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{{Short description|Town in East Kent, England}}
'''Margate''' was known as Meregate (in 1254) or Margate (in 1293) is on the [[Isle of Thanet]] in Kent, England. Its meaning may be translated as "a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found". The cliffs of the Isle of Thanet are composed of [[London Clay]], a fossil-bearing rock.
{{about|the town in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| static_image_name = Margate Clock Tower Oast House Archive.jpg
| static_image_caption = Margate Clock Tower
| official_name = Margate
| type = [[Seaside_resort|Seaside town]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51.3850|1.3838|display=inline,title}}
| label_position = top
| population = 63,322
| population_ref = (2021)
| civil_parish = [[Unparished area]] and [[charter trustees]]
| shire_district = [[Thanet District|Thanet]]
| shire_county = [[Kent]]
| region = South East England
| constituency_westminster = [[East Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)|East Thanet]]
| post_town = MARGATE
| postcode_district = CT9
| postcode_area = CT
| dial_code = 01843
| os_grid_reference = TR355705
| london_distance = {{cvt|65+1/2|mi|km}} [[Boxing the compass|W]]
| module = {{Infobox mapframe|stroke-width=1|zoom=11|width=240}}
}}
'''Margate''' is a [[seaside resort|seaside town]] in the [[Thanet District]] of [[Kent]], [[England]]. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of {{convert|2|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off}} long, {{convert|16|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} north-east of [[Canterbury]] and includes [[Cliftonville]], [[Garlinge]], [[Palm Bay, UK|Palm Bay]] and [[Westbrook, Kent|Westbrook]]. In 2011 it had a population of 61,223.
 
The town has been a significant maritime port since the Middle Ages, and was associated with [[Dover]] as part of the [[Cinque Port]]s in the 15th century. It became a popular place for holidaymakers in the 18th century, owing to easy access via the Thames, and later with the arrival of the railways. Popular landmarks include the sandy beaches and the [[Dreamland Margate|Dreamland amusement park]]. During the late 20th century, the town went into decline along with other British seaside resorts, but attempts are being made to revitalise the economy.
 
==History==
{{Main|History of Margate}}
[[File:The harbour, Margate, Kent, England, ca. 1897 (1).jpg|330px|thumb|left|A [[photochrom]] print of Margate Harbour in 1897]]
 
Margate was listed in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as lying within the hundred of Thanet and the county of Kent.<ref>{{OpenDomesday|TR3570|margate|Margate}}</ref>
===Cinque Ports===
 
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 was a "limb" of [[Dover]] in the ancient confederation of the [[Cinque_Port|Cinque ports]]. It was added to the ports in the 15th century.
 
Margate gives its name to the relatively unknown yet influential [[Battle of Margate]], starting on 24 March 1387, it was the last major [[Naval warfare|naval battle]] of the [[Caroline War]] phase of the [[Hundred Years' War]]. Despite the battle being named after Margate, very little actually happened near the coastal town - the battle is named after Margate as this was where an [[Kingdom of England|English]] [[Naval fleet|fleet]] of 51 [[Naval vessel|vessels]] that was anchored at Margate [[Roadstead]] first spotted a [[Kingdom of France|Franco]]-[[Crown of Castile|Castilian]]-[[County of Flanders|Flemish]] [[wine]] [[Naval fleet|fleet]] of around 250-360 [[Marine vessel|vessels]]. The English gave chase after the undermanned wine fleet and finally defeated the fleet a day later on 25 March 1387 off the coast of [[Cadzand]], [[Zeeland]], [[Netherlands]].
===Margate and the Sea===
 
The town's history is tied closely to the sea and it has a proud maritime tradition. Margate was a "limb" of [[Dover]] in the ancient confederation of the [[Cinque Port|Cinque ports]]. It was added to the confederation in the 15th century. Margate has been a leading seaside resort for at least 250&nbsp;years. Like its neighbour [[Ramsgate]], it has been a traditional holiday destination for [[London]]ers drawn to its sandy beaches. Margate had [[Margate Jetty|a Victorian jetty]] which was largely destroyed by a [[1978 North Sea storm surge|storm in 1978]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://piers.org.uk/pierpages/NPSmargate.html|title=National Piers Society ''(retrieved 6 January 2011)''|access-date=6 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824114827/http://piers.org.uk/pierpages/NPSmargate.html|archive-date=24 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Between 1890-1939 about 30 pleasure boats operated from Margate beach. The main builder of Thanet wherries was Brockman of Margate, who turned them out in large numbers before the [[Great War]]. They developed two distinct types of these Thanet beach boats, the [[wherry]], with its high sides, and the wherry punt, with low sides. The hulls were traditionally varnished, a practice employed by boatmen from Thanet to Devon. Some boatmen would construct a wider beam into the design to assist fishing.
 
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.
Although employing a clinker-built hull, the shape was similar to the [[Deal%2C_Kent|Deal]] galley and the Thames waterman's skiff. The last wherry in service at Margate was operated by a Dusty Miller of Westgate, and built by an apprentice of Brockman's of Margate in 1939. "She was only about 12 ft long and being small was sometimes called a skiff."
 
