Margate Archive

Hi! I’m Luke — history digger-upper, street wanderer, and Margate obsessive. I write for local news outlets in Thanet and run a passion project called Borrowing Cats, a Substack publication where I explore the curious, lost, and sometimes downright odd corners of Margate’s past.

Borrowing Cats is all about the stories that slipped through the cracks — from forgotten poets and phony seances to bomb craters, smugglers, and Victorian eccentrics. It’s part history, part folklore, part walking-tour-in-writing, and always fuelled by strong coffee and stronger opinions.

I started leading walks to bring these stories out of the archives and onto the streets — because some things are better heard at sunset, in front of the very pub where a riot broke out or where a windmill mysteriously caught fire.

If you’re curious about Margate beyond the clichés, you’re in the right place.

Follow me here or on Instagram @margate_arc for updates, weird tales, and upcoming events.