O
N
I
T
T A
A
I
T
L A
I
O
C
C
N
N
O
O
C
[2] O
L
L
O
01
[3]
[V01]
[02]
a
r
g
a
N
N
O
C
O
L
t
e
A
++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ W
T
I
L N
O T
I
O
C
A
n
e L N
O T
I
O
C
A
[V01]
m
e n
s w
[4]
.5.
[02]
[V01]
n
e
+
+
+
P
A
I
+
N
B
T
L
E
U
D
[
a n a l y s i s
]
+
+
E
S
W
+
S
O
A
K
O
N
Y
D
D
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
b
e
a
c
7
One defining quality of Margate is the beach. This is the over -arching theme of margate as it is located on the sea. In summer months, this scene would be extremely vibrant as you look twards the beachy sand tones with the blue painted sheds.
[6]
[7]
h
[V01]
[02]
n
e
d
r
e
a
m
[8]
l
a
n
d
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
[9]
n
e
t c
[10]
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
#
4
4
2
7
u o
n
r t
e
n m
[11]
p
e o
r
a
r r
y
+ Firstly, please can you tell me a bit about yourself and your business? I am a Bed and Breakfast owner, and have been so for about 6 months. I have 25 years worth of experience within the trade as I used to work in London as a Hotel manager. However, it was my dream to come to Margate and start a business of my own. So far it has been successful, and I am excited to see the success continue. + Why did you want to set up in Margate?
b
r
i
e
f
c o n v e r s a t i o n
o w n e r
o f
l o d g e
g u e s t
t c
h r
o o
m m
a b
i
w e s t b r o o k h o u s e
s e
Whi l s t I stayed in Mar g at e , I w a nt e d to receive a l o c al st o r y of someone who ow n s a sm al l busi n es s but well e st ab l i sh e d busi n es s. I took the o p p o r t u n it y t o talk the owner o f t h e Be d a nd Breakfas t I was st ay i n g i n .
It is a very nice and quiet area . There is the attraction of dreamland and the turner contemporary, attractions that most of my guests go and visit. The area also hosts multuple weekend events. For example at the moment thtere is a marathon going on - we get a bunch of people staying with us when these events take place. We get people from all over the world! The events also include concerts and car shows. You also have connections with Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Dover, so mostly you find people staying here for a holiday for example, like to go to other destinations within their holiday, using Margate as a base for the holiday, if you will. It’s interesting for you to say that Margate is used as a base for tourist’s holidays. What differentiates Margate as a ‘base’ destination compared to other towns within Thanet? The price in Margate is certainly cheaper compared to Ramsgate for example.
[12]
[13]
+ What kind of connections do you have with the services that Margate has to offer? We have a connection with the hospital. We provide accomodation for people visiting the hospital etc. We are also affiliated with Dreamland, as we are the official guest house provider. + In your opinion, is there anything that Margate needs? The town definately needs more restaurants as it is severly lacking in quality. There is Broadstairs which has a beautiful array of restaurants and I think that is what Margate is missing. People also tend to go out of the way to go shopping. They go to Westwood Cross. There needs to be more shops of the same standard within the town centre so that more people are attracted there, not outside of the town. Yeah, more restaurants would be a great idea. There needs to be an attraction aside from the already existent Dreamland and Turner Contemporary ... Even though we have these events they aren’t directly specific to Margate. For example the marathon, even though giving me some business, isnt directly giving Margate business.
[02]
[V01]
+ Firstly, please can you tell me a bit about yourself?
+
s k e p t i c a l
+
a l f r e d
+
l o c a l
c o n v e r s a t i o n s b e e c h i n g h i s t o r i a n
I am a local and family historian and I’ve been doing it for about 30 odd years. I have completed 13 local history books on various subjects on the history of the steamboats, the history of the disasters of the lifeboats at Broadstairs. I have written a trilogy of books about World War I, which encompasses all the young chaps that went to war in Thanet, looking into those who survived or perished at the front within the various battles. Then I followed that up with the same subject by writing 6 books, well volumes, for World War II. I also wrote a complete history account of Margate’s tutor house, with the late Mick Twimen, who was my former editor of the magazine, the Margate historical magazine that is. A town-planning student used that information to get a masters degree in town planning which was very successful. I also wrote a book on the founding of the market borough’s police force, from the watch committee minutes.
[
+
a n a l y s i s
]
+ Have you been interested in any of the old historic hotels, specifically within the 20th century?
Whilst studying in the Margate community library, searching for archives concerning the towns history and stories, I overheard conversation involving Alfred Beeching and others. What I heard may have potentially been helpful for my initial re-
search so I then proceeded to ask Alfred for an interview.
[14]
Well, I’ve got stacks and stacks of stuff at home that I copied from archives and they include detailed drawings and plans of all the big pubs at the time, like the Dukes Head and the Old Queens Arms in Old Town. Of course I have all the titles of the properties, all the different various things, and different shops that come up for sale in the papers within Thanet ‘you know. I’ve got loads and loads of information if anybody ever wants it.
So what I have been advised to do now by a colleague of mine, she has lots to do with old buildings in Margate as she in fact lives in one. She has got a friend of hers now that has moved into the area. She said that she would like to publish all my stuff y’know; she said she would like all the drawings of I have in regards to Thanet – there is about 15 years worth of drawings. The council in previous times, the planning office, have actually taken my drawings for what was St John’s School up there because the religious people who now own it (I don’t know quite what they are, they are non-conformists anyway) wanted to take part in the playground and put another extension on the existing building. They were chucking a load of breezeblocks up, planning saw it and knew that I had plans of the original school, with all the windows, stone work and overall design. Once they got a hold of that, which I let them have, the council clamped down on them and said right, you want to build an extension? It’s got to conform to the rest of the architecture – which it thankfully does. They adhered to the cladding and windows and it looks lovely y’ know. They weren’t going to get away with it y’know. Like so many of them do y’know. You’ve got these odd bits stuck onto a very old building and it doesn’t gel, it doesn’t blend. It needs to look the same y’know, or at least similar.
also the general purposes minutes; we have some of the books here, which go up quite late. When you look through those, it will tell you where applications have been put in, where it is and what they propose to do, and if the resolution was past. They are all in these minutes that are very helpful to you …
+ This is very interest ing because I am very much intrigued with Renovation and Restoration projects …
Well, I did get a reply, the mayor doesn’t have a secretary and cant afford to, y’know all this sort of stuff. But it’s a super building, its what it is, and the first in Britain! I mean it doesn’t look like anything in particular, whether it’s residential or storerooms. I never really go down there.
Yeah, I’ve been digging out some documents, I gave my colleague some watch committee minutes for the police, which follow on from the book I did on the Margate borough police. There are .15.
Alfred then went on to show me exactly where to find this information, digging out multiple books on ‘general purposes’ minutes concerning issues with unused rooms and facades … + This leads me onto my next question on whether you are aware of any miss or dis- used buildings within Mar gate that need development? Ah, I have something. This example was the first building within Britain to become what it became. It is down near the old town, at the bottom of Fort Rd – it is the old ambulance station. It was the first one ever in Britain, its all in the colours, its got the red and white tiles and all that. I don’t know whether its dis-used or what it actually is, but it was the first voluntary ambulance house in Britain. I wrote to the mayor about it and did an article and they just ignored me. + The council just ig nored you ?
+ In your opinion, what are the main problems
[02]
[V01]
If you want to draw out, you should put in. However, there is no work for them to put in so … + What about Dreamland and the Turner contemporary?
facing Margate?
Well that’s all you’ve got.
There is nothing here. There is no industry here, nothing. There is no work for anybody. If young people, in Margate, have no real ties, if they are not committed in anyway, they need to really get away from the island, because they are never going to get anywhere, there is never going to be any work. All the factories are gone now; we used to have loads of factories. There were engineering factories, brass working factories, plastic factories, and swimwear factories that have all gone. Nothing! ‘You know, all they’re concerned about is building houses, houses, houses! The way we are getting overpopulated, eventually there isn’t going to be land to grow any food, so we are going to have to import it, because they are pouring concrete on where you are growing your food. They aren’t forward thinking, or well they don’t seem to be anyway.
Are those not amenities that provided jobs and a sense of hope for the town? Do you not think that the town needs these leisure activities?
