Located on the former site of a guesthouse where JMW Turner – perhaps Britain’s best known painter – once frequented, Margate’s new cultural icon – and one of the largest spaces for art outside London – is Turner Contemporary. The David Chipperfield designed gallery was opened last week by one of the Kent town’s most famous residents, Tracey Emin, and follows the likes of Nottingham Contemporary and Middlesbrough’s Mima as an internationally recognisable cultural venue opening away from the country’s major cities.

Designed to maximise both its dramatic setting and the area’s unique light conditions – those that inspired Turner himself over a century ago – the opaque white glass cladding, panoramic views and nautical appearance offer an inspiring new outlook for the seaside town…