View source for Cleethorpes

{{short description|Seaside resort town in Lincolnshire, England}}
{{other uses}} {{redirect|Itterby|the village in Sweden|Ytterby}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
|coordinates              = {{coord|53.5533|-0.02155|display=inline,title}}
|area_total_km2           = 9.4
|population               = 38,996
|population_ref           = (2018-06-30 Estimate)<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/yorkshireandthehumber/north_east_lincolnshire/E35001011__cleethorpes/|title=Cleethorpes (North East Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information|date=26 October 2019|website= citypopulation.de|publisher=Thomas Brinkhoff|access-date=21 June 2020|quote='Population Estimate 2018-06-30: 38,996'}}</ref>
|official_name            = Cleethorpes
|parts_type               = Areas of the town
 |p1                       = [[Humberston]]
 |p2                       = [[New Clee]]
 |p3                       = [[New Waltham]]
 |p4                       = [[Old Clee]]
 |p5                       = [[Thrunscoe]]
 |p6                    = [[Weelsby Woods]]
|unitary_england          = [[North East Lincolnshire]]
|lieutenancy_england      = [[Lincolnshire]]
|language                 = English
|region                   = Yorkshire and the Humber
|static_image_name        = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 250
| image_style              = border:1;
| perrow                   = 2/1/2
| image1                   = Cleethorpes Promenade - geograph.org.uk - 6815514.jpg
| caption1                 = The Promenade
| image2                   = Fancy a ride - geograph.org.uk - 733017.jpg
| caption2                     = The Beach
| image3                  = Beautiful dawn - geograph.org.uk - 734491.jpg
| caption3                     = [[Cleethorpes Pier]]
| image4                   = Blundell Park West Stand.JPG
| caption4                 = [[Blundell Park]]
| image5                   = Shops, High Street, Cleethorpes - DSC07263.JPG
| caption5                 = High Street
}}
 |static_image_caption     = 
 |country                  = England
 |post_town                = CLEETHORPES
 |postcode_area            = DN
 |postcode_district        = DN35
 |dial_code                = 01472
 |os_grid_reference        = TA310081
 |constituency_westminster = [[Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (UK Parliament constituency)|Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes]]
 |london_distance_km       = 230
 |london_direction         = South
 |type                     = [[Town]]
}}

'''Cleethorpes''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|iː|θ|ɔːr|p|s}}) is a [[seaside town]] on the [[estuary]] of the [[Humber]] in [[North East Lincolnshire]], [[Lincolnshire]], England<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Cleethorpes|volume=6|page=478}}</ref> with a population of 29,678 in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/yorkshireandthehumber/|title=Cleethorpes (North East Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, and then developing into a resort in the 19th century. Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of the three small villages of Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe.

The town lies on the [[Prime meridian]], also known as the [[Greenwich meridian]], and its average annual rainfall is amongst the lowest in the [[British Isles]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cleethorpes|url=https://www.lincsabout.town/cleethorpes|access-date=7 April 2024|website=Lincsabout}}</ref>

In 2021, [[Trainline|The Trainline]] named Cleethorpes beach the second best seaside destination in the UK that is reachable by train, just behind [[Margate]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/whats-on/cleethorpes-named-second-best-uk-5691046|title=Cleethorpes named second best UK beach beating Blackpool and Skegness|last=Green|first=Luke|date=24 July 2021|access-date=27 October 2024|work=[[Grimsby Telegraph]]}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Ross Castle Beacon, Diamond Jubliee 2012.jpg|thumb|left|A beacon was lit on the top of Ross Castle to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] on Monday 4 June 2012]]
Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of three small villages: Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe, which were part of a wider [[Parish (Church of England)|parish]] called Clee (centred on [[Old Clee]]) named from ''clee'', an old form of the word ''[[clay]]''. The name ''Cleethorpes'' is of comparatively recent origin,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/lincoln-record-soc/vol2/l-lxv|title=Introduction: Lost vills and other forgotten places|editor=[[C. W. Foster|Foster, C. W.]]|work=Final Concords of the County of Lincoln: 1244-1272|via=British History Online|year=1920|volume=2|publisher=[[Lincoln Record Society]]}}</ref> combining the parish ''Clee'' with ''[[thorp]]'', an [[Old English]]/[[Old Norse]] word for "village". The earliest attestations are 1552 for singular ''Clethorpe'' (meaning Itterby) and 1588 for plural ''Clethorpes'' (including Oole, adjacent to Itterby; later also Thrunscoe slightly to the south).<ref>{{cite web|author1=English Place-Name Society|title=Cleethorpes|url=https://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/5328680bb47fc40b93000382|website=Survey of English Place-Names|publisher=Institute for Name‑Studies, University of Nottingham|access-date=3 May 2024}}</ref>

