A sign on a building next to the Cleethorpes station barrier advertises ‘Pub Number 2’.
This has the perverse effect of making me seek out the Number 1 Pub, which happens to occupy a former booking office and operates as an informal museum.
Inside, sipping an excellent IPA, I gaze at framed photographs of large groups of Edwardian day-trippers making their way from the terminal to the adjacent beach, and notice a sign above a niche lined with memorabilia that reads: Watkin Room.
“Watkin is an amazing guy,” says Ray, who works at Number 1. “He saw all the possibilities for Cleethorpes and just went for it.”
What Sir Edward Watkin did was to bring the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincoln Railway (MSLR) from Grimsby to Cleethorpes in 1863.
Seaside attraction: Andrew Martin travels to Cleethorpes, a coastal town in Lincolnshire, to discover pubs, the seafront and a “delicious” fish and chips. Above is the central promenade
As Andrew reveals, Sir Edward Watkin helped turn Cleethorpes (above) into a resort in the 19th century. Under Watkins’ chairmanship, the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincoln Railway built a seafront promenade while investing in the pier and attractions to rival Blackpool for the northern holiday market.
Under his chairmanship the MSLR built a seafront promenade while investing in the pier and attractions to rival Blackpool for the northern holiday market.
On the seafront, the scent of candy floss mixes with the softer smell of warm waffles. Meanwhile, beyond the donkeys carrying children across the soft sand, there is another procession in the mist of the Humber estuary: a row of cargo ships.
South of the station, Cleethorpes becomes more elegant. Manicured gardens begin along the seafront and this increasing healthiness culminates in the Kingsway Hotel, with an Art Deco interior that suggests an old ocean liner.
Inside, pretty Victorian streets are home to independent shops and bars.
The thrilling fairground rides on the boardwalk, pictured here, are where “the aroma of cotton candy mixes with the softer smell of warm waffles,” says Andrew
Andrew enjoys a ride on the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, pictured here and operating since 1947.
The Signal Box Inn, above, is a small pub on the site of the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and the smallest pub on the planet.
On Cambridge Street, I stop at the cosy Folk Wine Bar and chat to Pat. Did he think Cleethorpes was gentrifying? His answer put the matter in a slightly different way: “A lot of local young people are setting up their own businesses and, for the most part, they’re doing pretty well.”
But at Ocean Fish Bar on St Peter’s Avenue, it’s like you’ve stepped back in time, with a spacious dining room and tables waited on by black-clad waiters. The haddock and chips are delicious.
Since 1947, the Cleethorpes Coastal Light Railway has spanned a viaduct over a navigable lake before skirting the beach.
On board, about 80 per cent of the people we pass wave and I celebrate the journey with Sunday lunch at Kingsway, a “party” in Cleethorpes for a century. I do it the traditional way, with a hearty steak pie and ale.
After a walk along the beach, the station’s ornate clock tower informs me that my return train will arrive soon.
There was only time, if only, for a pint at Number 1 and a toast to Sir Edward Watkin.
Where to stay
The Art Deco Kingsway Hotel is wood-panelled, has thick blue carpets and polished brass, and offers double rooms from £125 bed and breakfast.kingswayhotel.es). For more information visit northeastlincolnshire.co.uk.