View source for Skegness

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | official_name            = Skegness
 | type                     = [[Town]]
 | country                  = England
 | region                   = East Midlands
 | static_image_name        = {{multiple images|border=infobox|perrow=1 2|total_width=270px|align=center
| image1 = Skegness Pier - geograph.org.uk - 6211147.jpg
|caption1= [[Skegness Pier]]
| image2 = Jubilee Clock Tower, Skegness - geograph.org.uk - 7435594.jpg
| caption2 = Clock Tower
| image3 = Lumley Road in Skegness - geograph.org.uk - 3798696.jpg
| caption3 = Lumley Road 
| image4 = Path at the Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 3806295.jpg
| caption4 = [[Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire|Gibraltar Point]]}}
 | static_image_2_name      = 
 | static_image_2_alt       = 
 | static_image_2_caption   = 
 | population               = 21,128
 | population_ref           = (2021 Census)<ref name="bua2011">{{cite web |title=Skegness |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastmidlands/admin/east_lindsey/E04005719__skegness/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastmidlands/admin/east_lindsey/E04005719__skegness/ |website=City Population |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
 | os_grid_reference        = TF5663
 | coordinates              = {{coord|53|08|37|N|00|20|34|E|display=inline,title}}
 | label_position           = left
 | post_town                = SKEGNESS
 | postcode_area            = PE
 | postcode_district        = PE24, PE25
 | dial_code                = 01754
 | constituency_westminster = [[Boston and Skegness (UK Parliament constituency)|Boston and Skegness]]
 | civil_parish             = Skegness
 | shire_district           = [[East Lindsey]]
 | shire_county             = [[Lincolnshire]]
 | london_distance_mi       = 115<!-- straight line per MOS – constant and comparable with other place distances -->
 | london_direction         = S
}}

'''Skegness''' ({{IPAc-en|s|k|ɛ|ɡ|ˈ|n|ɛ|s}} {{respell|skeg|NESS}}) is a [[Seaside resort|seaside town]] and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[East Lindsey|East Lindsey District]] of [[Lincolnshire]], England. On the [[Lincolnshire coast]] of the [[North Sea]], the town is {{convert|43|mi|km|0}} east of [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]] and {{convert|22|mi|km|0}} north-east of [[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston]]. With a population of 21,128 as of 2021, it is the largest settlement in East Lindsey. It incorporates [[Winthorpe, Lincolnshire|Winthorpe]] and [[Seacroft, Lincolnshire|Seacroft]], and forms a larger [[Urban area|built-up area]] with the resorts of [[Ingoldmells]] and [[Chapel St Leonards]] to the north. The town is on the [[A52 road|A52]] and [[A158 road|A158]] roads, connecting it with Boston and the [[East Midlands]], and Lincoln respectively. [[Skegness railway station]] is on the [[Poacher Line|Nottingham to Skegness (via Grantham)]] line.

The original Skegness was situated farther east at the mouth of [[the Wash]]. Its [[Old Norse|Norse]] name refers to a [[headland]] which sat near the settlement. By the 14th century, it was a locally important port for coastal trade. The natural [[Coastal management|sea defences]] which protected the harbour eroded in the later Middle Ages, and it was lost to the sea after a storm in the 1520s. Rebuilt along the new shoreline, early modern Skegness was a small fishing and farming village, but from the late 18th century members of the local [[gentry]] visited for holidays. The arrival of the [[Rail transport|railways]] in 1873 transformed it into a popular seaside resort. This was the intention of [[Richard Lumley, 9th Earl of Scarbrough|The 9th Earl of Scarbrough]], who owned most of the land in the vicinity; he built the infrastructure of the town and laid out plots, which he leased to [[Real estate development|speculative developers]]. This new Skegness quickly became a popular destination for [[Tourism|holiday-makers]] and [[day trip]]pers from the East Midlands factory towns. By the [[Interwar period|interwar]] years the town was established as one of the most popular seaside resorts in Britain. The layout of the modern seafront dates to this time and holiday camps were built around the town, including the first [[Butlins Skegness|Butlin's holiday resort]] which opened in Ingoldmells in 1936.

