DAYSOUT
MARGATE CAVES
SEASIDE MUSEUM
Margate Caves
A complex history which saw these early mining pits from the 1700s take a series of different formations including being forgotten for 100 years and perhaps being the inspiration behind Lewis Carrol ’ s rabbit hole after being rediscovered in the same way that Alice finds Wonderland . Today , Margate Caves are open to the public and host many different events and activities including art exhibitions , scout meetings , recovery group meetings , book-binding classes , toddlers ’ movement classes and more . The caves ’ learning and outreach manager also works out in the local community delivering workshops on graffiti , light , geology and painting conservation . The Community Café has established regular customers from Thanet and beyond , and a team of local volunteers are always on hand to help visitors enjoy their time at the caves which even have a series of cave paintings etched on their walls .
Seaside Museum , Herne Bay
The collection of items towards this unique museum for Herne Bay dates back to 1932 . Today , the museum hosts a changing exhibitions programme in its special exhibition gallery including national touring exhibitions as well as local art and photography . Current exhibitions include : The Dambusters Prototype Bouncing Bomb , The 1953 Flood , Birds and Sealife , Tusks and Fossils , Roman Reculver , Seaside Pastimes , and William Sidney Cooper : A Master of the Landscape .
The Margate Museum
Margate Museum is housed in a Grade II listed building in the heart of Margate Old Town and is an unique example of a Victorian police station and magistrates court now displaying an eclectic history of the seaside town of Margate over the past 5,500 years . Set over two floors , the museum is also home to the Rowe Collection , Parker Bequest , Old Margate Borough Collection , pictures , prints , engravings , civic paintings , the Sunbeam Photographic Collection and The Beautiful Cobb Cabinet . The cells and magistrates court hold a unique collection of Margate ’ s history . There are also many unique examples of paintings , prints and engravings which show the growth of the village of Meergate into the town of Margate .
Rochester Guildhall Museum
Discover the amazing history of the Medway area within one of the finest 17th-century buildings in Kent . The Rochester Guildhall was built in 1687 and incorporated a courtroom and council chamber , which later featured in Charles Dickens ’ Great Expectations . The collections tell the story of Medway from its Roman origins to the present day . As you explore the museum you can climb the grand staircase to the magnificent Main Chamber , with its elaborate plaster ceilings and vast paintings of notable Medway figures ; discover the sights and sounds of Rochester Castle under siege in 1218 ; visit the new permanent gallery , The Making of Mr Dickens , where you can journey with the great author from his childhood in the Medway area to becoming the world ’ s most celebrated writer . Guests can also step aboard a full-size reconstruction of part of an 18th-century Medway prison hulk , touch a 200,000-year-old axe , and see the most complete set of 18th-century cabinet maker ’ s tools in the world .
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