Princess Diana, Lady Chatterley, Virginia Woolf's protagonist Orlando and con artist Anna Sorokin: these are just some of the surreal amalgam of characters that the prolific Emma Corrin has portrayed in their relatively short acting career. With the help of their stylist Harry Lambert, they've also established themselves as a fashion icon, in knitted Miu Miu micro-shorts, boxy suits, top hats and gaudy prints.
“Anything else you're currently working on?” I ask Emma after our discussion about the joys of a weekend spent on the Kent coast. “Other than…the major blockbuster Deadpool starring Hugh Jackman…” I add. They laugh, “Oh yes, that little art house project I've been working on!” Deadpool & Wolverine (the third instalment of the Marvel mega-blockbuster trilogy) was released at the end of July and quickly became the highest-grossing opening for an R-rated film of all time. So, it's safe to say Emma has had a lot on.
Their return to the UK following a whirlwind global press tour for the film serendipitously coincided with Margate Pride – the perfect way to end a period of filming and press and an opportunity to recharge in their favourite town. They take us through all their favourite spots for a Sunday with friends (and a dog) by the sea.
How I spend a Sunday in Margate with Emma Corrin
As a person probably once said: “If the sea is there, then why not be by its side?”
I have just arrived home in the UK after a very dizzying and fun press tour, and as soon as I touched down on that tarmac I was seized with a feeling that I needed to feel my feet on the ground or (more specifically) my feet on the sand. So, I headed down to spend the weekend in my favourite town, Margate.
Margate – just like its many labyrinthine antique shops – is a place that you should keep coming back to again and again, because there are just too many gems to uncover in one day. But for now, I will pitch to you….my perfect Sunday in Margate.
I would start the morning with a walk on the beach as the tide goes out. I now always have the My Tide Times app open on my phone (this will become your bible, your day will be structured around low tide and high tide and then low tide. Ah, the consistency of the sea!) Make sure you take your shoes off, squidge the sand right up between your toes and run around on the flats like a toddler with no self-consciousness. I would recommend bringing a dog for this excursion to add to the joy and the bounding.
Then it’s straight to Big Shot or Curve for a coffee. Curve has my personal favourite meal of all time which is their Kimchi Toastie, made with three types of cheese, kimchi and pickles. Devour that and then it’s time to wander around the Old Town and peruse the vintage shops and the antique shops, of which there are many. I would then duck into The Margate Bookshop which always has the most incredible selection – they also have an amazing Instagram page from which I’ve stumbled upon some of my favourite reads of the past few years.
Time for lunch and a really well-earned pint. I would wander over to the George and Heart, which has a fantastic menu and often a different pop-up chef every few months or so. They do some great beers including their own locally brewed house beer crafted by Northdown Brewery called Perrin. Sit there for a while, soak up the impeccable vibes, and inevitably make 20 new mates because everyone in Margate is a legend. Now, say these “mates” are Margate locals, and you’re there saying “What should we do this afternoon?” Suddenly, before you’ve even blinked, you’re all huddled around a diorama made entirely from crabs re-enacting the 1926 general strike. This is the one and only Crab Museum which is, actually quite unbelievably, the only museum in Europe entirely dedicated to the decapod. I won’t give too much away but it’s really good fun and unexpectedly informative in quite a life-altering way. You can also bring some sand from the beach along and the team will show you what's wriggling around in there through a microscope.
Okay, so we’re feeling pretty fulfilled by our newfound appreciation of crabs, but inevitably someone in the group is going on about doing something cultural. “Guys, we’re in Margate this is where T.S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land!”, “This is where Turner painted his sunrises!” etc. So it’s off to a gallery for us. The Carl Freedman Gallery sits a little bit behind the old town and is run by none other than Talk Art’s Rob Diament. They curate an incredible programme throughout the year spotlighting up-and-coming artists who push the boundaries of their craft. Recent exhibitions have been Studio Lenca, Billy Childish, Daisy Parris and they're currently showing the incredible work of Vanessa Raw.
So, it’s late afternoon or early evening, you’ve really soaked up some culture now. Impressive stuff. The light is doing that nice hazy thing and everyone agrees it’s going to be a killer sunset tonight. Time for a drink: wander along the seafront and you'll be presented with a million epic choices. My personal go-to is Little Swift, which makes a devastatingly good margarita. To round off the day it’s dinner at Dive which is run by some friends called Kirsty and Ben, and I’m convinced they make the best tacos in the UK. Their first outpost was a small walk-in restaurant on the harbour arm (which is always rammed in the best way). I’ve eaten many a meal there standing up balancing a spicy marg in one hand and a quesadilla in the other. Dive is doing so well that they’ve now opened a bigger sit-down restaurant called High Dive at the top of the high street (it only just occurred to me what they’ve done with the name there. Very good). It’s gorgeously decorated, has a small curated menu and not to be weird but one of the nicest toilets I’ve ever been into (you’ll know what I mean when you get there).
So that’s it, you’re fed, watered and vowing that your Sunday just couldn’t get any better when an orange glow washes over the town, and you gather on the edge of the harbour, warm crying soft tears of joy as you watch one of the most majestic sunsets you’ve ever seen.