Whilst there are [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]] remains in the area, permanent occupation appears to date from the 6th century{{Fix|text=BC or AD?}}, with substantial communities appearing only in the 9th century when the [[Danish people|Danes]] arrived.<ref name=nely>{{cite web|url=http://www.nely.co.uk/cleehistory.html|title=Cleethorpes - A Potted History|access-date=22 July 2008|publisher=North East Lincolnshire Directory|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724221143/http://www.nely.co.uk/cleehistory.html|archive-date=24 July 2008}}</ref>

The manor of Itterby was purchased in 1616 by the trustees of [[Peter Blundell]]'s charity for the benefit of scholars and fellows at [[Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge]] from [[Blundell's School]], Tiverton.<ref>C. Ernest Watson. (13 November 2008) A History of Clee and the Thorpes of Clee. [[Kessinger Publishing]]. (1901).</ref>

Cleethorpes developed as a fishing village. By the time of the 1801 [[Census in the United Kingdom|census]] the population was 284.<ref name=timeline>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleethorpesuk.com/timeline.php?id=301&f=Cleethorpes|title=Timeline|access-date=22 July 2008|publisher=cleethorpesuk.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119144643/http://www.cleethorpesuk.com/timeline.php?id=301&f=Cleethorpes|archive-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> The 1820s saw the first developments of Cleethorpes as a health holiday [[resort]], with sea-bathing and the taking of medicinal waters becoming fashionable. By 1831 the population had increased to 497.<ref name=timeline/>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Clee Inclosure Act 1842
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for inclosing Lands in the Parish of Clee in the County of Lincoln.
| year                  = 1842
| citation              = [[5 & 6 Vict.]] c. ''1'' {{small|Pr.}}
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 22 April 1842
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = [[Humberside Act 1982]]
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukppa/Vict/5-6/1/pdfs/ukppa_18420001_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
In 1842 the '''{{visible anchor|Clee Inclosure Act 1842}}''' ([[5 & 6 Vict.]] c. ''1'' {{small|Pr.}}) was enacted. {{convert|2100|acre|km2}} of land were divided among land owners and eight new roads developed.<ref name=mcissac>{{cite web|url=http://www.shonamcisaac.com/f2f621ea-cc58-6754-61cd-57111e10356e?PageId=750ac353-7cf7-1954-2da9-e58b84258bcc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925154339/http://www.shonamcisaac.com/f2f621ea-cc58-6754-61cd-57111e10356e?PageId=750ac353-7cf7-1954-2da9-e58b84258bcc|url-status=usurped|archive-date=25 September 2020|title=Cleethorpes Timeline|access-date=22 July 2008 |publisher=Shona McIssac MP}}</ref> In 1848 Cleethorpes was described as <br>"...much resorted to as a bathing-place, for which it is highly eligible; the air is pure, the scenery good and besides a few lodging-houses and smaller inns, there is a large hotel, built some years since, on an eminence embracing extensive views of the sea, the Humber, and the [[Yorkshire]] coast. Many of the population are employed in the [[oyster]]-fisheries."<ref name=lewis>{{cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp626-632|title=Cleethorpe|last=Lewis|first=Samuel|author-link=Samuel Lewis (publisher)|year=1848|pages=626–632|work=A Topographical Dictionary of England|via=British History Online}}</ref>

The resort expanded following the linking of the town by railway with industrial towns in [[Yorkshire]]. [[Cleethorpes Pier]] opened in 1873 and the promenade in 1885.<ref name=mcissac/> Cleethorpes with Thrunscoe was created as a [[Local board of health|Local Board of Health District]] in 1873, and under the [[Local Government Act 1894]] it became an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]].<ref name=youngs>F A Youngs Jr., ''Guide to the Administrative Units of England'', Vol II: Northern England, London, 1991</ref> Its headquarters was established at [[Cleethorpes Town Hall]] in 1905.<ref>{{NHLE|num= 1103474|desc=Council House|access-date=4 April 2021}}</ref>

In 1916 the urban district was renamed ''Cleethorpes'', and in 1922 and 1927 the town's boundaries were extended to include part of [[Humberston]] (as far as North Sea Lane) and the Beacon Hill area of [[Weelsby]] parish. In 1936 Cleethorpes was granted a [[Royal Charter|charter of incorporation]] to become a [[municipal borough]].<ref name=youngs/>

Cleethorpes successfully resisted attempts by [[Grimsby]] to absorb it and in 1974 it became the Borough of [[Cleethorpes (borough)|Cleethorpes]] within the new county of [[Humberside]]. However, when Humberside County Council was abolished in 1996, Cleethorpes Borough Council was joined with Grimsby Borough Council as the [[unitary authority]] of North East Lincolnshire. In 2009 North East Lincolnshire Council agreed to market the towns of Grimsby, [[Immingham]] and Cleethorpes, under the 'Greater Grimsby' banner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Vision-welcomed/article-881734-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630114444/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Vision-welcomed/article-881734-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 June 2012|title=Vision welcomed|date=7 April 2009|access-date=29 July 2016}}</ref>

