Coordinates: 51°23′06″N 1°23′02″E / 51.3850°N 1.3838°E / 51.3850; 1.3838

Margate
Margate Clock Tower
Margate  Margate shown within Kent
Population	57,008
OS grid reference	TR355705
- London	64.1 mi (104 km) W
District	Thanet
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MARGATE
Postcode district	CT9
Dialling code	01843
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Thanet North
List of places: UK • England • Kent

Margate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in East Kent, England. It lies 38.1 miles (61.3 km) east-northeast of Maidstone, on the coast along the North Foreland, and contains the areas of Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook.

History[link]

Print of Margate Harbour, 1897

Margate was recorded as "Meregate" in 1264 and as "Margate" in 1299, but the spelling continued to vary into modern times. The name is thought to refer to a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found, often allowing swimmers to jump in. The cliffs of the Isle of Thanet are composed of chalk, a fossil-bearing rock.

The town's history is tied closely to the sea and it has a proud maritime tradition. Margate was a "limb" of Dover in the ancient confederation of the Cinque ports. It was added to the confederation in the 15th century. Margate has been a leading seaside resort for at least 250 years. Like its neighbour Ramsgate, it has been a traditional holiday destination for Londoners drawn to its sandy beaches. Margate had a Victorian pier which was largely destroyed by a storm in 1978.^[1]

Like Brighton and Southend, Margate was infamous for gang violence between mods and rockers in the 1960s, and mods and skinheads in the 1980s.^[2]

The Thanet Offshore Wind Project, completed in 2010, is visible from the seafront.

Government[link]

Since 1983, the Member of Parliament for North Thanet, covering northern Thanet and Herne Bay, has been the Conservative, Roger Gale. At the 2010 General Election, in North Thanet the Conservatives won a majority of 13,528 and 52.7% of the vote. Labour won 21.5% of the vote, Liberal Democrats 19.4% and United Kingdom Independence Party 6.5%.^[3]

Margate was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1857. This was abolished in 1974, since which date Margate has been part of the Thanet district of Kent. The town contains the seven electoral wards of Margate Central, Cliftonville West, Cliftonville East, Westbrook, Garlinge, Dane Valley and Salmestone. These wards have seventeen of the fifty six seats on the Thanet District Council. As of the 2007 Local Elections, nine of those seats were held by the Conservatives, seven by Labour and one by an Independent.^[4]

Climate[link]

Margate experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom, though its annual precipitation is lower than the national average.

Demography[link]

As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.^[6]

The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity.^[6]

The place of birth of residents was 94.2% United Kingdom, 0.9% Republic of Ireland, 0.5% Germany, 0.8% other Western Europe countries, 0.7% Africa, 0.6% Eastern Europe, 0.5% Far East, 0.5% South Asia, 0.5% Middle East, 0.4% North America and 0.3% Oceania.^[6]

Religion was recorded as 71.6% Christian, 0.7% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.1% Sikh and 0.3% Jewish. 17.1% were recorded as having no religion, 0.3% had an alternative religion and 9.8% didn't state their religion.^[6]

For every 100 females, there were 92 males. The age distribution was 6% aged 0–4 years, 16% aged 5–15 years, 5% aged 16–19 years, 31% aged 20–44 years, 23% aged 45–64 years and 19% aged 65 years and over.^[6]

11% of Margate residents had some kind of higher or professional qualification, compared to the national average of 20%.^[6]

Education[link]

Junior and infant[link]

• Palm Bay Primary School
• Drapers Mills Primary School
• Garlinge Primary School^[7]
• Cliftonville Primary School
• Holy Trinity and St John's C of E Primary School^[8]
• Salmestone Primary School^[9]
• St Gregory's Catholic Primary School
• Northdown Primary