Description

GROTTO HILL
1
1380
The Grotto
TR 3570 NE 6/169
I

2.
Many theories have been advanced for the origin of the Margate Grotto, including
Phoenician origin or a Roman Mithraic Temple. The Grotto was discovered in 1835
by a schoolmaster and his sons digging their back garden. It is however most
likely to be early C19 as there are traces of a modern brick in one of the Gothic
shaped arches. The pattern of the Grotto is 2 semicircular passages leading to
a central dome and then a passage leading off to a rectangular chamber. The Grotto
has about 2000 square yards of shell mosaic consisting of 28 different types of
shells, many of which are foreign. The cement which adheres the shells to the
chalk walls is very similar to Roman cement and is said to contain fish oil and
crushed shells. The motifs include common Egyptian, Greek and Indian motifs.
In the rectangular chamber are motifs of the rising sun, the moon and stars.
The modern buildings at ground level are not listable.

Listing NGR: TR3593270870

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Shell Grotto at Wikipedia
• Shell Grotto official website
• Wikidata Q7493665

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
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  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
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• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)