Westgate on Sea 1865-1940 : fashionable watering-place and London satellite, exclusive resort and a place for schools
Exclusive coastal watering-places, successors to the inland spas, attracted a similar clientele, fashionable, well-heeled and fickle. Many such places were developed in the nineteenth century; few held the truly fashionable for long, for fashion is always fleeting. Jealously guarding their reputations, they concentrated on survival in a highly volatile market and had no interest in competing for the favours of the short-stay visitor or excursionist. Westgate on Sea, on the north coast of the Isle of Thanet in Kent, was one such watering-place, attracting, in its early years, titled visitors and royalty, the fashionable and the artistic. Now part of Thanet District, Westgate can be passed by unnoticed by the stranger travelling on the A28 to Margate. Yet for seventy years, despite the proximity of that truly plebian resort, Westgate remained independent and exclusive, bolstered by the presence of a uniquely large number of private schools, which became its lifeblood. True child of the railway, created from a virgin site with metropolitan capital, Westgate had features which, when seeking to place it in the context of other exclusive developments, made it necessary to look for parallels beyond similar-sized
Crouch, Dawn
Inland spas
Westgate on Sea 1865-1940 : fashionable watering-place and London satellite, exclusive resort and a place for schools. Exclusive coastal watering-places, successors to the inland spas, attracted a similar clientele, fashionable, well-heeled and fickle. Many such places were developed in the nineteenth century; few held the truly fashionable for long, for fashion is always fleeting. Jealously guarding their reputations, they concentrated on survival in a highly volatile market and had no interest in competing for the favours of the short-stay visitor or excursionist. Westgate on Sea, on the north coast of the Isle of Thanet in Kent, was one such watering-place, attracting, in its early years, titled visitors and royalty, the fashionable and the artistic. Now part of Thanet District, Westgate can be passed by unnoticed by the stranger travelling on the A28 to Margate. Yet for seventy years, despite the proximity of that truly plebian resort, Westgate remained independent and exclusive, bolstered by the presence of a uniquely large number of private schools, which became its lifeblood. True child of the railway, created from a virgin site with metropolitan capital, Westgate had features which, when seeking to place it in the context of other exclusive developments, made it necessary to look for parallels beyond similar-sized
sea fashionable place london satellite exclusive resort place school exclusive coastal places successor inland spa attract similar clientele fashionable well many place develop hold truly fashionable long fashion always guard reputation concentrate survival highly volatile market interest compete short stay visitor sea north coast isle kent place attract title visitor royalty fashionable artistic part district pass unnoticed stranger travel yet_despite proximity truly resort remain independent exclusive bolster presence uniquely large_number private school_become true child railway create virgin site metropolitan capital feature seek_place context exclusive development make necessary look parallel beyond similar sized