Winter Gardens & Queen's Hall, Margate

Heritage listing

Details 878/1/10064 FORT CRESCENT 28-JUL-08 MARGATE Winter Gardens GV II Winter gardens. Built in 1911 in a neo-Grecian style, designed by the Borough Surveyor, Mr E A Borg. 1930s additions. The amphitheatre was roofed over in the late-C20. Stuccoed with some cast iron railings. PLAN: Originally a two-storey main hall to the north, with a promenade along the flat roof, flanked by vestibules with rooms over and attached one-storey semi-circular amphitheatre to the south with open centre, colonnading to the sides and ticket offices to north-east and north-west. In the 1930s a seaside cafe was added to the north, the amphitheatre roofed over and offices and a covered entrance added to the south. EXTERIOR: The building is set in an excavated hollow so that the 1930s entrance is at the higher street level. This entrance has a flat cornice supported on two glazed columns and has later C20 aluminium doors. It leads to a covered flight of steps with large horizontal and curved glazing bars. The curved two-storey office block at the base of the steps has a flat roof and windows replaced in uPVC. The one-storey amphitheatre has curved rusticated walls with elaborate cast iron railings to the parapet. At the northern end of each side are wide entrances flanked by full-height Ionic columns with tall rectangular fanlights over triple doors and adjoining lower entrances with double doors with rectangular fanlights flanked by paired full-height pilasters and central panel with scrollwork design. There is a shallow domed roof. The two-storey hall to the north has a wide modillion cornice with ornamental cast iron balustrading divided by piers at regular intervals which serves as guard rails for the promenade above the roof of the hall. On the south side are a series of windows divided

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.