A WEEKEND IN MARGATE

Since the 2011 opening of the Turner Contemporary art gallery, Margate has been revitalised. Within easy reach of London and always a popular sea bathing resort, the Kent town now has enough good restaurants, cafés and bars to draw visitors for that reason alone. In tandem, the cobbled Old Town has filled up with independent shops, retro stores and art hubs. In Union Crescent, next door to Tracey Emin’s painting studio, the Carl Freedman Gallery showcases international artists. The renowned gallerist and Margate-raised artist are old friends and jointly bought the site in 2016. Earlier this year, Emin announced plans to create an archive of her work in Margate and an art school too.

Then, of course, there are the beaches, the reason why Londoners have always flocked here, first by hoy (cargo sailing ships), then by paddle steamer, and then by rail. A few minutes’ walk from the Grade II-listed railway station is).