Margate
Margate | ||
---|---|---|
Seaside town | ||
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | MARGATE | |
Postcode district | CT9 | |
Dialling code | 01843 | |
Police | Kent | |
Fire | Kent | |
Ambulance | South East Coast | |
UK Parliament | ||
Margate is a
The town has been a significant maritime port since the Middle Ages, and was associated with
History
Margate was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as lying within the hundred of Thanet and the county of Kent.[2]
Margate was recorded as "Meregate" in 1264 and as "Margate" in 1299, but the spelling continued to vary into modern times. The name is thought to refer to a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found, often allowing swimmers to jump in. The cliffs of the Isle of Thanet are composed of chalk, a fossil-bearing rock.
Margate gives its name to the relatively unknown yet influential
The town's history is tied closely to the sea and it has a proud maritime tradition. Margate was a "limb" of
In the late 18th century, the town was chosen by the physician John Coakley Lettsom as the place in which he would build the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, which was the first of its kind in Britain.
Like
The
Governance
Margate is an
Since 1983, the Member of Parliament for
Margate was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1857. This was abolished in 1974, since which date Margate has been part of the
Climate
Margate experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to much of the United Kingdom. Like almost all of southern Britain, Margate experiences mild temperatures, and is complemented by a high amount of sunshine; a nickname for the town is "Sunny Margate". Rainfall is quite low, making Margate one of the driest towns in Kent.
Climate data for Margate | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.3 (45.1) |
7.4 (45.3) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.9 (66.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
18.9 (66.0) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.0 (59.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
1.9 (35.4) |
3.6 (38.5) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
13.7 (56.7) |
11.8 (53.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.9 (37.2) |
7.4 (45.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 51.17 (2.01) |
40.96 (1.61) |
36.14 (1.42) |
37.83 (1.49) |
47.59 (1.87) |
46.53 (1.83) |
47.36 (1.86) |
50.68 (2.00) |
48.76 (1.92) |
73.68 (2.90) |
69.32 (2.73) |
62.62 (2.47) |
612.64 (24.12) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 65.61 | 84.13 | 134.54 | 195.83 | 230.76 | 235.39 | 242.66 | 225.27 | 172.23 | 122.29 | 77.29 | 60.03 | 1,846.03 |
Source 1: [10] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: [11] |
Demography
Margate Compared | |||
---|---|---|---|
2001 UK Census | Margate | Thanet | England |
Population | 58,400 | 126,702 | 49,138,831 |
Foreign born | 5.8% | 5.1% | 9.2% |
White | 97% | 98% | 91% |
Asian | 1.2% | 0.6% | 4.6% |
Black | 0.5% | 0.3% | 2.3% |
Christian | 72% | 74% | 72% |
Muslim | 0.7% | 0.5% | 3.1% |
Hindu | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
No religion | 17% | 16% | 15% |
Over 65 years old | 19% | 22% | 16% |
Under 18 years old | 15% | 21% | 19% |
At the
Margate had a population of 40,386.[12] The urban area had a population of 46,980 at the 2001 census, increasing to 49,709 at the 2011 census (5.8% increase).[13]
The
The place of birth of residents was 94.2% United Kingdom, 0.9% Republic of Ireland, 0.5% Germany, 0.8% other Western Europe countries, 0.7% Africa, 0.6% Eastern Europe, 0.5% Far East, 0.5% South Asia, 0.5% Middle East, 0.4% North America and 0.3% Oceania.[12]
Religion was recorded as 71.6%
For every 100 females, there were 92 males. The age distribution was 6% aged 0–4 years, 16% aged 5–15 years, 5% aged 16–19 years, 31% aged 20–44 years, 23% aged 45–64 years and 19% aged 65 years and over.[12]
11% of Margate residents had some kind of higher or professional qualification, compared to the national average of 20%.[12]
Economy
At the
The industry of employment of residents was 17% retail, 16% health & social work, 13% manufacturing, 9% construction, 8% real estate, 8% education, 7% transport & communications, 5% public administration, 6% hotels & restaurants, 2% finance, 1% agriculture and 6% other community, social or personal services. Compared to national figures, the town had a relatively high number of workers in the construction, hotels & restaurants and health & social care industries and a relatively low number in real estate and finance.[needs update]
