'Merry Margate' - Sun, Sand And An Unexpected Burst Of Culture

Written by Sally Beck

Margate was once the king of British seaside resorts, but has fallen on hard times of late. It missed out on the gentrification enjoyed by many of Britain’s coastal resorts, but after years of neglect is almost back on its feet.

The hope is that the £17.4 million Turner Contemporary art gallery will boost the fortunes of this once-glorious seaside town so that it can compete with the more affluent east coast resorts of Whitstable and Broadstairs.

All the ingredients are there and Margate actually has everything you need - sandy beaches, kiss-me-quick hats, fish and chips - with the added twist of the Turner Contemporary art gallery. That’s something that Whitstable and Broadstairs can’t boast.

The gallery is on the seafront, and houses ever changing modern art exhibitions, and of course, its own Turner. Turner loved Margate and first visited age 11, when he went to school in the Old Town.

Later this year, it becomes home to Rodin’s iconic sculpture The Kiss and next year will host a Tracey Emin exhibition. Tracey’s a Margate lass and is delighted the gallery is finally open, it should have been ready in 2006.

The gallery is a light and airy space, child friendly with a great cafe and shop, and makes it worth going to Margate for the day, especially as admission is free.

There is much more to discover in Margate and the surrounding towns. Dear old Margate still has a slightly shabby feel, and there’s plenty of peeling paint on the Edwardian and Victorian buildings, but there are pearls in this oyster.

Take The Walpole Bay Hotel for example, dripping with 1920s nostalgia, it’s a favourite place for Tracey Emin when she comes home for a visit. She took 20 of their bedsheets which are now appliqued and embroidered and some are on show at the Hayward Gallery, London.

The Walpole’s flower decked verandas, sprung maple dance floor and living museum make it unique. It’s been lovingly restored by the Bishops, and their passion to preserve and nurture it comes through.

The living museum is on the second floor but younger kids might find it slightly spooky with its china dolls and 1920s mannequins. You can request accommodation on the first or third floors though.

All the bedrooms are decorated individually, and are so charming, it’s easy to overlook the odd spot of peeling paint. If you’re only in Margate for the day, don’t miss out on The Walpole’s famous cream tea, but book a few nights if you can.

If it’s raining, and you don’t fancy the hotel’s sea pool or the beach, the Shell Grotto is worth a look. It’s a bizarre network of tunnels adorned with mosaics made entirely from sea shells. Some say its a pagan temple, while others suggest it’s a Regency folly. The entry fee is only £3, so worth looking for yourself.

It’s a total shock to find the most spectacular food in the area. The Ambrette Restaurant near Margate Old Town, is a multi award-winning Indian restaurant recommended in the Michelin Guide, which serves Indian food with a twist. Head chef Dev Biswal is banned from his mother’s kitchen back in Mumbai - she doesn’t believe he can cook - but his Indian take on local produce will convince you otherwise. Try the Bengali-style sea bass, duck with cardamom, coriander and orange sauce, and rose infused creme brulee.

Delicious. Rhiana, 10, said. “I could eat here every night, the food is so yummy.” Booking is essential.

If you’re staying at the Walpole and want some fun days out, 20 minutes east of Margate is the tiny resort of Birchington. Some days its lovely sandy beaches are blighted by stinky seaweed - which the council cannot get their act together to clear regularly - but other than that, it’s a lovely, private bay. There’s usually a seaweed free spot somewhere on the beach, and if you’ve come for the spectacular seafood served by The Minnis Bar and Restaurant, you’ll make the compromise.

Their hot or cold seafood platters at £45, will easily serve two of you. Three of us couldn’t finish ours. There’ll be the local catch, mussels, prawns, calamari, shrimp, lobster and crab. And for pudding, deconstructed strawberry margarita which is strawberries three ways or a similarly deconstructed peach bellini. Bibi, 13, said: “I could easily eat two puddings.”

If it’s raining, or the seaweed is too overpowering, nearby Quex Park Estates is a 250 acre estate which hosts everything from a falconry to paintballing. The Maize Maze makes getting lost fun, while Jungle Jims is an indoor play centre for under 10s with an outdoor adventure playground for older kids. The Powell-Cotton Museum, established in 1846, houses natural history specimens and cultural objects collected by Major Percy Powell-Cotton. There’s a garden centre and craft barn too.

Head 20 minutes west of Margate to Joss Bay, a lovely sheltered cove, and another favourite of Ms Emin’s. The beach is pure sand, rock pools and no seaweed when we visited. It’s easy to catch crabs with your hands in the warm pools, but you need a net for the speedy shrimps. A safe place to body board too. Take a picnic or take advantage of the greasy spoon cafe on the beach.

About 15 minutes from Joss Bay is Ramsgate and another totally unexpected gastronomic experience. If you don’t know about Eddie Gilbert’s restaurant, you’ll never guess that a gourmet fish bar exists next to Blockbusters and McDonalds. It’s a real find and hard to resist grilled Ramsgate lobster, chips, saffron and tarragon aioli and a beetroot and carrot salad, or pan fried fillet of local wild sea bass, pak choi, mussel and a saffron, lemon grass and ginger sauce. They sell a local wine too, which is light and crisp and utterly delicious.

If you want to explore the coast you could decamp to Deal, which is not far from Dover. We were unlucky in our choice of hotel, the Beachbrow Hotel and Waterfront Restaurant. The loo in the cramped room sounded like a lawn mower as it macerated away and chucked water up through the bath’s plug hole as it did so. And despite arriving in the school summer holidays, the restaurant was closed (it is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and our host was so wrong-footed when we asked him to recommend one, all he could do was list every restaurant in the town. Exasperated, we tried the award-winning Dunkerley’s Restaurant next door. Although the food was good, we all felt it was overpriced and winced at our bill for £135 (two adults and two children) as we’d really only had steak and chips.

Walmer Castle and gardens are only 10 minutes up the road by car or you can walk along the beach to get there. Built by Henry VIII the castle was originally designed as part of a chain of coastal artillery defences and evolved into the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Duke of Wellington held the post for 23 years and you can see the chair where he died, and in recent years the Queen Mother, herself a Lord Warden made regular visits to the castle.

If you’re heading back to London, treat yourself to lunch or dinner at Richard Phillips gastro pub the Pearson’s Arms in Whitstable. It’s an old pub, with scrubbed wooden boards, laid out over three floors. It’s right on the beach and describes itself as a community pub.

Richard’s passion for local produce shines through and the staff are knowledgable and attentive and had no problem recommending the right beer to go with our fish. The food is reasonable too, pay an average of £15 for a main course and £6.50 for a starter. There is a set menu at £28 for three courses. After three hours working our way through dishes like grilled Skate wing, buttered leeks, samphire, caper and parsley brown butter sauce and smoked Haddock, bubble and squeak, poached egg with a white wine butter sauce and a citrus mousse with Pearson’s Garibaldi biscuits, it really was time to go home. No one really wanted to though. Bibi said: “Can’t we go back to the Walpole Mummy?” And Rhiana added: “When can we come again?”
 
 01843 221702, walpolebayhotel.co.uk; 01843 231504 theambrette.co.uk; 01843 220008, shellgrotto.co.uk; 01843 841844, theminnis.co.uk; 01843 841119, quexpark.co.uk; 01843 233000, turnercontemporary.org; 01843 852123, eddiegilberts.com; 01304 374338, beachbrow-hotel.co.uk; 01227 272005, pearsonsarmsbyrichardphillips.co.uk