Cliftonville

East Cliftonville

The estate covers the eastern part of Cliftonville and was fields when the first was built. It extends east beyond Northumberland Avenue and has been developed in phases. An earlier phase covered the northern ends of Leicester and Gloucester Avenues and the whole of Clarence and Magnolia Avenues; the later phase extending eastwards of Princess Margaret Avenue is a Wimpy-style housing estate with small houses largely identical in appearance and of less substantial build quality than the original 1930s estate.

The eastward expansion of Cliftonville has included much of the former parish of Northdown including Northdown Park and House.

West Cliftonville

West Cliftonville as originally developed was largely small private hotels and guest houses which catered for the many visitors to what was in the first half of the 20th century the thriving holiday resort of Margate but is now a less affluent area with the hotels converted to flats and bedsits. Thanet Council has recognised this and is offering grants to improve housing quality (2006) and restricting planning permission for one bedroom flats (2007). The seafront area once included many large hotels, including at one time a large Butlins complex. Some hotels remain: Smiths Court Hotel overlooking the sea, and the Walpole Bay Hotel. There are also a number of restaurants including The Orangery, which is next to Smiths Court Hotel. The Bandstand and oval lawns host a monthly farmers market (the last Sunday of every month) and during the summer there are a number of activities and events, including musical shows, held on weekends.

Facilities

The shopping area of Cliftonville is called Northdown Road and includes a number of main banks and building societies, larger corporate concerns including Boots and Tesco, a number of family run specialist shops including an award-winning art gallery, a post office, several pubs, many coffee shops and cafes, two churches and a number of estate and letting agents as well as an award-winning media company all along its two-mile length.

Entertainment

Cliftonville also has an indoor ten-pin bowling alley and sports bar, tennis courts, a bandstand with regular events including a farmers market, a crazy golf course, a pitch and putt course, bowling green and the famous Winter Gardens theatre. There is also a nightclub. Cliftonville is the home of local radio station KMFM Thanet.

Writing and poetry

During the first half of the 20th century Cliftonville was considered the fashionable hotel quarter of Margate. It was during the autumn of 1921 that T.S. Eliot spent a period of convalescence at the Albermarle Hotel, Cliftonville. His widow has confirmed that he found inspiration for, and wrote significant sections of The Waste Land in the Grade II-listed Nayland Rock promenade shelter.

The spirit of early 20th century Cliftonville was caught by John Betjeman in his poem "Margate 1940".

Notable people

The stage and film actor Trevor Howard was born in Cliftonville in 1913.