Local residents from Lincolnshire and the Yorkshire and Humber area affectionately refer to Cleethorpes and its residents as ''Meggies''. Cleethorpes can also be known as "down beach".<ref>{{cite web |title=About Cleethorpes|url=https://www.cleethorpesconservatives.org.uk/about-cleethorpes|website=Cleethorpes Conservatives|access-date=12 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113200231/https://www.cleethorpesconservatives.org.uk/about-cleethorpes|archive-date=13 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Paul|title=Why is Cleethorpes called Meggies? |url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/cleethorpes-called-meggies-facts-fables-1608402|access-date=16 June 2024|work=Grimsby Live|date=26 May 2018}}</ref>

==Redevelopment==
[[File:Meridian marker at Cleethorpes - geograph.org.uk - 108089.jpg|thumb|left|Greenwich meridian marker]]
The [[Winter Gardens (Cleethorpes)|Winter Gardens]], a venue for a variety of events, was demolished in 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linc2u.com/cleethorpes/sights/winter_gardens_cleethorpes.htm|title=Winter Gardens Cleethorpes|publisher=Linc2u Marketing|access-date=29 July 2016}}</ref> and replaced by 47 flats. During a mass boycott of punk bands in the 1970s the Winter Gardens was just one of five U.K. venues that allowed the likes of the Clash, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols to perform.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/cleethorpes-winter-gardens-nightclub-sex-6084026|last=Penson|first=Ruby|title=Winter Gardens nightclub where Sex Pistols and the Clash once played|newspaper=Grimsbylive|date=20 February 2022|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> The old mini steam railway running from the seafront Leisure centre to St Anthony's bank has been extended and significantly improved whilst a cafe, taphouse, and gallery have been added to the boating lake; and many ducks and geese use the boating lake to breed, making it a pleasant place to visit. A large open air show ground has been built close to the eastern end of the boating lake and often showing live bands and hosting special events, most notably hosting the London 2012 Olympic torch relay.

A new RNLI station is set to be completed on the Central Promenade by 2025.

==Twin town==
Cleethorpes is [[Town twinning|twinned]] with [[Königswinter]], [[Germany]].

==Geography==
Cleethorpes is situated on the southern side of the [[Humber estuary]] in [[North East Lincolnshire]] - a unitary authority area in the [[North of England]]. The [[Prime Meridian|Greenwich meridian]] passes through the town and a signpost shows some distances to worldwide locations. [[North Pole]] {{cvt|4,051|km}}, [[South Pole]] {{cvt|15,963|km}}, [[New York City]] {{cvt|5,602|km}}, [[London]] {{cvt|230|km}}.

Cleethorpes is physically linked to the neighbouring town of [[Grimsby]] by built up residential estates and the villages of [[Old Clee]] and [[Weelsby]] are also contiguous with the two towns.

===Climate===
As with most of the [[British Isles]], Cleethorpes experiences a [[maritime climate]]. It has mild summers and cool winters. The average annual rainfall is amongst the lowest in the British Isles.
{{Weather box
|location = Cleethorpes, elevation: {{convert|0|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–2004
|collapsed    =
|metric first = y
|single line  = y
|width=auto
|Jan record high C = 14.3
|Feb record high C = 17.8
|Mar record high C = 23.3
|Apr record high C = 22.7
|May record high C = 26.4
|Jun record high C = 32.5
|Jul record high C = 32.8
|Aug record high C = 32.8
|Sep record high C = 27.2
|Oct record high C = 26.1
|Nov record high C = 17.2
|Dec record high C = 15.1
|Jan high C = 7.7
|Feb high C = 8.5
|Mar high C = 10.5
|Apr high C = 13.1
|May high C = 15.9
|Jun high C = 18.6
|Jul high C = 21.1
|Aug high C = 21.1
|Sep high C = 18.6
|Oct high C = 14.7
|Nov high C = 10.6
|Dec high C = 8.1
|year high C = 14.1
|Jan mean C = 4.8
|Feb mean C = 5.3
|Mar mean C = 6.9
|Apr mean C = 9.2
|May mean C = 11.7
|Jun mean C = 14.5
|Jul mean C = 17.0
|Aug mean C = 17.0
|Sep mean C = 14.6
|Oct mean C = 11.4
|Nov mean C = 7.7
|Dec mean C = 5.1
|year mean C = 10.4
|Jan low C = 2.0
|Feb low C = 2.2
|Mar low C = 3.3
|Apr low C = 5.2
|May low C = 7.5
|Jun low C = 10.4
|Jul low C = 12.9
|Aug low C = 12.8
|Sep low C = 10.7
|Oct low C = 8.0
|Nov low C = 4.7
|Dec low C = 2.2
|year low C = 6.9
|Jan record low C = -10.5
|Feb record low C = -9.1
|Mar record low C = -7.2
|Apr record low C = -4.5
|May record low C = -0.6
|Jun record low C = 1.0
|Jul record low C = 5.2
|Aug record low C = 5.6
|Sep record low C = 3.0
|Oct record low C = -3.6
|Nov record low C = -4.7
|Dec record low C = -9.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 48.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 39.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 34.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 39.2
|May precipitation mm = 46.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 55.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 55.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 55.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 50.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 58.4
|Nov precipitation mm = 63.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 53.9
|year precipitation mm = 600.7
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 10.5
|Feb precipitation days = 9.8
|Mar precipitation days = 8.9
|Apr precipitation days = 8.7
|May precipitation days = 8.5
|Jun precipitation days = 9.9
|Jul precipitation days = 9.6
|Aug precipitation days = 9.6
|Sep precipitation days = 8.9
|Oct precipitation days = 10.2
|Nov precipitation days = 12.8
|Dec precipitation days = 11.3
|year precipitation days = 118.5
|Jan sun = 60.4
|Feb sun = 85.1
|Mar sun = 121.1
|Apr sun = 160.3
|May sun = 209.8
|Jun sun = 190.1
|Jul sun = 205.9
|Aug sun = 187.8
|Sep sun = 142.2
|Oct sun = 105.5
|Nov sun = 66.8
|Dec sun = 56.8
|year sun = 1591.8
|source 1 = Met Office<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages|title=Cleethorpes 1991–2020 averages|access-date=16 December 2021|publisher=Met Office}}</ref>}}