Like [[Brighton]] and [[Southend-on-Sea|Southend]], Margate was infamous for gang violence between [[mods and rockers]] in the 1960s, and [[Mod (subculture)|mods]] and [[skinheads]] in the 1980s.<ref>There is an unflattering portrait of skinheads and a [[Cockney]]fied Margate in [[Paul Theroux]], ''The Kingdom by the Sea'', 1983:24-26.</ref>
The town's history is tied closely to the sea and it has a proud maritime tradition. The record of the vessel, ''[[Friend to all Nations]]'', and the [[Margate Surfboat]] disaster of [[1897]] are noteworthy events in Margate's past.
 
The [[Turner Contemporary]] art gallery occupies a prominent position next to the harbour, and was constructed there with the specific aim of revitalising the town.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-49804664|title=Turner Contemporary: Did art transform 'no-go zone' Margate?|work=BBC News|date=4 October 2019|access-date=7 September 2020|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020225136/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-49804664|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Thanet Offshore Wind Project]], completed in 2010, is visible from the seafront.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/50832/thanet-project-specific-preliminary-information-memorandum-pim.pdf|title=Thanet Offshore Transmission Assets|publisher=Office of Gas and Electricity Markets|date=July 2009|access-date=7 September 2020|archive-date=27 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027062109/https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/50832/thanet-project-specific-preliminary-information-memorandum-pim.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Margate as a Seaside Resort==
 
===Steamboats=Governance==
Margate is an [[unparished area]] with [[charter trustees]]. In 2021 there was a proposal to convert the unparished area into a [[civil parish]] and replace the charter trustees with a town council.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bailes |first1=Kathy |title=Plans announced to create a Margate Town Council |url=https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2021/05/25/plans-announced-to-create-a-margate-town-council/ |access-date=11 December 2023 |work=The Isle Of Thanet News |date=25 May 2021}}</ref>
 
Since 2024, the Member of Parliament for [[East Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)|East Thanet]] has been the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP, [[Polly Billington]].
It is now a [[seaside resort]] which, like its neighbour [[Ramsgate]], has been a traditional holiday destination for Londoners drawn to its sandy [[beach]]es.
 
Margate was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1857. It had several wards, including [[Margate Marine & Pier]]. This was abolished in 1974, since which date Margate has been part of the [[Thanet District|Thanet]] district of [[Kent]]. The town contains the seven electoral [[Ward (politics)|wards]] of Margate Central, [[Cliftonville]] West, Cliftonville East (from 1974 to 2003 the ward of [[Cliftonville (ward)|Cliftonville]]), Westbrook, Garlinge, Dane Valley and Salmestone. These wards have seventeen of the fifty six seats on the [[Thanet District Council]]. At the [[2007 United Kingdom local elections|2007 Local Elections]], nine of those seats were held by the Conservatives, seven by Labour and one by an Independent.<ref>{{cite web|title=2007 Election results |publisher=Thanet District Council |url=http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/election_results_04-05-07.aspx |access-date=29 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518075104/http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/election_results_04-05-07.aspx |archive-date=18 May 2007 }}</ref>
[[Edward Hasted]], writing in the 18th century, had once described Margate as a "poor fishing town", but in 1810, when describing the shore, said:
*''... [it] was so well adapted adapted to bathing, being an entire level and covered with the finest sand, which extends for several miles on either side of the harbour... [near which] there are several commodious bathing rooms, out of which the bathers are driven in the machines, any depth along the sands into the sea; at the back of the machine is a door, through which the bathers descend a few steps into the water, and an umbrella of canvas dropping over conceals them from the public view. Upwards of 40 of these machines are frequently employed...
 
==Climate==
About [[1816]] [[The Times]] reported that the introduction of '''steamboats''' had given the whole coast of Kent (and) the Isle of Thanet in particular, ''"a prodigious lift"''. Sir [[Rowland Hill]] (founder of the [[1840]] [[Penny Post]]), while in Thanet during [[1815]] however, remarked: ''"It is surprising to see how most people are prejudiced against this packet."'' So popular were the steam boat excursions that in [[1841]] there were six different companies competing for the Margate passenger traffic. It remains a remarkable tribute to the popularity of this pioneering service that even with the advent of the railway in [[1846]] the steamboats continued in service until their final demise in [[1967]].
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.
 