Transport
Most bus services in Margate are operated by Stagecoach South East; routes link the town with Canterbury, Herne Bay and Ramsgate. A National Express route, which operates between London Victoria and Ramsgate, calls at Margate.[15]
Tourism
For at least 250 years, Margate has been a leading seaside resort in the UK, drawing Londoners to its beaches, Margate Sands. The bathing machines in use at Margate were described in 1805 as
four-wheeled carriages, covered with canvas, and having at one end of them an umbrella of the same materials which is let down to the surface of the water, so that the bather descending from the machine by a few steps is concealed from the public view, whereby the most refined female is enabled to enjoy the advantages of the sea with the strictest delicacy.[16]
The Dreamland Amusement Park is situated in the centre of Margate, operating since 1920, it was closed in 2006, and reopened in 2015 following a lengthy campaign by the "Save Dreamland Campaign" group. Its Scenic Railway roller coaster is the second oldest of its type in the world, and is now Grade II* Listed.[17] It is one of only two early-20th century scenic railways still remaining in the UK; the only other surviving UK scenic railway is in Great Yarmouth and was built in 1932. The Margate roller coaster is an ACE Coaster Classic.[18]
There are two notable theatres, the Theatre Royal in Addington Street – the second oldest theatre in the country – and the Tom Thumb Theatre, the second smallest in the country, in addition to the Winter Gardens. The Theatre Royal was built in 1787, burned down in 1829 and was remodelled in 1879 giving Margate more national publicity. The exterior is largely from the 19th century.[20]
An annual jazz festival takes place on a weekend in June.
In September, an annual car show commences known as "Oh So Retro" featuring classic and retro vehicles, trade stalls and family-friendly entertainment.[21]
Margate Museum in Market Place explores the town's seaside heritage in a range of exhibits and displays, and is now opened at weekends by a team of volunteers.
First discovered in 1798, the Margate Caves (also known as the Vortigern Caves) are situated at the bottom of Northdown Road. They reopened in 2019.[22]
The Shell Grotto, which has walls and roof covered in elaborate decorations of over four million shells covering 2,000 square feet (200 m2) in complex patterns, was rediscovered in 1835, but is of unknown age and origin. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[23]
Regeneration
The former chairman of the Margate Civic Society, John Crofts, had a plan to develop a centre that would explore and show the link that the painter J. M. W. Turner shared with Margate. Turner described the Thanet skies as the "loveliest in all Europe." In 1994 Crofts became increasingly determined to create such a gallery and in 1998 the Leader of Kent County Council met a number of people from the art world to discuss the idea. They hoped that the centre would regenerate the once-thriving town of Margate and offer an alternative to Margate's traditional tourist trade. In the late 1990s, the County Council offered to fund the building of the Turner Gallery. Additional funding was contributed by the Arts Council England and South East England Development Agency. In 2001 the Turner Contemporary was officially established. The view from the gallery is similar to that seen by Turner from his lodging house.[26]
To reduce the cost,
Across the road from the gallery in Margate Old Town there is a community of independent shops. Accessed from the seafront via Market Street, Duke Street and King Street this area is clustered around the old
New businesses started flocking to Margate in the late 2010s. “There’s been a whole bunch of businesses opening up ... Cliffs ... which is a sort of multipurpose space. Coffee, food, yoga, a record store. It does everything,” Dom Bridges of skincare brand Haeckels, told New Statesman in 2017, adding that many were cropping up in Cliftonville, where locals wouldn't buy.[30]
Historic sites
There is a 16th-century, two-storey timber-framed
Margate's Jubilee Clock Tower was built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, although not completed until 1889.
Draper's Mill is a smock mill built[34] in 1845 by John Holman. It was working by wind until 1916 and by engine until the late 1930s.[35] It was saved from demolition and is now restored and open to the public.
