Oct 15, 20192 min read

Shell Grotto

I always love exploring hidden/unexplored places in small towns. One such place I found is Shell Grotto. The Shell Grotto continues to be a popular tourist attraction in the old seaside town of Margate. I first heard about the Grotto when it was featured on a travel show I had been watching absent-mindedly. My curiosity was piqued, and I eagerly watched the rest of the show, deciding that I needed to check out this intriguing underground cave for myself. One sunny weekend saw me promising my husband a mystery-filled day trip, and so it came to be that we journeyed to the English seaside in search of the Shell Grotto.

It's very ordinary-looking from outside but the legend has it that, in 1835, a local man and his son were digging a duckpond and discovered a hole in the ground. The man lowered his son into the cavern and they discovered the 2000 square foot underground grotto, decorated in a mosaic of 4.5 million shells. It was discovered in 1835, but its age and purpose remain unknown even today.

Its like a shell heaven. Each and every wall is made of shells. Its so beautiful.

Almost all of the surface area of the walls and roof are covered with mosaics created entirely of seashells.

It is a small place and depends on how long you'd like to explore. You could rush in 5 minutes or dawdle admiring the incredible shells and their mystery. We spent around half an hour in the Grotto. Its not too hard to access the shop, but the Grotto itself is down some old narrow, curving stairs.

The grotto is small, but there is an air of mystery inside the dark cave; walking through the dimly lit narrow tunnels inspires a feeling of awe similar to that which is experienced when entering a huge and ornate cathedral. So much painstaking work has gone into the mosaics that encrust the walls and ceilings of Margate’s Shell Grotto, but unlike a cathedral there is no indication as to who, or what, this work was for. Was it a place of worship, a tomb, a memorial, a meeting place, or something else entirely? We may never know!

Here is a few more click of this amazing place.