{{Weather box
In [[1820]] it was said that ''"the inhabitants of Margate ought to eulogise the name of [[James Watt|Watt]], as the founder of their good fortune; and steam vessels as the harbingers of their prosperity''". It is curious, however, to find that a popular reluctance was to be found apparent in passengers in travelling beyond Margate, for fear of coming to grief upon the dangerous North Foreland shoreline.
| ___location = Margate
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan high C = 7.3
| Feb high C = 7.4
| Mar high C = 10.1
| Apr high C = 12.6
| May high C = 15.8
| Jun high C = 18.9
| Jul high C = 21.7
| Aug high C = 21.9
| Sep high C = 18.9
| Oct high C = 14.9
| Nov high C = 10.7
| Dec high C = 7.9
| year high C = 14.0
| Jan mean C = 4.5
| Feb mean C = 4.5
| Mar mean C = 6.5
| Apr mean C = 8.4
| May mean C = 11.7
| Jun mean C = 14.6
| Jul mean C = 17.1
| Aug mean C = 17.5
| Sep mean C = 15.0
| Oct mean C = 11.5
| Nov mean C = 7.6
| Dec mean C = 5.6
| year mean C = 10.4
| Jan low C = 2.2
| Feb low C = 1.9
| Mar low C = 3.6
| Apr low C = 5.3
| May low C = 8.4
| Jun low C = 11.2
| Jul low C = 13.5
| Aug low C = 13.7
| Sep low C = 11.8
| Oct low C = 8.8
| Nov low C = 5.3
| Dec low C = 2.9
| year low C = 7.4
| Jan precipitation mm = 51.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 41.0
| Mar precipitation mm = 36.1
| Apr precipitation mm = 37.8
| May precipitation mm = 47.6
| Jun precipitation mm = 46.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 47.4
| Aug precipitation mm = 50.7
| Sep precipitation mm = 48.8
| Oct precipitation mm = 73.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 69.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 62.6
| year precipitation mm = 612.6
| Jan sun = 65.6
| Feb sun = 84.1
| Mar sun = 134.5
| Apr sun = 195.8
| May sun = 230.8
| Jun sun = 235.4
| Jul sun = 242.7
| Aug sun = 225.3
| Sep sun = 172.2
| Oct sun = 122.3
| Nov sun = 77.3
| Dec sun= 60.0
| year sun = 1846
| source 1 = <ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/u10unds1y | title = Margate climate | access-date = 28 March 2017 | archive-date = 29 March 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170329141810/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/u10ure55u | url-status = live }}</ref>
| source 2 = <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/Margate/statistics.html | title = Weather statistics for Margate, England (United Kingdom) | access-date = 29 March 2017 | archive-date = 30 March 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170330014043/http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/Margate/statistics.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
| date=March 2017
}}
 
===Railways=Demography==
{| class="wikitable" id="toc" style="float: right; margin-left: 2em; width: 40%; font-size: 90%;" cellspacing="3"
|-
!colspan="4"|'''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 [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 UK census]]:
 
Margate had a population of 40,386.<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk">{{cite web|title =Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher =Statistics.gov.uk|url =http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadHome.do;jsessionid=ac1f930bce6a711447e60ba4446bb56c21648d42c51.e38PbNqOa3qRe38OaNeKahqMai1ynknvrkLOlQzNp65In0?bhcp=1|access-date =29 March 2007|url-status =dead|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110525195139/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadHome.do;jsessionid=ac1f930bce6a711447e60ba4446bb56c21648d42c51.e38PbNqOa3qRe38OaNeKahqMai1ynknvrkLOlQzNp65In0?bhcp=1|archive-date =25 May 2011|df =dmy-all}}</ref> The urban area had a population of 46,980 at the 2001 census, increasing to 49,709 at the 2011 census (5.8% increase).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shareweb.kent.gov.uk/Documents/facts-and-figures/Population-and-Census/2011%20Census/2011-census-ward-level-population.pdf|title=Kent government Web site: Business Intelligence Statistical Bulletin, November 2012 - 2011 Census: Ward level population|access-date=11 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308072041/https://shareweb.kent.gov.uk/Documents/facts-and-figures/Population-and-Census/2011%20Census/2011-census-ward-level-population.pdf|archive-date=8 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The '''railway''' came to Margate via two separate railway companies. The [[South Eastern Railway]] (SER) were first to reach the town, when its branch line from the main line at [[Ashford]], having opened to Ramsgate on April 13 1846, was continued to a station called Margate Sands on 1 December of the same year. It was not direct however: trains had to reverse from the terminus at Ramsgate to reach Margate. In spite of that, crowds of people added to the already high numbers coming by sea. The SER had the rail monopoly for 17 years.
 
The [[ethnicity]] of the town was 97.1% [[White people|white]], 1.0% [[mixed race]], 0.5% [[Black people|black]], 0.8% [[Asia]]n, 0.6% [[Chinese people|Chinese]] or other ethnicity.<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk" />
That was to end when, on October 5 1863 the [[London Chatham and Dover Railway]] completed its North Kent coast line and built a station at Margate West. Once the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] had been formed, there was a major rationalisation of the Isle of Thanet railways: the old route from Ramsgate was closed completely, and a new railway connection, looping round the Isle of Thanet, meant that trains could pass through the town from either direction. Margate West (renamed simply Margate) station became the only railway station in the town.
 
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]].<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk"/>
===Tourism===
 
Religion was recorded as 71.6% [[Christians|Christian]], 17.1% no religion, 0.7% [[Muslim]], 0.3% [[Buddhist]], 0.3% [[Jewish]], 0.2% [[Hindu]], 0.1% [[Sikh]]; 0.3% had an alternative religion and 9.8% did not state their religion.<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk"/>
In recent times it has had higher [[unemployment]] rates than much of south-east [[England]], as tourists travel further afield. Like [[Brighton]] it was infamous for gang violence between [[mod]]s and rockers in the [[1960s]].
 
