugin's second wife died in 1844 and it was only after his third marriage to Jane Knill in 1848 that it became a family home.

The interior of the house was finally completed in 1850. It is built from the inside out in the sense that the layout of the rooms was considered before the outside of the building. This is in contrast to the Georgian style that preceded it. The style was influential on subsequent English architecture designed by architects like Edwin Lutyens.

Pugin died in the house in 1852 at the age of only 40. He was buried at St Augustine's Church next to the house, which was also designed by him and completed by his eldest son, Edward Pugin, who was also an architect.^[2] There is a memorial to him in the church.

The house was rescued by the Landmark Trust in 1997 and restored by them to its condition in Pugin's day with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, Thanet District Council and elsewhere. It was opened in 2006 for up to eight temporary residents at a time and visitors by appointment on Wednesdays.