The [[package holiday]] abroad became an increasingly popular and affordable option for many British holiday-makers during the 1970s; this trend combined with [[Deindustrialization|declining industrial employment]] in the East Midlands to harm Skegness's visitor economy in the late 20th century. Nevertheless, the resort retains a loyal visitor base. Tourism increased following the [[Great Recession|recession of 2007–2009]] owing to the resort's affordability. In 2011, the town was England's fourth most popular holiday destination for UK residents, and in 2015 it received over 1.4 million visitors. It has a reputation as a traditional English seaside resort owing to its long, sandy beach and seafront attractions which include [[amusement arcade]]s, eateries, Botton's [[Amusement park|fairground]], [[Skegness Pier|the pier]], nightclubs and bars. Other visitor attractions include [[Natureland Seal Sanctuary]], [[The Village Church Farm|a museum]], an [[aquarium]], [[Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway|a heritage railway]], an annual [[carnival]], a yearly [[arts festival]], and [[Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire|Gibraltar Point]] nature reserve to the south of the town.

Despite the arrival of several manufacturing firms since the 1950s and Skegness's prominence as a local commercial centre, the tourism industry remains very important for the economy and employment but the tourism service economy's low wages and [[Seasonal industry|seasonal nature]], along with the town's [[Population ageing|aging population]], have contributed towards high levels of [[relative deprivation]]. Poor transport and communication links are barriers to [[Economic diversity|economic diversification]]. Residents are served by five state primary schools and a preparatory school, two state secondary schools (one of which is [[Selective school|selective]]), several colleges, a [[community hospital]], several [[Church (building)|churches]] and two local newspapers. The town has a police station, a [[Magistrates' court (England and Wales)|magistrates' court]] and [[Skegness Lifeboat Station|a lifeboat station]].

== Geography ==
=== Topography and geology ===
[[File:Skegness built up area 2020.svg|thumb|right|Skegness's built-up area in 2020. The dark beige shading represents residential and commercial areas; the light beige areas are caravan parks; the grey area is the industrial estate; the parish boundary shown as a dashed red line.]]
The civil parish of Skegness includes most of the [[linear settlement]] of [[Seacroft, Lincolnshire|Seacroft]] to the south and the village of [[Winthorpe, Lincolnshire|Winthorpe]] and the suburban area of [[Seathorne]] to the north, all of which have been absorbed into the town's urban area. The neighbouring parishes are: [[Ingoldmells]] to the north, [[Addlethorpe]] to the north-west, [[Burgh le Marsh]] to the west and [[Croft, Lincolnshire|Croft]] to the south.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |title=Election Maps (map) |website=[[Ordnance Survey]] |access-date=8 September 2020}} Search for "Skegness" and switch on the civil parish boundaries.</ref> The town is approximately {{convert|22|mi|km|0}} north-east of [[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston]] and {{convert|43|mi|km|0}} east of [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Skegness/Boston |title=Skegness to Boston |website=[[Google Maps]] |access-date=20 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115209/https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Skegness/Boston |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Skegness/Lincoln/ |title=Skegness to Lincoln |website=[[Google Maps]] |access-date=20 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115345/https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Skegness/Lincoln/ |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref>

Skegness fronts the [[North Sea]]. It is located on a low-lying flat region called [[Lincolnshire Marsh|Lincoln Marsh]], which runs along the coast between Skegness and the [[Humber]] and separates the coast from the upland [[The Wolds|Wolds]].<ref name=":20">{{Harvnb|Pevsner|Harris|1964|p=15}}.</ref> Much of the parish's elevation is close to sea level, although a narrow band along the seafront is {{convert|4|-|5|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} above peaking at {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} on North Parade; the A52 road is elevated at {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}; there is a short narrow bank parallel to the shoreline between the North Shore Golf Club and Seathorne which is {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} above sea level.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=14b9c78a-b1e9-497e-87dc-91e909fb0fa1&cp=53.155112~0.33476&lvl=15&style=s&imgid=aee85f5d-9ba1-445d-a7f7-46e404df3bba&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027 |title=Skegness |website=[[Bing Maps]] |access-date=8 September 2020}}</ref>