For every 100 females, there were 92 males. The age distribution was 6% aged 0–4&nbsp;years, 16% aged 5–15&nbsp;years, 5% aged 16–19&nbsp;years, 31% aged 20–44&nbsp;years, 23% aged 45–64&nbsp;years and 19% aged 65&nbsp;years and over.<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk"/>
Margate faces major structural redevelopments. Its ''Dreamland [[Amusement Park]]'' (featured in the ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' television series) is threatened with imminent closure, and in [[2003]] saw a huge [[fire]] destroy much of its seafront frontage. This blaze occurred during plans to close the park, owned by the same company that has similar redevelopment plans for the [[Folkestone]] Rotunda Amusement Park. In 2004 it was announced that Dreamland (although somewhat reduced in its amusements) would re-open for three months of the summer; a pressure group has been formed to keep it in being.
 
11% of Margate residents had some kind of higher or professional qualification, compared to the national average of 20%.<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk"/>
The group is anxious that the UK's oldest wooden [[roller coaster]], The Scenic Railway, a Grade II Listed structure is retained. Dreamland has some need for protection, its [[big wheel]], once a landmark visible for miles around, having been sold to a park in [[Mexico]].
 
==Economy==
A controversial [[Turner]] gallery has been proposed, as an alternative to Margate's traditional tourist trade, and if built would form part of the [[harbour]] itself. Some critics, however, questioned the prudence of placing part of Britain's national art treasure in a spot that is exposed to the full fury of the [[North Sea]]. Nevertheless, the scheme is to go ahead and the planned opening is for 2007.
At the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 UK census]], the economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 33.8% in [[Full-time job|full-time]] employment, 11.8% in [[Part-time job|part-time]] employment, 8.0% [[self-employed]], 5.5% [[unemployed]], 2.2% [[student]]s with jobs, 3.9% students without jobs, 15.5% retired, 8.3% [[Homemaker|looking after home or family]], 7.9% permanently sick or [[disabled]] and 3.6% economically inactive for other reasons. The rate of unemployment in the town was considerably higher than the national rate of 3.4%.<ref name="Statistics.gov.uk"/>
 
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|date=May 2020}}
== Margate during the Second World War ==
 
==Transport==
It was on September 3, 1940, that pilot officer [[Richard Hillary]] was shot down during combat against three Messerschmitts into the sea near the North Foreland, but had the good fortune to be rescued by Margate lifeboat. His Spitfire had burst into flames and he was badly burnt, but later wrote the book ''The Last Enemy''. Hillary, the grandson of the founder of the lifeboat service (Sir [[William Hillary]] d1852), recovered from his ordeal, but was killed in a training flight accident in 1943, aged 24.
[[File:Margate railway station entrance Margate Kent England.jpg|thumb|left|Margate railway station, which was constructed in 1926 to designs by [[Edwin Maxwell Fry]]]]
 
[[Margate railway station]] is sited {{convert|73|mi|69|chain|km|lk=in}} down the line from {{rws|London Victoria}}. Trains from the station generally run to Victoria, via {{stnlnk|Chatham|Medway}}, and to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]], via [[Ramsgate railway station|Ramsgate]], [[Canterbury West railway station|Canterbury West]] and [[Ashford International railway station|Ashford International]] on the [[High Speed 1]] line. Peak hour trains run to St Pancras, via Chatham and [[Gravesend railway station|Gravesend]], and to {{rws|London Cannon Street}}. The station, and all trains that serve it, are operated by [[Southeastern (train operating company)|Southeastern]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timetables |date=May 2023 |access-date=27 May 2023 |url= https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/timetables |quote=}}</ref>
Howard Primrose Knight, coxwain of the [[Ramsgate]] lifeboat ''Prudential'', and Edward Drake Parker, coxwain of the Margate [[lifeboat]] ''Lord Southborough'' were both awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of their gallantry and determination when ferrying troops from the beaches of Dunkirk during the evacuation of 1940.
 
Most bus services in Margate are operated by [[Stagecoach South East]]; with routes linking the town with Canterbury, Herne Bay and Ramsgate and many more. Frequent Loop buses, ensure that travel around the isle is easy. These services leave every 5-7 minutes (day times) from Cecil Square, in both directions; towards Cliftonville and towards [[Westwood Cross]]. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Stagecoach Bus Timetable|work=StageCoach Bus |date=2024 |access-date=18 May 2024 |url= https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables |quote=}}</ref>
The lifeboats had assisted in retrieving at least 2,800 men, by towing eight wherries, during a continuous service lasting 40 hours. Following this achievement the Margate boat returned to [[Dunkirk]] to rescue between 500-600 French soldiers from the beach.
 
A [[National Express Coaches|National Express]] route, which operates between [[Victoria Coach Station|London Victoria]] and Ramsgate, calls at Margate seafront, Northdown Park and Cliftonville.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stops in Margate|work=Bus Times |date=2023 |access-date=27 May 2023 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/margate |quote=}}</ref>
In a letter to the [[RNLI]], the Commander of ''HMS Icarus'' stated: "The manner in which the Margate lifeboat crew brought off load after load of soldiers under continuous shelling, bombing and aerial machinegun fire, will be an inspiration to us all as long as we live."
 
