Shell Grotto - Margate

I’ve wanted to visit the Shell Grotto at Margate for many years now. Tucked away in a random part of residential Margate, this is arguably the best preserved shell grotto in England. Boasting a whopping 4.2 MILLION shells this magical folly is a must see for anyone that loves a bit of mystery! And shells!

No mention of the shell grotto exists before 1835 when James Newlove, and his son Joshua, were excavating an area outside a farm they had recently purchased called Belle Vue Cottage. Some stories say they were digging a pond and Joshua fell through into the grotto, the main website for the Shell Grotto simply says a large flat stone was found and lifted to reveal the passage way / hole down.

Another account is from James’ youngest daughter, Frances Newlove, who ended up taking over the Grotto when her father died. She was around 12 years old when it was discovered.

“ My brother found out about the underground place sometime before it was known. He never dared to tell father. He found the chalk loose at one end of the passage next to the cottage, which was built afterwards, and he opened it up by taking the stuff away, as it were in rough blocks. Then when the opening was wide enough, he crawled through and got into the Grotto. And so did I. Yes, and two or three other young girls too. We crept in through the opening, and had to scrub ourselves right through the dirty chalk, and lor, we did make a mess of ourselves. But we got in and saw it all; we had to take a candle in a lantern round somebody’s neck. But it was really discovered in 1837, and my brother was dropped down the Dome with a light. He had been through it before, but had not told father.”

Shell Grottos were loved by the Victorians, although many examples pre date this and they first gained popularity in the 1700’s. Usually a display of wealth, and found on large country estates, these unique spaces would have been a talking point and not hidden away. No one at the time, in 1835, could think who had built this and why. Old maps show it being in humble farmland.

So was it a secret? Some people think it could be Pagon, or used by a secret society. Some people speculate it could be 2,000 years old but I don’t understand how that could be the case when exotic shells like Queen conchs from the Carribean can be found in the alter room. Unless they were later additions. Most of the shells are local, mussels, whelks, oysters, cockles, limpets and razor shells. Giant Clams from the Indo-Pacific can also be found, and there are rumours turtle bones were found behind the wall of the alter chamber which was sadly destroyed by a bomb during WW2.

There is a large circular tunnel that goes up into a skylight, all adorned with shells, and on summer soltist it aligns perfectly with the sun, which makes historians think it was linked to religious activity, perhaps used as a temple, and some of the shells are mosaiced to form people, mothers with child, perhaps to symbolise fertility?

Other people think its just a scam built to attract tourists and make money. But either way you cannot downplay the scale of the operation or fault the end result.

Regardless of endless disputing, nobody really knows when or why this magnificent display of shells was created. Shells cannot be carbon dated because of extensive damaged from gas lamps which lighted up the grotto for 100 years and numerous repairs made over the years. Many samples would need to be taken to conclusively decide on a time period the grotto was made, and at the moment this is too costly when urgent repair and conservation work needs to be prioritised. English Heritage entered it into the buildings at risk register in 1990, and it is considered a Grade 1 listed structure.

It was really quiet when we visited, so it took us around 30 minutes to wander around, and peruse the gift shop where I couldn’t not help myself to another crazy shell lady for my other crazy shell lady! She towers over my original!