==Transport==
[[File:A busy afternoon at Cleethorpes.jpg|thumb|Trains at Cleethorpes station]]

[[Cleethorpes railway station]] is served by two [[train operating companies]]:
*[[TransPennine Express]] operate hourly trains to {{rws|Doncaster}}, {{rws|Sheffield}}, {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}} and [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Liverpool Lime Street]]; they also manage the station;<ref>{{cite web|work=TransPennine Express|title=Timetables|date=21 May 2023|access-date=24 September 2023|url=https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/timetables}}</ref>
*[[East Midlands Railway]] run two-hourly trains to {{rws|Barton upon Humber}}, via {{rws|Grimsby Town}} for a bus link to Hull.<ref>{{Cite web|work=East Midlands Railway|title=Timetables|date=May 2023|access-date=24 September 2023|url=https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables}}</ref>

Trains to [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]], {{rws|Peterborough}}, {{rws|Leeds}}, {{rws|Bradford Interchange}}, {{rws|York}}, {{rws|Newcastle}} and {{rws|Edinburgh|Waverley}} are available by travelling to Doncaster and changing there.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our timetables|work=LNER|date=May 2023|access-date=23 September 2023|url=https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travelling-later/timetables/}}</ref> Connections to [[Lincoln railway station|Lincoln]], {{rws|Nottingham}} and {{rws|Leicester}} are available by changing at Grimsby Town, for services run by East Midlands Railway.

Bus services to Grimsby, Immingham and nearby villages are operated by [[Stagecoach East Midlands]]. There is a bus service to Skegness, via [[Louth, Lincolnshire|Louth]], which runs once a day on weekends in the summer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cleethorpes Bus Services|work=Bus Times|year=2023|access-date=24 September 2023|url=https://bustimes.org/localities/cleethorpes}}</ref>

The Cleethorpes area is served by the following roads:
*[[A16 road (England)|A16]] between Grimsby and Peterborough;
*[[A46 road|A46]] to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]];
*[[A180 road (England)|A180]] to [[Barnetby-le-Wold]].

==Education==
{{See also|List of schools in North East Lincolnshire}}

Secondary schools in Cleethorpes include [[Cleethorpes Academy]] and [[Beacon Academy, Cleethorpes|Beacon Academy]].

From September 2011, N.E. Lincolnshire SSP was the only remaining School Sports Partnership after government funding cuts.

==Religion==
[[File:St. Peter's Church, Cleethorpes - geograph.org.uk - 279388.jpg|thumb|right|St Peter's Church]]

The [[parish church]] is St Peter's, built in 1866. Holy Trinity and St Mary the Virgin Church in Old Clee is the oldest building (built 950&nbsp;AD) in the Grimsby area.
Other [[Church of England|Anglican]] churches are St Francis of Assisi on Sandringham Road, and Christ Church on Grimsby Road. There is a Roman Catholic church, Corpus Christi, also on Grimsby Road, a Baptist church and a Methodist church.

==Sport and leisure==
Cleethorpes is home to [[Blundell Park]], the home ground of [[Grimsby Town F.C.|Grimsby Town]]; they are one of few English League clubs with a town or city name to have their home ground in a different community.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/10/which-football-teams-ground-is-furthest-from-where-they-represent|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|title=Which football team's ground is furthest from where they represent?|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref>

There is an athletics club<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.cleethorpesac.co.uk/|title=Welcome :: Cleethorpes Athletic Club|website=Cleethorpesac.co.uk|access-date=29 July 2016}}</ref> and Cleethorpes [[Rugby Union Football]] Club who play in the Midlands 4 East (NE).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cleethorpesrufc.co.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603014941/http://www.cleethorpesrufc.co.uk/|url-status=dead|title=Domain Default page|archive-date=3 June 2008|website=Cleethorpesrufc.co.uk|access-date=14 November 2021}}</ref>

Cleethorpes [[cricket]] ground, known as ''Cleethorpes Sports Ground'', is located on Chichester Road. It hosts professional games such as the 20/20 cup and various county games played by [[Lincolnshire County Cricket Club]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/418.html|publisher=Cricket Archive|title=Sports Ground, Cleethorpes|access-date=6 August 2010}}</ref> and the Vagabonds cricket team.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

[[Cleethorpes Town F.C.]] play in the Northern Premier League - South East Division. Their home matches are played at the Linden Homes Club, Clee Road, Grimsby.