==External linksTourism==
[[File:Margate, Kent, England-10April2010.jpg|thumb|Margate Clock Tower and buildings on the sea front]]
[[File:Pleasure Park Entrance.jpg|thumbnail|Entrance to Dreamland]]
[[File:Dreamland Scenic Railway Oct 2015.jpg|thumbnail|The Scenic Railway roller coaster at Dreamland]]
For at least 250 years, Margate has been a leading seaside resort in the UK, drawing Londoners to its beaches, Margate Sands. The [[bathing machine]]s in use at Margate were described in 1805 as;
<blockquote>
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.<ref>[[Walley Chamberlain Oulton|Oulton, W. C.]] (1805) ''The Traveller's Guide; or, English Itinerary'', Vol II, p. 245. Ivy-Lane, London: James Cundee.</ref></blockquote>
 
The [[Dreamland Margate|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 (Dreamland Margate)|Scenic Railway roller coaster]] is the second oldest of its type in the world, and is now Grade II* [[Listed building|Listed]].<ref name=grauniad>{{cite news|last=Aitch|first=Iain|title=Seaside special|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,674033,00.html|date=26 March 2002|access-date=9 April 2008|archive-date=24 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324171912/http://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,674033,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 Pleasure Beach|Great Yarmouth]] and was built in 1932. The Margate roller coaster is an [[American Coaster Enthusiasts|ACE]] Coaster Classic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aceonline.org/CoasterAwards/?type=1|title=Coaster Awards|work=aceonline.org|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908094157/http://www.aceonline.org/CoasterAwards/?type=1|archive-date=8 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/80/Margate_Dir/Margate_Page1.htm the Turner gallery]
 
* [http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/80/Margate_Dir/Margate_Page1.htm Detailed description of the Turner project]
[[Cliftonville]], next to Margate, had a classic British [[Arnold Palmer]] seaside [[mini golf]] course. It closed and was illegally converted to a skate park, which was later shut down by the council amid Safety Concerns.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Vice|title=A DIY Skate Park in Margate Was Demolished By Local Council Kill-Joys|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/margate-skate-park-demolition-388/|date=19 January 2015|access-date=8 January 2018|archive-date=9 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063644/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vdpa3d/margate-skate-park-demolition-388|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
[[File:Margate Tudor House.JPG|thumb|Tudor House]]
There are two notable theatres, the ''Theatre Royal'' in Addington Street&nbsp;– the second oldest theatre in the country&nbsp;– 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1341519|title=Theatre Royal|work=historicengland.org.uk|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=28 October 2008|archive-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314052939/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1341519|url-status=live}}</ref> At this current time, both Theatre Royal and Winter Gardens are closed. Theatre Royal closed on 28th April 2022, with the Winter Gardens following suit on 14th August 2022. <ref>
{{Cite web |url=https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2021/12/14/winter-gardens-update-confirms-closure-for-period-of-time-from-august-2022/ |title=Theatre Royal and Winter Gardens closure |date=14 December 2021 |access-date=18 May 2024 }}
</ref>
 
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.<ref>
{{Cite web |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/oh-so-retro-car-show-132568/ |title=Get into gear for retro car show |date=24 September 2017 |access-date=18 November 2020 |archive-date=28 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928231318/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/oh-so-retro-car-show-132568/ |url-status=live }}
</ref>
 
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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.margatecaves.co.uk/|title=Home|website=Margate Caves|access-date=10 July 2019|archive-date=10 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710162115/http://www.margatecaves.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The [[Shell Grotto, Margate|Shell Grotto]], which has walls and roof covered in elaborate decorations of over four million shells covering {{convert|2000|sqft|m2|sigfig=1}} in complex patterns, was rediscovered in 1835, but is of unknown age and origin. It has been designated as a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1341537|title=The Grotto|work=historicengland.org.uk|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=28 October 2008|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324160626/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1341537|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
[[Walpole bay tidal pool|The Walpole Bay Tidal Pool]] is a Grade 2 listed tidal sea bathing pool built in 1937.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1421296|title=Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, Non Civil Parish - 1421296 {{!}} Historic England|website=historicengland.org.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-10-07|archive-date=7 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007212751/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1421296|url-status=live}}</ref> The pool covers over four acres and its dimensions are 450&nbsp;ft long, 300&nbsp;ft wide at the seaward end and 550&nbsp;ft long at the landward end. The water in the pool is refreshed by the incoming tide twice a day and fresh water springs rise from the beach within the walls.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, Non Civil Parish - 1421296 {{!}} Historic England|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1421296|access-date=2020-12-02|website=historicengland.org.uk|language=en|archive-date=7 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007212751/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1421296|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Regeneration==
[[File:Turner Contemporary.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Turner Contemporary]] art gallery opened in April 2011]]
[[File:Margate Town Hall (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Margate Town Hall]], completed in 1898]]
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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13013824|title=Margate's Turner Contemporary art gallery set to open|work=BBC News|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925233638/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13013824|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
To reduce the cost, [[Thanet District Council]] chose a new site inland from the harbour wall. The scheme was supported by the artist [[Tracey Emin]], who was brought up in Margate. The building itself was designed by [[David Chipperfield Architects]] after the abandonment of the design by Snøhetta + Spence architects. Building work started in 2008 but the project's initiator, John Crofts, died in 2009. The Turner Contemporary Gallery officially opened on 16 April 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2011-04-16|title=Crowds flock to Margate's Turner Contemporary opening|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13104301|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=27 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527232116/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13104301|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
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 [[Margate Town Hall]] in the centre of the Market Place.<ref>{{NHLE|desc= Old Town Hall and Police Station|num=1351074|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref> There is also a small museum in the town hall complex which provides information about the history of Margate. In 2012 Margate was chosen as one of the towns to benefit from the [[Portas Pilot]] Scheme aimed at regenerating some of Britain's high streets.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2012-10-20|title=Mary Portas opens shops in Margate to aid regeneration|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20017675|access-date=2020-12-02|archive-date=14 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114200734/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20017675|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://citymonitor.ai/economy/dreamland-can-gentrification-save-margate-3067 | title=In Dreamland: Can gentrification save Margate? | date=18 July 2017 }}</ref>
 
