The Grotto
THE GROTTO, GROTTO HILL
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed building
- List Entry Number:
- 1341537
- Date first listed:
- 22-Feb-1973
- Statutory Address:
- THE GROTTO, GROTTO HILL
Location
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Official list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed building
- List Entry Number:
- 1341537
- Date first listed:
- 22-Feb-1973
- Statutory Address 1:
- THE GROTTO, GROTTO HILL
Location
- Statutory Address:
- THE GROTTO, GROTTO HILL
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Kent
- District:
- Thanet (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TR 35932 70870
Details
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
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 356546
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jun-2026 at 04:53:03.
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All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.