Margate photographer embarks on project to chart heritage venues in Thanet from behind closed doors

A talented Margate photographer hopes she can fuel a discussion about Thanet’s heritage and history – including the closure of venues- through her pictures.

Caitlin Neaves has been experimenting behind the lens since her mum bought her a Samsung digital camera when she was 13.

Now having progressed to a Canon kit camera, Caitlin uses her skills to focus on history and heritage, daily life in Thanet and journalistic photography.

Previously the former Broadstairs College student charted the large number of closed shops in Ramsgate. Now she has turned her attention to historic venues that have closed and is photographing Margate’s Theatre Royal and Winter Gardens which closed in 2022 – although a new operator has recently been announced for the Winter Gardens- Manston airport, shut since 2014 although there is now a consent order for owners RSP to reopen it, Dreamland Cinema, shut since 2007, and Margate Museum which had been run by a Trust up until last year.

Caitlin has also photographed Ramsgate’s historic Clock House which is temporarily shut while a refurbishment and creation of a cafe takes place.

She said: “I’m currently trying to get access to different cultural, heritage points around Thanet that are closed.

“I find that many of our aging community are interested in seeing inside of these places again to help keep their memories alive. There are also people new to Thanet who have never seen inside the buildings and others who have lived here all their lives but not seen inside either.

“A large part of it is matching people’s memories to the images.

“I took some during a short walk through of the Dreamland Cinema and have taken some of the Theatre Royal as well as at the Ramsgate Clock House but aim to do seven buildings altogether.”

The photographer and film-makers says she stopped taking  photos for a while but then her interest was reignited.

She added: “A big part of my interest is local heritage and history. I’ve grown up here and seen places open and close.

“I think it is a real shame that some of these places are closed and I want to generate a discussion and want people to talk about it, I want it to be in the news and draw attention to it.”

Caitlin says at some point she would like to be able to publicly exhibit her work and plans to join the Isle of Thanet Photographic Society.

Theatre Royal Margate

Theatre Royal Margate is among the venues on the Theatres at Risk Register.

The Grade II* listed property  has been shut since April 2022 when the lease agreement with operator Your Leisure was ended.

The historic theatre hosted its final show on April 28 and was then shut to await refurbishment and arrangements for a new operator.

It was listed in 1955, and in 2018, it was added for the first time to the Theatre Trust’s At Risk Register. It remains on the register this year.

The venue was built in 1787 and used as a theatre, with periods as a chapel and cinema until 1963.

It was remodelled in 1874 by Jethro Thomas Robinson. The only other auditorium designed by J.T Robinson is The Old Vic, but after the extensive remodelling of the proscenium arch at The Old Vic, the Theatre Royal Margate is the last remaining theatre with the architect’s design intact.

In March 2021, £2.2m of Margate Town Deal’s £22.2m funding was allocated to the Theatre Royal. Since then, a new plan to create a nationally significant performing arts hub in Margate has been created, focusing on the Theatre Royal’s 245 years of history.

Thanet council says this combines heritage, performance and a move towards financial sustainability. The vision reflects the need to conserve, restore and modernise both the theatre and 19 Hawley Square.

Last year it was agreed to reallocate £2.8m of Margate Town Deal funding from a highways and public realm project to the refurbishment of the theatre.

Initial designs presented by Nick Lee Evans, a Specialist Conservation Architect from Lee Evans Partnership, showed an extension to the Addington Street theatre building, widened pavement, reinstated signage and a new box office entrance.

A projected reopening date is May 2027.

Dreamland Cinema

Dreamland Cinema opened its doors on March 22, 1935.

Built on the site of the 900 seat Dreamland Variety Theatre of 1923, (later re-named Dreamland Cinema), John Henry Ilse invested more than £500,000 into the Dreamland site between 1920 and 1935, constantly adding new rides and facilities, and culminating in the construction of the Dreamland cinema complex in 1934.

The Dreamland Cinema and Ballroom building was completed in the early part of 1935 and opened its doors to the public on Friday 22nd March 1935 with screenings of Greta Garbo in “The Painted Veil” and  Laurel & Hardy in “Them Thar Hills”.

Inside the auditorium seating was provided for 1,328 in the stalls and 722 in the balcony. The interior design was by John Bird-Iles and sculptures of sea nymphs set into recesses each side of the auditorium were the work of Eric Aumonier.

The cinema had a fully equipped stage and has a 40ft wide proscenium. It was equipped with a Western Electric(WE) sound system.

The cinema was closed from 1940 due to the war and didn’t re-open until 1st July 1946.

The Dreamland Cinema was then twinned and re-opened on 22nd April 1973 with two cinemas in the former balcony which seated 378 and 376. The former stalls area became a live theatre but this was not a success and closed on 11th January 1975 and was converted into a bingo hall.

A third screen seating 60 persons and using video projection was created in what had previously been the balcony bar area. This opened on 10th May 1981 and continued until closing in 1993 when the Dutch firm Bembom Brothers took over the running of the cinema and amusement park.

The two cinemas remained open in the former circle area and were operated by the small Independent chain Reeltime Cinemas. Sadly they were closed on 1st November 2007 following closure of the bingo club operation in the former stalls area earlier in the year.

In 1992, Dreamland Cinema was designated a Grade II Listed building by English Heritage. In early-May 2008, the building was upgraded to Grade II* Listed.

Dreamland Cinema was  bought from Thanet council by Sands Heritage Limited (SHL), along with the amusement park, in December 2020. In December 2023, SHL was acquired by LN-Gaiety whose ultimate controlling party is Live Nation Entertainment.

The cinema building has been empty since 2007, other than its use for filming.

Ramsgate Clock House

Thanet council owns the freehold of the Clock House – where the maritime museum is based-  which is Grade II* Listed.

The Clock House was placed on the Historic England Buildings at Risk register in 2019 and a number of exhibits were lost or damaged in a fire in November 2021.

The refurbishment of the Ramsgate Clock House is part of the  £19.8m Ramsgate Levelling Up scheme. The aim is to refurbish the structure, creating a heritage centre for the town and a new café.

Since the Clock House building was returned to the council from the previous leaseholder in November 2023, the electrical wiring has been upgraded and made safe, and urgent repairs to the stonework facades completed.

A planning application was submitted in February and it is hoped that work will start on site in late spring 2025 and will be completed by spring 2026.

Alongside the work to restore the building, the project to audit the collection is nearing completion. A team of trained volunteers have been working with the Museum Curator  cataloguing the objects within the former Maritime Museum building.