==Historic sites==
[[File:Margate, The Jetty, c. 1905.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Jetty, {{Circa|1905}}]]
There is a 16th-century, two-storey timber-framed [[Tudor style architecture|Tudor]] house built on a flint plinth in King Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1351107|title=Tudor House|work=historicengland.org.uk|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=28 October 2008|archive-date=30 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930212744/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1351107|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
Margate's Jubilee Clock Tower was built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, although not completed until 1889.<ref name=he_tower>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1351073?section=official-listing|title=Clock Tower, Margate|work=Historic England|publisher=English Heritage|accessdate=20 January 2022}}</ref> It had a [[Time Ball]] mechanism, mounted on a mast atop the tower, which was raised a few minutes before 1{{nbsp}}pm each day and dropped at precisely 1{{nbsp}}pm, thereby allowing residents, visitors and ships to know the exact time. This was, of course, in the days before wireless transmission of time signals.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2020/11/17/margate-clock-tower-restoration-works-have-been-completed/|title=Margate clock tower restoration works have been completed|first=Kathy|last=Bales|work=Isle of Thanet News|date=17 November 2020|accessdate=20 January 2022}}</ref> The tower was Grade II listed in 1973.<ref name=he_tower/> The [[Time Ball]] fell out of use many years ago, but following a suggestion by Arnold Schwartzman OBE RDI, a former Margate resident, Margate Civic Society raised funds to have the time ball repaired and brought back into use. This was successful, and a civic ceremony celebrated the restoration on 24 May 2014, Queen Victoria's birthday and the 125th anniversary of the Clock Tower's official opening. This was short lived though and unfortunately, the time ball stopped working again with the pole it is affixed to having been left unrepaired. More recently it has been left leaning at a very precarious 75-degree angle.
 
[[Draper's Mill, Margate|Draper's Mill]] is a [[smock mill]] built<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1351087|title=Draper's Windmill|website=historicengland.org.uk|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=28 October 2008|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020010642/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1351087|url-status=live}}</ref> in 1845 by John Holman. It was working by wind until 1916 and by engine until the late 1930s.<ref name=West>{{cite book | first = Jenny| last = West| year = 1973| title = The Windmills of Kent| pages = 54–56| publisher = Charles Skilton Ltd.| ___location = London| isbn = 0284-98534-1}}</ref> It was saved from demolition and is now restored and open to the public.
 
==Cultural references==
[[File:Draper's mill.jpg|thumb|[[Draper's Mill, Margate|Draper's Mill]]]]
 
===Literature===
Margate features at the start and as a recurrent theme in Margate writer [[Iain Aitch]]'s travelogue, ''[[A Fete Worse Than Death]]''. The author was born in the town.
 
[[T. S. Eliot]], who in 1921 recuperated after a mental breakdown in the town of [[Cliftonville]], commented in his poem ''[[The Waste Land|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 [[Last Orders (film)|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 [[William Thackeray]] used out-of-season Margate as the setting for his early unfinished novel ''[[A Shabby Genteel Story]]''.
 
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."<ref>{{Cite news |last=The Guardian |title=Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee |newspaper=The Guardian |date=15 April 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/apr/15/dreamland-by-rosa-rankin-gee-review-first-love-and-rising-tides }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Dreamland - Simon and Schuster |date=26 May 2022 |isbn=978-1-4711-9384-2 |url=https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Dreamland/Rosa-Rankin-Gee/9781471193842 |last1=Rankin-Gee |first1=Rosa |publisher=Scribner }}</ref>
 
===Music===
"[[Margate (song)|Margate]]" is the title of a UK single released by [[Chas & Dave]] in 1982.
 
