Margate

城市概覽

Margate was a seaport on the medieval Isle of Thanet, which is nowadays separated from the mainland only by farm ditches. "The Battle of Margate" in 1387 typifies its story: the English fleet spotted an enemy fleet near here but chased them all the way to Holland before there was any fighting. These ships turned out to be laden with wine, so the great "Battle-of-nowhere-near-Margate" was more like a booze-cruise. The fashion for sea bathing began around 1750 and Margate was an early resort, as it was accessible and had a sandy beach. "Bathing machines" - wheeled beach huts - lumbered into the water "whereby the most refined female is enabled to enjoy the advantages of the sea with the strictest delicacy." The railway arrived in 1846 and brought a mass market, and this was the mainstay of the town economy for the next century. Then hardy explorers discovered the Med, the holiday-makers deserted and Margate slumped. While Brighton and Blackpool found ways to re-invent themselves as destinations, Margate has been slow to do so. It has a downbeat mix of fading Georgian and Victorian villas and tatty bedsits. Perversely, this has given it a role as a TV and film location for grey low-rent settings, such as Edge of Heaven in 2014. Turnaround requires an iconic flagship development and this (they hope) began with the opening of the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery in 2011. Margate is still a work in progress. Thanet Visitor Centre, The Droit House, Stone Pier CT9 1JD, ☏ +44 1843 577577, [email protected]. W–Su 10AM-5PM. This is at the foot of Harbour Arm by the Turner Gallery and has a left-luggage service. It covers the rest of Thanet, notably Broadstairs and Ramsgate. (updated Jan 2023)

如何抵達

By plane Travel time from all the London airports by public transport is much the same, as you have to go into central London then come out again. By car, London Gatwick (LGW IATA) is the closest, 85 miles by road.

By train Trains from London Victoria run every 30-60 min, taking 1 hr 50 min via Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Sittingbourne and Faversham, where the train may divide. You need to be in the portion running along the north coast to Whitstable, Margate and Ramsgate. The other portion heads south to Canterbury East and Dover Priory. Trains from London St Pancras run every 20-30 min via three routes. Fast trains take 90 min via Stratford and Ebbsfleet then either along the north coast as above, or via Ashford, Canterbury West, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. A third train takes two hours via Folkestone and Dover, so you'd only use it to connect from the Channel ports. 1 Margate railway station is central near the beach. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, and Plusbus is available. There's a cafe, toilets and waiting room. There is level access to Platform 1 (towards Ramsgate) and step-free access via lifts to the other platforms. Westgate-on-Sea station a mile west might be more convenient for that end of town.

By bus National Express Bus NX022 takes three hours from London Victoria via Canterbury to Margate, continuing to Ramsgate. Stagecoach Bus 8 runs every 15 min from Canterbury and takes an hour to Margate. Once an hour it runs as 8X which continues to Broadstairs. Bus 36 along the coast between Whitstable and Margate is not running in summer 2020, so by bus you'd have to travel via Canterbury; take the train instead.

當地交通

Bus: Stagecoach Loop bus orbits the tip of Kent every 10-15 min, from Margate to Cliftonville, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Westwood, and back to Margate; and vice versa. Bike hire: Margate Bikes & Hire are at 87a Canterbury Rd by the railway station. They're open M-Sa 9AM-5:30PM. Taxi firms are Central Cars (☏ +44 1843 601601), Margate Taxis (+44 7786 389286) and Thanet Cars (☏ +44 1843 3333). United Cars get rotten reviews.

必看景點

Margate seafront faces the main beach, a trad promenade with a clock tower, pubs, bingo halls, and amusement arcades. Harbour Arm casts an embrace around the harbour north of the beach, with eating places, and nowadays the Turner at its foot. 1 Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. Tu-Su 10AM-6PM. Modern art gallery opened in 2011, with a small selection of paintings by JMW Turner (1775-1851), who stayed at a boarding house on this spot. But it's mainly rotating exhibitions of modern art and events. Free. (updated Aug 2020) 2 Margate Caves, 1 Northdown Rd, Margate CT9 1HQ, [email protected]. Apr-Oct: daily 10AM-5PM; Nov-Mar: F-Su 11AM-4PM. These underground passages were 18th century chalk workings. They were forgotten until 1807 then used as an ice-house; in 1863 a later owner put them on show as "Vortigern Caves" complete with bogus legends. They were closed from 2004 but re-opened in 2019 with a newly built centre with a cafe, gift shop and exhibition space. Adult £5, conc £4, child £2.50, family £12. (updated Aug 2024) 3 Shell Grotto, Grotto Hill, Cliftonville CT9 2BU. Daily 10AM-5PM. This is a remarkable place down a dingy back street: a winding underground passageway leading into a chamber, all decorated from floor to ceiling in sea shells. It was stumbled upon during building work in 1835 and its age and builder are unknown. There's been no scientific dating, and there are several dingbat theories, but it looks like the style of 18th- and 19th-century grottoes or follies that adorn stately homes elsewhere. The shells of the design are local, but the background fill of flat winkles is not — this type is common in Southampton. Adult £4.50, conc £4, child £2. (updated Aug 2020) Walpole Bay Hotel Museum is open to non-residents day-time, see Sleep. 4 Draper's Mill, St Peter's Footpath, Margate CT9 2SP. Jun-Sept Su 1-5PM. This is a "smock mill" built in 1865, the only survivor of three here. In 1920 it was fitted with a gas engine to

體驗活動

Margate Beach is a large crescent of sand right in town centre, by Dreamland and the railway station. It's accessible even at high tide, and the tidal pool is a sheltered area for kiddy-bathing. Half a mile west is a smaller beach, Westbrook Bay. Beaches east of the harbour through Cliftonville are narrow, and covered at high tide. Naylor Rock Shelter by the west end of Margate Beach is a grand Edwardian structure. Here in 1921 TS Eliot found himself composing The Waste Land, often hailed as depicting the despair of a post-Great War generation, but more to do with huddling in a beach shelter while being married to Vivienne Haigh-Wood. 1 Dreamland, 49-51 Marine Terrace, Margate CT9 1XJ (200 m east of railway station), ☏ +44 1843 295887. Apr-Oct weekends and school holidays 10AM-6PM. Amusement park with a dozen rides, including the Scenic Railway, a listed wooden coaster. Many rides have age or height restrictions. Day wristband £8.25. (updated Aug 2020) 2 Tom Thumb Theatre, 2A Eastern Esplanade. Theatre squeezed into an old coach house with offbeat decor, and a bar with an outdoor balcony upstairs (updated Jul 2024) Cinema: Dreamland Cinema is only occas