Turner Contemporary painting a new beginning for Margate
On leaving the train station and looking out to the sun glistening off the sea in front of me, I could almost be in a Spanish seaside resort. Golden sands, bright blue sea and not a cloud to be seen. Surprisingly, I’m not in Spain, I’m in the Kentish seaside town of Margate.
Besides Chas ’n’ Dave, not many would have swapped the Costa Brava for “a day down Margate with all me family”. But that seems to be changing.
Nowadays, Margate is a vibrant seaside hotspot. Having been named the best British seaside town in Pearlshare’s online awards, the once decaying seaside resort is most certainly on its way back.
To say the town is on its way back would be doing it a disservice. Sir Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, makes this utterly clear: “Will we go back? No, we’ll go forward, why look back when you can create the future?”
Margate is a coastal town in the district of Thanet which, much like neighbouring Ramsgate, had been a traditional holiday resort for Londoners wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city.
In the heyday of the 50s and 60s, beachgoers flocked in their thousands every summer, come rain or shine, seeking relaxation on the golden sands of the North Kent coast.
The arrival of package holidays in the 70s saw many a British seaside town fall into disrepair, hampered by the reputation of downmarket B&Bs, the closure of shops and a miserable air about the place. Margate’s appeal plummeted further with the shutting of the iconic amusement park Dreamland.
The arrival of an out-of-town shopping centre, closures of pubs and restaurants, and the arson attack on the Scenic Railway saw this once thriving resort facing a bleak future.
The opening of Westwood Cross, a shopping centre surrounded by Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate, was one that caused much controversy. The surrounding high streets were badly affected, with Sky News reporting a shop vacancy rate in Margate of 36.1% in 2011.
Fast forward just a few years and the town is receiving plaudits from the Rough Guide to England for its “irresistible energy”. Average house prices, per Zoopla, increased by 12.54% between July 2015 and 2016, the biggest uplift of all UK seaside towns. At just a fraction of the cost of London prices, the opportunity to board the property ladder is utterly irresistible.
Christian Miles, a local estate agent, gives rapturous praise of the resurgence, attributing the positive changes to the Turner Contemporary and the week-by-week arrival of trendy boutiques and restaurant. He said: “We are now seeing areas that have been in the dumps since the early 80s, such as Trinity Square and Northdown Road, jump on the bandwagon. Property prices, across the board, in this once most avoided of towns, are on the up again.”
The town is undoubtedly finding its feet again, even being nicknamed “Shoreditch-on-Sea”. Propelled by the opening of the Turner Contemporary, under the trusted eyes of Victoria Pomery OBE, high speed train links to and from London as well as a surge of independent shops opening, the Margate of old is once again showing its face.
Sir Roger has been delighted by the improvements: “Pomery certainly made her mark. The Turner has had a regenerative effect on the whole town, a trickle up effect on the High Street from the coast.
“There isn’t a single property available in the Old Town now, I think that says it all.
“We’re seeing those wonderful Georgian houses in Cliftonville becoming single homes again, instead of a few crummy flats. There’s a hell of a lot going on in the area, it’s important that we look forward and continue to make improvements.”
Curbed by mass deprivation in previous years, whilst it still remains to an extent, areas such as Cliftonville are undoubtedly on the mend.
With money stretching a lot further here, a selection of Londoners are swapping the swanky streets of Shoreditch for the sunny shores of the South East.
“It feels like half of East London has moved down here,” says Carey Mann, owner of Mala Kaffe on Margate’s picturesque Harbour Arm.
“Over the years, parts of East London have lost their soul. That edgy, creative, urban decay kind of vibe just isn’t there anymore; mainly due to the fact that the people, that created the vibe, and colourful character of the area, have been priced out, mainly artists, and the corporate world has taken over.
“Margate has surpassed every expectation that I had, I knew that it had a really cool vibe going on but what I didn’t expect was a community of like-minded people that showed so much love, and support, and continue to do so.”
Mann adds: “I had my whole coffee shop built and decorated for free with the help of the local community. I’ve never experienced anything like that.