"Margate Fhtagn" is a song by UK [[steampunk]] band [[The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing]]. The story related in the song combines the Victorian tradition of the seaside holiday with the works of [[H. P. Lovecraft]], specifically the [[Cthulhu Mythos]], to tell the tale of a Victorian family going on a seaside holiday to Margate, which gets interrupted by [[Cthulhu]] rising from the sea.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lovecraft|first1=H.P.|title=Tales|date=2005|publisher=Library of America|___location=New York|isbn=1931082723|edition=2nd|oclc=56068806}}</ref>
 
"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 [[Léo Lania|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Muschel von Margate|url=https://www.kwf.org/pages/ww-muschel-von-margate.html|website=www.kwf.org|access-date=2020-05-28|archive-date=14 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714080551/https://www.kwf.org/pages/ww-muschel-von-margate.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
It is thought that [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] wrote ''[[The Lark Ascending]]'' whilst walking along the cliffs in Margate.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/first-world-war-inspired-the-lark-ascending-favourite-classical-music |title=How the first world war inspired Britain's favourite piece of classical music |last=Thorpe |first=Vanessa |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 April 2014 |access-date=23 March 2022}}</ref>
 
A photochrom print of Margate Harbour was used by the icelandic-american band [[Low Roar]] as an album cover for ''[[Ross (Low Roar album)|ross.]]'', the band's 4th album released in 2019.
 
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.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Kathy Bailes|title=The Brutalist tower block that marked the start of 1960s redevelopment in Margate|url=https://theisleofthanetnews.com/the-brutalist-tower-block-that-marked-the-start-of-1960s-redevelopment-in-margate/|website=The Isle of Thanet News|accessdate=28 February 2018|date=18 February 2018}}</ref>
 
[[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. <ref>{{Cite web |last=The Albion Rooms |title=The Albion Rooms |url=https://thealbionrooms.live/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitchfork |title=The Libertines Return With First Album Since 2015, Share New Song: Listen |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=13 October 2023 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/the-libertines-return-with-first-album-since-2015-share-new-song-listen/}}</ref>
 
===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 Margate|Dreamland]].
 
A 1989 episode of ''[[Only Fools & Horses]]'', "[[The Jolly Boys' Outing]]", was set primarily in Margate, featuring [[Margate railway station]] and Dreamland.
 
On 30 September 2006 Antony Gormley’s Waste Man was burned to the ground in front of an audience of thousands in the seaside town of Margate.<ref>The Waste Man
Margate Exodus 2006, Westgreen https://www.westgreen.com/arts/the-waste-man-margate-exodus-2006</ref> The resulting film, [[Exodus (2007 British film)|Exodus]], a modern retelling of the biblical story by Penny Woolcock, was broadcast on Channel 4 in 2007 before being produced as a DVD.
 
The town appeared on BBC TV's ''[[The Apprentice (British TV series)|The Apprentice]]'' in May 2009.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice|title=The Apprentice|publisher=BBC One|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213152317/http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/|archive-date=13 February 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The 2012 BBC television drama series [[True Love (TV 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.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Power|first1=Ed|date=21 February 2014|title=Edge of Heaven, ITV, review|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10653386/Edge-of-Heaven-ITV-review.html|url-status=live|access-date=24 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224231319/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10653386/Edge-of-Heaven-ITV-review.html|archive-date=24 December 2019}}</ref>
 
Also in 2014, [[J. M. W. Turner]]'s long-term relationship with Mrs. Sophia Booth of Margate was featured in the film ''[[Mr. Turner (film)|Mr. Turner]].''
 
In series 4 of the British television [[crime drama]] [[Peaky Blinders (TV series)|''Peaky Blinders'']] (2017), the character [[Alfie Solomons]] (played by [[Tom Hardy]]) chooses to reside at Margate, where he's shot on the beach by [[Tommy Shelby]].
 
In 2021, The Walpole Bay Hotel & Museum is featured in episode 3 of the ITV comedy drama ''[[The Larkins (2021 TV series)|The Larkins]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Objective Fiction - Kent Film Office|url=https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/filmed-in-kent/tag/objective-fiction/|access-date=2021-10-11|website=kentfilmoffice.co.uk}}</ref>
 
In 2022, Margate was featured as a ___location in the BBC Drama series ''[[Killing Eve]]''. The seafront, and Dreamland also serve as filming locations for the film ''[[Empire of Light (film)|Empire of Light]]'' which was filmed in 2022, and the video for "A new bohemia" by the [[Pet Shop Boys]].<ref>Kent Online https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/hit-duo-release-video-filmed-entirely-in-kent-seaside-town-307834/</ref>
 
In 2023, Margate was the set for hit series '[[Dreamland (TV series)|Dreamland]]' starring Lilly Allen.
 
=== In art ===
<gallery mode=packed heights="180px">
(Barcelona) Margate - c.1806-7 - William Turner - Tate Britain.jpg| ''Margate'' - c.1806-7 [[Joseph Mallord William Turner|William Turner]] - [[Tate Britain]]
File:Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) - Margate - T03876 - Tate.jpg|''[[Margate (painting)|Margate]]'' - 1808 [[Joseph Mallord William Turner|William Turner]] - [[Petworth House]]
(Barcelona) The New Moon; or, ‘I’ve lost My Boat, You shan’t have Your Hoop’ - William Turner - Tate Britain.jpg| ''The New Moon'' - [[Joseph Mallord William Turner|William Turner]] - [[Tate Britain]]
J.M.W. Turner - Margate Jetty.jpg| ''Margate Jetty'' - [[Joseph Mallord William Turner|William Turner]]
</gallery>
 
=== People From Margate ===
Artist [[Flora_Kendrick|Florence Ada Kendrick]]
 
Trade unionist [[W. J. Brown (trade unionist)|W. J. Brown]]
 
