Nothdown Road - If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere, it's up to you New Noooorth down roaaaad!!!

I'm spreading the news, I'm leaving today, I want to be a part of it, new Northdown Road!! 

Timeout Magazine has published its "coolest neighbourhoods to go in the world" and at number 8 is a very enexpected, MARGATE  

The roars of laughter could be heard even deep underground in Ramsgates Wartime Tunnels. 

Facebook groups like "New Thanet Chat" erupted prompting responses from the reluctant key board warriors who creaked back to life and  snapped their brittle fingers bashing the keyboard, desperate to have their opinions heard.

However, there are many that said. Yep, spot on. 

As I scan read the article I am fixated by the line.. 

The spine of Margate is Northdown Road...

Now that's a statement, so I'm running with this...

NORTHDOWN ROAD, THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD!

That's a huge statement if you live around here, and I will attempt to explain why. 

Northdown road is part of the Margate CT9 postcode, however it is a road in an area called Cliftonville, pretty much a town in its own right. 

Cliftonville is an area of extreme contrast. Many of the homes here are some of the largest most expensive homes you will find on the Isle of Thanet. 

Set that against the fact it also has a huge number of flats and bedsits that house some of the poorest and at-risk people. 

It is this latter group of people that Cliftonville became synonymous with. 

If Northdown Road is the spine, then it has been broken for years. 

In its heydays, it was a thriving hub of business and fashion, the place to come for shopping, and dining. 

In recent years though all you read about was drugs and violence. 

If it is the backbone, then the ribs are the connecting roads leading to the sea which are lined with huge victorian villas and terraces 

Once the homes of the high society, they became the guest houses and hotels of the great British seaside holiday dream. 

Following the fate of countless British seaside resorts, the demand nosedived in the 70s and 80's which decimated the local economy. 

By the time we got to the 90's the once thriving Northdown road became a hot-spot for crime. 

The old guest houses and hotels became bedsits, slums and crack dens. 

The London Borough council authorities sent their problem families to rehome here as it was cheap. It became a no go area.

Cliftonville was later used as Brexit propaganda to highlight the issue of mass immigration, and decimation of local communities. 

There won't be too many local people that wouldn't disagree, but the truth was that it was probably already lost. 

Cliftonville was gone, it was now known as Kossoville. 

Then something started happening.... 

"Somethings happening here, what is ain't exactly clear...

Stop, wait a minute. look around, everyone see what's going down..."

People moved to the area and bought property. Many people bought whole buildings, and set about restoring them. 

Many of the no-go roads where lined with the type of houses that if they were dropped in London they would be worth millions, and Londoners couldn't resist. 

Like flies to the flame they started buzzing around Cliftonville, drawn to the idea that here is a place where we can make things happen. 

Locals watched the flies getting burnt, but they kept coming. 

"Its those DFL artist idiots buying everything, ha you watch, they will lose everything, you can't open that sort of business around here" 

Maybe they were right, maybe there wasn't a market for people to buy here and be successful before. 

Many tried to open shops and businesses before and failed spectacularly. 

But it was the people that were here now wanted to buy here now. 

The people here saw the opportunity to be who they wanted to be, and created a new beginning for themselves and together they gave birth to the new Northdown Road. 

People started noticing the boards being removed from the shops, and new businesses opened. 

It wasn't just the DFL brigade, it was the new immigrant communities that had settled here, and they themselves also became the catalyst which changed everything for the better. 

The pessimistic locals were not convinced, they kept their distance. But slowly they came back. 

Venturing to Northdown Road again was like returning to the scene of an explosion, and wanting to check if it was safe, that the dust had settled...

Could it be true? Was this really Northdown road?

I parked my car near to the tesco end one Sunday with the sole intention of checking everything out. 

I felt like a tourist, even though this was where I was born. Cafes had people sat inside and  outside, shops were open, lots of people browsing, There is life! 

There is a new tune being played on this old fiddle and its got everyone up dancing. 

It doesnt feel like anywhere else in Thanet, it feels as if you have been transported to Shoreditch. 

I have to wonder if this is a bubble that could burst. How sustainable is it? Will rents be pushed up to the point that it becomes unaffordable? 

What happens when the people stop coming? 

But thats enough negativity. 

The real successes here are the ones that are offering something you wont get anywhere else. 

Thats what makes it brilliant. 

Right now all I want to do is put on "land of hope and glory" really loud and salute our new heros. 

I will look to review as many places as I can, a road is only as brilliant as the businesses that reside, but for now I will leave you with the words of the Travel editor of Time out James manning, 

“Margate’s resurgence has been attracting attention from day-trippers and weekend breakers over the last few years. But you need to head out to the east from the main promenade and discover Cliftonville. 

From the tunnels of the Shell Grotto to Walpole Bay tidal pool and the cafés and bars of Northdown Road, it’s worth a visit in its own right thanks to its offbeat attractions and community ethos.

“When we travel, we don’t want homogenised experiences – we want to get stuck into local life, and Cliftonville is perfect for that. It deserves to be on the map for travellers – both from across the UK and further afield.”

“While Margate’s Old Town delivers a good old-fashioned British seaside day out, Cliftonville buzzes with a different kind of energy.“It’s home to one of the UK’s most thriving artistic communities, largely due to an influx of creative ex-Londoners who’ve flocked to the area’s affordable housing and studio spaces, plus the massive tidal ocean pool at Walpole Bay.

“The neighbourhood’s spine is Northdown Road, which is a block back from the coast and stretches from the Old Town to Palm Bay. Until recently a parade of charity shops and bookies, Northdown is now home to record shops, cafés and conscious groceries, as well as game-changing community-funded venues like queer bar CAMP and gallery Quench.

“The perfect day: Wake at the iconic Walpole Bay Hotel and walk along the beach to the Dalby Café for the town’s best fry-up. From there, explore the Margate Caves and the mesmerising Shell Grotto before grabbing an epic focaccia sandwich at Forts. Browse Northdown Road’s vintage shops and galleries, stopping for drinks at Margate Off License and Daisy, before a boogie at Margate Arts Club.”

NORTHDOWN ROAD ISN'T BROKEN, IT'S BACK!