The pristine seaside town of Margate gets a bad rap from the public. For one, the town has been consistently misspelled or had its name altered throughout its history; It was known as Meregate on one side of the town and Margate on another for centuries! Also, Margate almost never gets the credit that it is owed and is instead usually referred to as part of another town. For a long time Margate was simply known as the "Limb of Dover". These assumptions are detrimental to the town but it doesn't seem like Margate has suffered in the slightest as a result of these slights; on the contrary, Margate is, and has been for a long time, one of the most desirable and sought-after seaside resort towns in the entire United Kingdom.
As we speak, Margate is the number one beach destination in England, thanks largely to the downright gorgeous Margate Sands. Wealthy Londoners on holiday essentially built up this town with their hotel fees and expenditures and we can see evidence of the town's popularity among the elite as far back as the late 1700s. Margate practically spearheaded the resort town as we know it and, in the first years of the 1800s, the town employed a very forward-thinking concept known as "bathing machines". These bathing machines were essentially carriages with four wheels and an umbrella that covered the top. These crafts rode into the ocean and allowed aristocrats to bathe in the water without being seen or bothered by the proletariat dogs having fun and splashing around. Such a concept must have come from the staid Victorians who ruled London and a visitor today can see these bathing machines and have a good chuckle.
Tourist towns often have a seedier element to them and most vacationers to any given tourist destination are likely too enthralled with the sights and sounds to think about what truly lurks behind every corner in town. As such, Margate has had its problems with gangs and violence. In the 1960s there were two very scary and powerful gangs known as the Mods and the Rockers. The Mods were essentially beatniks that enjoyed art films and American music. This movement was harmless in and of itself and can in fact be seen as a predecessor to the revolution of youth that was just around the corner. All the same, there were "Hard Mods" who lived in the poor areas of South London and wore porkpie hats and assimilated Negro culture. These Hard Mods clashed with the Rockers, who were essentially bikers that emulated the American greasers of the fifties. Naturally, Mods and Rockers didn't particularly care for one another and they enjoyed having it out with each other on the beautiful shores of Margate. This led to some lower tourism rates in the sixties but fortunately the gang violence was all but vanquished. Either way, it is interesting to know that Margate has a rich and fascinating history of its own that depends in no way on places like Dover or London (at least not anymore). A visit to Margate is still one of the best ways to spend your time but hopefully this time you'll appreciate what you're seeing.
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