Margate

Whitstable portrait

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I spent a memorable day in the Kent coastal town of Whitstable recently. It was a cold but wonderfully bright, sunny day while the sea was tempestuous and invigorating.

This seaside resort basks in glory compared to many around Britain’s coast. It has many regular London visitors who enjoy the rustic pebbled beaches, a pretty town studded with independent shops, not to mention its oysters and seafood.

It feels alive but with an old charm, and no air of neglect and sadness like its rival to the east, Margate.

It was a beautiful day for photography, with the powerful sea, details of seaside architecture and the beachside providing rich food for the camera.

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The coastal collection

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The UK is awash with images of snow and winter weather. If you find yourself somewhere cold, this collection is designed to make you feel warmer and evoke memories of the summer and seaside, bathed by sunshine.

There is something invigorating about a trip to the coast, whether it’s exotic Oman, beautiful Mauritius, Australia’s majestic Pacific Coast – or even the homegrown seaside resort of Margate. Morocco, Mersea Island in Essex, Brighton and the Maldives also feature.

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The Margate collection

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A gallery of photographs from my recent trip to the English seaside town of Margate. They capture a resort in decline, but with a revived old town area thanks in part to the presence of a major art gallery by the sea.

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See also:

Seaside sadness    Margate’s sleek saviour   Old Town Charm    Penny shove excitement

Penny shove excitement

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It’s an image that evokes childhood memories and a ripple of excitement. At the seaside amusement arcades, it’s about the only machine that we were allowed to play.

You would feed one penny coins into the slot as a set of arms pushed the pile of small change towards a drop. They moved back and forwards, forwards and back – and you would hope that a whole pile of money would fall off the edge and into your sticky fingers.

This rarely happened, but it didn’t take the fun out of the game. Eventually the stream of pennies from Mum’s purse or Dad’s pocket would cease and you would be ushered out of the arcade, which was full of brittle, bright colours and ear-piercing noise.

On a brief visit to take these shots, I noticed two penny coins are now the currency of choice. And bundles of tokens to use in the arcade are also in the sweeper. I’m quite sad to say that the boyhood thrill of playing these machines had gone – I didn’t even put my hand in my pocket.

Margate’s sleek saviour

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A new focal point for coastal town Margate is the Turner Contemporary art gallery, which opened in 2011. The building, which overlooks the sea, was constructed at great expense to breathe new life into the resort. It certainly makes its mark, and is blessed with sleek lines rendered from modern materials.



The gallery prides itself on exhibiting art by contemporary artists including Tracey Emin, herself a daughter of Margate. I made my visit to the Kent coast on a Monday, only to discover the Turner isn’t open for business – so I was unable to take advantage of the free  entrance and sample the wares for myself.

But through a sea-facing window I was able to make out Rodin’s famous sculpture The Kiss, currently in residence at the gallery – and from a less familiar angle. Their clinch has been the same for decades, while this building has changed the face of Margate for good.

See also:

Seaside sadness

Old Town charm