Remains Of Menagerie Enclosures And Cages At Dreamland

Remains of Menagerie Enclosures and Cages at Dreamland

A retaining wall with attached structures forms the western perimeter of the former 'Hall by the Sea' pleasure grounds, later renamed 'Dreamland'. Built in 1874 with later alterations, the wall is constructed of yellow stock brick with misfired burr brick above, stone dressings, and iron bars.

The wall now screens the Margate to Broadstairs railway line, raised on an embankment as the ground level of the rest of Dreamland has since been lowered. Running north to south for 60 metres and a further 80 metres towards the south-east, the latter stretch shows two phases of construction: regular stock brick beneath burr brick above, with crenellations along most of its length. The north section is punctuated by a tall semi-circular castellated tower. The south-eastern section features three semi-circular caged projections approximately 3 metres wide—these were lion cages with steel bars set into stone and low entrances to the east for the animals. At the angle between the two sections is a stretch of rebuilt wall. The wall was recently cleared of overgrowth, though elements were in poor condition at the time of inspection in December 2008.

The wall formed the western perimeter of Margate's noted pleasure grounds, taken over in 1874 by 'Lord' George Sanger (1827–1911), a travelling circus manager of renown. The grounds included a menagerie featuring a lion-tamer and were among South-East England's principal attractions during the peak of Margate as a seaside resort. A hand-bill from 1903 described it as 'this mammoth establishment is the largest and most handsomely decorated and fitted place of entertainment out of London, and has accommodation for thousands'. Sanger retired in 1905, and the menagerie was reopened in 1913, when lions and bears occupied the cages. 'Dreamland' was the post-First World War reconfiguration of the pleasure grounds, undertaken by John Henry Iles during the 1920s and early 1930s, including a presentation of the zoo. This closed in the 1950s, and animal presence at Dreamland was reduced thereafter.

The wall is listed for its rarity as a pleasure ground-related structure with exceptionally early animal cages, its significance to Margate's history as the resort's principal attraction, and its group value with the Grade II* listed Dreamland Cinema and Grade II listed Scenic Railway.