Cultural references
Literature
Margate features at the start and as a recurrent theme in Margate writer
T. S. Eliot, who in 1921 recuperated after a mental breakdown in the town of Cliftonville, commented in his poem The Waste Land Part III - The Fire Sermon:
- On Margate sands.
- I can connect
- Nothing with nothing.
Margate features as a destination in Graham Swift's novel Last Orders and its film adaptation. The character Jack Dodds had asked to have his remains scattered at Margate, and the book tells the tale of the drive to Margate and the memories evoked on the way.
The Victorian author
Margate features in the 2021 novel Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee. The novel is set a little in the future from the present day in "the once refined but now rundown seaside town of Margate."[36][37]
Music
"Margate" is the title of a UK single released by Chas & Dave in 1982.
"Margate Fhtagn" is a song by UK
"Die Muschel von Margate" (Seashells from Margate) is a song written by Kurt Weill and Felix Gasbarra from 1928. It featured in Konjunktur (Oil Boom), a play by Leo Lania in which three oil companies fight over the rights to oil production in a primitive Balkan country, and in the process exploit the people and destroy the environment.[39]
It is thought that Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote The Lark Ascending whilst walking along the cliffs in Margate.[40]
A photochrom print of Margate Harbour was used by the icelandic-american band
The song "High Rise" on Hawkwind's 1979 album PXR5 is reported to be inspired by Arlington House, Margate, where lyricist Robert Calvert grew up.[41]
The Libertines recorded their 2024 album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade in The Albion Rooms in Cliftonville, the Hotel, Bar and recording studio that the band owns. The title of the album is a reference to the Eastern Esplanade in Cliftonville where The Albion Rooms are situated. [42][43]
Film and television
In 1971, the BBC TV series Softly, Softly: Task Force episode "Sunday, Sweet Sunday", written by Alan Plater, was filmed in Margate. The episode has many shots of the town and seafront, including Dreamland.
In 1989,
The town appeared on BBC TV's The Apprentice in May 2009.[44]
The 2012 BBC television drama series True Love was set and filmed in Margate. The show had its first public screening at the Turner Contemporary.
The 2014 ITV sitcom Edge of Heaven was set at a 1980s-themed bed and breakfast on the Margate seaside.[45]
Also in 2014,
In series 4 of the British television
In 2021, The Walpole Bay Hotel & Museum is featured in episode 3 of the ITV comedy drama The Larkins.[46]
In 2022, Margate was featured as a location in the BBC Drama series
In art
-
Margate - c.1806-7William Turner - Tate Britain
-
The New Moon -William Turner - Tate Britain
-
Margate Jetty -William Turner
Education
- Hartsdown Academy
- East Kent Sudbury school(private)
- Holy Trinity & St. John's COE Primary School (no article)
- Drapers Mills Primary Academy (no article)
Sport
Margate F.C. play at Hartsdown Park. The club has played in the National League and the National League South but, as of 2021, they are currently playing in the Isthmian League.[47]
Malle Mile Beach Race is an organised motorcycle racing on the beach festival. In recent years, a popular beach race has been held at Barmouth, Wales; however, this event differs as it is run along the lines of a motocross event on a shorter motocross-style circuit.[48][49][50]
Beach Cross Racing takes place twice a year, usually in March and October, and is known as Margate Beach Cross. The event, which is organised by QRAUK in conjunction with Island Events and
Local media
This section needs to be updated.(October 2021) |
Margate had two paid-for newspapers, the Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times (which ceased publication in 2012
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South East and ITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Dover TV transmitter [56] and the local relay transmitter.[57]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Margate.
Individuals
- Winston Churchill: 1957.
- Tracey Emin: 16 August 2022.
- Arnold Schwartzman: 29 September 2023.[58]
References
- ^ "Town population 2011". City Populations. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ Margate in the Domesday Book
- ^ "National Piers Society (retrieved 6 January 2011)". Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ There is an unflattering portrait of skinheads and a Cockneyfied Margate in Paul Theroux, The Kingdom by the Sea, 1983:24-26.
