Will someone explain Margate?
Discussion
13m said:
I had to go to Margate yesterday and I was shocked.
The town is well located relative to London, it has a great beach, good architecture and a pleasant old town, yet it shows little sign of gentrification. Why is it?
I didn't realise that in 2017 Kent still had places like that.
The whole of the Isle of Thanet is like that. It's always been a backwater.The town is well located relative to London, it has a great beach, good architecture and a pleasant old town, yet it shows little sign of gentrification. Why is it?
I didn't realise that in 2017 Kent still had places like that.
Poor rail service to London means that it doesn't get commuters like
other parts of Kent.
There are very few jobs in the area - mainly summer season only.
Pfizer shutting down didn't help.
Mind you, for folks who don't need a job like pensioners, houses are
relatively cheap.
dcb said:
13m said:
I had to go to Margate yesterday and I was shocked.
The town is well located relative to London, it has a great beach, good architecture and a pleasant old town, yet it shows little sign of gentrification. Why is it?
I didn't realise that in 2017 Kent still had places like that.
The whole of the Isle of Thanet is like that. It's always been a backwater.The town is well located relative to London, it has a great beach, good architecture and a pleasant old town, yet it shows little sign of gentrification. Why is it?
I didn't realise that in 2017 Kent still had places like that.
Poor rail service to London means that it doesn't get commuters like
other parts of Kent.
There are very few jobs in the area - mainly summer season only.
Pfizer shutting down didn't help.
Mind you, for folks who don't need a job like pensioners, houses are
relatively cheap.
13m said:
I think St Pancras is about 1hr 28min isn't it?
Only sometimes. Some trains take up to two hours, it says here.13m said:
Whitstable, which has gentrified, is not a great deal closer to the smoke.
1 hour 15 minutes for Whitstable, on the fastest train.13m said:
Granted it IS closer and it is a working fishing town, but I'm surprised that Margate is so overlooked.
I am not sure where Whitstable gets most of its money from - maybe tourist money is part of it ?
Also, Wikipedia claims the unemployment rate for Whitstable is below average
at 2.5 %, which is so low its looks like merely frictional unemployment.
Isle of Thanet unemployment rate much higher at 5.3% AFAIK.
Certainly a blackspot for Kent.
Compare and contrast with somewhere up North like Middlesborough
with a rate of 15%. They would be very keen to get their
levels downto anything like Thanet's rate.
dcb said:
I am not sure where Whitstable gets most of its money from
- maybe tourist money is part of it ?
At a guess I'd say London money spent at the weekend by holiday home owners. I have been in Whitstable the past couple of days and there's plenty of money about. Lots and lots of boutiques aiming their wares at middle-class mummies.- maybe tourist money is part of it ?
There's also the fishery / oyster business.
And yet they are building more and more houses down there.
Never understood why Whitstable is so raved about tbh. As for Margate, I always find it a bit sad when I have to go down that way for work. As a kid, I spent a fair amount of school holiday time down that way as my grandparents had a place in Broadstairs. It was a far better place back then, now everything is just so run down. Not to mention the new 50mph limit on the Thanet Way making a dull drive even more mind numbing
Never understood why Whitstable is so raved about tbh. As for Margate, I always find it a bit sad when I have to go down that way for work. As a kid, I spent a fair amount of school holiday time down that way as my grandparents had a place in Broadstairs. It was a far better place back then, now everything is just so run down. Not to mention the new 50mph limit on the Thanet Way making a dull drive even more mind numbing
Gixer said:
And yet they are building more and more houses down there.
Never understood why Whitstable is so raved about tbh. As for Margate, I always find it a bit sad when I have to go down that way for work. As a kid, I spent a fair amount of school holiday time down that way as my grandparents had a place in Broadstairs. It was a far better place back then, now everything is just so run down. Not to mention the new 50mph limit on the Thanet Way making a dull drive even more mind numbing
It is sad, yes, and as I mentioned it seems to have the mmakings of something much better. But a lack of local economic activity and tad long train journey to the smoke won't help.Never understood why Whitstable is so raved about tbh. As for Margate, I always find it a bit sad when I have to go down that way for work. As a kid, I spent a fair amount of school holiday time down that way as my grandparents had a place in Broadstairs. It was a far better place back then, now everything is just so run down. Not to mention the new 50mph limit on the Thanet Way making a dull drive even more mind numbing
Believe me, many roads are much worse, also some has been resurfaced already, not to mention the fact it's been luke that for years. We'll see if they restore it to nsl in time. I personally wouldn't hold my breath. More and more DC's are becoming 40 and 50's - kind of pointless it being a DC in the first place if you can't even legally overtake a lorry.
