Margate Storm - 30 years on

London, UK On January 11th, 1978 storms reeked havoc along the Kent Coast and Margate bore the brunt with it's famous jetty smashed to smithereens. The photos are from a special booklet produced at the time by the now defunct East Kent Times. (A few years earlier our family's beach hut was washed away from Foreness Bay)

The famous sun-decks at Walpole Bay and Palm Bay were swept into history by the storm which was the worst since the famous 1953 flood.
This event was one of many nails in the Margate coffin. The fortunes of this once proud seaside resort has continued to decline with few facilities for holiday-makers and day-trippers alike.