Margate

Here is some information that I hope you will find of interest.

 

Margate recorded as Meregate in 1264 and Margate by 1299.

Located on the southeastern coast of the county of Kent, in the Ringslow Hundred, now the district of the Isle of Thanet, sometimes amusingly called "Planet Thanet".

 

Famous for holidays by the sea, with Punch & Judy, fish & chips, cockles & winkles and the odd knotted hanky. Margate can boast a number of Seaside firsts, in 1705 the first bathing machine was developed, first to have Donkey rides on the beach in 1890, and in 1898 was the first resort to have deck chairs what could be more British.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long gone are the days where the seafront was besieged by large groups of mods and rockers, these days

it is very family friendly, and is a great place for a day out with all the family!

 

Lord George Sanger circus proprietor and founder of the famous Hall By The Sea on what is now the Dreamland site in the 1870s. Dreamland Amusement Park which has recently been reopened not as a white-knuckle park but as a heritage theme park that is family oriented and is a great improvement. We have spent many happy times there over the years as children and now as parents. I am no expert but the rebuilt Scenic Railway looks stunning with its natural wooden finish, it really is a masterpiece and not only to see but ride, really old school, and very low tech I guess compared to modern day rides.

 

Margate is also well known for its connections with cockney singers Chas & Dave and classic comedy show

Only Fools and Horses episode "The Jolly Boys' Outing" based on a coach trip to Margate, also Edge of Heaven but perhaps less said about that the better!

 

The Turner Contemporary Art Gallery has helped transform our seaside town into a wonderful place once again, the old town of Margate and the harbour is bustling with of little shops cafes and bars. Margate has art links with not only Turner but also Van Gogh and more recently Tracy Emin.  

 

T.S Eliot even spent some time in Margate and wrote a draft of his poem Waste Land part III, which is widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century. The segment below is just a very small part of the complete piece.

“On Margate Sands.

I can connect 

Nothing with nothing. 

The broken fingernails of dirty hands. 

My people humble people who expect 

Nothing.”

 

Margate is a cool place to be!