And, to the question asked above, yes the main DC from the M2. 50mph from around the services all the way to between Herne Bay xnd Margate
Yes most people ignore it but with so many bridges, laybys and sweeping bends for scamera vans and such a ridiculous limit, it's got to be high risk of getting caught
And, to the question asked above, yes the main DC from the M2. 50mph from around the services all the way to between Herne Bay xnd Margate
Yes most people ignore it but with so many bridges, laybys and sweeping bends for scamera vans and such a ridiculous limit, it's got to be high risk of getting caught
Edited by Gixer on Monday 23 January 19:08
Whitstable and Margate are two very different, polar opposite places considering they are both seaside towns.
Margate is bigger and had its glory years in the Victorian era and onwards through the early/mid part of the last century and has then slowly faded into obscurity, not really knowing what to do with itself. Because it was always a 'resort' town, especially popular with the London folk, it always had a problem during winter, not in modern society, places can't survive if they don't make money all year round, and Margate hasn't found a way to combat that. For Margate, other than the summer tourist season with coach loads of of tourists to spend their money, it doesn't have much else to offer, which is what Whitstable has distanced itself from.
Whitstable was never a 'resort' town, and and was a tiny village/town compared to Margate in the latters glory years. Therefore it never had the summer only stigma and as others noted, had the working harbour etc providing year long employment. It doesn't have the traditional amusements/seaside promenade like Margate/Herne Bay, and is a living town rather than a visit town. its unfortunately become a bit too popular with second home owners from London, but that money, being the first 'nice' Kent seaside town (not including Sheppey) from London also helps.
Margate is not helped by Herne Bay rising in popularity either......
Margate is bigger and had its glory years in the Victorian era and onwards through the early/mid part of the last century and has then slowly faded into obscurity, not really knowing what to do with itself. Because it was always a 'resort' town, especially popular with the London folk, it always had a problem during winter, not in modern society, places can't survive if they don't make money all year round, and Margate hasn't found a way to combat that. For Margate, other than the summer tourist season with coach loads of of tourists to spend their money, it doesn't have much else to offer, which is what Whitstable has distanced itself from.
Whitstable was never a 'resort' town, and and was a tiny village/town compared to Margate in the latters glory years. Therefore it never had the summer only stigma and as others noted, had the working harbour etc providing year long employment. It doesn't have the traditional amusements/seaside promenade like Margate/Herne Bay, and is a living town rather than a visit town. its unfortunately become a bit too popular with second home owners from London, but that money, being the first 'nice' Kent seaside town (not including Sheppey) from London also helps.
Margate is not helped by Herne Bay rising in popularity either......
Margate is improving, slowly. But unlike places like Whistable and Deal, it has a lot more ground to make up.
It has some of the highest levels of poverty in the south-east of England, with very little local employment, other than in tourism or retail. It's also a bit of a pig to drive to, which doesn't help.
The issues around Dreamland don't help, particularly as their main attraction (the scenic railway) was closed all summer. I'm actually a big fan of Dreamland, it's a really fun day out for the family, and the new prices are much more sensible. If it can survive long enough to get established then in the long term I think there is hope.
It has some of the highest levels of poverty in the south-east of England, with very little local employment, other than in tourism or retail. It's also a bit of a pig to drive to, which doesn't help.
The issues around Dreamland don't help, particularly as their main attraction (the scenic railway) was closed all summer. I'm actually a big fan of Dreamland, it's a really fun day out for the family, and the new prices are much more sensible. If it can survive long enough to get established then in the long term I think there is hope.
Nobody mentioned the Turner Contemporary yet? Obvious, but seemingly successful, and maybe the start of something for the area.
We went over the Yuletide for our first visit - the gallery was packed. However, there just isn't the attraction to go walkabout in town - not when Canterbury is just a drive away. The sea wall is nice in the sun, the beach looks good, and there's development happening (will Manston be developed?) so perhaps in another 10 or fifteen years...
And that 50mph speed limit is a major disincentive - mile after mile of boring road and no clue as to why.
Frankly Thanet has been on borrowed time ever since the demise of the Hoverport.
