A Modern Worship Space Inspired by Heritage and Community
Set within the historic grounds of The Divine Retreat in Ramsgate, this new worship hall provides a flexible, flat-floor space for up to 750 worshippers. Designed to accommodate both regular services and large annual gatherings, the building supports a range of community and spiritual uses. Its architecture is guided by a deep respect for the Pugin-designed abbey and surrounding landscape, ensuring a unified and sensitive response to context. The space is column-free and acoustically considered, supporting music, broadcasting, and high-quality audio-visual experiences without disturbing nearby residents. A highly sustainable design approach underpins the proposals, with low embodied carbon, energy efficiency, and long-term durability at the core. The project forms part of a wider vision to enhance the abbey setting for generations to come.
Site and Context
Located within the Ramsgate Conservation Area, the site is part of a historically rich setting, defined by the striking architecture of the Pugin-designed Abbey. Characterised by steep roof pitches and gabled dormers, the Abbey’s expressive roofscape gives the area its distinctive identity—an architectural language that continues to influence the present. The design of the new worship hall draws directly from this heritage, echoing the rhythm and form of its surroundings while establishing a clear contemporary presence. This new space will allow The Divine Retreat Centre to welcome a greater number of Vincentian followers, while dedicating more of the Abbey to its retreat and contemplative functions. It is both a respectful addition and a purposeful evolution of the site’s spiritual and architectural legacy.
Located within the Ramsgate Conservation Area, the site is part of a historically rich setting, defined by the striking architecture of the Pugin-designed Abbey. Characterised by steep roof pitches and gabled dormers, the Abbey’s expressive roofscape gives the area its distinctive identity—an architectural language that continues to influence the present. The design of the new worship hall draws directly from this heritage, echoing the rhythm and form of its surroundings while establishing a clear contemporary presence. This new space will allow The Divine Retreat Centre to welcome a greater number of Vincentian followers, while dedicating more of the Abbey to its retreat and contemplative functions. It is both a respectful addition and a purposeful evolution of the site’s spiritual and architectural legacy.
The Arrival
A winding park walkway through the trees
Landscape Masterplan