“I’ve tried to return the favour by offering traders prices on hot drinks to everybody that works on the Harbour Arm and the Turner Gallery.” Mann stresses the value of the Turner Contemporary to her business: “People are always going to the Turner no matter what the weather, and there’s enough locals to keep you in business during the winter months, so we seem to be in a good position here at Mala.”
Turner himself remarked the “skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”. Situated in the same spot as the guest house Turner stayed in when visiting the town, the gallery, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, has been constructed in a particular way to maximise the light.
Generating over £50 million for the local economy and seeing more than two million visitors pass through its doors, the gallery has had a momentous impact on the area. Amongst the many visitors since its opening, the Turner has welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip, the Duchess of Cambridge and former Prime Minister David Cameron to name just a few famous visitors.
And then there’s Dreamland, internationally renowned for its Grade II* listed Scenic Railway rollercoaster. Closed to the public in 2005 and sadly subject to an arson attack in 2008, the future looked bleak for the former centrepiece of the seaside town. But the appointment of Wayne Hemingway, and his wife Gerardine, as designers in 2012 signalled a total rebrand and fresh start as a vintage amusement park.
Reopening in June 2015, the park has seen the restoration of historic rides and attractions, with a £15m overhaul announced for this coming summer, with Sir Roger revealing there are some “impressive” plans in place.
The birth of a number of eclectic new businesses, alongside the continued success of existing ones, has allowed the town to bounce back from the blue. Businesses such as Mala Kaffe, natural food store the Grain Grocer and the Margate Arts Club have all sprung up from Londoners waving goodbye to the big city and opting to live by the seaside.
“There’s been so many new businesses setting up, young people simply can’t afford to live in London anymore and are seeing what’s happening down here,” says Daniel Goldman, owner of Café G in Margate’s old town. “We’ve been open since 2004, always being quite successful, but I’ve definitely seen an increase in the quantity of visitors as well as a more upmarket tourist sector.”
On being asked whether he had seen a change in customer because of Margate’s resurgence, Goldman said: “Totally, a huge change, they’re much more culturally aware. I think it’s largely down to the media, newspaper and television coverage. It brings the curious to the area, those who want to live, work and play.”
Such ‘live, work and play’ attitude has been mirrored by GB Pizza Co, on Margate’s beautiful seafront. Founded by Lisa Richards and Rachel Seed in the summer of 2012, GB Pizza Co began life in the back of a 1974 VW Campervan, serving pizza al-fresco on the Harbour Arm. Stacey Goldsmith, current manager of the restaurant, explained: “That summer we were so popular, we were looking to stay in the area and so grabbed the opportunity to have a permanent restaurant along the seafront.
“Lisa and Rachel are both Londoners, but being from the area myself, it’s great to see places like this popping up.”
The Turner Contemporary has been hugely influential to each and every business in the surrounding area. Goldsmith said: “We made huge profits in the summer of 2015 with Grayson Perry’s exhibition at the Turner. Arty people would take a look at the exhibition and then on the way back to the train station, or after going to the beach, they’d pop in for a pizza, or pop next door for a drink.”
With over 190,000 visitors to the attraction for said exhibition, it bought huge sums of money to the town. Despite entrance being free, voluntary donations amounted to more than £40,000.
However, whilst all seems rosy in the town, some relationships have soured after the Turner found its feet. Mr Goldman said: “We worked hand in hand to begin with. There is no longer any mutual support, we have leaflets for the gallery in our window but they won’t advertise for us at all. Everyone needs to work together, that’s how this great town will succeed.”
Working together — doesn’t that seem familiar? In a way, it’s reminiscent of a primary school teacher saying good teamwork is the only way to win.
I take one final glance at the exquisite pink sunset, as a family throw their chips to the seagulls and a straggle of tourists film the spectacle. It was somewhat agonising to detach myself from this bliss, made yet harder by my delayed train. This seemed a fitting reminder that while all is not yet perfect, exciting times are ahead for Margate.