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'Margate' is a town in Thanet, Kent, England (population 40,000).
Its history is closely tied to the sea; it was a "limb" of Dover in the ancient confederation of the Cinque ports.
Margate has been a leading seaside resort for at least 250 years, drawing Londoners to its sandy beaches. It was the first resort to introduce deck chairs, in 1898.
In more recent years, as tourists have travelled further afield, Margate's unemployment rate has become higher than much of the rest of southeast England.

Contents

History

Demographics

Economy

Sports

Tourism

Governance

Local Areas

Affiliations

Football

See also

References

External links

History

Main articles: History of Margate

Margte was recorded as "Meregate" in 1264 and as "Margate" in 1299, but the spelling continued to vary into modern times. The name is thought to refer to a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found, often allowing swimmers to jump in. The cliffs of the Isle of Thanet are composed of chalk, a fossil-bearing rock.
The town's history is tied closely to the sea and it has a proud maritime tradition. Margate was a "limb" of Dover in the ancient confederation of the Cinque ports. It was added to the confederation in the 15th century. Margate has been a leading seaside resort for at least 250 years. Like its neighbour Ramsgate, it has been a traditional holiday destination for Londoners drawn to its sandy beaches.

Demographics

'Margate Compared'
'2001 UK Census'	'Margate'	'Thanet'	'England'
Population	40,386	126,702	49,138,831
Foreign born	5.8%	5.1%	9.2%
White	97%	98%	91%
Asian	1.2%	0.6%	4.6%
Black	0.5%	0.3%	2.3%
Christian	72%	74%	72%
Muslim	0.7%	0.5%	3.1%
Hindu	0.2%	0.2%	1.1%
No religion	17%	16%	15%
Over 65 years old	19%	22%	16%
Under 18 years old	15%	21%	19%

As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.^[1]
The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity.^[1]
The place of birth of residents was 94.2% United Kingdom, 0.9% Republic of Ireland, 0.5% Germany, 0.8% other Western Europe countries, 0.7% Africa, 0.6% Eastern Europe, 0.5% Far East, 0.5% South Asia, 0.5% Middle East, 0.4% North America and 0.3% Oceania.^[1]
Religion was recorded as 71.6% Christian, 0.7% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.1% Sikh and 0.3% Jewish. 17.1% were recorded as having no religion, 0.3% had an alternative religion and 9.8% didn't state their religion.^[1]
For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. The age distribution was 6% aged 0-4 years, 16% aged 5-15 years, 5% aged 16-19 years, 31% aged 20-44 years, 23% aged 45-64 years and 19% aged 65 years and over.^[1]
11% of Margate residents had some kind of higher or professional qualification, compared to the national average of 20%.^[1]

Economy

As of the 2001 UK census, the economic activity of residents aged 16-74 was 33.8% in full-time employment, 11.8% in part-time employment, 8.0% self-employed, 5.5% unemployed, 2.2% students with jobs, 3.9% students without jobs, 15.5% retired, 8.3% looking after home or family, 7.9% permanently sick or disabled and 3.6% economically inactive for other reasons. The rate of unemployment in the town was considerably higher than the national rate of 3.4%.^[1]
The industry of employment of residents was 17% retail, 16% health & social work, 13% manufacturing, 9% construction, 8% real estate, 8% education, 7% transport & communications, 5% public administration, 6% hotels & restaurants, 2% finance, 1% agriculture and 6% other community, social or personal services. Compared to national figures, the town had a relatively high number of workers in the construction, hotels & restaurants and health & social care industries and a relatively low number in real estate and finance.

Sports

Margate has its own sailing club, Margate Yacht Club.

