The long-awaited Turner Gallery in Margate is open

We made a trip to the new Turner Gallery in Margate, having heard that it was finally open. We were intrigued to see the outcome of a design process that began back in the 90's.
The gallery's name commemorates the town's links with Turner, the great seascape and landscape painter.  He started school in Margate in 1786 when he was 11. He found himself smitten by the sea, the sky and the quality of the light.  He returned many times and later fell in love with his seaside landlady Mrs Booth.  Margate is now run-down and deprived and it is hoped that the new building will create a "Bilbao effect", drawing visitors and much-needed regeneration funds to the town.

Various architects were involved in the project during its history but the final design was by Stirling Prize-winner David Chipperfield Architects.  The project has been trimmed in size and moved from an offshore structure back onto land but the result is still very striking.  The simple but elegant volumetric forms on the harbour's edge are clad in white glass with slots of glazing allowing views out to sea and north light into the galleries.  The best thing about the complex is the entrance courtyard which faces the town.  It is sheltered from the cold northerly winds, bathed in sun and occupied by a really smart cafe.  Locals and visitors will definitely be drawn to the courtyard, even if they are not art lovers.

The large pared-back gallery spaces are perfect for modern art - although they felt a little sparse during the first major exhibition.... The standout artist was Russell Crotty, whose ethereal landscape drawings and delicate globes were adorable.  The American artist createded one fibreglass sphere especially for the show. Walking Towards Dreamland – suspended almost invisibly so that it seems to float in the air, light as a dandelion clock – is decorated with white cliffs over which, on close inspection, is etched a strange graffiti of Margate words and experiences. It's delightful, capturing the coast's beauty and its fugitive underbelly in a scant series of lines.