Posted on 11/03/2021 7:35:15 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The Margate Shell Grotto is one of Kent, England's greatest cultural treasures. Some 4.6 million seashells line the walls of the subterranean passageway in ornate mosaics—but just as interesting as the craftsmanship on display is the mystery behind it. The grotto was discovered accidentally in the 19th century, and to this day no one knows who built it ... or why.
According to most accounts, farmer James Newlove and his son Joshua were digging a duck pond in 1835 when they struck upon the underground cavern. A closer look revealed that they weren't the first people to enter the space, as someone had gathered millions of shells from cockles, whelks, oysters, mussels, and other mollusks and glued them to the walls.
The shells adoring the winding tunnels form intricate and colorful patterns. Some are abstract, while others are laid out in the shapes of animals like birds and reptiles. The space itself covers 2000 square feet, with an altar room at one end of the "serpentine passage" and an underground rotunda at the other.
One possible explanation is that the grotto was the project of an eccentric Victorian aristocrat. Follies—decorative structures that serve no practical purpose—were a fashionable way to flaunt wealth during the Regency and Victorian eras.
(Excerpt) Read more at mentalfloss.com ...
Thanks BenLurkin. We've had a topic about this, I just couldn't find it. Here's hoping a GGGer will ride to the rescue.
See cool. Love seeing stuff like this. Thanks for posting it
Thanks for the post.
The planning it took to do this may have taken as long as doing it. I doubt we have an adhesive good enough to last this long in a damp environment.
It was not a Victorian who did this. Queen Victoria was born in 1819 and took the throne in 1837. Somebody should know better than to date it at that period.
Discovered in 1835? Then it ain’t Victorian.
Just wow!!
Collecting all those shells must have been as much work as creating the thing.
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