Turning The Tide
Kent Life|May 2017

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
Turning The Tide

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.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2017 من Kent Life.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2017 من Kent Life.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من KENT LIFE مشاهدة الكل
The choice of leaders
Kent Life

The choice of leaders

It’s a small, scenic Kentish market town on the border with Surrey, famous for not one but two great leaders. We take a look around Westerham

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
The eco-warriors
Kent Life

The eco-warriors

Awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 in recognition of its research in global nature conservation, the role of Kent-based DICE has never been more relevant

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2020
Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS
Kent Life

Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS

Our county can boast some of the most celebrated and downright unusual protected mouments in the country

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Ghosts of a river's life
Kent Life

Ghosts of a river's life

Kent Life discovers an an other-worldliness about the marshes, creeks, and saltings of the lower reaches of the river Medway

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
The return of the son
Kent Life

The return of the son

The Unknown Warrior’s journey from the World War One battlefields via Dover to his resting place in Westminster Abbey is 100 years old this month

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
We will remember
Kent Life

We will remember

In a year when we got an inkling of what living through a war means, we remember the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great War

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Age-old advice
Kent Life

Age-old advice

Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns
Kent Life

10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns

A vast Dockyard, a Napoleonic fort and a JCB diggers theme park - let’s visit Chatham and Medway

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES
Kent Life

KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES

Here are 10 tales to make you shiver as we celebrate All Hallows’ Eve

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2020
Joking apart
Kent Life

Joking apart

From his home in Broadstairs, Royston Robertson comes up with satirical, topical and sometimes just plain silly cartoons

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2020