==Sport==
[[Margate F.C.]] play at [[Hartsdown Park]]. The club has played in the [[National League (English football)|National League]] and the [[National League South]] but, as of 2021, they are currently playing in the [[Isthmian League]].<ref name="fchdt">{{cite web
| url = https://www.fchd.info/lghist/south1989.htm
| title = Southern League 1988-89
| access-date = 7 February 2021
| publisher = Football Club History Database
}}</ref>
 
''Malle Mile Beach Race'' is an organised motorcycle [[Beach racing|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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mallelondon.com/beach-race/ | title=The Mile Beach Race 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2022/05/21/the-malle-beach-mile-race-underway-on-margate-main-sands/ | title=The Malle Beach Mile race underway on Margate Main Sands | date=21 May 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.magnetomagazine.com/vintage-motorcycles-tackle-the-malle-mile-beach-race/ | title=Vintage motorcycles tackle the Malle Mile Beach Race | date=19 May 2022 }}</ref>
 
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 [[Thanet District Council]], has proven to be popular with not only British riders but with a huge number of riders from the Continent. The event has both quads and solos racing around a specially prepared course on Margate's main sands and it attracts many thousands of visitors. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.margatebeachcross.com/|title=Margate Beach Cross|work=margatebeachcross.com|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-date=5 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005203132/http://www.margatebeachcross.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==Local media==
 
Margate had two paid-for newspapers, the ''Isle of Thanet Gazette'' and ''Thanet Times'' (which ceased publication in 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/third-newspaper-closed-following-oft-block-kent-deal/|title=Third newspaper closed following OFT block on Kent deal – Press Gazette|website=www.pressgazette.co.uk|date=2 October 2012 |access-date=12 April 2018|archive-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412211915/http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/third-newspaper-closed-following-oft-block-kent-deal/|url-status=live}}</ref>), which are owned by [[Northcliffe Media]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northcliffemedia.co.uk/our-regions/south-east|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904175608/http://www.northcliffemedia.co.uk/our-regions/south-east|url-status=dead|title=South East - Northcliffe Media|date=4 September 2012|archive-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> Free newspapers for the town include online-only ''Isle of Thanet News'';<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2017/news/editor-quits-regional-publisher-to-found-own-hyperlocal-news-website/|title=Editor quits Kent Live to found Isle of Thanet News - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412145824/https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2017/news/editor-quits-regional-publisher-to-found-own-hyperlocal-news-website/|url-status=live}}</ref> the ''Thanet Extra'', part of the [[KM Group]]; and ''yourthanet'', part of [[KOS Media]].
 
Local radio stations are [[KMFM Thanet]], owned by the KM Group, [[community radio]] station [[Academy FM (Thanet)]]; and the county-wide stations [[Heart South]], [[Gold (British radio network)|Gold]] and [[BBC Radio Kent]]. Thanet Community Radio also offers an online community podcasting service for Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate and the wider areas of Thanet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanetcommunityradio.co.uk|title=Thanet Community Radio Signature|work=thanetcommunityradio.co.uk|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517002654/http://thanetcommunityradio.co.uk/|archive-date=17 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC South East]] and [[ITV Meridian]]. Television signals are received from the [[Dover transmitting station|Dover]] TV transmitter <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Dover|title= Full Freeview on the Dover (Kent, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=2 December 2023}}</ref> and the local relay transmitter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Margate|title= Freeview Light on the Margate (Kent, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=2 December 2023}}</ref>
 
==Freedom of the Town==
The following people have received the [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Town]] of Margate.
 
* [[Winston Churchill]]: 1957
* [[Tracey Emin]]: 16 August 2022<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/artist-emin-given-freedom-of-the-town-272004/ |title=Artist Tracey Emin dons Crocs as she is named Freewoman of Margate |last=Britcher |first=Chris |date=16 August 2022 |website=Kent Online |access-date=17 August 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Arnold Schwartzman]]: 29 September 2023<ref>{{Cite news |last=BBC News |title=Arnold Schwartzman: Margate honours Oscar-winning director |work=BBC News |date=29 September 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-66936300}}</ref>
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
==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, {{ISBN|1-905477-20-1}}. Title page of original edition: [https://books.google.com/books?id=ExEHAAAAQAAJ&q=%22margate+and+its+vicinity%22 Google Books]
 
==External links==
{{Commons category|Margate, Kent|Margate}}
{{Wikivoyage|Margate}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Margate}}
* [http://www.margatecivicsociety.org.uk/ Margate Civic Society]
* [https://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/mar.htm Margate Cliff Railway (Cliftonville Lido)] (1913-1970s)
* [http://www.visitthanet.co.uk/destinations/margate/10537?microSiteId=210 Official Margate tourism site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920001405/http://www.visitthanet.co.uk/destinations/margate/10537?microSiteId=210 |date=20 September 2017 }}
* [https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230416-a-new-life-for-britains-seaside-towns Britain's Cool Seaside Towns BBC]
 
{{Thanet}}
{{Kent}}
{{Authority control}}
 
[[Category:EnglishMargate| seaside resorts]]
[[Category:Towns in Kent]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Cinque ports]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Kent]]
[[Category:Beaches of Kent]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Kent]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Kent]]
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