insideKENT Magazine Issue 87 - June 2019 | Page 77

TOWNSPOTLIGHT
SPOTLIGHT ON
MARGATE
THE ISLE OF THANET IS A SPECIAL PART OF KENT, AND MARGATE IS A SPECIAL PART OF THANET.
THE RAMBLING STREETS AND QUIRKY BOUTIQUES MAKE IT UNIQUE, AND THE BEACH – THE WIDE
AND SWEEPING INSPIRATION FOR MANY ARTISTS INCLUDING THE INCOMPARABLE TURNER – IS A
GORGEOUS PLACE TO SPEND SOME TIME. THEN YOU HAVE ITS POSITION – FAR ENOUGH AWAY
FROM THE BIG CITY LIGHTS TO BE COMFORTABLE AND ITS OWN PLACE, BUT WITH GREAT TRANSPORT
LINKS TO GET YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO BE QUICKLY AND EASILY. MARGATE REALLY IS ESTABLISHING
ITSELF AS THE PLACE TO BE FOR TOURISTS, AS WELL AS FOR INCREASING AMOUNTS OF VISITORS
WHO SWIFTLY DECIDE TO MAKE THEIR STAY A MORE PERMANENT ONE.
MARGATE MAIN SANDS FROM TURNER CONTEMPORARY CAFÉ
History in Brief
A ‘mar gate’ is a g ap in a clif f where water pools,
and although Margate itself is much more than this
now, back in the da y this was an apt description.
Before the 1750s , Mar gate was a tin y fishing
village and wasn ’t really heard of outside of its
immediate environs.
It was Dr. Richard Russell that changed that forever.
He published a book that described how seawater
could cure anything and everything, and he advocated
that anyone who was feeling unwell – for whatever
reason – should head to the coast and bathe there.
This book was such a hit that usual coastal holiday
spots were overrun and nearby villages started to
cash in with hotels and shops opening up to ca ter
for tourists in their masses. The tourist industry in
Margate was bor n, and today it is still a fa vourite
destination for many families w ho prefer to sta y
in the UK ra ther than v enture abroad for their
summer holidays.
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