12/18/2025
Explore Margate's Shell Grotto, an underground maze of 4.6 million shells. Its mysterious origins, whether ancient temple or 18th-century folly, remain unknown. The Shell Grotto was discovered by accident in 1835 when James Newlove was digging a pond and stumbled upon the underground structure. It quickly became a tourist attraction, opening to the public in 1837. However, its origins are an enigma. The structure is covered in mosaics made from about 4.6 million shells, but no written records of its construction exist. This has led to numerous unproven theories: that it's a decorative folly from the 18th century, a ritual site for a secret society, or even a prehistoric astronomical calendar. Attempts to date the grotto have been frustrated, as soot from Victorian-era gas lighting used to illuminate the passages contaminated the shells, making radiocarbon dating unreliable.
