West Cliff Concert Hall

The West Cliff Hall in Ramsgate opened in 1914 as a theatre, concert hall and promenade venue, adjacent to the Royal Paragon Baths. The site had been an Italian Garden with bandstand, and the cliff was dug out to make space for the new hall. The first 40 metres of the existing grand promenade along Ramsgate's West Cliff, are formed by the roof of the concert hall. A popular concert venue in the 1960s, it later became a Motor Museum, finally closing in 2006. From 2009 to 2015, Project MotorHouse worked on the assumption that the building could be saved and redeveloped. Plans included three state of the art digital cinemas, a theatre, an outdoor theatre/cinema, a brasserie style restaurant and bar with a sheltered south facing terrace overlooking the port and harbour, a gallery, a shop, a function room and serviced offices. However a recent structural survey shows the building’s frame is heavily rusted having reached the end of its design life and is dangerous in places. It will either have to be demolished or replaced at a cost of around £1.6million. Fundraising continues.