Seaside life
circa 1901
A taste of Edwardian seaside life on the Kent coast
This fascinating street view from Margate, taken around 1901, captures the town at a time when it was one of Britain’s most popular seaside resorts. On the left, signage for an “Oyster Saloon”, a Metal Bar Restaurant, and Margate Palace Teas hints at the bustling hospitality scene that catered to London day-trippers and summer holidaymakers arriving by steam train and paddle steamer.
A horse-drawn cart stands at the centre, flanked by elegant bay-window buildings, and in the background, you can just make out the tower of the Arcadia Theatre, once a hub of seaside entertainment. This corner of Thanet would have been alive with the smell of salt air, fresh shellfish, and the sound of laughter from the promenade.
🗓️ Did you know? Margate’s Dreamland amusement park opened just a few years later in 1920, but by 1901, the town already attracted over 250,000 visitors every summer.
📍 Margate, Thanet District, Kent, England
📷 Photograph circa 1901
📸 Do you have old postcards or photographs from Margate or other Kent coast towns? Upload them to Oldpik.com and help preserve the golden age of the English seaside.
This fascinating street view from Margate, taken around 1901, captures the town at a time when it was one of Britain’s most popular seaside resorts. On the left, signage for an “Oyster Saloon”, a Metal Bar Restaurant, and Margate Palace Teas hints at the bustling hospitality scene that catered to London day-trippers and summer holidaymakers arriving by steam train and paddle steamer.
A horse-drawn cart stands at the centre, flanked by elegant bay-window buildings, and in the background, you can just make out the tower of the Arcadia Theatre, once a hub of seaside entertainment. This corner of Thanet would have been alive with the smell of salt air, fresh shellfish, and the sound of laughter from the promenade.
🗓️ Did you know? Margate’s Dreamland amusement park opened just a few years later in 1920, but by 1901, the town already attracted over 250,000 visitors every summer.
📍 Margate, Thanet District, Kent, England
📷 Photograph circa 1901
📸 Do you have old postcards or photographs from Margate or other Kent coast towns? Upload them to Oldpik.com and help preserve the golden age of the English seaside.
Contributed by JOSE M LOPEZ on April 15, 2025
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