Kingsgate Bay was originally called “St Bartholomew’s Gate” until King Charles II landed here in 1683 with his brother the Duke of York and he ordered that the name be changed. Above the beach sits Kingsgate Castle built in 1763.
Kingsgate Bay has some of the best examples of sea caves in Thanet and is around 150 metres wide. The sandy bay offers calm and seclusion and is accessible via a set of steep steps. While sand is exposed at high tide, the beach does get cut off by the sea at both ends.
Kingsgate Bay has no Lifeguard provision, or Public Toilets, although you can walk (15 minutes) to adjacent Joss Bay or Botany Bay, where you'll find RNLI Lifeguard cover, as well as Public Toilets.
Be Beach Safe. This means checking the weather and the tides, keeping an eye on your family, and not using inflatables.
In an emergency, call 999 for the Coastguard.
Please remember, if you are visiting our beaches and bays, 'Respect, Protect and Enjoy' and leave only your footprints.
Kingsgate Castle, sat on the clifftop of Kingsgate Bay, dates back to the 1760s when it was built by Lord Holland, a leading British politician as a stable block for his nearby residence Holland House located opposite the bay. Later Sir John Lubbock, who introduced the Bank Holiday Act 1871 lived here. Until the 1950s it was a hotel and today is split into private residential properties.
Address
Kingsgate Bay
Kingsgate Bay
Whiteness Road
Broadstairs
Kent
CT10 3QH
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