You live in the ideal world don’t you sir? We don’t! Do you see where I am coming from? We have got such an immigrant population now and an explosion of young girls having young children, who aren’t trying or don’t care for getting job. They just keep having babies and it just fills the town up. You can’t keep pulling out of the bank if you aren’t putting any money in. It’s not fair on other people that work. That’s my opinion ‘yknow, that’s what we always say…
Well these leisure activities in some sense can be seen as a profit making business to one man. We are not producing; we are not selling stuff abroad. You need industry, so that you can sell, you are making money and you are not just providing a service like a hotel. You need to be producing; the whole country needs to be producing. We used to produce lots, we used to export all over the world, and now we do very little. All we provide are service industries, lets say hotels, and all this dreamland land stuff, I mean … well… I wish it well but them days are long gone really. You would like to see it do well, but they cant compete with Thorpe Park, they’ve got stuff from the 1950’s, I mean its lovely if you want to reminisce your old child hood days. However, you ask the average young person what they want, if there was space there, they would say “can’t we have some really exciting rides” and then people will come, if you put it there, people will come, and they will spend money in the town. It’s all very well having the magic round about and cups ‘n’ sauces running around, but they don’t want that these days – look at the super Blackpool things y’know!
[16]
+ Experiencing dreamland for myself, I noticed that it has only been rebuilt for the town’s sake, as apposed to trying to bring people in. It doesn’t really feel like a destination. That’s right yes! Who would want to spend £20 on a train fair, and then another £18 to get in there? I don’t think so, that’s only my opinion. People call me bigoted y’know. I remember saying something to someone the other day about the Turner Contemporary. Louise I think it was, she runs the B&B ‘Reading Rooms’. She said “Oh! You can’t say that”. She turned around and told me what a disaster it was, the way it was internally designed. It’s built like a bloody shed! It’s right down where Turner lived and what lovely sunsets are you going to see like Turner saw with that horrible thing in the way. She said that you have to conform to architecture. Who would want it built like a bloody shed? I said it would be great if it had some kind of Georgian character. Not in a Georgian style but of that ‘elk’. It would look architecturally similar to that of the aesthetic of the Georgian archetype. But if you come down that sea front and see that shed on the side there, that’s what I call it garden shed!! I mean the sea has washed anything that has ever been built there away, and it was more substantial than that. In 1897, if you look in the records for 1897, when the marine palace was absolutely washed away in that big disaster, some of those blocks weighed 10 tonnes. One block! And the sea just took the whole lot right away to foundations. We told them this when they
were going to build this y’know. All you have to do is wait for some bad weather, you’ll get it one day. The storm will hit and everyone will wonder what had happened to the Turner centre. Gone. They don’t build like they did years ago, I mean, I know we’ve got different sort of different types of concrete and different engineering things that they do. I just don’t know how it would put up with the weather. + However, apart from the building, surely the Turner Contemporary has made the town more attractive for tourists? Well yeah, people do seem to like it. I’ve met people that have been in there and they would say that they would go again. They say some of the exhibitions are really good. However some people say that its vast and the exhibitions are lost within the space. I haven’t been in there so I can’t pass an opinion. I told Louise I wouldn’t go in there. *Laughs* People get really ‘umpy’ if I say anything about the Turner centre, as if its the mecca of all art! I said to them, you had that lovely Dreamland cinema that was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, big car park at the back. There was a lovely sweeping staircase leading to the upstairs, what more do you need for a gallery y’know? No! They don’t want to know it, and then they go and build that. Do you know where I am coming from? + So going back on what you said about the Ho tel businesses, how has this quite recent burst of tourist activity
helped the town? People don’t want to go to hotels now, they go abroad, you see. Going back, after the war, and when the 50’s came along, people started having package holidays. They were going on these cheap flights to the Greek islands or wherever they went y’know – and of course it has caught on ever since. People don’t come here and stay hotels, no. The regular old people from the north, still come down, or at least to my knowledge, they still come down and meet with their clubs within Cliftonville, in some of the hotels that are left. But most of the hotels are what they are now; they are reception centres for migrants and that. The heart has gone out of the place. There is nothing to come here for; there is no real seaside here. We have got the beach and that, as you said we have the Turner Contemporary but not everybody wants to go there do they? Apart from the Turner Contemporary and Dreamland, what do we have? Nothing! We have these pop-up shops; I looked at them one diner time on the high street. Some of the stuff they have there is appalling, but if people want to buy it, then let them buy it, I just find it all to be junk.
+ What do you think of the new and emerging gentrification of Old Town? When you look at Cliftonville, you look at all the different nationalities, its multi cultural up there. You’ve got Indian and Pakistani, Polish and Romanian people who have opened up shops will loads of different [17]
foods because that’s what they people like up there. That’s what they like, they don’t want bangers and mash, they don’t know what that is, and they wont eat that. They want their own traditional food. Cliftonville, for what it is, and what it was, the shops up there were absolutely phenomenal, with all the big hotels that were there y’know, when the rich people came, no rich people go to Cliftonville anymore. They just want to move out, and get away from it. They had all the big tailor shops up there; it was the Jewell and Crown of Margate. After bobby’s went down, it was taken over by Debenhams and now its nothing y’know. Then you have the migrants coming and turning the town into their own up there. At least there are people working up there and turning money over, I mean they must have to import all of this food because we don’t grow half of the vegetables or other ingredients that they use up there. Yeah, good luck to them up there if that’s what they are making a living out of. However, Margate itself and especially in the old town is where people come and set up their own businesses y’know, like the ‘cup cake’ stores. At least the businesses are running. It’s definitely much better than empty shops, boarded up shops. They are putting a bit of heart back into the place. I can’t fault them for that; they are trying their very best and really punching the tide. You wish that they would do all right but there is nothing here is there? + So you are okay with these small businesses springing up? Of course! Why not! Why not! What it is stopping is all these
[02]
[V01]
ation; I don’t know what they have lined up for it.
costa shops. We want the small man to make his mark. He is putting his own stamp on the town. He is saying “this is the way I run my own business, I am not like Costa and all these other people, this is my business, this is the food we produce, this is the ambiance of our establishment, and people love to come, so we are making a living” Its not your normal pizza parlour. It’s like what they do at Broadstairs; there are some very fine restaurants, which are all nationalities y’know. My friend spends a lot of money and that is what he does. He is always taking his girlfriend out to eat at this restaurant and that restaurant. “Oh! We will try some Thai food this week, and then we can try Indian food and Tibetan food the following week” he tries all sorts as its there and available in Broadstairs. There is such a wave of nice restaurants. I mean if they can do the same down here, at least it will bring some people to liven up the area. Not everybody wants to eat pizzas, and walking up the road stuffing their heads with burgers. They want to sit down and have a nice meal, in a really nice restaurant.
Take a look at the Premier Inn. People go to the Premier Inn, it costs a night and then they have their breakfast and then they leave. They are not staying into the town to spend any money, they are transient, and they are going somewhere else. Like my friends here, they come down and want to come to the library to do some family research. They stay at the premier inn for about two or three days, and they go back to the north of England again. The only person that has made any money is Premier Inn. They aren’t spending any money in Margate as they are going back there for their meal. That may be due to the factor that it is conveniently placed, with it being so close to the blooming station y’know!
[18]
+ This subject brings me onto the question of seasonality, how does the town differ as it travels from season to season? It used to be very vibrant in the summer. When dreamland was really going, when people used to absolutely flock down here in coaches, buses and cars. That car park was full, and the coaches all had to be out by 6 o’clock and then they would all go back to London or wherever they came from. Dreamland also worked with conjunction with the railway lines. The coaches would combine rail tickets, so that everyone would come. By the end of the season, the engineers and the service crews, and the general staff went back on the toll – there was no work. They had a whole season for Dreamland but then the town shut down. It was back to normal. That was seasonality was spanning the 60’s to the 80’s, or well up until the early 90’s. It was fairly good and then it all went terribly. However nowadays, all you’ve got is these racing things on the beach with these buggies, in September or October, for a
People just don’t have any work to spend all this money in the machines. Gambling is a bad thing, they always say gable responsibly. The kids want to go in there and then you have £10 worth of coppers gone in no time at all. It’s a shame that the arcades along the sea front are not the same as they used to be. We used to go along them when our kids were small. They had a miniature in-door tenpin alley. I can’t remember if it were one lane or two lanes, but whatever it was, by the end of the week, if you got the highest score (which my step-granddaughter did several times) you would win lots of prizes. That is something that people wanted to do, you would get something out of it. Instead of putting money in the machine, you’ve got to prove your skill. I haven’t been in those arcades for quite a long time now. We took the kids up earlier this year, I had a load of coppers and I said, let the kids go and have a bit of fun y’know. My conversation with Alfred was enlightening. He intorduced me to issues within Margate that I was n’t fully aware of at the time. It has opened my eyes into possible problems and solutions.
Yet, its nothing like it used to be, there is just nothing here now. There is just no excitement.
