Margate and the Turner Contemporary (Waste Land exhibition)

Margate beach

On Tuesday hubby and I took ourselves off to Margate. I wanted to see Journeys with The Waste Land at the Turner Contemporary. It had been many years (more than 30, I think) since I'd last been Margate. I wondered how it would look now.

Actually I found it rather run down. Lots of shops are boarded up and it needs a lot of regeneration. Having the gallery there must help and it has a great position right on the seafront. Of course Margate has a lovely sandy beach and the Antony Gormley installation of Another Time on the sands. Unfortunately the tide was in and we didn't even see the top of its head but you can't win them all.

The exhibition was an interesting mix of famous works - my favourites were by Paul Nash and Edward Hopper - and ordinary people. As well as paintings there were visual installations (video), objects, and a series of photos taken of soldiers who were in Afghanistan, a sort of before and after with comments on how being part of a incident affected them. Certainly a thought provoking project.

After viewing the exhibition we walked along the seafront and later visited Margate Museum and took a look at the Tudor House (which was closed!).

I can't say I'll be drawn to return to Margate anytime soon but there are other places along that route (by train) I'd like to go to including Rochester and Whitstable.