The Turner Gallery
The Turner Gallery in Margate is the attraction credited with being the key to launching Margate as a revived attraction on Englan'd south east coast. Why put a Turner Gallery in Margate. Because that's where Turner grw up and went to school, lived on the sea front and went back throughout his life.
I associate Turner with water and skies and swirling lines and misty views of London.
The Turner Gallery is a big, bold building. It holds rotating exhibitions so you should see something new on a first or returning visit.
It's easy to get to, being near the railway station.
Margate's Attractions
What else is in Margate? A former police station is now a museum. Margate was famous for its funfair. But with summer sun in June 2025, the sandy beach is the top attraction for families. So, indoors or outdoors, something for veryone to see at Margate. You can borrow wheelchairs onsite.
The Turner Gallery's Best Features
I looked at the design of the gallery and wondered, why all straight lines? Why not restful soothing curves, like the Guggenheim in New York, the sails of Sydney opera house, Gaudi's cathedral, and houses? Then I thought, to hang pictures you need flat walls. At least it has a sloping roof to cope with England's rain. You would not want a flat roof gallery liable to leaks onto the artwork underneath.
All those steps! Maybe there's a lift for wheelchairs in that tower next to the steps on the right.
The gallery offers visitors a cafe, restaurant, free entry and free exhibitions. 90 minutes by train from London.
The restaurant has a sea view. You can see their menu online.
You can check their prices, the Indian dishes, drinks including coffees and Prosecco.
The food is not particuarly cheap, 6 to 10 pounds on the breakast and lunch menus, but the gallery is free, so heigh ho.
What if you don't care for Turner? The weird thing is that they don't have ermanent Turner Paintings on display.
Instead the Turner Gallery in Margate regularly show works inspired by Turner. And they run free workshop events for children in some afternoons.
Turner Contemporary Gallery, Margate.
Their webstite says step free access. The nearest car park is 5 minutes away and makes a charge. It is near the lifeboat station. You can borrow wheelchairs onsite.
Turner Art in London
If you want to see Turner pictures, the gallery with the largest collection is the Tate Modern in London. So you might go there first, and follow up with the Margate landscape and seascape which surrounded Turner when he grew up. Turner bequeathed (left in his will) his paintings to the nation, and you can see them in the Tate Modern aas well as in the National Gallery which is on Trafalgar Square in central London.
Useful Websites
https://turnercontemporary.org/visit-us/accessibility#wheelchair-and-physical-access
The Tuerne Gallery's Louise Food
https://www.louieonsea.com/about/
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/joseph-mallord-william-turner#:~:text=Turner%20bequeathed%20much%20of%20his,are%20now%20at%20Tate%20Britain.
Please share links to this blog post.
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2025/06/turner-gallery-at-sandy-sutheast-margate.html
No comments:
Post a Comment