Cakes, tea and a talk about the Shell Grotto in Margate are on the menu at The Mad Hatter Tea Rooms on Monday (September 16).
The event is the latest in a series of talks with a historical flavour at the Old Town tea shop.
The Shell Grotto was discovered in 1835 and is 21 metres of winding passages decorated with 4.6 million shells. The walls are covered in images of gods and goddesses, trees of life and patterns of whelks, mussels and oysters. It terminates in a rectangular room, referred to as The Altar Chamber.
The earliest reference to the discovery appears in an article in the Kentish Mercury in 1838, announcing its forthcoming opening as a public attraction. It has remained in private ownership ever since.
The very first entrance fee is recorded as being one shilling.
Find out more at the talk on Monday from noon until 2pm. Tickets are £12 and include a glass of juice, the talk and a Q&A, a pot of tea or Americano coffee and cake or scone.
To book a ticket call 01843 232626 or email [email protected]