A well-designed and curated new 14-room boutique hotel has popped up in Margate, on the East coast of England. 

About an hour from London, for years Margate has been every artists favourite seaside town. There is something that attracts creatives to the town, with its unassuming demeanour and natural beauty of steep chalk cliffs, rock pools and sandy beaches. The town’s resonance with artists is no doubt what drew three friends – artist Tom Gidley, Frieze Art Fair co-founder Matthew Slotover and Gabriel Chipperfield (whose father is British architect David Chipperfield) to Margate.

Coming across a depilated building in 2018, they embarked on a journey to breathe new life into the building, now known as The Fort Road Hotel, recently opened as the most art and design-led guesthouse in Margate. 

Renovated by London-based Fleet Architects, they helped the trio replan the interior of the building, but Gidley, Chipperfield and Slotover executed the interiors themselves – curating key art and design details for a refined and stimulating stay. 

A well-designed and curated new 14-room boutique hotel has popped up in Margate, on the East coast of England. 

About an hour from London, for years Margate has been every artists favourite seaside town. There is something that attracts creatives to the town, with its unassuming demeanour and natural beauty of steep chalk cliffs, rock pools and sandy beaches. The town’s resonance with artists is no doubt what drew three friends – artist Tom Gidley, Frieze Art Fair co-founder Matthew Slotover and Gabriel Chipperfield (whose father is British architect David Chipperfield) to Margate.

Coming across a depilated building in 2018, they embarked on a journey to breathe new life into the building, now known as The Fort Road Hotel, recently opened as the most art and design-led guesthouse in Margate. 

Renovated by London-based Fleet Architects, they helped the trio replan the interior of the building, but Gidley, Chipperfield and Slotover executed the interiors themselves – curating key art and design details for a refined and stimulating stay. 

ART IN THE HOTEL

Embedded in the art scene in London and Margate, hotel co-owner and artist Tom Gidley curated the artworks in the hotel to reflect context and community. Those with connections to Margate and the surrounding area are found within the entire building. 

In the restaurant, find Tracey Emin’s The Golden Mile and Tom Gidley’s Figure in a Landscape works, along with Tim Noble’s The Ledge and a self portrait by artist Mercedes Workman. In the Fort Road Bar, Emin’s More Love white neon hangs, while an eco resin cast by Matthew Darbyshire rests elegantly. In hotel corridors, postcards and old black and white photographs are presented proudly and artistically, sharing the history of the town. 

The carefully curated design elements around the hotel do not go unnoticed. Hotel rooms each have a bespoke vanity unit with inset marble panels and a Flos Mini Glo Ball Light, nearby to Danish teak wall mirrors. Vintage chairs can be found in some rooms, with rare beech chairs by Benchair (1967 and 1968) [rooms 1 and 2], and a sofa and chair by Gio Point for Isa [room 12]. In the hotel restaurant, there are 3 original George Nelson pendant lights.

THE RESTAURANT, BAR & ROOF TERRACE

The restaurant is open to guests and locals alike, so be sure to book in advance. Dining feels intimate in the restaurant space, where tables are set side by side as conversations with multiple accents fill the space. The dining here is exceptional, with well-sourced and cleverly prepared ingredients, enticing all types of visitors.

On our visit, we tried the whole roasted seabass, cider butter sauce and sea vegetables with a side of frisée and sea purslane salad which was a delight. Our highlight however were the fresh oysters from Colchester – served both with mignonette or créme fraiche, seaweed and trout roe – they were a perfect way to begin our dining by the sea. For dessert, the rhubarb sorbet was complete perfection.

Hotel breakfast runs from 8-10.30am, with brunch until 2pm, there is a Sunday lunch service 12-.30-4pm, but other than that only the restaurant is open for dinner 5.30pm-9.30pm. Breakfast is a chance to mingle with other guests, and properly fuel up for the rest of the day.

The Fort Road Bar itself is downstairs below the hotel’s ground floor, with an entrance also available from the street. Here, a whole new world set over 2 floors opens up! It’s raw in design, but full of character. The bar is open almost every evening until late, so check opening hours for all before making plans. 

The roof terrace is open all day – also for sunset – for all hotel guests only. It gets windy, so it’s nice to pop upstairs for the view and come back down to the bar downstairs for cosy conversations. 

THE ROOMS

Proudly sourcing items for the interior design from local makers and suppliers, the curation here maintains a consistent thread: tasteful design that highlights the local community the hotel is embedded in.

For instance, the books on the bedside tables are supplied by The Margate Bookshop (each room has a copy of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (written partly in Margate) available to read, and vintage furniture and room mirrors sourced by Simply Danish, Ramsgate.

The felt curtains in the top floor rooms were made by Margate Design Collective, and all the amenities products in bathrooms have been made in collaboration with local brand Haeckels. The beds are organic and handmade by Naturalmat.

On our arrival, warm, fresh cookies were waiting on our desk with a considerately-written welcome note.

The mini bar is stocked with still and sparkling filtered water and milk for morning tea and coffee to make in-room (there is a kettle, ground coffee, English breakfast, chamomile tea and more).

On request, the hotel is happy to complimentarily supply ironing board and iron and beach towels for a swim a short walk away from the hotel. They can even arrange morning calls directly to guest mobiles for those super-early wake-up calls, and daily newspapers can be delivered upon request also. Room service however is only limited to bottles of wine, they don’t deliver cocktails or food from the restaurant below.

A comprehensive and well-designed guest booklet is found in all rooms, with its iconic bright blue on the cover. Inside, everything guests need to know about the hotel and what makes it special. There are multiple pages dedicated to sharing the best of what the town of Margate has to offer, from restaurants, bars and stores to beaches, walks and places to discover (such as The Shell Grotto, 70ft of tunnels comprising of 4.6 million shells, discovered in 1835).

THE FINAL WORD

We absolutely love the Fort Road Hotel’s approach and offering. The design is honest, of the highest quality, and supports the local community with its curation.

Hotel manager Tom Fogg is especially brilliant at his role, bringing all of the key hotel elements together effortlessly, ensuring no detail is missed. Tom’s expertise comes from working at Le Caprice and The Ivy to front-of-house at The Wolseley (he’s also been a life coach too). During our visit, we especially loved asking Tom on his local tips and later in the evening at the bar, hearing of his extensive knowledge of the design details (such as the imported glazed tiles from Morocco).

Prior to the hotel’s opening in 2022, there was minimal choice in guesthouse options in the town, and now with the Fort Road Hotel’s opening, more Londoners are venturing to the seaside town for their weekday or weekend escape. Everyone is welcome – families and even furry friends. During Winter, some rooms can come in at an astounding 140 GBP a night, well worth the stay.

Art is at the heart of it all, bringing like-minded dreamers, creatives and everyone else together in this very one-of-a-kind building and hotel.

Fort Road Hotel
18 Fort Road,
Margate, CT9 1HF

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Text: Champ Editor-in-Chief Monique Kawecki
Images: As credited, and Champ Magazine©