The Old Wine Warehouse
A creative, enterprise and entertainment hub for Ramsgate.
- Location: Ramsgate
- Year: 2025
In the heart of town, Heritage Lab Ramsgate has transformed the three floors of the Old Wine Warehouse into a coworking studio, a coffee shop, and bar and intimate performance venue.
What we’ve done
After a decade of lying empty in the heart of the Ramsgate Conservation Area, the Old Wine Warehouse is now split into three distinct spaces spread over its three floors. The ground floor and courtyard is the Ramsgate branch of GIANT Coffee; the first floor is coworking studio Ramsgate Works, and the basement is home to Ramsgate Arts Club – a 60-seater, intimate creative performance events space and bar.
Heritage Lab Ramsgate bought the Old Wine Warehouse in 2023. After a period of drawing up detailed plans with Ramsgate-based RIBA Chartered Architect Practice del Renzio & del Renzio, building and fit-out work began in earnest at the end of 2024 led by main contractors Coastal Construction SE Ltd.
Building works included restoring and repairing the roof, removing existing fittings, dividing the space into three units, upgrading fire safety, removing one of the staircases and installing new bathrooms, electrics, plumbing, ventilation and a new heating system and removing the gas supply to reduce the building’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Ramsgate Works: the Co-working Space
Ramsgate Works is a new workspace for Ramsgate, tucked away in a quiet courtyard in the heart of town.
A space for creatives, remote workers, digital nomads, entrepreneurs and anyone looking for an inspiring place to work. We have both dedicated and flexible hotdesking spaces with a range of facilities and member benefits.
If you are interested in becoming a member you can find out more at ramsgate.works.
Or follow the Ramsgate Works Instagram account.
“I had walked past the building on many occasions and was always enthralled by its beauty. We had completed a piece of research with Canterbury Christchurch University about the creative sector locally which indicated there was a need for professional workspace and we also knew that there was a demand for performance venues. When the Old Wine Warehouse came on the market, this was a perfect opportunity to create what we have today. We’re doing our bit to help regeneration in the town – creating new facilities and jobs, and increasing footfall and spend in the local area.”
– Rob Kenyon, Founder and CEO of Heritage Lab Ramsgate
History
Located in Charlotte Court, Ramsgate, the building was formerly a Victorian wine warehouse of Page & Sons, which is still in family ownership in Ramsgate after 220 years.
The warehouse was an integral part of the firm’s operation – Ports, Sherries and wines were bottled and stored in here. Some five or six casks of Guinness were also offloaded by truck and lowered into the cellars weekly. This painstaking operation involved a hand-operated lift, the remnants of which are still visible in the basement today. Page & Sons moved out of the premises in 1974.
The Old Wine Warehouse spent several years as a martial arts centre before being redeveloped into a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant and bar, called Age & Sons, in 2009.
The project has been funded through a combination of grants and loans from Kent County Council, Kent Community Foundation and the Architectural Heritage Fund. We have also received support from Ramsgate Town Council and DLA Piper.
