The Mysterious Shell Grotto inward Margate

In the onetime seaside town of Margate , inwards the English linguistic communication county of Kent , non also far from the town’s harbor , is a mysterious cloak-and-dagger cavern amongst seventy feet worth of winding passages. The passages are most 8 feet high in addition to they prevarication no less than half dozen feet underneath what appears to live a typical English linguistic communication neighborhood amongst houses in addition to gardens. Who built them in addition to for what role is a mystery. Even to a greater extent than fascinating is the endeavor that was undertaken to decorate the walls in addition to ceiling of this mysterious grotto amongst millions of seashells.

The grotto was discovered , equally the floor goes , past times Mr. James Newlove inwards 1835 when he was earthworks a duck pond. When Mr. Newlove’s shovel broke through the Earth , he sent his immature boy Joshua downwards the hole to explore. Minutes after Joshua emerged in addition to described to his begetter the foreign regain they had made. Word most the Shell Grotto came equally a surprise to the people of Margate because no 1 had heard most it before. Neither at that spot were whatever tales of its construction. As the tidings spread , scores of eager visitors descended upon Mr. Newlove’s belongings , which was when James Newlove began to run across the commercial possibility of his find.

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Photo credit: Martin Hearn/Flickr

The Shell Grotto lies exclusively cloak-and-dagger , in addition to tin mail away live entered past times a brusk flying of steps that leads into a serpentine tunnel roughly hewn out of the chalk , which inwards plough leads to the grotto. The passages of the grotto amongst its over-arching vaults are covered inwards rich mosaics of varied pattern , all made of shells. There are shells of mussels , cockles , whelks , limpets , scallops , oysters in addition to to a greater extent than , all of which appear to live locally sourced. It is estimated that at that spot are 4.6 1 M one thousand shells inwards the grotto’s walls in addition to ceilings.

No radio carbon dating has been done on the shells , because the private monastic tell who owns the grotto is unable to human foot the bill. Besides , the monastic tell was advised that dating would need large samples from the grotto to mitigate chances of dating repairs equally opposed to dating the master copy construction , which would impairment the construction , in addition to since the grotto was listed past times the English linguistic communication Heritage equally a Grade I edifice , the monastic tell decided , its preservation was far to a greater extent than of import than its investigation.

With no proper scientific written report , it’s impossible to say when the grotto was built. So at that spot are all sorts of theories , the most pop 1 is that the grotto was built past times some eccentric wealthy private for no specific role , perhaps inwards the 1700s , a fourth dimension when follies in addition to rhythm out structures were common. There are several examples of such “useless” buildings around the province , establish inwards the grounds of stately homes in addition to wealthy landowners. Others believe that the grotto is much older because of the consummate lack of historical records of its being in addition to construction , which would receive got been , they debate , a mammoth chore , certain to attract the attending of the neighbors. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 floor such equally this would receive got been impossible to live forgotten inwards a mere hundred years.

There is also testify that the grotto was repaired multiple times. In a 2009 survey , 5 mortar samples were sent off for analysis in addition to each 1 was establish to live dissimilar , which tin mail away simply live explained past times successive repairs.

Regrettably , the introduce condition of the grotto is non real good. The passages were lit past times gas lamps for far also long , causing the shells to blacken from soot. By the fourth dimension the gas lamps were replaced past times electrical lighting , inwards 1932 , many shells had already lost their master copy colouring cloth in addition to shine. Then at that spot is the work of H2O leakage. Humidity within the grotto has damaged the rhythm out mosaic. The work was greatly exacerbated when the garden over the grotto was concreted over , resulting inwards fifty-fifty to a greater extent than H2O seepage.

The Shell Grotto is currently looked after past times a non-profit called The Friends of the Shell Grotto.

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