]
So for example, instead of a big corporation hotel popping up in the town centre, are you saying the town would benefit more from smaller family owned business such as a Bed and Breakfasts? Well they are competitive! But that’s right, they are doing their own thing, and making their own money. That’s how it used to be. The Isle of Thanet and boarding association used to proudly put their initials up outside their establishments y’know. It was a like a brand of brothers really and they all sort of helped each other. They’d say “we’ve had a bad season or whatever” and others would come and help and
When a town shuts down at night and there’s nothing, you’ve got vandals walking about, that’s all you’ve got. It’s not safe to go out at night. There is nothing to offer anybody.
a n a l y s i s
Margate wants more regener-
Yeah, so that people have jobs. Service industries are all very well but its all going into one pocket, its not being spread out.
They are trying to make a living, and I don’t blame them for that, I mean it’s better than being on benefits isn’t it? Yeah, these little service industries, at least they are keeping the place open, and they are keeping the lights burning.
weekend – that brings a lot of people in, but then they’re gone again. There is no real seasonality anymore because the arcades are open 24/7 more or less, the ones remaining that is! But who wants arcades? Nobody has any money! I mean half of them are boarded up now because of the tax on the slots you see. They brought tax machine slots back in 69 when I was a manager in an arcade. We got a brass screw that you would put in the machine that would take up half of the slot, so you didn’t have to pay tax on every slot, otherwise you wouldn’t make any money!
[
That is the only place in Margate that you’re going to get it because otherwise you’ve got McDonalds, Burger King. I mean I go to Burger King because I like it *laughs* I don’t eat foreign food!
+ With this regeneration, are you saying that Margate needs some more industry?
so on.
[19]
+
d r e a m l a n d
t
u
r
n
e
r
i n d u s t r y
“I wish Dreamland well but them
“It’s built like a bloody shed! It’s
“There is nothing here. There is no
days are long gone really. You would
right down where Turner lived and
industry here, nothing. There is no
like to see it do well, but they cant
what lovely sunsets are you going
work for anybody. If young people,
compete with Thorpe Park, they’ve
to see like Turner saw with that hor-
in Margate, have no real ties, if they
got stuff from the 1950’s, I mean its
rible thing in the way. She said that
are not committed in anyway, they
lovely if you want to reminisce your
you have to conform to architec-
need to really get away from the is-
old child hood days. However, you
ture. Who would want it built like a
land, because they are never going
ask the average young person what
bloody shed? I said it would be great
to get anywhere, there is never going
they want, if there was space there,
if it had some kind of Georgian char-
to be any work. All the factories are
they would say “can’t we have some
acter. Not in a Georgian style but of
gone now; we used to have loads of
really exciting rides”
that ‘elk’. It would look architectural-
factories. There were engineering
ly similar to that of the aesthetic of
factories, brass working factories,
the Georgian archetype. But if you
plastic factories, and swimwear
come down that sea front and see
factories that have all gone. Noth-
that shed on the side there, that’s
ing! ‘You know, all they’re concerned
what I call it garden shed!!”
about is building houses, houses, houses!”
[20]
[21]
‘Believing that a satisfied visitor is the best advertisement a town can have, the hotel, boarding and apartment house keepers of this district have banded themselves together to protect the interests of everyone who stays at a member’s house.’
m a r g a t e
Al f re d directed me to an o r i g i n al archive of the 1 93 8 H BA g u i d e t ha t worked as a ‘ban d o f b r o t h ers’ in order to help e ac h o t h e r i n t he off s eas on. They w o u l d o rg an i se events, s hare con t ac t s an d re f er between one and o t h e r. T h e hot e l trade was a lot m o re e st abl i she d within the mid 20t h c e n t u r y. [22]
[23]
a r c h i v e s
“Consolidation of the Walpole Legacy that we are leaving for future generations� Jane Bishop
[24]
.25.
1
2
5
| SOMERVILLE HOTEL 01843 224 401
01843 223 853
9 Canterbury Road, Margate, CT9 5AQ
52 Madeira Road, Margate CT9 2QQ
6
| THE READING ROOMS 01843 225 166
4 t
h
e
b
&
b
29 Eastern Esplanade, Margate, Kent CT9 2HL
7
| BAY GUEST HOUSE
| MALVERN GUEST HOUSE & BLUES GRILL 01843 290 192
31 Hawley Square, Margate CT9 18H
3
| SHERWOOD HOTEL
| HOUSE OF MANY STAIRS
01843 290 889
01843 224 005
23 Fort Cres, Margate CT9 1HX
8 First Ave, Margate, CT9 2LF
8
| HOPEWELL HOUSE GUESTHOUSE MARGATE
| FLORENCE COURT HOTEL 01843 221 439
01843 221 495 52 Madeira Road, Margate CT9 2QQ
18 Surrey Road, Margate CT9 2LA
9
| WARWICK GUEST HOUSE 01843 227 525 27 Wawrick Road, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent, CT9 2JU
.26.
[27]
l
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
l
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
l
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
[28]
[29]
Thanks for the other Trippies reviews, I stayed one night on the back of these. Beautiful little Victorian terrace, with oodles of character. Warm, quiet and comfortable. The hospitality was all you could hope for (I loved the unusual herbal teas and chocolate biscuit in the bedroom). The furnishings were very tasteful and fascinating, with many authentic period pieces. Very reasonable rate for a characterful and very peaceful night’s sleep. The breakfast was delightful - a change from the pork-fests that
ing
make
ly
you
morning
feel
- I
stuffed
and
dopey
time
drooling
I
as
were lovely.
A
write.
The
plum
(I would | Stayed Saturday
at
leave
such
ginger
a
the front.
lovely sea-
new
Completion
so.
to
use.
| The War-
it
fresh
to
hosts, a love-
twin
mention
breakfast
with
We
in
Breakfast
of
a
breakfast bread,
homemade
guesthouse
to
Warwick
the
and
anyone.
A
eggs
homemade
Rich.We
would
recommend
| Hello Paula, The
is indeed in a great location
with the sea and our famous blue flag
homemade
al-
beaches just at the top of the road.
homemade
all the new galleries and artisan
With
Cliftonville it Margate,
shops opening in
very exciting time for
again
voted
Robert
revisit
Richard - 10/10, thanks | With the sea and
and
or
full
were made to feel
definitely
were
fantastic.
was
cooked
so welcome, and if ever in the area will
There
superb
AND
mond and cherry muffins bread to boot.
room
a
tea,
with
wine.
had a lovely weekend break at a really good
and
equipped
and
made pineapple jam served by
is a great little find
Cliftonville. Fabulous not
was spacious, clean,
pastries and the most delicious home-
in the otherwise unremarkable area of
clean
It
well
toiletries in the bathroom for guests
date is in three
exciting!
very
Guesthouse
received a warm welcome
water
Benedict,
English
night and our host
coffee,
were in, complete with cast iron roll
attic,
love to come back)
and
choice
wick
hosts
comfy
homemade
especially
We
and were shown to our room
in the attic.
out for our lovely new ensuite
weeks,
(fried I
jam
our
Rob
from
bathroom being built for the room you top bath!
all
moment,
the
and
Watch
great place for cou-
ples too
to
The Warwick! Our
at
popular
in butter with garlic and herbs). am
time
son’s home made jams are proving very
had tasty baked herby to-
matoes, and parmentier potatoes
the
review and that you had such a great
very
on
in
the
to
the
world
top
ten
is a again
destinations
Lonely Planet! Our
in
could not have been more helpful.
much boys!
award
spacious loft room with it’s own en-
was
winning blue flag beaches right at the
suite complete with bath is light and
very
nice
and
breakfast
Typical Victorian been
well
cared
property for
decorations.
Plenty room. Good
in the
Room lovely.
and
that
Peter, leave
attempted
a
selection of sup-
to
We
have
The Warwick
restore
to
it’s former glory, even down to making replacement
stained
glass
panels
for
our lovely original front door, which
will be fitted in the next few days. ous
fifteen
out for our lovely new luxuri-
new
ensuite
bathroom
being
built
lovely
cliff
is
gentle
a
minutes
away
along
walks,
stroll
of
stun-
the
ning
l
fifteen
minute
direction,
stroll
o
walking
in
past
airy and very popular with our guests,
is well
top
Viking Trail which continues Broadstairs. Margate Old Town is
| Hello
review!
great
for
Botany Bay
thanks for taking the time to such
Watch
located
of tea and coffee
plies in the bathroom as well
The Warwick
end of our road
has
interesting
the
all
the
g
Cliftonville o . Very excitingo times our lovely town! We’re glad you
for en-
joyed your stay in our lovely light and airy loft room as well as our breakofferings.
fast
All
our
preserves,
us
It
our
well.
so
room
for
hosts
looking
taking
the
many
great
time
to
it
We
leave
With Margate
articles
media,
the
after
breakfasts,
is
written
indeed
such
about
an
bread and muffins are home made, our
time
smoked
look forward to welcoming you back
had a
Saturday
roll
bath!
top
| We
Warwick as Sunday . We
night at the
we had a family meal on
salmon
Margate ing
a
is
locally
smoked
in
and is a firm favourite, makrather
lovely
Eggs Montreal.
for
our
lovely
little
in
exciting
with
iron
a
having so
in the next couple of weeks, complete cast
we
hope
Warwick next time we Hi Janine, thanks
U.K. |
lovely review!
and pri-
with
loved the marmalade pastries! visit
stayed
was quiet and very
Amazing
to return to the
k
sunny,
a
decorated
comfortable,
galleries and art spaces opening up in
b
spacious
in
vate bathroom.
a
new
| We
two
beautifully
to
other
so glad you enjoyed it! nights
town.
