WINTER GARDENS
Margate, 2023
The Margate Winter Gardens is the largest indoor entertainments venue in Kent, an important Grade II Listed building that's played a key role in the civic and cultural life of Margate since opening in 1911.
Owned by Thanet District Council, the venue closed in 2022, with the leasehold operator unable to sustain continued financial losses, exacerbated by the covid pandemic. The last major refurbishment was in 1978, and the building now finds itself a tired relic from a past era.
As Associates of Counterculture Partnership LLP (who had been engaged by Thanet District Council to review and create a new Evening and Night-Time Economy Strategy for the District) Studio Sam Causer carried out an Architectural Review of the whole complex.
The purpose of the Review was to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the future of the building and how this can be aligned with the Council’s vision for cultural, social and environmental improvement in the District.
The Review explores the history and development of the building, the different ways it has been used and changed through time and how these changes were linked to changes in society and local infrastructure. It looks at the current arrangement of the building and surrounding area and refers to concurrent reports, which include a Condition Report, A Historic Significance Statement, and Measured Surveys.
Based on an understanding of the heritage, condition and changes which may be possible to the site, we sketched out and assessed a range of possible uses and their different spatial configurations, looking in detail at three case studies for possible futures, all of which retain a large hall for mixed entertainment, plus 1) A linked specialism related to music production or education; 2) an every-day hub for food & drink; 3) a site focussed on coastal health & well-being.
As part of this work, we produced a series of images using historic archive photos as a starting point, overlaid with exciting possible futures, some of which are shared here. Rather than promote particular solutions, the images are intended to challenge current perceptions and encourage thoughts about the future of the building, and generate interest amongst potential investors.
Click on the images for more information.