The Mysterious Shell Grotto In Englands Coastal Town Of Margate

Margate is a cheerfully mixed up place. It’s home to tacky seaside attractions, hip boutiques, windswept whelk stalls and a world-class art gallery. Away from the shore, flats and houses stretch uphill, past an underground attraction that’s adorned with shells and cloaked in mystery.

This attraction is the Shell Grotto, a cavern whose every inch is covered in seashells – some 4.6 million of them. From the entrance and gift shop, you descend a chalk staircase to an arch. From here, the dimly lit passage coils onwards, its walls decorated with strange markings, eventually opening out into an eerie chamber.

Walls of the grotto feature shells from Margate’s beaches

An otherworldly grotto

With its vaults, mosaics and a central shaft that opens up to the sky, the Shell Grotto is an otherworldly place, with a strange new dimension feeling heightened by the mystery that surrounds its creation. Nothing was known about it until 1835 when the owner of the cottage above uncovered an opening while undertaking some home improvements, and its origins still aren’t known.

Pagans, scallops and David Bowie

The shells – mussels, cockles, whelks, limpets, scallops and oysters – mostly come from the surrounding area, and the most common symbols represent the sun, the stars and the moon, which has led some to pin the grotto on a local pagan cult. It has fascinated numerous people over the centuries, including David Bowie, a Margate fan whose last album – Blackstar – featured a star design that’s eerily reminiscent of the cavern’s symbols. Bowie never mentioned a connection, leaving another mystery buried in this unique subterranean site.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.