Borrowing Cats: The Margate Archive
Connecting Nothing With Nothing
I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but I love Substack. From day one, I’ve been hooked. These first few months have been a fantastic journey—learning the platform, honing my writing, and connecting with readers like you.
I had some good traction early on, but I’ve realized lately that my wheels are starting to wobble. I went into this with a plan—or so I thought—but it wasn’t as clear as it needed to be.
Margate history is my passion, and that will always be at the heart of what I do. But I’ve also discovered there are so many other subjects I want to explore. That’s where my newsletter’s quirky name, Borrowing Cats, comes in. While it doesn’t exactly scream local history, it’s my own odd sense of humor. (Long story short, the name came from a bizarre situation I once found myself in, and it stuck.)
If you’re curious about the name, go back to my very first Substack post to see the method in my madness: Why Borrowing Cats
What’s Next?
I want to be more intentional about how I present my work. Going forward:
Margate history articles will be under the banner of Margate Archive, a dedicated section for my deep dives into the town’s fascinating past.
Everything else will stay under Borrowing Cats, clearly titled to help you navigate the eclectic mix.
A Margate Moment: TS Eliot and the Nayland Rock Shelter
This week, Margate’s iconic Nayland Rock shelter had its hoardings removed after much-needed refurbishment. Once a hotspot for antisocial behaviour and vandalism, it’s finally been restored. But did you know this Grade II-listed promenade shelter has a literary claim to fame?
Above Image of the vandalised Shelter early 2024
In October and November 1921, TS Eliot spent three weeks in Margate recuperating from a mental breakdown. He stayed at the Albemarle Hotel in Cliftonville and drafted part of The Waste Land while sitting in this very shelter. In a letter to Sydney Schiff, Eliot described sketching people and practicing mandolin scales as he penned these famous lines:
On Margate Sands. / I can connect / Nothing with nothing. / The broken fingernails of dirty hands. / My people humble people who expect / Nothing.
It’s remarkable to think that one of the 20th century’s greatest poets found inspiration in this humble seaside town.
The Blue Plaque on Margate seafront close by the Nayland Rock Shelter
Above the Nayland Rock Shelter - The 90k refurb in all its glory (Image Isle of Thanet News)
Sources:
The Waste Land: A Facsimile and Transcript of the Original Drafts, T.S. Eliot (Faber & Faber, 1971)
Seabrook, David, All the Devils Are Here (2002)
English Heritage, Margate's Seaside Heritage (2007)
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Looking Ahead
It’s still Borrowing Cats, but now with a clear focus for Margate history under Margate Archive. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll dive into more of Margate’s hidden stories—buildings, natural disasters, and even some gruesome murders.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Luke