Joyland Books

I can't find anything on Google about this, but I seem to remember from my teenage years that there was a waxworks on Margate seafront, somewhere in between where Pillow Talk and Primark are today, and that it had about a dozen tableaux of murderers in the act. I remember one of 1950's serial killer Christie strangling a victim as she sat in a deckchair, and local murderer George Joseph Smith drowning one of his brides in a bath.

I'm wondering if anyone else can remember this and if they know if the exhibits went off elsewhere when it closed down or have any links or photos etc? Or did I imagine it?

I remember the waxworks along that parade, exactly as you say, from the late 60s/early 70s. I don't know what happened to the exhibits after it closed though....

Well I'm glad somebody else can remember it because I've asked about half a dozen people now and the general consensus of opinion is that I am going mad and hallucinating it!

I can back this up too! Went to waxworks in the late 60s.

Alan

I'm carrying out research into the planning history of the property and can confirm it was previously a waxworks. In 1975 planning consent was granted for the change of use of 17 Marine Drive from a waxworks into a restaurant, with the planning case file stating that it had been used as a waxworks for many years. In 1979, Dixons arrived, thereafter using it as the basement storage area in connection with its ground floor shop at 44 High Street. I have not been able to uncover anything else about it.