We The
Warwick very soon! | We visited this Guest House on the May Day weekend 2015 for the Margate Mod & Soul weekender. On arrival in Margate, it
We
, .
Look forward to seeing you again very soon! | We stayed one night in a lovely room. The attention to detail was great and we felt very welcome. As
had our own bathroom at the back
other reviewers have said the breakfast
and where there has been little or no
of
the
is excellent and the owners take huge
investment
pleasure
currently
arrived around half
8
and
very
we
received
. The
from rob
a
in the evening good
welcome
room was very clean
spacious and the bed was comfy too
guest
very clean had
-
house
. The
breakfast
was a nice touch
this
too
was
following morning we
and
home made bread
and
it
was
really
good
, marmalade and jam . I had the cooked
breakfast which was good and there was plenty
of
. My
choice
partner
had
the omelette and she said it was one of are
the
nicest
down
in
she the
had area
be booking up again the
We
Warwick
had
. If
again
we
. Would
we
will
recommend
to
take
a pleasant stay
home
! Thanks
. | Thanks
for
for tak-
providing
extra
details
such as the home made pastries.
Sarah,
| Hi
thanks for taking the time to
leave such a lovely review!
We
do en-
joy making pastries and muffins for our guests, as well as our home made bread
made with olive oil and sea salt, delicious with some of our new home made plum
and
ginger
preserve!
| Great
guest house in a slightly rundown part of
also bought some of the home made
marmalade
in
of to
Cliftonville, just on the outskirts Margate. It’s a 10 minute walk Margate centre but it was a lovely
weekend and no hardship to walk along
.30.
***
is immediately apparent that is a place that has been forgotten for many years
(note that the council UKIP controlled). Even
is our
taxi driver was keen to tell us that the destination of our guest house was
‘the place where all the immigrants live’. She went on to tell us that years ago, this street had been full of B&Bs and hotels but that now it was run down. It is a good job that
Warwick guest house The Warwick Guest House is a sympathetically restored Edwardian house in Margate, on the Kent Coast. We offer a choice of comfortable twin, double and single room accommodation - with the option to pick from rooms with full En Suites (including bath) private bathrooms or shared facilities. Our cooked breakfasts use locally sourced and Fairtrade ingredients and feature homemade bread, potato cakes, pastries and muffins. The Warwick is under 90 minutes from London on the highspeed trains from St Pancras International and, once here, only a five-minute walk from some of the finest blue flag beaches in Kent. We’re also a short distance from Dover and Folkstone and a train-change away from Ashford International (if you’re travelling to the UK via EuroStar).
we took what the taxi driver said with a
pinch
salt.
of
The Guest House
stands out in the street as the nicest
house
garden. and
and
Our
showed
us
with host to
a
more
greeted our
room
manicured us
warmly
which
was
[31]
Interview: Can you please tell me a bit about your business when you started, a bit of a back story about this p lace?
A
n
w i t h
i n t e r v i e w t h e
o w n e r
.
Yeah sure, we moved here about 10 years ago and at that point this house was like bed sits, so we took quite a bit of time out of the time that we got here to the time that we opened, so we did quite a lot of work. As you can see if you look at the doors here points towards the door that there are still locks on the down stairs doors and that is left over from the days that it was a bed sit, so this was actually a bedroom down here believe it or not. So we took a lot of time to renovate including a loft ex tension, so you can see up to the stairs. We came here from London, we just wanted to get out of the city and do something different, but it took us about 5 years or so to get it to the point that we could open. Then we got going and registered with booking.com and late rooms and set about building a profile on there. When trip advisor re- took hold we got a lot of reviews on there and we are now number 1 on trip advisor so we get a lot of bookings through them as well. With no background at all, in any thing like this. So this time?
was
your
first
This was the first time in doing anything in hospi[32]
tality, in fact I worked, I still do, I work in PR and marketing as a con sultant and I did that in London before we came here, so I have absolute ly no background at all. Apart from the fact that I can cook. Why come to Margate as appose to any other town? Well 10 years ago, there was no high-speed link, and there was no gallery, and no dreamland ei ther. There was literally nothing, but all of that stuff was planned and it was on the horizon, and also because I con nected to London with my job at that point, the roads here are amazing in comparison to other towns in Kent. So all of that, and the potential 10 years ago, to be able to afford a property like this out right, was one of the reasons and one of the criteria we want ed to sell up and be free of a mortgage, so that’s really what drove our decision. The first thing is that we knew that there was going to be a high-speed link. So we knew that eventually even if nothing else happened this town would be much closer in terms of time to London and therefore eventually there would be some spill over from that, and we also hoped that the turner gallery would come and be set up here. The thing that really changed it was that once the turner was established, there was a [33]
hotel that opened in town called the sans, and between the turner and the sans, it really drove development along the whole of the seafront, but you’ll see that when you go down there now that there are bars, restaurants, café’s all along the way along the sea front. From the turner to the harbour arm, there are mini pubs and galleries all the way up to the lighthouse (and there is a lovely bar there called light house bar) and all the way up the town pretty much to the town, to the sans hotel that just didn’t exist when we moved here. It was really much more pubs. People who lived locally wouldn’t have a night out in margate, all the peo ple that came to stay here didn’t really go out in the town, they went to Broadstairs and Ramsgate, but now that is really diferent. Margate has a lot more in terms of nice places to go at night, and if you compare it with Broadstairs, Broadstairs is very much still pub culture and local town pub culture and you would struggle very hard to go for a nice night ou t – Nice restaurants, but the actual nightlife is very much still focused on the pubs which is not to everyones taste. Margate has a lot of cocktail bars and cafés, independent coffee houses all that kind of stuff, that just wasn’t here that time ago. That is the reason for com ing here and that is the reason we stayed because all of that is here and that is very much more like the kind of things we were used to when we lived in Lo ndon.
Yeah because what I have noticed now is that there is more of the kind of – margate is becoming the Shoreditch on sea Very much so, its funny, if you google it, it comes up as a list of the top ten towns and the property pri ce increases. You see that margate this year was number one which has gone up by 24 -25% over the last year. So that whole thing, and that is driven by people coming from London and being priced out, you talk about ‘Shoreditch on sea’ a lot of the people that classically have bought in Shoreditch, hagiston, hackney, Hoxton, all the way around there, are massively priced out and you can see the similarities here, if not better and willing to take the chance and work here, and even commute. From here to be honest, door - to-door, if you were to work in the west end, it is 2 hours door to door. Now that is no different to living in Amersham at the end of the metropolitain line. My friends are out at Watford and they commute into London, and it really isn’t dissimilar and is quite manageable and will be even more so as the speeds go up and the time it takes to commute goes down. Infact that you can see that on this road now that when we moved here there was a lot of rental proper ties, and those have been replaced, especially over the last two years, land -
lords have sold up where people can set up their first homes. So interms of your business, what kind of connections do you have with any kind o f services/ entertainment in margate? Do you collaborate with anybody? To an extent, because it is a small town, we tend to know a lot of the people who own the bars and clubs. We know the owners of the sans hotel, we know of the people in the coffee shop down town, we know peo ple at the life house bar. So we tend to know and make a point if something knew opens we go down and talk to them. In terms of deals, we run a thing with the life house bar, that if people book through them, we will knock 10% off the room and likewise, if we send guests over there, they get 10% of their bill at the bar. In terms of suppliers, we work a lot with local suppliers, so there is a butchers that is called dwg. And we get all of our bacon and sausages when we cant be bothered to make our own pastry – we get our pastry from there too. These are all Kentish sourced local stuff. For smoked salmon we do, and sometimes the sausages – in fact the ones that you had this morning are from the Margate smoke house. So we work very closely with them as well. In terms of suppli ers we very definitely have connections. Most of the interaction and support, we support each other quite a lot through twitter, so a lot of the [34]
businesses in Margate will retweet. There is not a lot of com petition really. There is a lot of good will amoungst everyone. Actually today, in the height of the summer, there would be a round robin thing where every one knows what eachother is doing, for example retweeting what other people are doing. It is really quite nice, and because it is such a small town we tend to know the events that are on and likewise they know that if we have a couple of rooms spare over the weekend. It’s all quite nice and local, and friendly.
a rather more informal way of doing things with developments not being as transpar ent as you’d want them to be. I don’t think they are helping the regeneration as much as they ’d want to be. In fact they are pretty much a hindrance to regeneration which is really sad because the people want to change, but the council is really bogged down in the old ways of doing things and the way that the town used to be.
there are people that do need to be looked out for. But is that an option for a town that is growing like this with a de mographic that is changing? Need for more housing? Definitely but why does it have to be that kind of housing? Why is that the first answer? Why is that the first response to do with the land? – Because that is what they have always done and they cant see past that. So that to me is a real shame as well.
