Margate Estates
The tide is turning and exciting things are happening again in Margate.
We are the owner of Dreamland and we have a long-term vision to bring more visitors and investment, to improve the prospects of everyone who calls Margate home.
About Us
Margate Estates Limited is the parent company of Dreamland, with a long-term vision to regenerate Margate.
We are in the process of reviving Dreamland, transforming it into a year-round visitor destination offering a vibrant mix of rides, music and leisure facilities in an incredible setting.
To date we have invested over £50 million to achieve this and are part of a town-wide effort to reactivate this unique seaside destination.
Our ambition is that Margate becomes one of the UK’s leading cultural hubs and a place to visit for a week; not a day.
That means we need a long-term plan to create more things to do, places to stay and the local infrastructure to support it. And above all, keeping it Margate.
We’re here for the long run, which is why we’ve invested in land and buildings near Dreamland. The first step to bring our vision to life is to build a new hotel for Margate on the seafront. Somewhere for residents and visitors alike, creating jobs and promoting growth.
We want to work together with residents, Thanet District Council and other local businesses to help deliver this vision and make sure it works for Margate. If you want to help Margate’s revival, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Team
Margate Estates has assembled a talented team of leaders with a track record of creating fantastic visitor attractions and delivering successful cultural regeneration projects.
Aidan De Brunner
Aidan has been involved with Dreamland and Margate Estates since May 2016. He has a degree in mechanical engineering and is an ACA qualified accountant. He has a background in banking and investment.
View ProfileDreamland’s Senior Management Team
Eddie Kemsley
CEO
Eddie has worked in the hospitality and leisure industry for her whole career, across all sectors including attractions, bars, restaurants, late night, cultural destinations and accommodation.
View Profile
Steve Gotkine
Chief Operating Officer
Jennie Double
Commercial Director
Why Margate?
Margate has a rich cultural heritage and with its unique assets of a sandy beach, harbour and rich townscape, the town is undergoing an urban renaissance.
It has inspired artists from Tracey Emin, Vincent van Gogh and Augustus Pugin and the creative arts are once again driving the town’s revival. While the Turner Contemporary has spearheaded the cultural regeneration, the town’s unused warehouse spaces make it ideal for private art galleries.
For more than 100-years Margate has drawn big-name acts, from the Beatles to the Kaiser Chiefs. More recently, it has become a top destination for DJs and artists, with DJ Pete Tong, Annie Mac and Sarah Cox all spinning tracks.
Margate Estates believes that the town has a unique appeal and one that provides enormous opportunities. By working with others that are committed to this creative resurgence, we aim to build Dreamland into a world-class visitor destination and provide workspace and facilities for creative industries to thrive.
Image courtesy of The Dreamland Trust
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Seafront hotel
Seafront hotel A new ‘lifestyle’ hotel on the seafront The next project for Margate Estates is a lifestyle hotel at…
News
STEAMwork in Motion in Thanet schools
In collaboration Turner Contemporary and other local partners, Dreamland created two days of motion-related STEAM activities, which took place on…
In the community
Margate Estates is committed to working with the local community. Through our projects like Dreamland, we support several community initiatives. Here are a few things that have happened so far…
Mural-by-the-Sea is a 12-month programme which commissions five separate artists to produce five bespoke works of art for a large-scale billboard mural at Dreamland. This year Everyday Plastic was commissioned by the park to raise awareness of the plastic pollution crisis. Daniel Webb and photographer Ollie Harrop of Bon Volks studios in Margate, collected plastic waste over 12 months and analysis revealed it consisted of around 4,500 pieces of plastic, of which 93% was single-use throwaway packaging. Daniel created a giant billboard photograph showing a collection of plastic waste over one year and unveiled at Dreamland.
Dreamland used its GEEK gaming festival to work with schools in a bid to plug the digital skills gap. Two GEEK Lab school days involved 250 pupils from 12 schools in East Kent attending a computing event which aimed to raise the aspirations of young people with a focus on the skills and attitudes required for employment.
In May 2018, Cinque Ports won the Margate Civic Society Town Pride Award in recognition of good and sensitive design, making a major just contribution to the regeneration of the seafront.
Work with us
We are keen to provide employment opportunities for local people. All our Dreamland vacancies are advertised on its website and speculative CVs are welcome – please send to recruitment@dreamland.co.uk. If you have previous experience working for visitor attractions or large scale events, Dreamland would love to hear from you. More information is available here – https://www.dreamland.co.uk/work-with-us