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Discovered in 1835, Margate's Shell Grotto is an astonishing find; 21 metres of winding passages decorated with 4.6 million shells. The walls are covered in images of gods and goddesses, trees of life and patterns of whelks, mussels and oysters. Some think it is an ancient Pagan grotto, others that it is simply an ornate Regency folly; but with no definitive explanation or history, the Shell Grotto is Kent's greatest mystery.
Well, I thought the shell grotto was going to be a shop full of tacky squirrel sculptures made out of winkle shells. How wrong could I be!
We also met the author of a soon to be published seminal work about the Shell Grotto. Retired civil engineer Mick Twyman. He knows every inch of the shell grotto and has at least one story to go with every panel. It was fascinating.
I will never forget my first trip Margate... I'll be back!
Discovered in 1835, Margate's Shell Grotto is an astonishing find; 21 metres of winding passages decorated with 4.6 million shells. The walls are covered in images of gods and goddesses, trees of life and patterns of whelks, mussels and oysters. Some think it is an ancient Pagan grotto, others that it is simply an ornate Regency folly; but with no definitive explanation or history, the Shell Grotto is Kent's greatest mystery.