Shell grotto
Videos
A shell grotto is a type of folly, a grotto decorated with sea shells. The shell grotto was a popular feature of many British country houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. It suited the Baroque and R
Detail of the Shell Grotto, Nienoord, Netherlands, in a rectangular wooden pavilion, c. 1700
Part of the Shell Grotto in Margate
The porch of Scott's Grotto today
The shell-free Crystal Grotto at Painshill
Shell Grotto, Margate
Videos
The Shell Grotto, sometimes called the Shell Temple, is an ornate underground shell grotto in the seaside town of Margate, Kent, England. The grotto, which has a passageway and main room, was dug out
Shell grotto
…Oatlands Park cost £25,000 in 1781 and took 11 years to build; and at Fisherwick Park the Marquess of Donegall spent £10,000 on shells alone in 1789. The Grotto at Margate has 2,000 square feet or 190 square metres of mosaic, using some 4.6 million shells. By the end of the 18th century, fashion had moved on…
The dome inside the Shell Grotto
Inside the Shell Grotto
A detail of the shells
Museum room and souvenir shop