Council reopens historic Margate shelter following extensive refurbishment
Thanet District Council has reopened the Grade II listed, Nayland Rock Shelter today (Friday 17 January 2025), following extensive refurbishment works.
The shelter on Canterbury Road, Margate, suffered serious damage through fire and vandalism in 2023. A significant amount of work was required to restore it and make it safe for public use. The shelter was closed in April 2024, and refurbishment works started soon afterwards. This included repairing the wooden flooring and removing the fire-damaged seating area and replacing it in line with the structure’s listed status. Repairs to the roof were completed earlier this month (January 2025).
Lights have been installed inside the shelter, activated by an automatic timer, to deter further anti-social behaviour. The total cost of the refurbishment was £90,000.
Cllr Steve Albon, Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Coastal Services, said: “It’s fantastic to see the Nayland Rock Shelter open again. It’s an iconic structure, and means a lot to local people and visitors. It must have one of the best views on the coast.
“I’m impressed with the quality of the refurbishment – the shelter is a genuine part of Margate’s coastal heritage and its links with TS Eliot make it even more important. I sincerely hope that people will help us to look after the structure and that it will provide a focal point on Margate’s seafront for many years to come.
“I’d like to thank everyone that played a part in returning the shelter to its former glory. It’s been a complicated project, but well worth it.”
It is believed that the Grade II listed shelter was constructed between 1872 and 1896. It has close links to British poet, TS Eliot, who is believed to have written part of one of his most famous works, ‘The Waste Land’, in the shelter.
1 Cllr Albon, Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Coastal Services cuts the ribbon, with Cllr Packman, Mayor of Margate
2 Councillors Packman, Whitehead and Albon, alongside Thanet District Council officers and contractors, JP Projects
3, 4 & 5 The refurbished Nayland Rock Shelter
6 Blue plaque commemorating TS Eliot’s links with the shelter
Newsroom
See all
Cabinet members have approved a new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) designed to curb antisocial behaviour and safeguard public spaces across Thanet.
Thanet District council has appointed Your Leisure Kent Ltd to operate five of the district’s public tennis venues. The interim contract runs from Tuesday 2 July 2026 until the end of the year. This appointment ensures that the tennis courts will be managed and maintained to a high standard, for players of all levels and […]
Increased resources to support the council’s waste and recycling service are now in place. This follows disruption to collections for some residents since the introduction of new recycling services for 27,000 Thanet households. These changes were introduced in response to new national Simpler Recycling requirements by the government.