Tucked a short way in land from the Margate coast lies a mysterious underground wonder: Shell Grotto.
Margate is a well-known British sea-side town. It boasts long stretches of sandy beach, jaw dropping sunsets, arcades, and a plethora of eateries and watering holes to satisfy your every need. It’s no surprise that in recent years it has once again become one of the most desirable places to visit in the UK.
However, there’s one unique Margate attraction that refuses to change with the times, and why would it? Shell Grotto. Located on a quiet suburban road, away from the thriving sea-front, it’s easy to miss this subterranean attraction.
Unless, of course, you’d done what all 21st century travellers do and Googled ‘Top 10 Things To Do In [insert destination]’ before arriving. Then you ‘d have seen the grotto sitting pretty at Number 1 on Trip Advisors Margate list.
Enter Shell Grotto
The entrance to Shell Grotto takes you through the heavily shell themed gift shop (they’ve found their niche and they’re sticking to) before walking down to the museum information room. Pass this and you descend down an ancient stone staircase, through a well-lit underground tunnel before emerging into the grotto itself.
Shell Grotto is comprised of over 70ft of ornately shell studded tunnels that open into a shell studded chamber or altar room. The shear detail in the design of how the 4.7million shells have been arranged is breath taking. They take on intricate swirling patterns and even pay homage to an eclectic range of deities and imagery from a shell Ganesh, to shell Greek myths to a shell Phallus. It’s got it all.
Mysterious Origins
The grotto’s appeal goes beyond its aesthetic. Much of the interest of Shell Grotto is in the origin story, or rather, the lack of one. No one knows exactly when it was built, or even why. The stories that surround its origin could rival Stonehenge. Explanations range from smugglers cave, rich man’s folly, druidic temple, to Ancient Roman sacrifice pit.
Now some of those explanations are more likely than others but it’s impossible to know exactly how old it is. The delicate nature of the shells makes carbon dating them a difficult and pricey undertaking. And anyway, in a world of instant knowledge, isn’t it nice to bask in the wonder of not knowing for a while?
We do know when the grotto was re-discovered though. The official date is 1835. The discoverer, James Newlove, purchased property above it and while undertaking some home improvements, he and the builders came upon the lost underground tunnels. However, according to diary accounts of his children, this wasn’t the first discovery. His daughter Frances Newlove and her brother Joshua learnt about the tunnels prior to their father’s discovery. They would invite their friends to secretly sneak in to explore.
Reading about Shell Grotto can only do it so much justice. For the full experience, I recommend going and discovering the magic for yourselves. You can find out more information about opening times and ticket prices on their website linked below.