The old Cleethorpes bathing pool was demolished and replaced in the eighties with a modern leisure centre. Facilities include a large indoor wave pool, badminton and squash courts, a gym and sports hall. The local badminton club meets here.

A [[Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom|greyhound racing]] track was opened around the outside of the stock car racing track in 1981, which was on the site of the former Cleethorpes Marineland & Zoo which closed in 1977. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the [[National Greyhound Racing Club]] NGRC) and was known as a ''flapping track'', which was the nickname given to independent tracks.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Julia|title=Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File|page=413|year=1988|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-15-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2019/02/09/cleethorpes/|title=Cleethorpes|newspaper=Greyhound Racing Times|date=9 February 2019|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> In 1983, there were plans to build new kennels and join the NGRC <ref>{{cite web|url=http://greyhoundstar.co.uk/remember-march-7/|title=Remember When series (March 2020)|website=Greyhound Star|date=1 March 2020|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> but racing only lasted until midway through 1986.<ref>{{cite news|title=Closures and openings over the past 10 years|date=July 1993|page=18|newspaper=Greyhound Star}}</ref> The stock cars closed in the mid-1990s.

==Governance==
[[File:The Old Council House, Cambridge Street - geograph.org.uk - 279383.jpg|thumb|[[Cleethorpes Town Hall]]]]
Cleethorpes is currently part of [[Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (UK Parliament constituency)|Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes]], which also includes other towns in the area, including Immingham and Barton-upon-Humber. Prior to 1997, Cleethorpes had been included in the constituencies of [[Brigg and Cleethorpes (UK Parliament constituency)|Brigg and Cleethorpes]], [[Louth, Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Louth (Lincolnshire)]] and [[Great Grimsby (UK Parliament constituency)|Grimsby]].

Since 1945, the members of parliament for Cleethorpes have been as follows:

{| class=wikitable
|-
!colspan=2|Election!!Member!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
|[[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945]]
|[[Kenneth Younger]]
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
|[[1950 United Kingdom general election|1950]]
|Sir [[Cyril Osborne]]
|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
|[[1969 Louth by-election|1969]] 
|[[Jeffrey Archer]]
|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
|[[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|1974]]
|[[Michael Brotherton]]
|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
|[[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]
|[[Michael Brown (British politician)|Michael Brown]]
|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
|[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]
|[[Shona McIsaac]]
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
|[[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]
|[[Martin Vickers]]
|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
|[[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]
|[[Melanie Onn]]
|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|}

Since 1996 Cleethorpes has formed an [[unparished area]] in the unitary borough of [[North East Lincolnshire]]. Cleethorpes comprises three of the borough's sixteen wards: Croft Baker, Haverstoe and Sidney Sussex. Each ward returns three councillors, so Cleethorpes is represented by 9 of 42 members of the council. Cleethorpes does not have its own town council; however, the nine councillors form the [[Charter Trustees]] of the Town of Cleethorpes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1996/Uksi_19960263_en_1.htm|title=The Charter Trustees Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996 No. 263)|year=1996|publisher=Office for Public Sector Information}}</ref>

===Council wards and elected members===
[[File:Cleethorpes_Town_Centre.jpg|thumb|Cleethorpes town centre]]
[[File:Cleethorpes beach 2.JPG|thumb|Cleethorpes Beach]]
{{out of date|date=October 2024}}
North East Lincolnshire Council has three Council Wards within the area of Cleethorpes. As of 3 May 2025, the councillors are:
{|
|valign=top|
;Croft Baker Ward

*Oliver Freeston (R)
*Marian Jervis (L)
*Malcolm Morland (L)
|width=20|
|valign=top|
;Sidney Sussex Ward

*Edward Kaczmarek (L)
*Sophia Farren (L)
*Janet Haggis (L)
|width=20|
|valign=top|
;Haverstoe Ward

*Bill Parkinson (C)

*Margaret Cracknell (C)
*Keith Brookes (C)
|}
Key: (L) = Labour Party (C) = Conservative Party (R)= Reform UK

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire]] and [[ITV Yorkshire]]. Television signals are received from the [[Belmont transmitting station|Belmont]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Belmont|last=Butterworth|first=Brian|title=Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> 

The town's local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Humberside]] on 95.9 FM, [[Hits Radio East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire]] (formerly Viking FM) on 96.9 FM, [[Hits Radio Lincolnshire]] (formerly Lincs FM) and [[Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire]] (formerly [[Compass FM]]) on 96.4 FM.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lincolnshire.org/radio-lincolnshire-find-your-local-station/|last=Doyle|first=Ben|title=Radio Lincolnshire – Find Your Local Station|date=18 February 2015|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref>

Local newspapers are ''[[Grimsby Telegraph]]'' and ''Grimsby & Cleethorpes Advertiser''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-emids/grimsby-cleethorpes-advertiser/|title=Grimsby & Cleethorpes Advertiser|via=British Newspapers Online|date=20 October 2013|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
The seaside resort of Cleethorpes lies on the [[Humber Estuary]]; thus the sea at Cleethorpes is the mouth of the Humber. There are several hundred metres of sand at low tide.

