BEATLEMANIA has hit Margate again following a "treasure trove" of old Sixties posters found at Margate Museum.

When caretaker Bob Bradley emptied cupboards in the town’s Market Place museum he twisted and shouted with joy after unearthing the priceless find of pop memorabilia.

Hundreds of posters marking Margate’s heyday of entertainment were discovered, including a poster for The Beatles.

They made their only appearance in Thanet at the Margate Winter Gardens on July 8, 1963 while Please Please Me was riding high on the album charts. They played twice nightly for a week, joined by Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas.

A poster advertising their show promotes two performances at 6.30pm and 8.45pm. Unreserved seats cost just three shillings (15p) and best view in the house cost eight shillings and sixpence (45p).

It was a taste of honey for Beatles fan Bob, 63, who was in the Margate audience at the time.

He said: "I was about 18 at the time. I don’t remember a lot about the show because it was long ago and I’ve seen the group live or on TV thousands of times. I’ve always been a Beatles fan and am still."

Bob’s top pop find came about after he was preparing for the museum to house more than 400 books of past Thanet Times and Isle of Thanet Gazette newspapers which needed a new home following the papers’ office move in January.

He said: "It was all because of the Gazette. We had to clear out four small cupboards to house the past newspapers.

"We knew that we had a store of old posters in the cupboard, but had no idea of the treasure trove that was housed there.

"I never thought it would be this good or such good quality. If I’d had any inkling, I’d have sorted the cupboards years ago. I’m thrilled that we found the one everyone wants – The Beatles at Margate."

Bob discovered a vast cache of hundreds of Winter Gardens posters big and small, plus nine boxes of programmes. Other posters from the isle’s illustrious showbiz past feature George Formby, Tommy Steele, Helen Shapiro, Gracie Fields, Les Dawson, Frankie Howerd, Morecambe and Wise, Rolf Harris, Jimmy Tarbuck and Frankie Vaughn.

There were so many posters carefully stored away that they are still being catalogued.

"It’s absolutely fascinating going through them. I keep stopping to read them because it is so interesting. I have no idea of their value, but really they are priceless. They represent the height of Margate’s entertainment past.

"We wouldn’t want to sell them, but many will be displayed at the Winter Gardens.

"It seems as though 90 per cent are promoting acts at the Winter Gardens, the Oval Bandstand Cliftonville, the Granville Theatre Ramsgate and the Broadstairs Pavilion. There are also some from Butlin’s in Cliftonville too."

The Beatles poster measures 30 inches by 20 inches. It will be framed and displayed in the foyer of the Winter Gardens.

Thanet council once again owns the posters as it took over the management of the museum from the East Kent Maritime Trust in November.

The museum has been closed to the public since then due to the authority withdrawing its funding.

Bob, who lives in Cliftonville, has worked for the museum for about 14 years, first as a volunteer then assistant before becoming curator.

He was made redundant from this post on November 7 but was re-employed as caretaker for 23 hours a week by Thanet Leisure Force on a short contract which runs out on March 31.

A Thanet council spokesman said: "We are currently working to catalogue the museum collection.

"A report will go to the council’s cabinet in June about the proposals for the museum and the collection."

Were you in the audience when the Beatles came to town?

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