Do you have an example of where this has happened?
So what in your opinion, does margate need in the future? For it to get better, do you think that there are problems at the moment that need addressing?
There are two things, there was the whole controversy over Manston airport, there is an airport down the road from here, that is capable of landing jets, and the council sold that on to globe, who is the stage coach owner for a £1 and now they are saying that they want to put housing on there – put assisted hous ing on there.
You could actually catch a plain from Manston, fly to an international hub in half an hour, get on a plane and fly anywhere in the world easily and nicely and that is a real alternative to driving all the way to Gatwick or going all the way to Heathrow, it was a really different vibe. That kind of lack of management pulled it away. That is a very clear example of where the council have held things back and that is not the political party -based assumption. It has been labour – tory and laterally UKIP and they have all been equally and horrendously terrible, there is no party that has done anything different at all, everyone has just been equally atrocious.
I don’t think there are amoungst the people per say, in terms of the business, that is all grow ing very nicely. In terms of the properties and regeneration, that will all happen naturaly as the prices in London continue to go up and people demand to come in. The one thing that lets the town down is the council. The council hasn’t caught up wi th whats going on here. It has b een very used to not having to deal with the public, its been very used to a not particularily well educated electrate. They are used to doing whatever they want and not used to being questioned and I think that they find that very difficult with the people that come in from London, they expect a lot more responsibil ity from the council and commitment in terms of proper re generation and accountability and at the moment that doesn’t happen. At the moment they are very much tied up in the old days as
I mean no one wants air craft landing on their back door, but on the other hand, there is enough support and social housing in this town and enough people on social housing and on benefits in the town without creating a huge estate full of more people like that, and that is an example of where the lack of imagination from the council. All they can think about Is the fact that they are going to get a grant from Westminster, and they are seeing the money. They will know friends and contractors, its all a bit shady There could be some developments out there that are not leisure parks, a million to one things that you could do out there that aren’t council housing and I don’t have a problem with that and
So are you saying that Mar gate is just going to grow from the bottom up? I think it is going to grow despite the council officials, it will be private industry and private industry and private investors, families and young people buying houses here that is going to drive it, almost despite what the council would like to see happen.
For me, I grew up in Leeds, I went to university in Birmingham, and I lived in Islington. So for me there has always been multi-cultural. I don’t think the people who have lived here have got an aweful lot of scope to talk about one set of people being different from the other because I cant see it per sonally. There are people that are working hard and trying to make a living for themselves – both the people that have lived here all of their lives and peo ple that have come here. But there is also a lot of people that do nothing and rely on benefits that have come here, but also equally people who have lived their lives here and I cant see personally a massive differ ence between that. There are good sets of both. You might as well just say “get rid of the people who have lived here all of their lives and that are on benefits” I mean for example, people talk about the Roma people that have come here as one example. There are also a lot of polish people who have come here that work really hard, they have taken the jobs over at Thanet earth, working on the land, contractors, builders, cleaners, doing all the things that the people criticising them might be do ing. So its really difficult to say all immigration is bad, and all Thanet people who have lived here all their lives are good.
There is definitely a problem with unemployment, but that’s not driven by race or ethnicity. Seasonality and owning a b&b and how it is off-season? A side from December and January, we don’t have an off sea-
[35]
son. I don’t think it’s a classic sea side town from what I understand. In somewhere like Blackpool, you have the high seaso n and then everything tails, so we have – really from February through to easter time, the momentum really really builds. Then it hits, and the summer goes crazy. However the summer here is quite long, you will still be having beautiful days in September, October time, so we find that we run till the end of September pretty much like crazy ness – and the Oc tober tails but then the December to January, there is a pretty steady stream. There are always people working down there to stay, we shift our prices around a little with all the corporate stuff.
[36]
[37]
***** the
reading
rooms
The Reading Rooms is a luxury boutique bed and breakfast in a recently restored, Grade II listed Georgian town house in Margate, England. The Reading Rooms was awarded the prestigious 5* Gold by Quality in Tourism. The house has three expansive guest rooms, each encompassing an entire floor of the house with windows overlooking a tree lined Georgian square. Situated in Hawley Square, Margate’s finest Georgian square, The Reading Rooms is less than five minutes walk to the sea and to the historic Old Town cultural quarter.
.38.
.39.
Thanks for the other Trippies reviews, I stayed one night on the back of these. Beautiful little Victorian terrace, with oodles of character. Warm, quiet and comfortable. The hospitality was all you could hope for (I
lovely review and that you had such a
loved
great
time
season’s
The Warwick! Our
at
home
made
jams
are
to
plum
so.
Watch
and
ginger
jam
our
room
spacious,
proving
very popular at the moment, our homemade
wine.
out for our lovely new en-
was
you were in, complete with cast iron
breakfast
furnishings
and
were
very
tasteful
roll top bath!
fascinating, with many authentic period pieces.
Very
-
a
The
breakfast
change
make
you
from
feel
stuffed
- I
morning
tomatoes,
was
had
and
and
tasty
dopey
baked
parmentier
attic,
all
Peter,
attempted
We have The Warwick to
restore
stained
glass
panels
for
out for our lovely new luxurious
new ensuite bathroom being built in the couple
weeks,
of
complete
cast iron roll top bath!
Saturday had
a
night
at
family
on
arrived around half
8
and
very
we
received
from rob
. The
a
| We
with had a
Warwick as we Sunday . We
the
meal
We
were
feel
in the evening good
welcome
room was very clean
spacious and the bed was comfy too
, .
great
a
cooked
homemade
had a lovely weekend break
it
anyone.
to
location
famous top
blue
of
with
flag
|
Hello
indeed
the
sea
beaches
road.
the
is
With
a
our
at
the
the
new
just all
in
and
and
Cliftonville it is a very exciting time for Margate, again voted in to
much
the top ten destinations on the world
win-
in
Robert
revisit
ning blue flag beaches right at the end
The Warwick
of our road cated
for
lovely
Botany Bay
fifteen
b
of
Benedict,
welcome, and if ever in the area again
Richard - 10/10, thanks very boys! | With the sea and award
l
choice
the
galleries and artisan shops opening in
definitely
to
A
eggs
Paula, The Warwick
homemade bread
made
Rich.We
recommend
full
is
a
gentle
minute
direction,
stroll
stroll
walking
o
in
past
the
all
with bath is light and airy and very
walks,
top
popular with our guests, so glad you enjoyed it!
of
a
was
g
Cliftonville. Very exciting times our lovelyo town! We’re glad o you
k
for
joyed your stay in our lovely light and airy loft room as well as our breakfast offerings.
All
preserves,
our
bread
and muffins are home made, our smoked salmon and
is
is
locally
a
rather
smoked
Margate
in
favourite,
firm
making
a
Eggs Montreal. Look seeing you again very soon!
lovely
forward to
| We stayed one night in a lovely room. The attention to detail was great and we felt very welcome. As
quiet
and
comfortable,
very
hosts looking after us so well.
galleries and art spaces opening up in en-
stayed two nights in
orated room with private bathroom.
to
new
| We
It
our
Amaz-
ing breakfasts, we loved the marmalade pastries!
We
hope
Warwick next time Hi Janine, thanks to
leave
such
a
to
return
we
visit
to
the
U.K. |
for taking the time review!
lovely
With
Margate
having so many great articles
written
about
in
media,
the
it
is
indeed an exciting time for our lovely little town.
We
coming
back
look forward to wel-
The Warwick very | We visited this Guest House on the May Day weekend 2015 for the Margate Mod & Soul weekender. On arrival in Margate, it is immediately you
soon!
forgotten
for
many
years
and
is excellent and the owners take huge
there has been little or no investment
of
the
pleasure
(note UKIP
that
| Hi
thanks for taking the time to
driver
was
had
-
house
. The
breakfast
and
home made bread
was a nice touch
and
this
too
was
following morning we it
was
really
good
, marmalade and jam . I had the cooked
breakfast which was good and there was
. My
plenty of choice omelette
and
she
in
the
Warwick We home
made
Thanks for
also
we
the
time
leave
such
a
lovely
review!
