Museum and heritage development projects are a bit like roller coasters. There are ups and there are downs.
One minute you’re nervously awaiting a decision – the next you have your arms thrust in the air, screaming with excitement. And at the end of the process, while proud of your achievements, you wonder what all the fuss was about.
Nowhere is this analogy more relevant right now than in the Kent town of Margate, where plans are presently in progress to redevelop the site of an old theme park and turn it into a museum and heritage site.
Dreamland Margate will be the home of the nation’s first roller coaster and theme park museum, if you like. A with a roller coaster almost 100 years-old and a long and respected tradition of entertaining families by the seaside.
The town is on a high after the success of Turner Contemporary, which opened there last year.
But, alas, they are in a spot of bother at the moment as the people who own the land on which the site sits are contesting a compulsory purchase order. It’s going through a local inquiry now and they’ll know more in the summer, but in the meantime there’s a piece all about it on Museum [Insider], of course. For the moment though, this ride isn’t going anywhere.
I’m due to make a visit to Margate later this year, so see the Turner Contemporary again and to check out more of the towns, er, delights. I’ll report back on what I’ve found!