The sea front provides views of shipping traffic entering and leaving the Humber for the ports of Grimsby, [[Immingham]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] and [[Goole]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/ehswithern_eh_2009/cleethorpes.cfm?REDSQUIDARCHIVES_4dbf721b-8c47-47a5-9df8-a8c10ed937e7_0|title=England's Historic Seascapes: Withernsea to Skegness|publisher=[[Museum of London Archaeology]]|year=2010|doi=10.5284/1000104|via=[[Archaeology Data Service]] |author1=Museum Of London Archaeology }}</ref>

Two large fortifications, the [[Humber Forts]], are visible in the mouth of the river. On a clear day, the [[lighthouse]] situated on [[Spurn|Spurn Point]] can be seen with the naked eye from the North Beach.

There is a [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] station near the pier and next to the [[Her Majesty's Coastguard|Coastguard]] on Central Promenade. Work began on a new, larger RNLI station in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|title=RNLI: Cleethorpes|url=http://rnli.org/findmynearest/station/Pages/Cleethorpes-Lifeboat-Station.aspx|access-date=25 January 2014}}</ref> Cleethorpes Rescue also protect the beach.<ref>{{cite news|work=Grimsby Telegraph|date=28 January 2011|title=Cleethorpes Rescue Service's four decades keeping people safe by the sea|url=http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/decades-keeping-people-safe-sea/story-11528890-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150125123343/http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/decades-keeping-people-safe-sea/story-11528890-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2015|access-date=25 January 2015}}</ref>

[[File:CleethorpesBoatingLakePano.jpg|center|thumb|1000px|The boating lake]]
Cleethorpes has a large boating lake with many varieties of ducks, swans and geese. There is also a {{convert|62.01|hectare|acre|adj=on}} local nature reserve: Cleethorpes Country Park, situated between the resort and the village of Humberston. To the south of Cleethorpes, near Humberston, is a yacht club.
[[File:RossCastleCleethorpes.jpg|thumb|Ross Castle]]
The Cleethorpes Leisure Centre was opened in 1983 to replace the open bathing pool that was wrecked by storms on 11 January 1978. The leisure centre contains a 33-metre pool, 1.8 metres deep, as well as a water slide and a wave machine. The building also contains a gym and a sports hall. In 2012, major work was carried out to the roof of the building due to water damage.
[[File:Kingsway Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 676257.jpg|thumb|Kingsway gardens and seafront]]
Ross Castle, a mock ruin of a castle built in 1885 by the [[Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway]], was named after Edward Ross, secretary of the railway company. Its height was the highest point on the cliffs. After a period of closure, the castle was renovated, re-opening in June 2008 to the public. Possibilities of a further closure have been raised after a woman fell to her death on 9 January 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Woman-dies-falling-resort-landmark/article-602843-detail/article.html|title=Probe continues into death of woman after Ross Castle fall|date=10 January 2009|access-date=29 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420140736/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Woman-dies-falling-resort-landmark/article-602843-detail/article.html|archive-date=20 April 2009}}</ref>

In 2007 the town was the [[Royal Horticultural Society|Royal Horticultural Societies]] [[Britain in Bloom]] award winner in the coastal category. The town was also received a Silver-Gilt award,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/successful-season-bloom-teams-across-468909|title=Successful season for In Bloom teams across borough as Cleethorpes and Immingham win gold|last=Thorp|first=Alex|work=Grimsby Telegraph|date=13 September 2017|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> a Tourism Award (for Lollipop Road Train)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greatbritishcoast.com/cleethorpes-a-touristy-coastal-town/|last=Cooper|first=Sarah|title=Cleethorpes - A Touristy Coastal Town|website=greatbritishcoast.com|date=3 August 2022|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> and Jeff Blanchard the [[Shredded Wheat]] Community Champions award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cleethorpesinbloom.org/about/awards|title=Awards|publisher=Cleethorpes in Bloom|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref>

