[chris_armstrong]

It was discovered in the 1800s, the shell grotto is much much older and probably built over a very long period of time

[noir_lord]

Doesn't seem like it tbh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Grotto,_Margate#Origins

> A member of the Kent Archaeological Society analyzed the grotto and concluded in 2006 that it was likely a mediaeval denehole, a small chalk mine, reworked and decorated in the 17th or 18th century.

There are multiple buildings in my village older than that (and the core of the church is centuries older).

[chris_armstrong]

I stand corrected - there’s so little known about it that it’s probably some strange labor of love from recent centuries

[_benedict]

I remember there being sufficient documentary evidence in the entrance/shop/museum bit to conclude it was most likely created by the very people who “discovered” it, to serve as a tourist attraction.