Advertisement
April 29, 2012 – Margate
Here we are in Margate, visiting with my cousin Susan Marsh, her husband Eric and son Stephen. We have been so humbled and grateful to Susan, Eric and Stephen for taking the time to meet us in Margate, and so kindly show us the town. We saw the home that my Grandfather lived in, and the RAF base where he worked – we think prior to 1920. We visited the Tate Gallery, where a Turner exhibition is on display, and also Rodin's sculpture “The Kiss” (our bit of culture!) and museums at the airfield. But so far, the most astonishing thing we've seen is the Shell Grotto.
The Shell Grotto is situated on Shell Grotto Hill, Margate (a small back street in the middle of town) – and is absolutely amazing. The story goes like this … In 1835 Mr James Newlove lowered his young son Joshua into a hole in the ground that had appeared during the digging of a duck pond. Joshua emerged describing tunnels covered with shells. He had discovered the shell grotto, a series of passages leading to a chamber, its walls decorated with strange symbols, mosaiced in shells. Is
it a pagan temple? A meeting place for some secret cult? Nobody can explain who built this amazing place, or why, but since its accidental discovery, visitors from all over the world have been intrigued by the beautiful mosaic and the unsolved mystery.
Sadly, Victorian lighting in the form of gas lanterns have covered the walls (thus the shells) in soot – and as cleaning agents are very damaging to the delicate shells, the colours have been lost. But that doesn't detract from the astonishing beauty of the grotto. In one of the corridors is “The Whispering Shell” - a person can stand at one end of the twisting corridor, and another person at the other end of the corridor (some distance) can whisper and it's perfectly audible to the person at the far end. The acoustics are perfect. Additionally, at 1pm of the Summer Solstice, the sunlight streams through a small hole in the ceiling of the Grotto (this small hole is situated in a very ordinary back garden of a house) and bounces off the walls of the grotto to beam directly onto an altar in the end room. The age and origins of the Grotto have
not been identified – it could be pagan or a druid temple, the Knights Templar have claimed it as theirs, however other religious groups have also claimed it as their heritage. Another theory is that it was built as a Victorian Folly, however it's reasonably certain that it is older than the Victorian era. The Grotto is 2,000 square feet of mosaic, and has approximately 4.6 million shells attached to the walls. Whatever its origin, it is absolutely amazing. We have never seen anything like it. If you're ever in the area, do visit it – description alone does not do it justice.
Whilst in Margate, we have had the great pleasure of staying at the Walpole Bay Hotel. The hotel was built in 1914, extended in 1927, and is now being restored to it's former glory by the current owners, the Bishops. The hotel also features an original 1927 Otis trellis gated lift – which is in full use, and is whisper silent. Dinner is in the Edwardian-style restaurant, overlooking the ocean. On the second floor is a museum (amongst which guest accomodation is located) and it's a veritable treasure trove of history. Display cases are scattered all
over the entire hotel, crammed full of memorabilia. It is a truly remarkable place to stay – our suite featured a bedroom (complete with four-poster bed), a sitting room and ensuite, and it was absolutely indulgent to lay in bed and look out of the sash windows to the ocean. What an absolute treat!! Check out their website …
http://www.walpolebayhotel.co.uk/ … it's amazing.
Margate itself is a seaside town which used to be prosperous, fell into some disrepair, but is slowing coming back to life. It is the point where the North Sea meets the English Channel, and there is so much to do and see around the region. Canterbury, with it's stunning Cathedral, is a hop, skip & jump down the road, and the villages which abound around the region are crammed full of history and interesting things to see. We're so glad we came here!
Tuesday, sadly our visit here will end and we'll be saying a sad farewell to Susan, Eric and Stephen, and we'll be heading for Salisbury for our next adventure.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.072s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 14; qc: 31; dbt: 0.0238s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Lynne
non-member comment
A royal visit!
How fabulous! Who would have thought the Queen would have popped out to see two Aussies holidaying?! LOL - how cool is that! You guys sound like you are having a hoot of a time. Stonehenge is a truly amazing place (in a paddock) - can' t wait to hear all your stories. Great job with the blog guys!!! Safe travelling on your last few days and enjoy every second. Look forward to seeing you when you get back :)