Albion Place Gardens

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An early 19th-century public garden, embellished in the late 19th century along its southern boundary with extensive Pulhamite rockwork.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Albion Place Gardens lie in the centre of Ramsgate, on the cliffs north-west above Kent Terrace and the harbour-front buildings below on Harbour Parade, and immediately to the north of the main east/west road leading inland from the harbour to the High Street. The 0.36ha registered site, which is roughly triangular in shape and slopes very gently from east to west, is bounded to the north-west and north-east by internal belts of tall, dense, largely evergreen shrubbery and trees which are fenced from the roads serving the enclosing terraces of Albion Place (nos 1-6, 10-15, and Albion House listed grade II) by lengths of aluminium railings, these replacing earlier iron railings shown surrounding the entire gardens in an engraving of 1854 (reproduced in LUC 1997). The south side of the gardens is bounded by the rockwork gorge (listed grade II) containing Madeira Walk.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES

The main approach to the gardens is from Madeira Walk which snakes its way gently uphill in a series of curves in an easterly direction from the its junction with Harbour Parade and Albion Hill (nos 24-26 listed grade II). On its north side the Pulhamite rock, which rises to 3-4m at its highest point, is laid in massive blocks of several different colours, including a light, textured band containing crushed shells, to resemble natural patterns of geological strata. Some 80m eastwards from the junction, a double flight of steps leads northwards from the footway, up through the rock face to a war memorial (a life-size female nude by Gilbert Bayes, erected 1920, listed grade II) and onto a path which enters the gardens across a rustic bridge over a cascade linking an east to west chain of pools, the lowest pool being level with the road below. The pools and cascade are now (1997) dry due to the destruction of the pump room by fire in 1995 (LUC 1997). The fissures and pockets in the irregular rock face are planted with a range of evergreen and deciduous shrubs and small trees, including bay which may survive from the original layout, which reflects the recommendations by James Pulham (1820-98), although there is no evidence that the Pulham company carried out the planting; most of the smaller pockets designed for Pulham's proposed alpines are now empty. A number of small patches of bedding are planted at the foot of the rocks alongside the footway, onto which also open several arched niches containing seats. There are further entrances to the gardens from Albion Place at the west and east ends of the gardens, that at the west end overhung on the south side by a mature holm oak which may survive from the planting carried out in association with the rockwork.

The south side of Madeira Walk is similarly faced with Pulhamite and planted with over-hanging trees and shrubs, access to the mews court and housing behind it to the south being gained through arched openings of various sizes in the rock face.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS

The triangular-shaped garden, from which there are intermittent sea views through the boundary belts of shrubbery, is laid out to open lawns surrounded by a low post and rail fence and a perimeter path edged, along the shrubbery side, with rustic rock edging. The lawns are planted with a geometric pattern of small circular and triangular beds of annuals with a larger, circular bed of low shrubs as a central focus. The engraving of c 1854 and a photograph prior to 1887 (in LUC 1997) show the gardens with a similarly open central lawn, surrounding path, and perimeter shrubbery.

REFERENCES

Ramsgate Town Trail, guide leaflet, (Ramsgate Society nd)

M D Mirams, Old Ramsgate (1984)

Albion Place Gardens and Wellington Crescent, Historic Landscape Survey and Restoration Management Plan, Draft Report, (Land Use Consultants 1997)

Maps

R Collard and G Hurst, Map of Ramsgate, 1822 (Ramsgate Library)

OS 25" to 1 mile:

1st edition published 1872

2nd edition published 1898

3rd edition published 1907

1939 edition

Description written: December 1997

Register Inspector: VCH

Edited: November 2003