A statue of [[the Boy with the Leaking Boot]] was given to the town in 1918 by John Carlborn. It is reported that he was a [[Sweden|Swedish]] immigrant to Cleethorpes who had built up a successful shipping business, and that the statue was a copy of one in the Hasselbacken Restaurant in [[Stockholm]], Sweden.<ref name=piebirds>{{cite web|url=http://www.piebirds.co.uk/Leaking%20Boot.htm|title=Leaking Boot|access-date=9 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512065919/http://www.piebirds.co.uk/Leaking%20Boot.htm|archive-date=12 May 2008}}</ref> The Cleethorpes statue now stands in a pond in the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Gardens, on Kingsway. It was stolen and replaced in 2002 and 2008, and vandalised in October 2011. In July 2012, two youths were recorded on CCTV as they frolicked naked in the pond and destroyed the fountain.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/CCTV-reveals-clues-Boy-Leaking-Boot-vandals/story-16603013-detail/story.html|title=CCTV reveals clues to Boy with the Leaking Boot vandals' identities (Video)|date=27 July 2012|work=Grimsby Telegraph|access-date=30 September 2012}}{{Dead link|date=October 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> A replacement statue was made by a local garden ornaments manufacturer and installed with improved security in September 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-19797004|title=Cleethorpes' leaking boot statue replaced|date=2 October 2012|agency=BBC News|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref> A nearby [[public house|pub]] was named ''The Leaking Boot'', but was destroyed by fire in June 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Hope-future-Leaking-Boot-site/article-1131383-detail/article.html|title=Hope for future of Leaking Boot site|date=2 July 2009|work=Grimsby Telegraph|access-date=9 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709094425/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/news/Hope-future-Leaking-Boot-site/article-1131383-detail/article.html|archive-date=9 July 2009}}</ref>

In 2019, a community alleyway on Kew Road was vandalized. The alley is known for hosting Cleethorpes In Bloom competition, and was a recipient of many awards over the past few years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/community-alleyway-vandalised-cleethorpes-bloom-2915764|title=Residents' anger as community alleyway is vandalised|last=Lynch|first=Connor|work=Grimsby Telegraph|date=29 May 2019|access-date=27 October 2024}}</ref>

The town is home to Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park, currently run by [[Haven Holidays]]. Due to its former name, Thorpe Park Holiday Centre, bearing a strong resemblance to the [[Thorpe Park|Thorpe Park Resort]] theme park in [[Thorpe, Surrey]], there was a glitch on [[Google Maps]] that mistook the two, accidentally sending people going to the theme park to the Haven and vice versa. This, alongside confusion between the two,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Goodbye Haven Thorpe Park and Haven Allhallows - hello Haven Cleethorpes Beach and Haven Kent Coast! |url=http://www.holidayparkguru.co.uk/1/post/2023/09/goodbye-haven-thorpe-park-and-haven-allhallows-hello-haven-cleethorpes-beach-and-haven-kent-coast.html |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Holiday Park Guru}}</ref> and possible private legal action from [[Merlin Entertainments]], the current owners of Thorpe Park, influenced Haven to rebrand the park.

===Other visitor attractions===
[[File:Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway.jpg|thumb|[[Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway]]]]
[[File:Cleethorpes pier - geograph.org.uk - 2382555.jpg|thumb|[[Cleethorpes Pier]]]]
*[[Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway]]
*The Signal Box Inn<ref>[https://www.cclr.co.uk/the-signal-box-inn The Signal Box Inn] Retrieved 27 October 2024.</ref> (aka The Smallest Pub on the Planet).
*[[Cleethorpes Pier]]
*Discovery Centre
*Floyd the Dragon - The Cleethorpes [[mascot]]
*Meridian Point
*[[Pleasure Island Family Theme Park]] (closed in October 2016)
*The Jungle Zoo<ref>{{cite news|work=Grimsby Telegraph|date=19 April 2010|title=Jungle Zoo bosses hit back at protesters|url=http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Jungle-Zoo-bosses-hit-protestors/story-11531846-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150125155814/http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Jungle-Zoo-bosses-hit-protestors/story-11531846-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2015|access-date=25 January 2015}}</ref> (closed in November 2022)
*The Magical Castle
*Classic Home Cinema: one of the few remaining cinema shops (8, super 8, 9.5 and 16&nbsp;mm)
There was a [[Roll of honour (war memorial)|roll of honour]] at [[Matthew Humberston Foundation School]] commemorating the deaths of 42 past pupils of the school who died in World War I, but after the closure of the school in 2010, it was put into storage at the [[North East Lincolnshire Council]] offices. {{as of|November 2019}} the roll of honour was still being stored by the council, "with a view to being put on public display in a new town centre museum and heritage centre".<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Imperial War Museum|website=War Memorials Register|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/53521|access-date=27 November 2019|title=Matthew Humberston Foundation School - WW1}}</ref>

==UFO sighting==
On 22 September 1956 at 3pm a [[Unidentified flying object|UFO]] was spotted for more than an hour off the Cleethorpes coast; it was seen by radar at [[RAF Manby]] too. It was a large spherical object with a glass appearance.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ash|first=Russell|year=1973|title=Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain|publisher=Reader's Digest Association Limited|pages=286–287|isbn=9780340165973}}</ref> The [[Lakenheath-Bentwaters incident]] had happened the month before.

