Margate’s Phoenix – Margate’s Dreamland reopens
From opening as a restaurant and dance hall in 1863, to finally closing — though not for good — in 2005, it’s been quite a ride for Margate’s Dreamland. The first phase of the new £28m development, which includes £18m of public funding, is now complete and the fun park is pulling in the punters again. Project designer Wayne Hemingway gives us a personal take on the journey, so far...
Words Wayne Hemingway
I've been on this project getting on for four years now and, while it is a bit obvious to say on a project like this, it has been and continues to be a rollercoaster! There were a number of things that encouraged us to bid for this project and one was Margate.
Dreamland in the Twenties. Photo credit: John Hutchinson Collection Courtesy Dreamland Trust
Dreamland in the Thirties. Photo Credit: Dreamland Margate
It was absolutely clear that there was something very interesting going on in terms of place making and it was the kind of place making that I personally adore - it's the coming together of people.
Dreamland in the Fifties. Photo credit: John Hutchinson Collection courtesy Dreamland Trust
Opened in 1920 the Scenic Railway served many generations before fire partially destroyed it in 2008. Courtesy Dreamland Margate
There are lots of young people - when I say young I mean younger than me - who are coming down here and seeing opportunity like young people do. They see affordable accommodation, cheap spaces to open up their businesses, their galleries; it just feels like a place of opportunity.
The country has been scoured for fairground attractions, which have been brought back to life for the new Dreamland. Courtesy Dreamland Margate
And this seaside town also has something else - it's connected to London. It's connected in so many ways, through history - it was always the place that East Londoners came for their holidays.
Courtesy Dreamland Margate
Margate was their playground and Dreamland was very much part of that. More recently, the 2012 Olympics brought with it the Javelin Train, HS1 - that's the High Speed rail link that the press seems to ignore. HS1 goes very fast from London to Ashford, and in the future will be fast all the way to Margate.
Courtesy Dreamland Margate
So Margate is on the verge of being somewhere that is as connected as Brighton and we all know what happened to Brighton, which is effectively London-on-Sea. Margate could well end up being East-London-on-Sea.
The main facade on the cinema is also about to receive some TLC. Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
With the axis of creativity shifting east in London, it is clear that Margate is perfectly placed. We're not one to miss an opportunity, and from the outset we were experienced enough to see, from an urban design point of view, what the capabilities of Margate were.
Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
There has also been more formal investment in culture here from Kent County Council in the shape of Chipperfield's Turner Contemporary Gallery. From the outset it was a building that split opinion, but it always gained attention and helped put Margate back on the map. There is a groundswell of people making things happen here.
Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
I liken it to places such as the Mitte district in Berlin and how that was a place that fell into complete disrepair during the 25 years after the war, and how the same kind of community that is making Margate sing can be likened to those in Williamsburg in New York, the Baltic area of Liverpool and, of course, Hackney Wick.
Classic attractions such as a helter skelter, chair ride and a wall of death vie for attention with more modern takes on fun, including the Twister and Crazy Mouse. Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
In all of these places, young creative minds are doing what creativity can do and helping places that are not at their best to start to walk with a swagger.
Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
Like Hackney Council, Thanet Council has been willing to let young people off the leash and accommodate their ideas. In most - but not all - of our dealings with Thanet Council, it has said 'Let's have a go' and so there is this open attitude here from top to bottom in the community. And when you get all that coming together, there's real power for something to change, and that's what attracted us here.
Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
I'm down here every week or so and every time there's something new to look at - a new shop or a new gallery, and it's full of characters. Sometimes its like walking into a Carry On film - there's so many things that will make you laugh, and for me that is what the seaside is all about.
Photo Credit: Johnny Tucker
Margate doesn't take itself too seriously. There is so much fun going on, and wasn't it great that Al Murray came along to help the community prevent UKIP's Nigel Farage getting in! These are the kind of things that are happening here; it's great, it's political, it's sparkling and it's witty and it's also beginning to get international media attention - how the hell is Margate in the top five places to visit this year according to Lonely Planet? It's just crazy, but it's happening!
Bold new graphics keep the 'modern retro' vibe alive from the internet to on-site signage. Photo: Dreamland-Margate
The second big thing that attracted us to this project was the community and its well-documented 'people power' fight to prevent unsuitable development on their precious Dreamland site, their formation of the passionate Dreamland Trust and how that led to investment from national bodies and then local philanthropy. There is a whole new market being attracted to Margate and we wanted to capitalise on that by giving it a strong, tangible brand as well. The brand, what we wanted to create here, was 'an old-fashioned yet fashionable brand', and I think that ties in with a lot of places that people think of as cool. Bond Street and Westfield may have really expensive designers, but they are certainly not cool.
Photo: Dreamland-Margate
What's cool is when you get this mix of independence and uniqueness, where people are looking back at vinyl records to look forward and play on their state-of-the-art electronics. Where people know how to mix young designers with second-hand clothes, not to dress up in fancy dress but because it's a really sensible way of doing it; thrifty, aesthetically cool, sustainable and individual if you mix it in the right way.
This is what we are trying to tap into; we want the brand to feel cheeky. For it to feel subversive, it's got to feel a bit risqué, it's got to feel a tad edgy and yet appeal to all generations, and to feel slightly homespun.You also have to bear in mind that there was no other way of delivering this project. The total amount of money we have had to get this place open and get it marketed is equivalent to what Blackpool Pleasure Beach or Alton Towers would spend on a single ride - and we're delivering 17 rides and so much more.
Photo: Dreamland-Margate
We have worked with M&C Saatchi on getting the written tone of voice right, and all these people have done things on the cheap; the project certainly couldn't afford to pay all the contributors at their normal rates, but luckily we've been able to pull in like-minded people and favours. As well as delivering the rides, we've been buying flotsam and jetsam - anything that's seaside related. We've been going to auctions, scouring eBay and we've gone round places like Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and they've helped us out with stuff that they no longer use and we have repurposed it.
It's cheaper than going out to a big supplier and also it has more soul about it and a story to tell. And then we have an army of our 'dreammakers', local creative people doing stuff and helping to bring these items back to life and upcycle them for the new Dreamland.Finally, there's the new Scenic Railway, opening later in the summer, that's been rebuilt plank for plank, the same as the original destroyed in the fire, with the help of funding from the Heritage Lottery. We also salvaged all of the original Scenic Railway timber that we could and we've got people making furniture, jewellery and even handbags out of it - so these objects contain the very soul of Dreamland and the soul of Margate.
Photo: Dreamland-Margate
When we launched the tickets to the opening party, the first 500 also got an engraved, numbered block of old Scenic Railway and within hours - I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing - people were selling them on eBay and they were going for £60. I doubt if there is another project like this in the world and its right up our street. Some of our design team spend their weekends finding things and upcycling them.
We have a way of taking a sow's ear and turning it into a silk purse. It may sound like a mish-mash, but when all the phases are complete (Phase 1 opened 19 June) it will be cohesive, it will look beautifully designed - in a British seaside way - and, importantly, have soul. I urge you to come and enjoy Dreamland and Margate and contribute to this great regeneration story - and help refill the community coffers.
