Loving you has only just begun

Expect to see more of this photographic exploration of the Kent coastal town of Margate and nearby areas from me. This is my new home-to-be. Part of the Cinque Ports confederation, which dates back to around 1050, Margate sits at the far north-eastern point of Kent. The term Cinque Ports was first used in the 12th century, at a time when the official language throughout England was Norman French. Over the centuries, this language became assimilated with the Saxon, Danish, Celtic and other languages, evolving into modern English.

Any vessels sailing from France, or heading up channel past the southern coast of England, on route to London, will pass Margate as they head west towards the River Thames.

I never stopped loving you: neon sign above the pier and harbour building, Tracey Emin

Margate's famous daughter, the artist Tracey Emin, provided the neon sign above the Pier and Harbour Company building at the start of the harbour arm, to the left of the main photo. The foreground shows the harbour itself at low tide. An hour or two later and it will be completely under water. In the background stands the majestic modernism of the Turner Contemporary Gallery, in stark contrast to the Victorian feel of the other harbour features. To the right is a popular seafood stall, selling typical English seaside treats such as whelks, winkles, shrimp and dressed crab, among others, all served with ground white pepper and malt vinegar, or whatever else takes your fancy.

Why the loving? Well, Tracey Emin's fluorescent illustration announces to the world that she never stopped loving Margate, her birth and current home. For S and I, the loving has only just begun. We have been visiting Margate and surrounding coastal areas such as Ramsgate and Sandwich Bay, frequently over the past few years, with a view to moving here for our retirement. Retiring to the seaside is something of a cliché, of course, but who cares? This is what we plan to do and we have already begun the journey, which we expect to take a year or two for us to complete. We still have unfinished business in our home of 30 years: Beckenham, the London suburban town that is still designated a Kent address.

The Turner Contemporary has become something of a nucleus of cultural and economic regeneration to Margate. Like many other English seaside towns, it has declined over the decades since English seaside holidays were popular. Cheap air travel and package holidays to sunnier climes have taken their toll on the English coastal vacation.

Video: RGT

These two images show Anthony Gormley's sculpture, Another Time XXI, in the surf and below at low tide. The sculpture, a self-image of the artist, stands on Fulsam Rock, opposite the Turner Contemporary. The statue becomes completely submerged at high tide.

Margate has had more than its fair share of decline, but is bouncing back with a vengeance, thanks in part to investment in the Turner. We adore the area and the surrounding district of Thanet (also once beloved by the artist J.M.W. Turner) for the endless beaches, the friendly local people, the mixture of old and new, and the proliferation of small, family-owned shops and other businesses. All bringing a wonderful range of cultural and ethnic value.

Although there is a huge retail estate only 10 minutes away by road, we like our friendly, local shops, restaurants and cafés. Only last week, I wandered into a big local Polish supermarket that had lots of fabulous foods that are not always available in the big stores. It even had a range of Georgian wines, something I haven't been able to buy since I last bought a bottle at a street market in the Sussex coastal town of Shoreham-by-Sea. Shopping in places like this is so much more fun that driving to the usual mall with its same-as-everywhere brands.

The Turner Contemporary features a programme of temporary exhibitions and is sometimes host to previews of exhibitions due to appear in London and other city venues.

These two sculptures by New York artist Simone Leigh are a temporary exhibit at the Turner Contemporary. A major exhibition of her work will be shown at the Royal Academy in London, 18 September - 12 December 2027. It will be the largest exhibition to date of Leigh's work.

Heading out into the old town of Margate you will see many indicators of the town's maritime past. If you head west, you will see several roads named after the Saxon kings of England: Harold, Ethelbert, Athelstan and Edgar. This coastline has, over two thousand years, been visited by Romans, Saxons, Vikings. Even before Roman times, the coast was a landing point for visitors and merchants from Asia and northern Africa, as well as Europe. It would be fair to say that the history of the English peoples, and the English language, began at the coast of Kent.

Head south from the old town of Margate and you may well stumble upon this remarkable piece of history, dating back to Tudor times.

All of this writing about Margate has made me think of food and drink. There are many places to eat in Margate and a huge variety of food on offer. From the haut cuisine (prices to match) seafood restaurant Buoy and Oyster Margate, to the many fish 'n' chip, curry, pizza, chicken shop and other standard high-street fare. My favourite recent find is the Dosa Palace Indian and SriLankan restaurant along the characteristic Northdown Road, which is set back from, and traces, the coast road out of Margate toward Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Dover.

As well as typical Bengali/English favourites, Dosa Palace specialises in many South Indian delicacies, not least of which is the Dosa, like the one shown here. In this case a light, thin crispy pancake made from ground lentil flour, sometimes with rice. There is a choice of fillings. My choice was a beautifully and subtly-spiced vegetable dish. They have many more styles of Dosa I have yet to try.

Some of the recent history of Margate, from the 1980s, can be seen on the big screen, in the form of the Oscar-nominated Empire of Light, staring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth, among other notables. I saw this movie for the second time recently. S and I spent a good part of the film trying to identify the various locations that we are now getting to know as our new home.

Much of the film's location photography was taken here by Margate's main beach. Popular visitor destination in summer and beloved by locals all year round. This is a still from the movie, as shown in the above trailer.

The following shot was taken from roughly the same viewpoint, and photographed three years after the film was released.

Dreamland, no longer a movie theatre, now an occasional rock music venue, is shown here from the same spot on Margate beach. Now pan left and this is what you will see.

On a sharp, cold but sunny January morning, with a light dusting of snow, this is Margate's main visitor beach. Here, in the distance, you can see the harbour arm, lighthouse and Turner Contemporary. A short distance from here, past the Turner, you will find dramatic cliffs, seascapes and skies. Not to mention the occasional artistic augmentation, like this graffito bee: "take your trash home".

And then, there are the pubs and bars. This pub, The Rose in June, could become my new home from home.

I could continue this photographic journey of a little section of Kent's coastal majesty, and may well do in other visual tours.

I will never stop loving you, Margate.

We've only just begun.