==Notable people==
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*[[Kristian Adams]] (b. 1976),<ref>{{cite web|title=Kristian Adams|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Players/10/10602/10602.html|work=Cricket Archive|access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref> cricketer, played for [[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent]] and [[Lincolnshire County Cricket Club|Lincolnshire]], born in Cleethorpes
*[[Jane Andrews]], English former Royal dresser and convicted murderer of Tom Cressman
*[[Bill Appleyard]] (1879&ndash;1958), footballer for [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]], born in Cleethorpes<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary|work=[[The Times]]|page=14|date=16 January 1958}}</ref>
*[[Phil Ball (writer)|Phil Ball]], writer, brought up in Cleethorpes
*[[H. Hugh Bancroft]], organist and composer
*[[Stephen Bennett (golfer)|Stephen Bennett]], golfer
*[[John Cockerill (footballer)|John Cockerill]], footballer
*[[Peter Collinson (film director)|Peter Collinson]], film producer and director<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/862751/ "Collinson, Peter (1936-1980)"], ''screen online''. Retrieved 14 July 2011.</ref>
*[[Bob Cottam]], cricketer<ref name="Cap">{{cite book|title=If The Cap Fits|last=Bateman|first=Colin|year=1993|publisher=Tony Williams Publications|isbn=1-869833-21-X|page=43}}</ref>
*[[Eorl Crabtree]], rugby league footballer
*[[Michele Dotrice]], actress
*[[Helen Fospero]], television newsreader and journalist
*[[Vivean Gray]], actress<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press.comedycentral.co.uk/daily-fix/where-are-they-now/mrs-mangel-from-neighbours|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110825021640/http://press.comedycentral.co.uk/daily-fix/where-are-they-now/mrs-mangel-from-neighbours|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 August 2011|title=Mrs Mangel From Neighbours|publisher=Comedy Central|access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref>
*[[Alan Green (Cleethorpes)|Alan Green]], local politician
*[[Amanda Hack]], politician<ref>{{cite news|last=Hill|first=Graham|title=Labour's General Election candidate Hack says there is a 'strong desire' for change in North West Leicestershire|url=https://ashby.nub.news/news/local-news/labours-general-election-candidate-hack-says-there-is-a-strong-desire-for-change-in-north-west-leicestershire-217257|access-date=13 September 2024|work=Ashby Nub News|date=15 January 2024}}</ref>
*[[Chris Hargreaves]], ex-footballer and ex-manager of [[Torquay United F.C.|Torquay United]] 
*[[Patricia Hodge]], actress<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/27/Patricia-Hodge.html "Patricia Hodge Biography (1946-)"], ''filmreference.com''. Retrieved 14 July 2011.</ref>
*[[Linda Ingham]], artist
*[[Jo Kendall]], actress
*[[John Maltby]], potter and sculptor
*[[Gemma Merna]], actress
*[[Don Oslear]], cricket umpire
*[[Michael Parsons (singer)|Michael Parsons]], singer, songwriter and earlier member of the boyband District3
*[[Helen Roberts]], singer and actress
*[[Paul Roberts (cricketer)|Paul Roberts]], cricketer
*[[Carl Ross]], fishery entrepreneur
*[[Rod Temperton]], songwriter, record producer and musician
*[[Bridget Turner]], actress<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/27/Bridget-Turner.html "Bridget Turner Biography (1939-)"], ''filmreference.com''. Retrieved 14 July 2011.</ref>
*[[Martin John Vickers]] (b. 1950), British politician 
*[[Lambert Williamson]], British film composer, born at 14 Lindum Road<ref>''Grimsby Daily Telegraph'', 8 February, 1951, p. 4.</ref> 
*[[Richard Witts]], musicologist and ex-leader of 1980s group [[The Passage (band)|the Passage]]
*[[John Derek Woollins]], chemist
*[[Darren Wrack]], footballer<ref>[http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Cleethorpes-born-Wrack-hangs-boots/story-11533233-detail/story.html "Cleethorpes-born footballer Darren Wrack hangs up his boots"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426182031/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Cleethorpes-born-Wrack-hangs-boots/story-11533233-detail/story.html|date=26 April 2012}}, ''thisisgrimsby.co.uk''. Retrieved 14 July 2011.</ref>
*[[Patrick Wymark]], actor
}}

==See also==
*[[Compass FM]]
*[[Humber Coast and City Railway|Humber Coast & City Railway]]
*[[Orpheus Male Voice Choir, Grimsby & Cleethorpes]]
*[[Trolleybuses in Cleethorpes]]
*[[Yellowbelly (Lincolnshire)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Cleethorpes}}

{{Wikivoyage|Cleethorpes}}

{{Lincolnshire|state=collapsed}}
{{North East Lincolnshire (district)|state=collapsed}}
{{Portal bar|England|United Kingdom}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cleethorpes| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Folly castles in England]]
[[Category:Beaches of Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Local Government Districts created by the Local Government Act 1858]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Borough of North East Lincolnshire]]