We went over the Yuletide for our first visit - the gallery was packed. However, there just isn't the attraction to go walkabout in town - not when Canterbury is just a drive away. The sea wall is nice in the sun, the beach looks good, and there's development happening (will Manston be developed?) so perhaps in another 10 or fifteen years...
And that 50mph speed limit is a major disincentive - mile after mile of boring road and no clue as to why.
Frankly Thanet has been on borrowed time ever since the demise of the Hoverport.
The Don of Croy said:
Nobody mentioned the Turner Contemporary yet? Obvious, but seemingly successful, and maybe the start of something for the area.
We went over the Yuletide for our first visit - the gallery was packed. However, there just isn't the attraction to go walkabout in town - not when Canterbury is just a drive away. The sea wall is nice in the sun, the beach looks good, and there's development happening (will Manston be developed?) so perhaps in another 10 or fifteen years...
And that 50mph speed limit is a major disincentive - mile after mile of boring road and no clue as to why.
Frankly Thanet has been on borrowed time ever since the demise of the Hoverport.
I was speaking to the owner of a "curio" shop who sells tat to hipsters. Think the female version of this chap:We went over the Yuletide for our first visit - the gallery was packed. However, there just isn't the attraction to go walkabout in town - not when Canterbury is just a drive away. The sea wall is nice in the sun, the beach looks good, and there's development happening (will Manston be developed?) so perhaps in another 10 or fifteen years...
And that 50mph speed limit is a major disincentive - mile after mile of boring road and no clue as to why.
Frankly Thanet has been on borrowed time ever since the demise of the Hoverport.
Anyway, she said the influx of said hipsters had increased markedly since the Turner opened.
Having thought about it over a few weeks, I think it will struggle to improve beyond becoming a hipster hangout all the time there is so little economic activity there. Beardy people and craft beer does not an economy make.
Also, as several have pointed out, the communications are not quite good enough.
Margate went downhill when all the B+Bs gave in and took the money to house all the immigrants,most were trashed then sold off as the owners retired the town took a further hit with the recession hitting also the loss of Dreamland hadn't helped .
SE Kent has suffered from a lack of long term investment and mismanagement by both local and especially county council.
SE Kent has suffered from a lack of long term investment and mismanagement by both local and especially county council.
13m said:
I think St Pancras is about 1hr 28min isn't it?
Spot on. By High Speed Javelin. That time frame means there won't be a plethora of trains reaching St Pancras before 09.00 but it not altogether shabby. Calls at Broadstairs and Ramsgate en route thereby serving all 3 major Isle of Thanet towns. Current timetable (#8) here - https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/travel-infor...grumpy52 said:
Margate went downhill when all the B+Bs gave in and took the money to house all the immigrants,most were trashed then sold off..... .
It goes back further than that. In the recession of the early eighties. UK seaside holidays were very unpopular so B&B owners in most of the Kent and Sussex resorts opted for long term residents on benefits, many of whom were getting away from the economically worst hit areas. This, and successive governments' failure to regenerate these areas has left these areas in a poor state, although some have picked up by local govt intervention and the 2nd home market.
I was in Margate on Saturday for the beer festival followed by a few around town in the micro pubs. I have to say the area is getting better and better with more "trendy" places opening. As much as I hate that, it's better than empty shops.
As I'm originally from Herne Bay, I've hated the way Whitstable has gone especially as it was a s
t hole when I was young but they are now looking over their shoulder down coast as people like Bay Promo are doing a lot for the town, air showing being a very popular one. Whitstable folk want the same but the town just isn't suitable for large events.
The Gorillaz concert at Dreamland sold out in under an hour (much to my annoyance) and I hear they have plans for further concerts, fingers crossed between Herne Bay, Margate and the other Thanet towns we can start dragging people away from Whitstable and the chaos of a sunny day because apart from the harbor and few shops selling over priced st there isn't much else there.
As I'm originally from Herne Bay, I've hated the way Whitstable has gone especially as it was a s
t hole when I was young but they are now looking over their shoulder down coast as people like Bay Promo are doing a lot for the town, air showing being a very popular one. Whitstable folk want the same but the town just isn't suitable for large events. The Gorillaz concert at Dreamland sold out in under an hour (much to my annoyance) and I hear they have plans for further concerts, fingers crossed between Herne Bay, Margate and the other Thanet towns we can start dragging people away from Whitstable and the chaos of a sunny day because apart from the harbor and few shops selling over priced s
t there isn't much else there. Gassing Station | Kent & Essex | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff