Sunday 29 August 2010

HERITAGE OPEN DAYS COME TO MARGATE




Official TDC press blurb:

"Some of Margate’s many historic buildings and sites will be throwing
open their doors next month (September), as part of Heritage Open
Days.

A total of 12 different venues will be taking part in the initiative,
which runs from Thursday 9 September until Sunday 12 September. It’s
been organised under the banner of Margate Arts, Creativity, Heritage
(MACH), an innovative partnership between English Heritage, the Arts
Council and Thanet District Council.

The four days will include free tours, talks, live music and arts
events, all inspired by Margate’s history and its culture-led
regeneration. Dreamland will be offering a tour of the world famous
former amusement park site and a presentation about its future as the
world’s first heritage amusement park. Margate Museum, the town’s
former police station, will be hosting a performance with a
difference, in the former prison cells, which date from 1858. A live
band will play music from the 60s to commemorate the detention of 51
Mods there following the Whitsun Riots of 1964.

Guided tours will also be available of The Reading Rooms, a luxury
boutique bed and breakfast; St. John’s Parish Church; the Theatre
Royal, which is home to the country’s second oldest working stage; and
the Tom Thumb Theatre, one of the world’s smallest working theatres.

Visitors to the town can also take a look inside the Tudor House;
explore the archives of Margate Baptist Church; take a walking tour of
three squares (Cecil, Hawley and Addington); and can explore Margate
Old Town. Turner Contemporary will be putting on an exhibition in a
pop-up shop, as part of Generate, a project they are working on with
Thanet College, while the Harbour Arm will be showcasing an exhibition
and auction of postcard-sized art, with all proceeds going to the
RNLI.

MACH Project Manager, Sophie Jeffrey, said: “Margate has a special
place in the history books and in many people’s hearts, so we hope
this event, which increases access to historic sites and helps bring
them to life through the arts, will be a big hit. It’s also a great
way to open up a conversation with local people about how we can
secure the long-term future of Margate’s cultural assets.”

The event is being run with help from a group of volunteers, including
the Margate Civic Society. It is hoped that this pilot may lead to
more regular opening of Margate’s historic buildings and, for those in
public ownership, generate sustainable plans for their long-term
future.

For more information on the venues taking part and what they will be
offering, visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk"


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