With countless museums and attractions around Kent, and in the Dover area specifically, it might be hard to hit them all. One interesting museum that is often overlooked is St. Margaret’s Museum and the Noel Coward era Tearoom, and the Pines Garden, which is about five miles from the Dover city center. Accessible daily by railway, the land on which the museum sits was the site of a military camp in the early 19th century, and later the town of St Margarets was home to actor/playwright Noel Coward.

For many centuries ago smugglers used the area around St. Margaret’s Bay to sneak their cargos past customs officials in Dover, and the nearby coastline is the site of numerous shipwrecks. During the Napoleonic Wars the valley area of the Pines Garden was alive with military activity due to fears of a cross channel invasion. Much of this is chronicled in the small, but fascinating St. Margarets Museum, which features numerous collections of the region’s maritime history… as well as an exhibition on famous resident Noel Coward! In addition to the museum, the Pines Garden feature secluded parkland complete with a lake, waterfall and a surprising lifelike statue of Sir Winston Churchill.