What to do in Margate: plan for the weekend

What to watch: art

Start your weekend in Margate with a visit to the David Chipperfield-designed Turner Contemporary, the first modern building to appear on a Bank of England banknote. At various times, Turner Contemporary has exhibited works by contemporary artists from around the world, including Anthony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Jeremy Deller, Grayson Perry, Yinka Shonibare and Paula Regu, and is currently hosting a retrospective of American abstractionist Edward Clarke, the first major exhibition dedicated to the artist in Europe.

The panoramic windows of the gallery offer a beautiful view of the Margate coastline. From the second floor of the gallery you can see Anthony Gormley’ s sculpture Another Time – a man drowning in the waves (the installation is usually visible about 3 hours before low tide). Individual sculptures within the framework of this project have been installed by Gormley all over the world – from Britain to Japan. The artist himself describes these isolated forms, cast from his own body, as “an attempt to bear witness to what it is like to be alive and alone in space and time”.

Turner Contemporary Gallery, as many have already guessed, was named after English painter William Turner. The artist first came to Margate in 1786, when he was only 11 years old. The town immediately became a source of inspiration for Turner: here he made a series of drawings of Margate and its surroundings, which foreshadowed the development of his artistic method. Despite being an innovator of his time, Turner was voted the nation’s favorite artist in 2015. He created more than 20,000 drawings and paintings during his lifetime, and views of Margit Harbor are captured in more than 100 of his paintings.

Beginning in 1827, the artist came to Margate every Saturday, where he stayed with Sophia Caroline Booth at her Cold Harbor guesthouse. After Mrs. Booth’s husband died, in 1833, William Turner took her last name and became the woman’s constant companion – the couple spent 18 years together. Today, the sculpture of Turner’s beloved – a lady made of shells, who looks longingly at the sea – can be seen on the Margate seafront. It was created by local artist Ann Carington.

Margate is undoubtedly an important city on the art map. The contemporary artist Tracey Emin, a member of the Young British Artists, lives here. One of her most famous works, My Bed, was exhibited at the Tate Gallery in 1999 and nominated for a Turner Prize. It never won the award, but received a great deal of media attention. And in July 2014, “My Bed” was sold at Christie’s auction for 2,546,500 pounds.

You can continue your exploration of art in Margate at the Carl Friedman Gallery. It opened in May 2019 with an exhibition of works by English poet and photographer Billy Childish. This summer, the gallery will showcase paintings by former professional triathlete and current British artist Vanessa Rowe.

What else to do

In addition to galleries, museums and a rich art program, Margate is known for its mysterious grotto made of shells. No one knows exactly how it came to be; what is known is that it was first discovered in 1835. Inside, it is a labyrinth of underground tunnels decorated with more than four and a half million shells that form different images.

Another mystery of Margate is the Margate Caves. They appeared on this site many years ago, as evidenced by the Iron Age skeleton found there. In the early 18th century a chalk mine was dug in them, which was soon abandoned, and only decades later the entrance to the cave was discovered quite by accident by the gardener of the aristocrat Francis Forster. The new owner began to use the place as an icehouse and wine cellar and allowed only his guests in. The caves were opened to the public in 1863. On their walls you can see a variety of drawings: a portrait of King Henry III, hunting scenes, wild animals and royal soldiers. Who was the author of these creations is still unknown.

The city also has an amusement park called Dreamland, which has been there since 1920. By the way, the park has preserved the Scenic Railway wooden roller coaster – the oldest in the UK.

Food: insider tips

“It’s worth having breakfast at the bakery. Staple Stores. It’s a great option to start your morning and treat yourself to fresh pastries, delicious sandwiches and flavored coffee.”

“If you want Fish and Chips, the one dish that is a must-try when visiting a seaside English town, go to Peter’s fish factory. There’s always a huge queue and the tables outside are quickly occupied. It’s the best fish and chips in Margate, so grab your portion and head to the beach to enjoy the sea.”

“A good option for dinner might be the Buoy and Oyster restaurant. It serves seasonal seafood caught on the same day. The best seats are on the terrace, which offers a beautiful view of the sea. And the menu changes only four times a year, depending on the season.

“For lunch, stop at the Northern Belle pub . It’s one of the oldest in the city, and William Turner himself used to frequent it.”

“Dinner is available at Dory’s Seafood Bar. It’s open Friday through Monday. The menu changes depending on what’s caught today. Try marinated mussels with paprika, smoked haddock or fillet of perch with cabbage, lentils and green sauce. And for dessert, you can have the apple pie with caramel. Also look out for the wine list, which has been compiled by a team of experts who have visited vineyards across the UK.”