When it comes to the allure of fish and chips, vintage carnival rides, and car boot sales, these quintessentially British experiences may not seem like the usual draw for Hollywood’s finest. Yet, this hasn’t stopped Emma Corrin from embracing them wholeheartedly.

The distinguished British actor, who captured global attention with their portrayal of Princess Diana in the acclaimed Netflix series “The Crown,” has become the latest celebrity to fall under the spell of the Kent coastline, particularly enchanted by the charms of Margate. Known for its array of eclectic restaurants and boutique coffee shops, the coastal town has become a thriving hotspot.

In 2023, Corrin made the significant move from the bustling streets of London to the serene shores of Margate. Since then, they have fully immersed themselves in the local culture and community. During an appearance on the “Table Manners” podcast hosted by Jessie and Lennie Ware, Corrin expressed their growing affection for their new home.

“I really love it,” they shared, highlighting some of their favorite spots in town. Among them is Curve Coffee, a gem tucked just above the high street in a quaint little square. According to Corrin, Curve Coffee offers the best Kimchi toastie one could ever try.

Margate’s appeal to creative minds has become so prominent that it has earned the whimsical nickname “Shoreditch-On-Sea,” a nod to the famous hipster district in East London. As more celebrities and creatives discover the tranquil yet vibrant life on the Kent coast, Margate continues to cement its place as a unique cultural haven.

Such is the pull of Margate among curious creatives, the town has been playfully nicknamed ‘Shoreditch-On-Sea’ after the notorious hipster enclave in east London. 

Emma Corrin is the latest in a growing line of celebrities to share an unlikely appreciation for the Kent coastline, notably Margate and its assortment of restaurants and coffee shops

Fish and chip suppers, vintage carnival rides and car boot sales rarely attract the Hollywood elite, but Margate appears to hold a unique appeal for Corrin and a range of other celebrity fans

But Corrin says they steer clear of nights out in the English capital, preferring instead the close proximity of restaurants and bars on her doorstep.  

‘I’m really bad at eating out in London, I never do it,’ they said. ‘In Margate I do it, because everything’s really close. 

‘Where I always go is High Dive. They started with a tiny little place, on the harbour arm, and it’s tacos and enchiladas and stuff like that. It’s so good. They do the most insane spicy margaritas.’ 

The British star, currently involved in a long-term relationship with Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek, has also taken advantage of the town’s communal activities – among them a coastal sauna.  

‘They’ve got this thing in Margate called the Sea Scrub Sauna – you’ve got these barrels with cold water in, and you’re right on the beach,’ they said. 

‘One of the saunas is wood, one is electric, and the electric one just has glass, so it’s just you and the sea. It’s really amazing.

‘The other day I was there and it was really windy, and we were watching these kite surfers. They must have been super pro, and they were doing these flips and stuff over the tidal pool. I was like, wow.’ 

But Corrin isn’t the only star to fall for Margate’s charms, with pop legend Madonna recently calling the town her ‘idea of heaven.’ 

Paying homage to the town in an Instagram post, she wrote: ‘Whenever I go there, I feel like I’ve entered a dream.’

Corrin relocated to the coastal town from London in 2023 and has since become immersed in Margate life

Margate Beach (pictured, in 2025) is a popular local tourist destination over the summer 

Madonna, the best selling female recording artist of all time, told how she had visited Margate a number of times and said: ‘The whole town seems to be inhabited and energised by creativity.

‘On top of all that, I get to eat at my favourite Italian restaurant which I’m not giving anyone the name of because then everyone’s going to go there and it only has one table!!’

That restaurant is Cantina Caruso, a small family-run deli that serves a delicious tiramisu, which is one of Madonna’s favourite dishes, we can reveal.

The restaurant – which has just one table – has also been hailed by Masterchef host Grace Dent as having ‘possibly some of the best Italian food in modern Britain’.

In her love letter to Margate the queen of pop, 67, posted a series of photographs of herself out and about in the coastal town on Instagram, saying it was good to share something that was ‘not about hatred and killing’ but which celebrated ‘human connection – and the ability that art had to elevate people and to bring people together’.

The American singer seemed in little doubt about who she believed was responsible for turning around the fortunes of the formerly neglected town – her long-standing close friend Tracey Emin.

Madonna made for Margate in January, and declared the Kent seaside town like being ‘in a dream’ (pictured with her friend Zoe Manzi, a Conde Nast editor)

Catina Caruso (pictured) in Margate is Madonna’s favourite Italian restaurant

The star was in town to visit pal Tracey Emin, who has helped transform Margate into the increasingly gentrified town it’s become

The artist, now Dame Tracey, is one of Margate’s most famous residents who has herself frequently championed her hometown.

