Margate Old Town
About
The Old Town is the tight grid of lanes behind the harbour, centred on Market Place and running through Broad Street, King Street, Lombard Street and Duke Street. It is the part of Margate that changed most visibly after Turner Contemporary opened, and it is now dense with independents: vintage clothing, second-hand books, ceramics, record shops, galleries, delis and small restaurants. It is genuinely good, and it is also small, so half a day covers it properly. Two honest caveats. First, several units turn over fast and the shop you read about last year may not be there; this build alone confirmed the permanent closure of Dory's, Roost, Hantverk & Found and Lombard Street Gallery. Second, the Old Town's density is not typical of Margate's retail as a whole: Thanet District Council recorded a 22 per cent shop vacancy rate for Margate in 2023/24, the highest of the district's four centres, and was still issuing High Street Rental Auction notices on empty units in August 2026. Walk five minutes inland from Market Place and you will see both towns at once.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Market Place at the centre, with lanes running off it
- ✓Independent vintage, books, ceramics and records
- ✓Crab Museum, Bottega Caruso and the Margate Bookshop all within it
- ✓Margate Old Town Market on weekends
- ✓Two minutes from the harbour and the Harbour Arm
Tips
- →Several Old Town independents close Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday to Sunday is the reliable window.
- →It is small. Do not allocate a whole day; allocate a half and spend the other half on the coast.
- →The lanes are narrow and some shops have a step at the door.
- →Check any specific shop before you travel for it. Turnover here is high.
Best Season
Accessibility
The Old Town is flat but the lanes are narrow, some surfaces are uneven, and individual shops commonly have a step at the entrance.
More Attraction Activities
Turner Contemporary
Free contemporary art gallery on the seafront, on the site of Turner's Margate lodgings. Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays.
Dreamland
Free to enter, pay per ride. Vintage rides, a roller disco and a summer outdoor gig season. The Scenic Railway still stands but is retired and cannot be ridden. Opening pattern changes constantly.
The Shell Grotto
4.6 million shells in a tunnel under a Cliftonville side street. Discovered in 1835 and never explained. Grade I listed.