Margate is a place of contradictions, gentrified yet still infused with an unmistakable sense of character. Wandering its blustery streets reveals a town that’s at once affluent and deprived, sometimes on the same street. It’s now more famous for its robust arts scene than it is for penny arcades and fish and chips, with a wealth of bars, coffee shops and restaurants cropping up across town. House prices doubled in the space of a decade (although they’ve levelled off recently) and Cliftonville, where you can find the recently renovated Margate House, was named the eighth coolest district in the world by Time Out in 2022.
There’s a solemn sort of grandeur to Dalby Square, where Margate House is located opposite a park (a picture on its menu reveals it was once a row of tennis courts). The Main Sands are just about visible at the end of the road. The building itself has been carefully restored, appearing brand new next to its more weathered neighbours.
When I arrived after 10pm, the door was still swung open invitingly, orange light spilling out onto the street. Inside, wood-panelled walls are painted what was once referred to as Millennial pink. A check-in desk that doubles as a bar is lined by Tiffany lamps, with a friendly member of staff waiting there after her shift had finished to check me in. This is a guest house rather than a hotel so you’re given a key to the front door upon check-in should you wish to come and go after hours.
Who’s responsible for Margate House?
Margate House is owned by Will Jenkins, a London property developer, who created this calm oasis from a derelict building. You can tell this was a passion project – original features including the wooden flooring and cornicing have been brought back to their former glory while the furnishings are all reassuringly expensive. Jenkins says he’s picked up many of the pieces from local antique dealers including Chris Ifil Antiques and Cliftonville Antiques.
The lounge at the front of the building has the air of a rich friend’s sitting room rather than a guest house: this is a place where you’d actually like to sit on the plush sofas opposite the wood burner with a morning coffee or an evening nightcap.
A bedroom at Margate House
What about the food?
When Margate House opened it was breakfast-in-bed only but the weekend I arrived I was given an exclusive sneak-preview of the new downstairs breakfast room, featuring a communal central island around which guests can perch. The arrival of a heaving tray of pastries and neat little pots of yoghurt and granola to your room is, however, hard to beat.
And the Margate House rooms?
As with the lounge, Margate House feels less like a collection of hotel rooms as it does a friend’s stylishly designed guest suite. Mine came with a wide bay window from which you can see the sea, the Millennial pink of the walls offset by earthy browns.
The walls were covered with bright prints of famous movie posters reimagined by a Polish design company, an original painting of an incredibly yonic figure hanging above the bed. It feels both stylish and a little louche, a place for romantic getaways and languorous long weekends.
What’s nearby?
Margate is fairly compact so you’re within sashaying distance of the big attractions including the Turner Contemporary, Tracey Emin’s TKE Studios and, if you’re in season, Dreamland amusement park. The beach is a couple of minutes down the road, as is an excellent little drinking spot called Bar Nothing, although you’re frankly spoiled for choice if you head in the direction of Northdown Road.
• To book go to the website here