We
do
enjoy making pastries and muffins for our guests, as well as our home made
to
one
of
we are will
be
made
Great
some
the
outskirts of
home ! . | Thanks
ute walk to
take
leave
such
a
olive
oil
and
sea
a
lovely
walk
|
guest house in a slightly run-
down part of
of
with
home made plum and ginger preserve!
recommend the
bought to
was
. If
for a pleasant stay
taking
Sarah,
salt, delicious with some of our new
again
marmalade
details
bread
. Would
booking up again
extra
it
said
area
providing
partner had the
the nicest she had had down
in
such as the home made pastries.
Cliftonville, just on the Margate. It’s a 10 minMargate centre but it was
weekend
along
the
and
front.
.40.
no
We
hardship received
to a
house
malvern
&
Blues
the
council
controlled).
destination
keen
to
of
our
is
currently
Even tell
our
us
guest
taxi
that
the
house
was
‘the place where all the immigrants live’. She went on to tell us that years ago, this street had been full of B&Bs and hotels but that now it was run down. It is a good job that we took what the taxi driver said with a
pinch
of
salt.
The Guest House
stands out in the street as the nicest house and with a more manicured garden.
Our
host
greeted
us
warmly
guest
Grill
The Malvern Guest House & Blues Grill in Margate is a family run 3 star Guest House with a licensed Bar and Restaurant. It is a 5 story Victorian terraced property located on the Eastern Esplanade overlooking the Oval lawns & Bandstand with direct sea views to the front of the property.
where
had our own bathroom at the back guest
The
apparent that is a place that has been
other reviewers have said the breakfast
We
very clean
***
a sunny, spacious and beautifully dec-
other
the
Lonely Planet! Our spacious loft with it’s own ensuite complete
room
is well lo-
cliff
Viking Trail which continues Broadstairs. Margate Old Town is
will be fitted in the next few days.
next
AND
or
in
Breakfast
so
will
| Hel-
our lovely original front door, which
Watch
superb
selection of sup-
it’s former glory, even down to making replacement
a
toiletries
at a really good guesthouse and would
breakfast with homemade almond
boot.
to
thanks for taking the time
to
mention
fifteen minutes away along the stunning
to leave such a great review!
by
a
of tea and coffee
plies in the bathroom as well lo
to
and cherry muffins
has been well cared for and interesting
in the
not
English
herby
potatoes
Room was very nice and breakfast lovely. Typical Victorian property that Plenty room. Good
hosts,
was well
delicious homemade pineapple jam served
lovely clean and fresh twin room in the
(fried in butter with garlic and herbs). I am drooling as I write. The hosts were lovely. A great place for couples too (I would love to come back) | Stayed Saturday night and our host could not have been more helpful.
decorations.
| The
is a great little
Cliftonville. Fabulous
of
that
It
and
bread, homemade pastries and the most
date is in
exciting!
find in the otherwise unremarkable area
delightful
pork-fests
the
Completion
very
Warwick Guesthouse
reasonable rate for a
characterful and very peaceful night’s sleep.
weeks,
three
comfy
were
fantastic.
suite bathroom being built for the room
teas
clean,
There
and
herbal
and were shown attic.
the
bathroom for guests to use.
The
unusual
in
equipped with tea, coffee, water and
especially
chocolate biscuit in the bedroom).
the
Rob
warm welcome from
new
and
showed us to our room which was beau-
[41]
[42]
[43]
[44]
[45]
w
e
s
a
n
d
e
r
s
o
n
[46]
[47]
a b
t
e o
l w
i w
e o
r w
[48]
[49]
[50]
[51]
p
o
o
h
t
o
w
n
The Contemporary Guild of the Knockers-Through The concept of hospitality is engraved in the English countryside. The traditional bed and breakfast is very much a part of the hospitality business as tourists seek to gain an individual and unique living experience, whilst living among the lives of those who offer up their home, their food and hospitality. Through history, Margate has experienced a flux in tourism as preconceptions of the ‘Classic beach side resort holiday’ have inconsistently changed. Yet what remains the same are the businesses that have to cope with this flux of tourism through years of ‘drought’ and seasonality. During the 20th century, Margate’s hotel and boarding association was established which saw a host of hotels; bed and breakfasts and boarding houses proudly display plaques evidencing their cooperation and collaboration with each other. This was described by a local historian, Alfred Beeching, as ‘a band of brothers’ (Beeching, 2015) which lead to a natural and sustainable collaboration between the community as they all helped each other in times of need. Yet this association didn’t last as tourists took to holidays far beyond Britain as enhanced transport links were established, ultimately rendering the proud number of hospitality businesses the association had under their belt as useless, as they closed down one by one. This is evidenced by the memory of the previously grade I listed Fort Road Hotel sitting ominously on the top of the Fort Hill – a building standing as a memory of the past’s most prolifically dominated industry. This remnant of Margate’s past especially should be cherished as the Grade listing of the building was rescinded in 2014 due to a lack of potential investment seemingly leaving the site as valueless; it is under a huge threat of being demolished. The area surrounding the site is also very under-developed and can be viewed as an eyesore, as it sits firmly between two residential areas in the centre of old town. Nevertheless, the influx of Londoners appearing in Margate, suggests that the attraction has rekindled. An interview conducted by myself proves this fact as the owner of the Warwick House, the leading B&B in Margate, states: “The first thing is that we knew that there was going to be a highspeed link. So we knew that eventually even if nothing else happened this town would be much closer in terms of time to London and therefore eventually there would be some spill over from that, and we also hoped that the turner gallery would come and be set up here. The thing that really changed it was that once the turner was established, there was a hotel that opened in town called the sans, and between the turner and the sans, it really drove development” The owners moved to Margate with the prospects of development in mind, and thus set up their own business that would tap into and make use of the predicted influx of tourism. Yet the business of a B&B were only developed under the stipulation that they didn’t have to pay for a mortgage, and that they could
// Research Drawing - Illustrative Brief
[52]
[53]
PHASE 01. PICK YOUR SITE
do up a property in a much less expensive manner. These types of people are referred to as the ‘knockers through’ according to M. Thompson’s theory of rubbish in which the name is given to those who literally ‘knock through’ buildings in order to increase the buildings perceived social value – mostly associated especially within Thompson’s theories with the typical Georgian house within London as it’s perceived value has increased over time. The proposal seeks to set up a ‘guild’ to which these new prospective Londoners can share knowledge through the renovation of these derelict properties left behind by the hospitality trade. The proposal will play with the idea of affordability that will offer up a contemporary and feasible approach to renovating the existing derelict buildings within Margate. Thus these renovations will offer up the buildings back up to the community, whilst in tern, acting as a precedent for future entrepreneurs and ‘knockers-through’s’ alike to develop their own unique solutions in tackling the derelict urban fabric of Margate, in and amongst juxtapositions of the old, new and temporary architectures.
As it has been established that there are numerous amounts of derilict sites within Margate. Within this phase, we will be using the Fort Road Hotel as an example in order to inform your choice in picking a potential site. In this chapter, you will learn to look at different aspects involved in picking your own site. Only if you can complete all aspects will you know that your chosen site is usable and feesable, and thus be able to move on to Phase 02. This process has been located before Site Analysis in the phasing because the feesability needs to be decided before anything else can be completed. 01 . Firstly, we will be looking at your specific building. If it is possible to gather any information pertaining to you and your own specific agenda. You must survey the building. //First impressions. 02 . Email or ask around to see whether the plans can be made available to you, if not then you need to survey the building more in-depth in order to get measurements etc etc. 03 . Once 01 and 02 are completed - a full feesability report needs to be conducted specific to the building in order to assess whether the project is possible within your specific site. You should look at costing and planning regulations to assess whether the project is feesable or not.
// This Technical Document seeks to provide future Knockers Through’s to renovate their own found interest in Margate. This document will be using the Fort Road Hotel as an example in order to assess this current problem within Margate. It also seeks to develop a specific and contextual strategy that could be then informed by the resolution explored throughout this document.
[54]
[55]
01 . Firstly, we will be looking at your specific building. If it is possible to gather any information pertaining to you and your own specific agenda. You must survey the building. //First impressions. // General Location - 1:200 Site Model showcasing site in relation to context. // Brief . Investigated further in Phase 02.
