Tucked away on a random residential street in everybody’s new favourite seaside town is Shell Grotto. Fairly unassuming on the outside, you’d be forgiven for walking straight past it without even giving it as much as a second glance. But everybody knows that it’s what’s inside that counts. And inside Margate’s much-loved Shell Grotto is a treasure trove of secret rooms, subterranean passageways, and so many shells. 4.6 million of them, to be exact.
It does what it says on the tin, really. It’s a grotto and it’s full of shells. So full, that almost every inch of the 70 feet-long and 8 feet-high building is covered in mosaics made of them. Discovered back in 1835 (more on its rather random discovery later), Shell Grotto is one of those places that needs to be seen to be believed. And we’d highly recommend seeing it, if you’re in the area. And – let’s face it – who isn’t planning a trip to trendy old Margate these days? Not a sentence I thought I’d be writing when I was growing up there, that’s for sure.
Shell Grotto is now a Grade I Listed building and open to the public, attracting visitors from far and wide, keen to experience the grotto and get up close and personal with the magical mosaics of seashells. The curving chalk walls are adorned with intricately-arranged mussel, cockle, whelk, limpet, scallop and oyster shells – most of which will have been found locally. The labyrinth of tunnels lead to a rectangular room at the end (the Altar Chamber), which is also covered with swirling seashell mosaics.
The history of the Shell Grotto
Nobody’s too sure about how, why or when Shell Grotto actually came to be. But what we do know is that it’s pretty darn impressive and it’s a shame nobody ever got to take the credit for it. Although there’s no solid story connected to its origins, there are plenty of theories about how this little cave was constructed – and what it was initially used for. Some believe it was a rich man’s extravagant folly; others think it was a meeting place for seaside witchcraft or an ancient temple for worship; and the slightly more pessimistic think that it may just be a tourist trap with no real backstory. It’s likely that the truth will never actually be uncovered, but that just adds to the allure and mystique of the grotto.
There are also a few conflicting accounts of how Shell Grotto was initially discovered. A widely believed story is that a man named James Newlove and his son Joshua were digging a pond, when Joshua fell down a hole, into the grotto. Another discovery story is that a large flat stone was lifted to reveal the grotto. Again, nobody knows for sure. But one thing that’s undeniable is that Shell Grotto is a little pocket of magic – and is well worth adding to your must-visit list.
How to get to Margate’s Shell Grotto
The Shell Grotto is a 20 minute walk from Margate train station. Direct high-speed trains run from St Pancras International to Margate and slightly slower (but still direct) trains run from London Victoria.
Find out more and plan your visit to Shell Grotto here.
📍 33 Grotto Hill, Margate CT9 2BU.