In her post to her 20million followers this week, Madonna described Emin as ‘a pearl’ and ‘a precious necklace around a seaside town in England called Margate’.

She went on: ‘I have known Tracey for 25 years and I have always been a fan of her extremely personal and provocative work. But what she has created in this community by the sea is quite remarkable’.

Madonna highlights her friend’s artist residency programme where she invites creators from around the world, who would otherwise have no place to go, to live and paint for several months – helping them to develop their talent and be part of ‘the many exhibitions which happen around Margate’.

This, she said, has led to the town being ‘energised by creativity’ with ‘writers, performance artists, photographers and painters’ flocking there.

Madonna visited the Turner Contemporary art gallery which has hosted exhibitions of the works of world-famous artists including Emin’s

Banksy even painted his latest work in Margate. Dubbed ‘The Valentine’s Day Mascara’, the mural depicts a 1950s-style housewife pushing her abusive husband into a discarded freezer

If you’re plotting a weekend, here’s the lowdown on when to go, what to see and what to avoid: 

WHAT’S TO LOVE ABOUT MARGATE 

TURNER  CONTEMPORARY

Turner Contemporary – free to get in – has helped transform the image of the town

You may not always appreciate what’s on display at Turner Contemporary – many of the exhibits are entirely bemusing, but this Minimalist temple to contemporary art has injected a bolt of light into Margate, and put a destination once thought of as a cultural wasteland on Kent’s high-brow map. 

Opened by Tracey Emin – along with Jools Holland and lots of local schoolchildren – in 2011, it’s a striking aesthetic addition to the town’s horizon, a vision of six geometric blocks with pitched roofs that sits at the eastern ends of the Main Sands beach. 

When the weather doesn’t play ball, it’s also a refuge for day-trippers, with the permanent exhibitions free to get in.  

DREAMLAND 

Dreamland Margate (pictured), based in Kent, said on Tuesday that the 106-year-old rollercoaster would ‘take well-earned retirement from operation as a ride’

Despite being one of the amusement park’s most beloved attractions, a series of consultations and inspections has deemed it unsafe to ride due its age and condition

Who doesn’t love a roller disco and a pinball machine? First opened in the 1870s, Dreamland has followed the classic Margate path of being a huge success, then falling by the wayside as tastes changed – before being rescued, spruced up and made a hit once more. 

Set on 16 acres just back off Marine Terrace, it’s one of the oldest-surviving amusement parks in Great Britain and puts nostalgia front and centre, with the ‘roller room’, amusement arcades and a raft of fairground style rides on offer – as well as a calendar of summer pop concerts.  

This week, the park suffered a huge blow when it was announced that its 106-year-old wooden rollercoaster – believed to be the oldest of its kind in Britain – had carried its last passengers. 

Dreamland said the iconic Scenic Railway would ‘take well-earned retirement from operation as a ride’ following safety concerns linked to its age and condition – but a campaign has already ignited to rescue the Grade-II listed 1920s coaster.

THE BEACH

Golden, soft sand and a sweeping promenade made the Main Sands at Margate are still the main appeal for day-trippers

The reason why Margate was first put on the map; the town’s Main Sands is a sweep of curved beach the colour of custard.

When the sun’s high and hot, it’s the British seaside at its best, with the shops, cafes and chippies all within easy walking distance. 

This 200-metre stretch of beach – which Turner Contemporary overlooks from the eastern end – has a promenade and traditional swing boats in the summer. 

Dog walkers love it when they’re allowed, between October and April’s end. 

WHAT TO AVOID

THE OLD TOWN’S EXPENSIVE RE-INVENTION: 

Hipsters/expensive coffee 

GENTRIFIED CLIFTONVILLE

Ditto – house prices etc  

ARLINGTON HOUSE 

Hipsters love it – site of the mods/rockers war 

SWIMMING IN THE SEA 

Polluted 

THE GRAFFITI 

The seaside town featured as the location of Lily Allen’s TV programme Dreamland, putting it back on the map  

Originally a small fishing village, its popularity grew in the Victorian era when the wealthy arrived on paddle-ships to escape the smog-filled capital and when many of its grand hotels and homes were built.

It was Margate that established the tradition of donkey rides way back in 1790 and was the first seaside resort in Britain to introduce deckchairs on the beach in 1898.

For decades it continued to flourish with crowds of holidaymakers annually flocking to the resort – until the arrival of the cheap package holiday.

Seduced by the prospect of guaranteed sun in seemingly exotic locations, Britons began flying off abroad instead and Margate, like other British seaside towns, began to fall into an alarming decline.