Margate Summer Of 1966

A Memory of Margate.

My grandma and granddad and my mum and dad, with me and my brother who was six years old then, and my baby sister spent two weeks in the summer of 66 - we was in Margate for two weeks. The weather was glorious and really warm we had travelled from Sheffield at 02:30am from Sheffield Victoria station to Manchester then from Manchester to London then from London to Margate. We arrived in Margate at 13:30 when we got off the train at Margate Station and walking out of the station I saw Margate for the first time and the sea front and beach was heaving with people.

We all headed to the guest house in Margate - the house was called the Hollies and it was a brilliant place to stay. The people who owned the guest house was a Mr and Mrs Jennings - they owned a big golden Lab dog. When we had got settled in the guest house it was decided by my grandparents that as tea wouldn't be served until 4:30 that we go and have a look round Margate. It was then that I could take my white zip-up top off with a 'world cup Willie' motif on it. My younger brother Andrew was also wearing the same zip up white top. When we headed in to Margate we went and had a look at Dreamland - wow what a place to see, I had never seen so many fairground rides in one place - the place was huge. This is where I fell in love with the railways when I saw the Dreamland steam loco and my granddad took me on it - the ride was brilliant. I then saw this house next to the steam railway that was going upside down so my father took me to see it - oh we went on the ride, but I wish I hadn't as I felt sick when I came off. The next day we spent on the golden sands - my granddad had bought me and my brother a kite and we was flying them on the beach. There was loads of shops and even stalls where you could have a day out on a coach to visit other places, the highlight for me was when my granddad and dad took me on a speed boat - we was on it for 45 minutes - boy was it good. The one thing that we all loved was the fireworks display they had on a Thursday night in Dreamland. Oh happy holidays! We loved the two weeks in Margate and I didn't want to come home.