- ^ "Turner Contemporary: Did art transform 'no-go zone' Margate?". BBC News. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ Thanet Offshore Transmission Assets (PDF) (Report). Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. July 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ Bailes, Kathy (25 May 2021). "Plans announced to create a Margate Town Council". The Isle Of Thanet News. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Election 2017". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "2007 Election results". Thanet District Council. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- ^ "Margate climate". Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
- ^ "Weather statistics for Margate, England (United Kingdom)". Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Neighbourhood Statistics". Statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- ^ "Kent government Web site: Business Intelligence Statistical Bulletin, November 2012 - 2011 Census: Ward level population" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ "Timetables". May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ "Stops in Margate". Bus Times. 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ Oulton, W. C. (1805) The Traveller's Guide; or, English Itinerary, Vol II, p. 245. Ivy-Lane, London: James Cundee.
- ^ Aitch, Iain (26 March 2002). "Seaside special". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
- ^ "Coaster Awards". aceonline.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ "A DIY Skate Park in Margate Was Demolished By Local Council Kill-Joys". Vice. 19 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ "Theatre Royal". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ^ "Get into gear for retro car show". 24 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Home". Margate Caves. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "The Grotto". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ^ "Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, Non Civil Parish - 1421296 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ "Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, Non Civil Parish - 1421296 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Margate's Turner Contemporary art gallery set to open". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ "Crowds flock to Margate's Turner Contemporary opening". BBC News. 16 April 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ Historic England. "Old Town Hall and Police Station (1351074)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Mary Portas opens shops in Margate to aid regeneration". BBC News. 20 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "In Dreamland: Can gentrification save Margate?". 18 July 2017.
- ^ "Tudor House". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ^ a b "Clock Tower, Margate". Historic England. English Heritage. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ Bales, Kathy (17 November 2020). "Margate clock tower restoration works have been completed". Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Draper's Windmill". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ISBN 0284-98534-1.
- ^ The Guardian (15 April 2021). "Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee". The Guardian.
- ISBN 978-1-4711-9384-2.
- OCLC 56068806.
- ^ "Muschel von Margate". www.kwf.org. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (27 April 2014). "How the first world war inspired Britain's favourite piece of classical music". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ Kathy Bailes (18 February 2018). "The Brutalist tower block that marked the start of 1960s redevelopment in Margate". The Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ The Albion Rooms. "The Albion Rooms".
- ^ Pitchfork (13 October 2023). "The Libertines Return With First Album Since 2015, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork.
- ^ The Apprentice. BBC One. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ Power, Ed (21 February 2014). "Edge of Heaven, ITV, review". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "Objective Fiction - Kent Film Office". kentfilmoffice.co.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Southern League 1988-89". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "The Mile Beach Race 2022".
- ^ "The Malle Beach Mile race underway on Margate Main Sands". 21 May 2022.
- ^ "Vintage motorcycles tackle the Malle Mile Beach Race". 19 May 2022.
- ^ "Margate Beach Cross". margatebeachcross.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ "Third newspaper closed following OFT block on Kent deal – Press Gazette". www.pressgazette.co.uk. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ "South East - Northcliffe Media". 4 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Editor quits Kent Live to found Isle of Thanet News - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage". Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ "Thanet Community Radio Signature". thanetcommunityradio.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Dover (Kent, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Freeview Light on the Margate (Kent, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ BBC News. "Arnold Schwartzman: Margate honours Oscar-winning director".
- ^ Britcher, Chris (16 August 2022). "Artist Tracey Emin dons Crocs as she is named Freewoman of Margate". Kent Online. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
Further reading
Oulton, W.C. Picture of Margate, and Its Vicinity [1820] Paternoster Row, London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy. (2005 reprint) Ramsgate, Kent: Michaels Bookshop,
External links
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Margate Civic Society
- Margate Cliff Railway (Cliftonville Lido) (1913-1970s)
- Official Margate tourism site Archived 20 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Britain's Cool Seaside Towns BBC