Martyrs Field Publications

The Shell Grotto in Margate can not only claim to have the most extensive and stunning shellwork in Britain, but also ranks as the most intriguing and mysterious structure of its kind in the world.

Ever since its existence became known in 1838, the debate has raged over when, why and by whom it was made.  Candidates include a bricklayer and an amateur archaeologist in the nineteenth century, an eighteenth-century aristocrat, a forgotten Tudor builder, the legendary Order of the Knights Templar, Roman soldiers at a loose end in an outpost of the Empire, and the seafaring merchant Phoenicians of Antiquity. 

The Enigma of the Margate Shell Grotto presents the results of long research into the principal claims and theories, providing an objective assessment of each one. The booklet is now in its third edition and includes new information which has come to light during recent surveys, and a discovery in Rome which adds exciting credibility to the claim that the Phoenicians may well have built the Grotto.

Its conclusions are fascinating and unexpected.