The Ramsgate Society celebrating excellence in design in partnership with Town Council
The Ramsgate Design Awards ceremony was held at Radford House on the 15th of September. Nominators and representatives of the shortlisted projects gathered for a lively yet informal evening of drinks and nibbles to hear the winning candidates in each category. (Thanks are due to Waitrose for supplying a generous helping of soft drinks for the evening).
The awards were last held in 2018 in pre-Covid days, with the Falstaff Hotel winning the top prize. This year’s awards were arranged in association with Ramsgate Town Council, to promote good design and care for the quality of the built environment in Ramsgate, whether constructing from scratch or renovating old buildings.
The Ramsgate Design Awards received 32 nominations in the various categories.
All the nominated projects varied widely in their nature and character, so the independent judging panel had their work cut out to pick the winners in each category. The judges were Jane Hetherington, RTC Councillor; David Gullick, Architect; Gabriel Holland, Interior Designer; and Sue Gyde and Paul Shearer from the Ramsgate Society. Their first task was to draw up the shortlist in each category, and members of the judging panel then visited the completed projects to assist with their assessment.
Because the projects differed in scale and ambition, the judges used several criteria to select the final winners. Nominations were assessed not just on their design qualities but also on their connection to the surrounding buildings and their contribution to the community. How the project overcame obstacles, and the efforts involved also played a part in the judges' decisions.
The prestigious Building of the Year award went to the Friends of Ellington Park for their renovation of the famous park in the centre of Ramsgate. The landscaping, bandstand, and new café all combine to make this project an outstanding feat of community effort.
For a complete list of all winners in all categories, please click here for the relevant page on the Ramsgate website.