Arlington House, Margate, Brutalist residential building in Margate, England
Arlington House is an 18-story residential building with 142 apartments that rises along Margate's seafront, featuring a distinctive wave pattern across its exterior walls. The structure sits directly beside the railway station and the amusement park Dreamland, making it a landmark visible from much of the beach area.
The building opened in December 1963 on the former site of Margate Sands railway station, developed by Bernard Sunley and designed by Russell Diplock Associates. Its construction marked the start of large-scale residential developments at British seaside locations during the 1960s modernization wave.
The building shaped how Margate transformed from a traditional seaside resort into a modern urban destination during the 1960s. Visitors can observe how the structure sits alongside older seafront attractions, showing the changing face of the town.
The building is easy to reach by train since it sits next to the railway station, and its proximity to attractions like Dreamland makes it a central reference point on the coast. Visitors can view the structure from outside and access the public spaces at its base.
The structure houses an unused shopping center at its base, originally planned as Britain's first integrated park-and-buy commercial complex. This surprisingly empty space beneath the residential tower reveals an abandoned part of the original development vision.
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