Margate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margate
Seaside town
Margate Clock Tower
Margate
Population	61,223 (2011)
OS grid reference	TR355705
• London	65+1⁄2 mi (105.4 km) W
Civil parish	Unparished area and charter trustees
District	Thanet
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MARGATE
Postcode district	CT9
Dialling code	01843
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	East Thanet
List of places UK England Kent 51°23′06″N 1°23′02″E / 51.3850°N 1.3838°E / 51.3850; 1.3838

Margate is a fun seaside town located in Kent, England. It sits on the north coast of Kent. The town is about 2 kilometers long and 16 kilometers northeast of Canterbury. In 2011, about 61,223 people lived here.

Margate has been an important port since the Middle Ages. It was even connected to Dover as part of the Cinque Ports in the 1400s. In the 1700s, it became a popular holiday spot. People could easily travel there by boat on the River Thames. Later, trains made it even easier to visit. Today, its sandy beaches and the Dreamland amusement park are very popular. Like many old seaside towns, Margate faced tough times in the late 1900s. But now, people are working hard to make it a lively place again!

Margate's Past: A Look Back

Margate Harbour in 1897

Margate is an old town. It was first mentioned in a famous book called the Domesday Book in 1086. This book listed all the towns in England.

The town's name has changed over time. In 1264, it was called "Meregate." By 1299, it was "Margate." The name likely means a "pool gate" or a gap in a cliff. This gap would have led to pools of water. The cliffs around Margate are made of chalk, which often has fossils in it.

Margate is known for a sea battle called the Battle of Margate. This battle happened on March 24, 1387. It was the last big naval battle of the Hundred Years' War. Even though it's named after Margate, most of the fighting happened far away. An English fleet of 51 ships first saw a French and Spanish wine fleet near Margate. The English ships chased them and won the battle the next day. This happened off the coast of Cadzand in the Netherlands.

The town has a strong connection to the sea. It was part of the Cinque Ports, a group of important coastal towns. Margate joined this group in the 1400s. For over 250 years, Margate has been a top seaside resort. People from London especially loved its sandy beaches. Margate used to have a long pier, but a big storm in 1978 largely destroyed it.

In the late 1700s, a doctor named John Coakley Lettsom built the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital here. It was the first hospital of its kind in Britain.

In the 1960s and 1980s, Margate saw some clashes between youth groups. These included mods and rockers and later mods and skinheads.

Today, the Turner Contemporary art gallery stands proudly by the harbor. It was built to help bring new life to the town. You can also see the Thanet Offshore Wind Project from the seafront. This project has many wind turbines out at sea.

How Margate is Governed

Margate is an unparished area. This means it doesn't have a local parish council. Instead, it has "charter trustees" who manage some local matters. In 2021, there was a plan to create a town council for Margate.

Since 2024, the Member of Parliament for East Thanet is Polly Billington. She is a member of the Labour Party.

Margate became a municipal borough in 1857. This was a type of local government. But in 1974, this was changed. Now, Margate is part of the Thanet district of Kent. The town is divided into seven electoral areas. These areas have 17 of the 56 seats on the Thanet District Council.

Margate's Weather and Climate

Margate has an oceanic climate. This is similar to most of the United Kingdom. It means the town has mild temperatures. Margate also gets a lot of sunshine. That's why it's sometimes called "Sunny Margate"! It doesn't rain much here, making Margate one of the driest towns in Kent.

Who Lives in Margate?

In 2001, Margate had a population of 40,386 people. By 2011, this number grew to 49,709.

Most people in Margate are white (97.1%). Smaller groups include mixed race (1.0%), black (0.5%), and Asian (0.8%).

Most residents (94.2%) were born in the United Kingdom. Others came from countries like the Republic of Ireland, Germany, and other parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia.

About 71.6% of people identified as Christian. About 17.1% said they had no religion. Smaller numbers followed other religions like Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, or Sikh.

For every 100 females, there were 92 males. The age groups were:

• 6% aged 0–4 years
• 16% aged 5–15 years
• 5% aged 16–19 years
• 31% aged 20–44 years
• 23% aged 45–64 years
• 19% aged 65 years and over

About 11% of Margate residents had a higher education degree. This is lower than the national average of 20%.

Getting Around Margate

Margate railway station, built in 1926

Margate has a railway station. It's about 73 miles (118 km) from London Victoria station. Trains from Margate usually go to London Victoria. They also go to London St Pancras on the fast High Speed 1 line. Southeastern operates all the trains.

Most bus services in Margate are run by Stagecoach South East. You can take buses to nearby towns like Canterbury, Herne Bay, and Ramsgate. There are also frequent "Loop" buses. These make it easy to travel around the Isle of Thanet. They leave every 5-7 minutes during the day.

A National Express coach service also stops in Margate. This route connects London Victoria to Ramsgate.

