Turning The Tide

It’s a British seaside icon, famed for its sandy beaches and its  retro amusements. Now, after decades of neglect, Margate has quite suddenly become one of the most fashionable places outside London. Forget ‘up and coming’; Margate’s renaissance is now.

- Caroline Read

BY NOW Margate’s secret is truly out of the bag. Not so long ago it was emblematic of the sad decline of the British seaside resort, but now a phoenix has risen from the ashes and brought with it more vintage chic than you could throw a stick of rock at. The past few decade have seen it go from one extreme to the other – first as the iconic home of Kiss Me Quick hats and donkey rides on the beach, then as a run-down symbol of the end of an era and finally as a booming property hotspot with former Londoners falling over themselves to bag affordable homes by the sea.

An area which was so off many tourists radar for so long because of its unloved seafront, tired old arcade and closed-down shops, Margate is now often referred to as ‘Shore ditch-on-Sea’ and it is regularly named one of the UK’s best seaside towns.

Three main factors have been key to Margate’s renaissance. Firstly, in 2011, the Turner Contemporary opened on the seafront – the exact spot where Turner himself had lived. The location of the gallery was a coup for the area and brought much-needed attention to Margate’s better qualities.

At the same time, the local council was helping to regenerate the historic Old Town quarter, encouraging independent businesses to open in the many vacant shops. And finally, in 2015, after a decade of campaigning, Margate’s famous old theme park, Dreamland, reopened for business.

The area has so much going on that it’s a struggle to keep up with latest developments. Among the places well worth visiting are the Harbour Arm, with its quirky little cafés and businesses, the Tom Thumb Theatre in neighbouring Cliftonville, Margate Museum, the Old Kent Market (featuring The Little Prince, a pub so small it can only fit six people) and the Old Town, with its narrow streets brimming with retro stores, art galleries and vibrant creative businesses.