// Choose your site >>>
N
// Fort Road Hotel
E W
S
[56]
[57]
s
e w
n
// Fort Road Hotel
// Residential & Commercial Occupancy
// Turner Contemporary
// The Fort Road Hotel sits on top of Ford Rd. Hill . It’s current stature means that it is extremely visable to tourists and locals - Providing quite bad first or lasting impressions on this area in Margate, which is very central. It is easily visable from the Turner Contemporary. // As can be seen in the photograph, the building currently has scaffolding infront of it’s facade. It is unknown whether this structure is actually structural or whether it has been erected with anticipation for removal or potential renovation. It is wise to exclude the latter due to its current position amoungst locals and the council.
[59]
[60]
[61]
[62]
[63]
[64]
[65]
[66] [67]
+ Wells
+ Harrison
+ Nicholson
+ Bayford
+ Bruce
+ Chairman
+ Saunders
+ Locals - AGAINST
+ Locals - FOR
+ Councellor - AGAINTST
+ Councellor - FOR
+ Chairman
+ Developer / Architect
+COUNCELER NICHOLSON: The fort road hotel in Margate has been empty and derelict for a number of years, and the council, under compulsory purchase order made in 2010, and general investment declarations made also in 2010 and the property has been held in the general funds since. The council have considered a number of options for the property and has requested a development proposal from the market through an expression of interest on a couple of occasions … at least 3, maybe more. The expressions of interest have not identified any feasible or suitable schemes
There has been a petition that has been launched about this that has had over 660 signatures do not want this turned into housing, you did just this week receive an expression of interest from an internationally renowned toy museum who are very interested in the fort road hotel. +ONLOOKERS YES! YES! **CLAPS** **CLAPS**
for the building – therefore that derelict blight remains on a clearly prominent sea front position which I think is not good for the town for attracting visitors and for the residents that have to live around it. Therefore I recommend the following – the cabinet agree to transfer the fort road hotel from the general funds to the housing revenue account, and the cabinet agrees to allocate the property for housing purposes. The cabinet agree the use of the HRA of the 141 receipts were appropriate to undertake development works, up to £950,000. The cabinet agree to the use of fares reserved by the general fund cost already occurred prior to transfer.
+COUNCELER WELLS: I suspect like many others who have read this report, I am somewhat bemused by the calculations, the conclusions in which this is being resolved. This property was originally compulsory purchase, following the position that is council, that if no relevant interested party could be found, to which I believe was 6 months, please if anyone can correct me, it was going to be demolished and grassed over. At the time that particular approach was cancelled, I remember a cabinet meeting, I
ly to find the right commercial organisation - 3 bits of social housing to be sold the most expensive social housing in east Kent.
rious interest in terms of the tourism offer of this council and the tourism office area, which I believe this council, in particular is especially keen on. We must be looking at the oddest social housing scheme imaginable, hugely expensive – at the expense of a potential tourist offer and not in line with the original compulsory purchase order – on what it was intended to do or what it was intended to be for.
+ON LOOKERS Here Here! **CLAPS** **CLAPS** +CHAIRMAN I think I can speak with some authority seeing as this is my ward with councillor Watkins. It was a conservative administration that did compulsory purchase this site, you purchased the building but you didn’t pur-
You’ve put it off to one side. You’ve got se-
… I don’t know, I admire your courage to go into an election and stating that you are about to put in one of the most tourist sensitive spots here, because we failed, collective-
floors and nearly killed himself only he was so drunk he survived. It is a nightmare for us in our wards and we constantly had to see what could be done with it. A number of people expressed an interest – Guy Holloway produced some drawings down at the media centre for us all to look at, obviously councillor wells, although you were shadowing me at the time, I never saw you at those meetings or showed the slightest bit of interest in this building, and to now right before an election, you have turned up to discuss it. The fact of the matter was, you bought a building without the land around it to make it of any use to anybody for a hotel,
we spent at least 3 years with anybody that would by interested – we are now at a stage where we have got to find the funding to do something. I have been talking to people in my ward for people who overlook it and around it – there are some people that look at it in terms of cultural use, but the majority of local residents in my ward, see a real need for social housing, especially for older people who would love to be in decent accommodation, why shouldn’t people in social housing live overlooking the sea and enjoy it – anyone one of us who own our own homes know how lucky we are, but there are people who cant even afford to pay their council tax,
who are in difficulty, that I know desperately need to be living in nice accommodation. So I am fully supporting those people getting a nice flat in that block. We have tried and tried, it has been going on since 2010 for this council, but all the years before that, it was an absolute blight to this community and people are contacting me saying ‘yes we should do it’.
this route, I accept that the building is derelict and has a nil value as indicated within the paper work, but I am also mindful, that in respect to the size of the parcel of land that it sits on, it’s an extremely valuable parcel f land, and my inquisitive mind asked me how we have marketed on this parcel of land, because yourself this evening has mentioned a hotel, and clearly we have exhausted the possibility of a hotel on that site. I accept that we have exhausted that root. However I wonder if we have taken anyone who has come forward seriously with a proposal for a residential development, which we are now proposing. So yes, I can understand the
logic of the route we are going, I don’t like it, and I question whether there would be an alternative route.
lovely – but they hadn’t come forward all those previous years that the building has remained derelict. We have to do something – the residents are desperate for us to do something. The building is rat infested, it is disgusting, and there are pigeons, you name it, and you’ve got it. There is rubbish dumped all around it, we have got to tackle this now. We cannot leave this any longer, it is an absolute blight and a dreadful thing turner has to deal with across the road.
first started, if we couldn’t find a buyer, who wasn’t specified in the first months, should pay out a fee of £25000 to flatten the building. I know your offices have concurred, there is no value in that building what so ever, so for a small sum, you can open up the site and expose the nice, more heritable valuable properties behind it, for better use, and get rid of this blight once and for all.
stands. The only real money that this council has access to is council tenants money that have paid in their rent, that have allowed to be used in this way. There is no other way that we can find the money that we need to do something else with this building. When it was purchased, people should have been aware of the difficulties, they should of bought enough of the site to make it viable for whatever was to be proposed, but I have had a lot of approaches, and the whole issue was circling around for what could be done with it. You have the costs of demolition; you have to get permission of course!
+COUNCELER WELLS:
+CHAIRMAN Thank you, and that was the plan earlier on, to demolish the building, but there was quite a campaign and still a campaign, to actually save the building of what’s there and what
+CHAIRMAN Thank you councillor Saunders. Throughout all of these years, people have contacted me directly from language schools to hotels; to private developments for housing but none of them have come to anything. They have to go through the former routes where it was advertised – they had to respond to it. The email for the toy museum that I received in the later hours of today would have been
The toy company that you are talking about contacted me (I opened their email today) and I have emailed straight back to them. I will help them to find accommodation somewhere but tonight is the night that we
+COUNCELLIER BRUCE: When I’ve finished speaking, I would also
+COUNCILLOR BAYFORD: Thank you chairman, a lot has been said that I agree with, so I wont repeat that. But it is absolutely a prime site. It does seem to me, with what you are presenting to us tonight, is a sudden leap, over many years we have gone through all these expressions of interest, to social housing, and I think that begs an awful lot of questions. The council have looked to turn it into residential, but I would like to know if the council have advertised residential for potential interest from the market for residential development and
[68]
did quiz very closely about the two expressions of interest that the building had – she didn’t quite say that they were certain bets, but she was very confident that wed have something there and now that is a number of years ago and now what we are looking at doing, seems to be, in the year that the turner film is going to be bring people down to this area to look at the area at which turner lived, we are going to take something that has potentially got heritage value and if this report reads correctly – going to spend nearly a million pounds is going to be changed into two, maybe 3 units of social housing.
chase enough land around it to make it of any use to anybody who would like to use it as a hotel, and almost from day 1 that was a sticking point. I was on site on numerous occasions with residents and offices from this council where we discussed the possibility of demolishing and grassing it over, and why we considered what could be done. Then there was quite a campaign to save the building because perhaps turner had a connection there and the building was of some interest. It was vandalised, we had squatters, we had fires, we had a guy who fell through several
have to make a decision on this, I have asked them to go down to the Margate museum to see what can be done – but that you wouldn’t know Mr Wells because you haven’t come over here. Thank you very much however we have other speakers
+CHAIRMAN
+COUNCILLOR HARRISON:
Before I bring in Councillor Harrison, can I just say that I had advised all of you on the 4th of December, a full council, every member, that we had to make decisions, so if you are telling me this is a sudden decision you have heard about on the 2nd of April, I can assure you it isn’t. I have warned all of you absolutely on the 4th of December. Councillor Harrison, thank you! +ON LOOKERS
I am not surprised that Councillor Wells is bemused, he always seems to be bemused and always has been. Perhaps we should remind him who purchased this building …
**WHISPERS** It wasn’t in the agenda.
a good idea, you come to the council with it, you bring the money with you, then we will sit down and talk and until then, we wont. We talk about the best of properties and the best use of properties. The best use of this run down, derelict and vermin infested property, is to use it for social housing, do it up, build it properly and use it for social housing. I am proud to support this! +CHAIRMAN: Thank you very much Councillor Harrison, Councillor Nicholson …
As usual?! Haha We pay your bloody wages! We vote for you!
