The redesign of Margate | The viewer

The faded splendor of 1980s Margate is the backdrop for new Sam Mendes film Empire of Light, with Olivia Colman and Colin Firth. Coming to UK cinemas on January 9, it’s a romance in the North Kent seaside town and the revival of a striking 1930s cinema with a distinctive brick tower.

Briefly renamed the Empire Cinema during filming in the spring, Margate’s Grade II-listed Dreamland Cinema plays a starring role. In fact, it is part of Dreamland amusement park complex that has had 102 years of roller coaster fortune. The park underwent a £25m makeover in 2017, and its relaunch has contributed to Margate’s reinvention as an arts and creative hub – driven by the opening of the Turner Contemporary gallery and purchase by Tracey Emin of a large complex at the water’s edge to create a museum and artists’ studios.

The distinctive “end” tower of the Dreamland Cinema

With its eclectic mix of hip new additions, gentrifying areas and heel edges, Margate remains a Marmite choice for visitors and homebuyers alike, despite cultural regeneration. Either you think it’s cool or you don’t.

Kate Harrison, who came to Margate from East London 12 years ago, said: ‘It’s an entrepreneurial and diverse city where anything goes. It’s not (gentrified) Whitstable and there are issues it still struggles with’ – a reference to the fact that Thanet has some of the highest levels of poverty and drug-related crime in Kent.

Kate manages the new Margate branch of Selinathe brand of coworking hotels that aims to persuade millennial digital nomads and Gen Zs to trade city life for an office with a sea view (free until the end of the year), Pilates classes, yoga on the beach or an upcycling workshop led by local artists.

Selina’s lobby in Margate [Felix Dubord]

The city has been enticing Londoners to visit since the 1730s, when flat-bottomed boats called hoys took up to three days to ferry bathers to the booming seaside resort. It now only takes an hour and 20 minutes to travel by train from the capital, and a steady stream of creators and space seekers from London (particularly East London) has helped drive up real estate prices in the city.

Over the past three years average prices have risen by 30 per cent, with the proportion of properties selling for over £500,000 this year double that of 2019, according to Hamptons using land register data. The average home – now £353,730 – has risen in value by 117% over the past decade; apartments, now averaging £167,950, by 91%.

A period one-bed flat will cost closer to £200,000, while a four-bedroom Victorian house in decent condition will cost upwards of £550,000, says Mann Margate branch manager Chris Sandford. ‘It’s cheaper than Broadstairs, but it’s now overtaken Ramsgate, with all Londoners interested in moving here or opening restaurants,’ he says.

This five-bedroom terraced townhouse is priced at £800,000 [Your Move]

In the high range, an elegantly renovated building five bedroom townhouse overlooking the beach is on sale for £800,000 (via Your Move); or one two bedroom apartment in the Old Town is £265,000 with Miles & Barr.

Sandford says interest has “slowed” among Airbnb investors, who could face some downtime in the tough weeks ahead as well as recent interest rate hikes. The number of short-term rental properties listed has increased by 57% since 2019, according to market analyst AirDNA. Demand is up from a year ago, but hasn’t kept pace with growth in enrollment, they report.

Hotel des Libertines, Albion Rooms

But Airbnb aside, there are plenty of tempting weekend boutique hotels. With the art-filled Libertines Albion Rooms (with a recording studio for rent), there is the new Fort Road Hotel, created by Matthew Slotover and Tom Gidley, co-founders of contemporary art fairs and magazine Frieze, with developer Gabriel Chipperfield.

Filled with artwork by Emin, Gidley and many more, the restaurant’s menu draws inspiration from late 19th and early 20th century food writers such as Mrs Beeton and Elizabeth David. Margate’s dining scene also continues to evolve, with current highlights including the Michelin-starred restaurant at Angela’s and its sister restaurant, Dory’s – an excellent seafood bar near the beach – and the Pink in June pub.

The restaurant of the Fort Road hotel

The Old Town is now teeming with independent businesses, but Londoner Francesca Wilkins found there was no bookshop among the galleries and restaurants. After four years of searching for the right premises, she found a small Georgian property on Market Place to open the Margate Bookstore in 2019. It has become a center for events and socializing.

Francesca Wilkins outside Margate Bookstore

“There’s a real feeling of people trying things out here,” she says. “But I didn’t want to open a pocket of London – the Shoreditch-on-Sea thing is gone. I wanted to create an inclusive place for everyone – this area has low levels of literacy. I like the strong sense of community and optimism.

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