aerial photograph of Margate Kent England UK CT9. Margate is a popular seaside tourist destination on the Kent coast. The area has been occupied since medieval times and grew rapidly with the arrival of the railways in the 19th century. The town lies on the Chatham Main Line which serves trains between London and Ramgate and was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in 1863. The town is noted in history for the Battle of Margate which took place off the coast of Margate and the Netherlands in 1387 when a fleet of 51 British vessels encountered and defeated a fleet of over 250 French and Spanish vessels.