A former hotel in Margate, originally built as a coffee tavern for teetotalers in the nineteenth century, has been listed.
The former “Man of Kent” Temperance Hotel at 186-188 High Street, Margate has been designated as a Grade II building for historical and architectural interest and for the materials used, particularly the colourful tile-work, which is described as being of “high artistic quality and unusual subject matter.”
It’s believed that the building was built as a coffee tavern in the early 1880s and was associated with the Temperance movement. This condemned alcohol and the societies set up as part of the Temperance movement wanted places where they could meet in a teetotal environment. The fact it was called a hotel may mean that rooms could have been available for teetotal travellers.
The front of the Man of Kent features several panels of decorative tile work, which are believed to have been made by Maw and Co., a highly regarded tile manufacturer. The tile work features floral motifs and Oriental figures and expert analysis suggests that they were designed by Owen Gibbons, a ceramic designer, who helped on the interior schemes for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The building may have been designed to copy the appearance of pubs of the time to help tempt people away from pubs. This may explain the decorative tile work, which represents harvesting and drinking, as opposed to alcohol, and the grand scale of the building.
The assessment report from English Heritage describes buildings associated with the Temperance movement as being “relatively rare and should be given serious consideration where they survive.”
Cllr. Simon Moores, Cabinet Member for Customer Services and Regulatory Services, said: “Margate is already home to many historic and listed buildings and it’s good news to see another one added to that list. The former Man of Kent hotel certainly has a fascinating history to it and it’s clear to see why it was such a good candidate for becoming a listed building.”
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