Within the visitor centre you will be able to find the Pugin and St Augustine education and research information and archives, making this the one place you need to go to find out more about Thanet’ s fascinating history.
St Augustine was the founder of the Christian Church in southern England, and as such he is one of the most important religious figures when it comes to our great history. The fact that he landed in Thanet makes him all the more interesting, and soon it will be possible to discover as much about the man as the experts can possibly tell us.
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin also created something – or rather, many things. Instead of building a church( and a Church), Pugin was a Victorian architect who is responsible for the gorgeous Gothic Palace of Westminster, and it was Ramsgate that he called home.
The centre will provide facilities for visitors, schools and the local community to learn more about these two‘ sons of Thanet’ through teaching sessions, talks and displays. The first exhibition will take place this summer.
Take a look at www. augustine-pugin. org. uk to discover more.
NEW SKILLS: TAKE UP A HOBBY
The New Year is the perfect time to take up a new hobby, and Thanet is the perfect place to find one that will suit you.
Thanet has a wide range of classes to join in with including those at East Kent College( www. kentadulteducation. co. uk). Courses at East Kent College include sculpture, clothesmaking, creative writing, stained glass, acrylic and watercolour painting, life drawing, sewing, pottery, silversmithing, photography, computing, Tai Chi, and many more. Clayspace Studio( http:// clayspace. org. uk) in Margate is a professional ceramics studio that offers a choice of guided courses or drop-in sessions where you can try your hand at making something wonderful out of clay.
NEW TO YOU
At this time of year, when the weather is a little … damp, and our pockets are a little empty, things that are free and can be enjoyed on a rainy day have to be a bonus. Thanet has a lot of them, and they can all be found at www. visitthanet. co. uk / itinerary-planner.
Examples of free things include Turner Contemporary, the Spitfire and Hurricane
Memorial Museum, the Viking Shop Hugin, Pegwell Bay, coastal walks and cycling. And for rainy days, there is the Petticoat Lane Emporium, the Powell-Cotton Museum, Shell Grotto, the Hornby Visitor Centre, the Ramsgate Tunnels and Dreamland’ s arcade and roller disco.
NEW TO US
2017 is an exciting year for Thanet with a plethora of upcoming events. Here are just a few of those coming up in February to get you in the mood for trying something new:
Shape Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary( 7 Feb – 30 Apr) www. turnercontemporary. org
Channel Dash 75th Anniversary( 12 Feb) Royal Harbour, Ramsgate
Broadstairs Blues Bash( 17-19 Feb) www. broadstairsbluesbash. com
Geek( 17-19 Feb) www. dreamland. co. uk / www. geek-play. com
Viking Coastal Trail © Explore Kent
Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum
Botany Bay
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