Tourism

Margate was the first resort to introduce deck chairs, in 1898.
Like Brighton, it was infamous for gang violence between mods and rockers in the 1960s.
In recent times it has had higher unemployment rates than much of southeast England, as tourists travel further afield.
Margate faces major structural redevelopments. Its Dreamland Amusement Park (featured in one extended episode of the television series'' Only Fools and Horses'') is threatened with closure due to the increase in value of the site. In 2003, many of the arcades on the seafront were destroyed by fire. This has created a new entrance point to the Dreamland site. In the following years, 2004–2006 it was announced that Dreamland (although somewhat reduced in its amusements) would reopen for three months of the summer; a pressure group has been formed to keep it in being. The group is anxious that the UK's oldest wooden roller coaster, The Scenic Railway, a Grade II Listed structure, is retained.
Other attractions - Cliftonville next to Margate has a classic British Arnold Palmer seaside mini golf course.
A controversial gallery, The Turner Contemporary has been proposed, as an alternative to Margate's traditional tourist trade, and when built it would have formed part of the harbour itself. Some critics, however, questioned the prudence of placing part of Britain's national art treasures in a spot that is exposed to the full fury of the North Sea. Thanet District Council have now moved the building from the harbour wall, to a plot of land adjacent to the harbour. This is due to spiralling costs for a sea born building. Work has a projected completion in 2009. The scheme had been supported by the artist Tracey Emin, who was brought up in Margate.
Two films by Tracey Emin, ''CV Cunt Vernacular'' (1997) and ''Top Spot'' (2004), are set in the town. Also, the play ''Hannah and Hanna'' by John Retallack is set in Margate. First premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2001, it tells of the impact on the town had by an influx of Kosovan refugees.
The harbour area was also used in a music video by Chas & Dave for their song "Margate" (on their album ''Joblot'') in 1982.
There are two notable theatres, the Theatre Royal in Addington Street - the second oldest theatre in the country- There is also the Tom Thumb Theatre, the 2nd smallest in the country, in addition to the Winter Gardens.
An annual jazz festival takes place over the course of a weekend in July.
Margate Museum in Market Place explores the town's seaside heritage in a range of exhibits and displays.
The Shell Grotto, which has walls and roof covered in elaborate decoration of over four million shells, covering , in complex patterns, was rediscovered in 1835, but is of unknown age and origin.
In addition there is a Tudor House in King Street.
Margate features as a destination in Graham Swift's novel Last Orders and the movie made version of it. Jack Dodds has asked to have his remains scattered at Margate. The book tells the tale of the drive to Margate and the memories evoked on the way. It also features at the start and as a recurrent theme in Iain Aitch's travelogue A Fete Worse Than Death. The author was born in the town.
In Big Brother 7 (2006), Big Brother briefly went on holiday to Margate and left the house-mates under the rule of Automated Big Brother.

Governance

Since 1983, the Member of Parliament for North Thanet, covering northern Thanet and Herne Bay, has been the Conservative Roger Gale. At the 2005 General Election, in North Thanet the Conservatives won a majority of 7,634 and 49.6% of the vote. Labour won 32.2% of the vote, Liberal Democrats 14.4% and United Kingdom Independence Party 3.9%.^[8]
Margate is within the Thanet local government district. The town contains the seven electoral wards of Margate Central, Cliftonville West, Cliftonville East, Westbrook, Garlinge, Dane Valley and Salmestone. These wards have seventeen of the fifty six seats on the Thanet District Council. As of the 2007 Local Elections, nine of those seats were held by the Conservatives, seven by Labour and one by an Independent.^[9]

Local Areas

Margate also consists of Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook.

Affiliations

Margate is twinned with the following cities:

★ Yalta, Ukraine

★ Idar-Oberstein, Germany

Football

Margate F.C. is one of the most famous football teams in non-league football. They play at Hartsdown Park. The club has played in the Conference National, but they are currently aiming to gain promotion out of the Isthmian League Premier Division.

See also

★ List of clubs and societies in Thanet

References

1. Neighbourhood Statistics
2. Neighbourhood Statistics
3. Neighbourhood Statistics
4. Neighbourhood Statistics
5. Neighbourhood Statistics
6. Neighbourhood Statistics
7. Neighbourhood Statistics
8. North Thanet
9. 2007 Election results

External links

★ The Turner project

★ Margate in 1936

★ Margate Caves (no longer open to the public)

★ Tourist Info

★ Margate Jazz Festival

★ Margate Museum

★ Turneround Margate

★ Margate Civic Society

★ Photographic Observations