Yes, it's a "'spoons" pub, and yes it will probably be instrumental in closing lots of other boozers in Ramsgate, but from an architectural point of view, it has tidied up a chunk of seafront that needed tidying..... The Royal Pavillion, Ramsgate.
The Belgian bar across the road has already closed - not sure if it's entirely related to the Pavilion, may have been on the way out anyway, but it's a shame to lose it because they did good beer and good breakfasts.
When I was a teenager, the Pavilion was a low-rent nightclub where I would often go to impress the ladies with my disco dancing prowess. Never with a great deal of success. Its current incarnation is a great improvement on its appearance in those days.
On a similar note, the Peter Cushing in Whitstable, another "'spoons" pub, is a converted cinema, with many art nouveau decorative features. The outside isn't too special, but the interior is interesting
None of it authentic, of course - all part of the refurbishment when it was converted from a bingo hall a few years ago (it's a long, long time since it stopped being a cinema).
I find it a deeply unpleasant pub - being a former cinema, it's a cavernous space with high ceilings, so the acoustics are awful and when it's busy, you can't hear yourself think. Architecturally, the building is at odds with its (current) function.
And Whitstable still doesn't have a cinema, which would be a much more valuable contribution to the community.
