Shell Grotto, the mysterious cave covered with shells

The Shell Grotto is a stunning underground cave located in the English town of Margate, in the county of Kent. This cave is home to a mosaic created by 4.6 million shells. Discovered by chance, its origins are still unknown today.



The cave was first discovered in 1835 by a farmer who accidentally stumbled upon it when carrying out his daily tasks. What he had found was not completely clear to him, so he called a local teacher from the town, who then had his son crawl down the crevice made. Upon his return, the little boy told what he had seen which was numerous passageways, chapels and rooms completely covered in shells!

The Shell Grotto walls are truly wonderful works of art, composed of mosaics with Oriental and Egyptian symbols. There is currently no reliable information regarding who built the mosaic and what purpose it served. The mosaic could possibly date back to 3000 years ago, but there are also theories that it may date back to the 18th century. Some theories speculate that the Shell Grotto has a connection with Freemasonry, the Knights of Templar, Phoenicians, Romans and many others but none of these have been confirmed, making it an unsolved mystery. This perhaps only adds to the intrigue of the grotto

The Grotto is open to visitors but remains a private property managed by a non-profit organization therefore cannot take advantage of funds allocated by the state. This means that that discovering the precise origin and date of the decorations is a bit more strained with lack of funds.. Until then, this beautiful archaeological site is destined to remain a mystery.

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