I return from the only seaside town that has served as muse to both TS Eliot and Chas and Dave. Yes, it was tea from polystyrene cups and a turn along the prom for me in Margate, and the exciting news is, there’s a retro-home revolution going on in the town.

Forget Siralun’s recent attempts to rebrand it as a gay Mecca on The Apprentice – the cute, quaint streets of Margate’s Old Town are undergoing a more organic reinvention. Since September three new retro furniture shops have opened, plus a smattering of other cool businesses.

Clockwise from top left: Etcetera, great for affordable 50s and 60s furniture; 40s and 50s clothing and accessories at Betty B’s; 60s design with a Mod slant, and a fab jukebox adding ambience at Helter Skelter Boutique; Margate’s original vintage shop, the subterranean retro-riot of Junk Deluxe.

As if this wasn’t enough, from next weekend you’ll be able to stop off at My Old Dutch to get your hair did, 40’s style, before rejoining 2010 with, yes, a cupcake at the Cupcake Cafe (check their wallpapered stairs). It’s like Portabello Road with seagulls. Pack your purse and a (frilly, high-waisted) bikini and get down there.