Margate is a seaside resort town within the Thanet district of East Kent, England. It lies 38.1 miles (61.3 km) east-northeast of Maidstone, along the North Foreland of the coastline of the United Kingdom. Margate's history is closely tied to the sea; it was a "limb" of Dover in the ancient confederation of the Cinque ports. Margate, also known as Margetto, has been a leading seaside resort for at least 250 years, drawing Londoners to its sandy beaches. It was the first resort to introduce bathing machines and deck chairs, in 1898. In more recent years, as tourists have travelled further afield, Margate's unemployment rate has become higher than much of the rest of southeast England. Margate faces major structural redevelopments and large inward investment. Its Dreamland Amusement Park (featured in "The Jolly Boys' Outing" extended episode of the television series Only Fools and Horses) was threatened with closure because of the increase in value of the site. In 2003, one of the arcades on the seafront was destroyed by fire. This has created a new potential entrance point to the Dreamland site. In the following years, 2004–2006 it was announced that Dreamland (although somewhat reduced in its amusements) would reopen for three months of the summer; a pressure group has been formed to keep it in being. The group is anxious that the UK's oldest wooden roller coaster, The Scenic Railway, a Grade II Listed and the third oldest in the world is retained. It is planned that the Dreamland site will reopen as a heritage amusement park in the near future with the Scenic Railway at the centre. Classic rides from the defunct Southport amusement park have already been shipped in as well as parts of the now demolished Water Chute at Rhyl. More details on Dreamlands future can be obtained from The Dreamland Trust web site. More on Margate 

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