Margate and The Hornby Visitor Centre

Margate is a traditional seaside town which has had somewhat of a revival in recent years. The town is home to the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, displaying a range of contemporary and historical art in its seafront location. Next door to the Turner is Margate Old Town with an eclectic mix of chic eateries, and galleries alongside traditional fish & chip shops and seafood stalls. A short walk from the town centre is the Shell Grotto. Discovered in 1835, it is a 21-metre series of passages decorated with 4.6 million shells (cost of admission not included). You may choose to spend the day in Margate or join us on the short trip to The Hornby Visitor Centre for a journey through the history of some of Britain’s best loved toys. Featuring rare products from the Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix and Corgi archives, track the history of Hornby’s iconic model trains from Frank Hornby’s early homemade toys in sheet metal, through the development of Hornby ‘O’ gauge and Hornby-Dublo.