On Margate’s storied Dalby Square, first-time hotelier Will Jenkins has rescued a handsome Victorian building from neglect and poor taste with the help of his longtime friend and part-time designer Charlee Allan-Quiton. (Her day job is mostly running the Borough Market establishment Fish.) The hotel sits within the now trendy Cliftonville area, just a step back from Margate’s small centre, in good company of the excellent bars, small-plates restaurants and cafes that have popped up as the seaside town rises to popularity. Commonly called ‘Hackney-on-Sea’ due to the influx of emigres out of East London to this patch of the Kentish coast, the opening of Margate House offers a smart boutique post for creative weekenders.
Design notes
The interiors are warm and welcoming, with a cosy salmon-painted sitting room on entrance typical of a Victorian home, but with a modern spin: boucle upholstered deep armchairs are paired with a dusty pink velvet sofa and travertine coffee table in front of an exposed brick chimney breast. High-impact shades of pink adorn the walls of the rooms and common areas, each custom-made in a collaboration with Yes Colours. ’The red-painted staircase was the most controversial design decision to get past Will’, says Charlee. (Luckily, he took the leap.) Much of the furniture in the bedrooms, especially the carpentry, has been designed by Will and made by local tradesmen – checkerboard bedside tables, bobbin-framed mirrors and sideboards holding the coffee and tea area and snacks) or otherwise sourced from antique markets and shops. The window dressings were made in collaboration with The London Curtain Girls – an Instagram find. ‘We loved the French pleat curtains they had and knew we had to work with them’, says Will.
Why stay here
Staying here feels more like spending the night in the home of a close friend, with the owner often hosting afternoon rounds of orange wine or evening gatherings with guests in the sitting and dining area. It is intimate, friendly and familiar – yet stylish without a hint of pretension.
Rooms and facilities
Nine bedrooms are spread on the top three floors – without any complicated categories – and vary in size considerably, so do pay attention to this when booking. All toiletries are lavishly from Haeckels, one of Margate’s biggest success stories, which has its flagship a few minute’s down the road. Breakfast baskets with The Good Egg’s Middle Eastern fare are delivered in-room, but can also be taken downstairs if babkas in bed is not the order. A cafe-restaurant-bar space is in the works at the back of the property and set for an autumn opening, including an outdoor terrace, for guests and locals alike. Talks of a spa are also in the whispers.
What’s around
Within a few minutes’ walk are Margate’s best wine bars and restaurants – with several backed by Hackney expats or part-time dwellers. Some of the best include Sargasso, an off-shoot of Brawn on the Columbia Road and with a similar menu of small plates and natural wine, Angela’s for sea food, Forts for sourdough sarnies on the Lido and Margate Off Licence and Daisy for drinks. When it all gets too London, the queue for fish and chips at Peter’s will go by in a breeze over people watching in the more rough and ready, authentic side of this British seaside resort.
Booking essentials
Rooms from £135 a night. 6 Dalby Square, Margate, CT9 2ER