+ON LOOKERS
You should lead listening to us, not the other way around!
STOP MAKING IT PERSONAL! Don’t make it personal and try getting on with it!
That’s it! Go on! Ignore your voters!
+COUNCEILLER SAUNDERS: I am very disappointed that we are taking
+CHAIRMAN:
like to echo councillor Saunders request about whether this has been marketed or had any interest from the residential quarter – I think that is a question that we need to have answered by the offices if they are here tonight because as you have said, this is only directly been marketed as a hotel. It is a very prominent site, and yes whilst we need social housing in Thanet, this is not the place. The council has a duty of care to all the ratepayers of Thanet to make the best use of the properties they hold in their portfolio. This route is not one of those, this could easily been turned into apartments. My personal view, and this was my view since we
that building’ because actually it has been a nightmare for 30 years really, but 20 years it has been in a bad state and the last 10 in particular. We are doing the best we can within the rules we are allowed to enact and we are very luck to have council tenants to rent money to buy, do up, put flats in there for tenants that will actually pay their rent. I think we are doing the best we can in a very bad circumstance and I have spoken to so many people that, again today, want us to get on with this. I am sorry that people have come tonight, who have never come to speak to me about it at my surgeries, that was the time to tell me you had other ideas. I would
privileged enough to be living in their own houses. There is no reason, whatsoever, why the house shouldn’t be used for social housing. I find this superior attitude that some people have about the sea front absolutely appals me.
Yes, I too was disappointed in this attitude of this site being ‘not the place for social housing’ I am not surprised. There are many forms of affordable/social housing, which can go forward. As to this ‘ I am going to have this called into overview scrutiny’ – fine, I hope then that Councillor Bayford, because this was purchased under his leadership and it is such a wonderful opportunity and did nothing, will explain why he did nothing for the years that he was still leader, why if it were so easy to get rid of this. Also
THAT IS NOT TRUE!! +CONCILLOR HARRISON:
You are talking about a heritage building. It is a vermin infested building on the sea front, something needs to be done about it now, and buying it, knocking it down, and turning it into something else is the right thing to do. You’ve heard 3 or 4 times that there were no viable expressions of interest that have come forward
That would be NO viable expressions of interest. I could come to this council with a dozen ideas, have I got the money to back them up? No I haven’t and all too often, that is the case. Too many people have come to us with plans but when asked if they have the money for it, they expect us to pay for it. No it doesn’t work like that – if you have
of course, if the council was to divest itself of this site it has to be automatically given back to the people who owned it from the CPO – they couldn’t do anything with it – they would leave it much longer where the building would breed a few more rats and a few more pigeons. The expressions of interest that were asked for were open.
Yes! People could of bid to build housing on it, they could bid to build it into language schools.
… Talking about social housing, I am appalled to hear elected members of this council saying ‘ Oh we don’t want social tenants on the sea front’ Why on earth shouldn’t social housing be on the sea front? People who are living in social housing are any less worthy than people who happen to be
+COUNCILLOR NICHOLSON:
+ON LOOKERS:
+ON LOOKERS: Really?! Really?! +COUNCILLOR NICHOLSON:
Excuse me! Please, try and let the person who is speaking, speak. We were courteous when other opposition members were speaking. Please can Councillor Nicholson please finish, or nearly finish with this item. People need to understand the residents who live nearby this property have had enough of it – They are determined that we sort this out before the end of this term
+ON LOOKERS: NO NO NO Not openly marketed for housing … not true! Can I also say, that there was an attempt to get the building listed, and the listing was rejected. There is no probable association with the artist J.W.M. Turner, and its limited to speculation at the very best; I also know that the turner centre did look to see if there was any potential there. Unfortunately there was nothing that they could see that would be viable. This will benefit Margate’s sea
+COUNCILLOR NICHOLSON: This was openly marketed, whether for a Hotel or a language school …
like to make a vote on this now, thank you. I am sorry, but if anybody wishes to interrupt proceedings any further I am going to have to warn you, I am sorry, I don’t like to do this. I like open debate but shouting from the background doesn’t help. You can always come to the council; we brought this in 95 that you could come with petitions. But shouting out, from the background, when the vote is being taken, is not actually helpful!
+ON LOOKERS: WHAT A LOAD OF CODS WOLLOP! We asked about Hotels last year and you told us to go see an estate agent! You had no building! February – Email? To the economic development departments +CHAIRMAN:
#SAVEFORTROADHOTEL
whether the fact the council has a responsibility to get the best value for the site, and what you are doing does actually represent best value for the site. … And overall, taking in all the other comments that people have made, I just don’t believe that all the options have been properly explored. So I will give you notice now, that I should ask for this decision to be retracted so that it can be looked at again. +ON LOOKERS: **CLAPS** **CLAPS**
[69]
+ON LOOKERS: That’s not true! You’ve got emails restricting it! +COUNCILLOR NICHOLSON: No no no, just ignore them +ON LOOKERS:
front, and will remove this blot on the landscape. +ON LOOKERS: You wouldn’t give them the free hold; they put forward a viable option! Mrs Crawly wouldn’t give them the Free Hold! +CHAIRMAN: Excuse me, I have a surgery every month for the past 20 years, none of the people who are shouting out now have come to see me to say ‘help me to do something about
[70]
[71]
[72]
[73]
01
02
[74]
[75]
+ Mean average
aprox. ÂŁ 1377.16 m2
+ Mean average
+
+
+
av. ÂŁ 1478.612 m2
+ Building prices per square metre - broad/vague costing p.73 [76]
+ Programme and new build costs
+ Ground floor
aprox. ÂŁ 1427.86 m2
120 m2
+ Specific Hotel costings break-down pp. 122-125
// A cost study looking at the potential cost of the proposal. Within the programmatic side of the proposal, , I looked at costs of running a multitude of different facilities one would be able to put into a Bed and Break fast or Hotel, and then worked out the mean average between all possibilities.
+ Total mean average
>>> [77]
[78]
[79]
NOT OCCUPIED Just like the Fort Road Hotel itself, these buildings surrounding the building are not occoupied. These buildings do not serve as a problem to future developments.
1
1
May be beneficial to look into the history of these buildings.
COMMERCIAL
2
2
The corner directly opposite the Fort Road Hotel is home to ‘Papillon Interiors’ A privately ran business selling interesting and quirky decorative items. Any development on site shouldn’t be a problem for this location as this particular shop is quite exposed as being on a corner - thus any emposing building development shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
FORT RD YARD
3
3
Next to the site is one of Margate’s junk yard’s, an interesting neighbour to have as there may be a possibilty of future collaboration with this already established infrastructure of the forgotton and thrown away.
RESIDENTIAL The Fort Road Hotel has a number of residential units surrounding it. The existing building is a problem as it blocks the sun light from reaching the houses directly behind it. However, this has been a problem since the buildings behind were built.
4
It could be interesting to look at possible ways this sun-light could potentially reach the areas that it hasn’t before, through the new design. It would be a challenge but it would be quite interesting to see what kind of schemes could be put in place within the design in order to ensure levels of sun light are available to the occupants directly behind the building.
[80]
[81]
+ Conservation area
+ Surrouding Listed Buildings
// Planning documentation highlighting planning issues and requirements.
[82]
[83]
+ Belvedere Zollikon
// The way each typology meets is spectacular. The composition between each form and material is thought through exceptionally well.
// Juxtoposition of different architectural typologies. Acheived through the use of material and form.
// OMA looked at the potentials from the existing buildings to add and take away volumes.
// Italian Plaster work meets black concrete and aluminium foam.
+ Monks Palour
[84]
[85]
+ Michael Mcmillan
+ Gordon Matta Clark + Bingo
// Michael Mcmillan is a model maker but what I find interesting is that his work perfectly abstracts the grittiness one could imagine this building to hold once you start stripping away material - and expose the bare walls and ‘flesh’ of the building. A juxtoposition between this and timber needs to be explored.
// Looking at the ways Gordon Matta Clark cuts sections through parts of buildings to expose the different occupancies the buildings have gone through this is later explored in my initial sketches.
[86]
[87]
[88]
[89]
[90]
[91]
[92]
[93]
[94]
[95]
[96]
[97]
14.16 m
[98]
[99]
[100]
[101]
[102]
[103]
1:50 Section
1:50 Section
[104]
[105]