Fun Things to Do in Margate

Margate Clock Tower and buildings on the sea front

Entrance to Dreamland

The Scenic Railway roller coaster at Dreamland

For over 250 years, Margate has been a top seaside resort in the UK. People from London have always loved its sandy beaches, known as Margate Sands. In the early 1800s, people used "bathing machines" here. These were like covered carriages that went into the water. They let people swim privately, even in Victorian times!

The Dreamland Amusement Park is in the middle of Margate. It first opened in 1920. It closed for a while in 2006 but reopened in 2015. This happened after a long campaign by people who wanted to save it. Its Scenic Railway roller coaster is the second oldest of its kind in the world. It's now a Grade II* Listed attraction, meaning it's very important.

Margate has two notable theatres. The Theatre Royal is one of the oldest theatres in the country. The Tom Thumb Theatre is one of the smallest. The Theatre Royal was built in 1787. It burned down in 1829 but was rebuilt. Both theatres are currently closed.

An annual jazz festival takes place in June. In September, there's a car show called "Oh So Retro." It features classic and retro vehicles.

The Margate Museum in Market Place shows the town's seaside history. It has many interesting exhibits. It's now open on weekends thanks to volunteers.

The Margate Caves were found in 1798. They are also known as the Vortigern Caves. They reopened in 2019 for visitors.

The Shell Grotto is a mysterious place. Its walls and roof are covered with over four million shells! These shells create amazing patterns over 2,000 square feet. It was found in 1835, but no one knows when or why it was built. It's a Grade I listed building.

The Walpole Bay Tidal Pool is a large sea bathing pool. It was built in 1937 and is also a Grade 2 listed site. The pool is huge, covering over four acres. Its water is refreshed twice a day by the incoming tide.

Bringing New Life to Margate

Turner Contemporary opened in April 2011

Margate Town Hall, completed in 1898

A man named John Crofts wanted to create an art center in Margate. He wanted to celebrate the famous painter J. M. W. Turner. Turner once said that the skies in Thanet were the "loveliest in all Europe." Crofts hoped this art center would help Margate become lively again. It would also offer something new besides traditional tourism.

The Kent County Council helped fund the building of the Turner Gallery. Other groups like the Arts Council England also gave money. The Turner Contemporary was officially started in 2001. The view from the gallery is very similar to what Turner himself saw from his home.

The gallery was designed by David Chipperfield Architects. Building work began in 2008. Sadly, John Crofts passed away in 2009. The Turner Contemporary Gallery officially opened on April 16, 2011.

Near the gallery, in Margate Old Town, you'll find many unique shops. This area is around the old Margate Town Hall. There's also a small museum in the town hall. In 2012, Margate was chosen for a special project. This project aimed to help improve Britain's main shopping streets.

In the late 2010s, many new businesses started opening in Margate. For example, "Cliffs" is a place that has coffee, food, yoga, and a record store. Many of these new businesses are in the Cliftonville area.

Historic Places to See

The Jetty, around 1905

There's a 16th-century Tudor house on King Street. It's made of timber and flint.

Margate's Jubilee Clock Tower was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. It was finished in 1889. The tower had a "Time Ball" on top. This ball would drop at exactly 1 PM each day. This helped people and ships know the correct time. This was important before radio signals. The tower is a Grade II listed building. The Time Ball stopped working for many years. But in 2014, it was repaired and started working again. Unfortunately, it stopped working again and is now leaning.

Draper's Mill is a smock mill built in 1845. It used wind power until 1916. It was saved from being torn down. Now, it's restored and open for people to visit.

Sports and Activities

Margate F.C. is the town's football club. They play at Hartsdown Park. The club has played in higher leagues before. As of 2021, they are in the Isthmian League.

The Malle Mile Beach Race is a motorcycle racing festival. It takes place on the beach. It's different from other beach races because it's like a motocross event on a shorter track.

Margate Beach Cross is another exciting event. It happens twice a year, usually in March and October. This event features both quad bikes and motorcycles. They race on a special course built on Margate's main sands. It attracts thousands of visitors.

Local News and Media

Margate used to have two paid newspapers. These were the Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times. The Thanet Times stopped printing in 2012. Now, there's an online-only newspaper called Isle of Thanet News. Other free newspapers include the Thanet Extra and yourthanet.

For radio, you can listen to KMFM Thanet. There's also a community radio station called Academy FM (Thanet). You can also tune into county-wide stations like Heart Kent and BBC Radio Kent. Thanet Community Radio offers online podcasts for the area.

Local TV news comes from BBC South East and ITV Meridian. You can get TV signals from the Dover TV transmitter.

Special Honors for Margate

Some people have received the special honor of "Freedom of the Town" of Margate. This is a way to recognize their contributions.

• Winston Churchill: 1957
• Tracey Emin: August 16, 2022
• Arnold Schwartzman: September 29, 2023

Images for kids

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  Tudor House

See also

In Spanish: Margate para niños