The bedrock under the town is part of the [[Chalk Group|Ferriby Chalk Formation]], a [[sedimentary]] layer formed around 100 million years ago during the [[Cretaceous]]; it runs north-west from Skegness in a narrow band to [[Fotherby]] and [[Utterby]] north of [[Louth, Lincolnshire|Louth]] in the Wolds. The surface layers are [[Mudflat|tidal-flat]] deposits of [[clay]] and [[silt]], deposited since the end of the [[Younger Dryas|last ice age]]. The shoreline consists of blown sand and beach deposits in the form of clay, silt and sand.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain3d/ |title=Geology of Britain (map) |website=[[British Geological Survey]] |access-date=22 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052912/http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain3d/ |archive-date=23 May 2020}} Search for "Skegness".</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Whitehead|Lawrence|2006|pp=8, 14}}.</ref>

=== Coastal erosion ===
There has been [[coastal erosion]] in the area for thousands of years,<ref name=":22" /> though it was relatively sheltered until the [[Middle Ages]] by a series of offshore [[barrier island]]s or [[shoal]]s of [[boulder clay]]. Rising sea levels and more intense sea storms from the 13th century onward likely eroded these islands, increasingly exposing the coast to the tides.<ref>{{Harvnb|Museum of London Archaeology Service|2010}}.</ref> Records from the Middle Ages show that local people maintained sand banks as a form of [[Coastal management|sea defence]]; fines were levied for [[grazing]] animals on the dunes, which could weaken the defences. Skegness was flooded in 1525 or 1526, requiring the village to be rebuilt inland, and loss of land continued during the century. A clay [[Seawall|embankment]], Roman Bank, was built in the late 16th century and was followed in ''c''. 1670 by another closer to the sea (Green Bank), running from what is now North Shore Road to Cow Bank, following a line from St Andrew's Drive to Drummond Road.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=34, 83–85}}.</ref> By the late 19th century, sands were accreting at Skegness; the retaining [[Seawall|sea wall]] erected in 1878 was designed to support the resort town's seafront development rather than to protect it from the sea.<ref>{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|pp=156–157}}.</ref> Nevertheless, this wall largely saved the town during [[North Sea flood of 1953|the 1953 flood]], when only gardens, the amusements and part of the pier were damaged.<ref>{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=164}}.</ref>

In the early 21st century, [[Longshore drift]] carries particles of sediment southwards along the [[Lincolnshire coast]].<ref name=":21">{{Harvnb|Bird|2010|pp=460–461}}.</ref><ref name=":22" /> At Skegness, the sand settles out in banks which run at a slight south-west angle to the coast.<ref name=":22" /> Sand continues to accrete at the southern end of the town's shore, but coastal erosion continues immediately north of the settlement.<ref>{{Harvnb|Environment Agency|2019|p=2}}.</ref> Modern sea defences have been built along a {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=|adj=on}} stretch of coast between Mablethorpe (to the north) and Skegness to prevent erosion, but currents remove sediment and the defences hinder dune development; a [[Beach nourishment|nourishment]] scheme began operation in 1994 to replace lost sand.<ref name=":21" /><ref name=":22">{{Harvnb|Environment Agency|2008|pp=5–6}}.</ref>

=== Climate ===
The [[British Isles]] experience a temperate, [[maritime climate]] with warm summers and cool winters.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/England-and-Scotland.htm |title=Climate of the World: England and Scotland |website=Weather Online |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708220703/https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/England-and-Scotland.htm |archive-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> Lincolnshire's position on the east of the British Isles allows for a sunnier and warmer climate relative to the national average, and it is one of the driest counties in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122625/http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/environment/environmental-report/part-b-background/climate-and-weather/100431.article |title=Climate and Weather |website=[[Lincolnshire County Council]] |url=http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/environment/environmental-report/part-b-background/climate-and-weather/100431.article |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> In Skegness, the average daily high temperature peaks in August at {{convert|20.4|C|F}} and a peak average daily mean of {{convert|16.7|C|F}} occurs in July and August. The lowest daily mean temperature is {{convert|4.4|C|F}} in January; the average daily high for that month is {{convert|7.0|C|F}} and the daily low is {{convert|1.9|C|F}}.<ref name="eca.knmi.nl">{{Cite web|url=https://eca.knmi.nl//download/millennium/millennium.php |title=Indices Data – Skegness Station 1839 |website=The European Climate Assessment and Dataset |publisher=[[KNMI (institute)|KNMI]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709010608/https://eca.knmi.nl//download/millennium/millennium.php |archive-date=9 July 2018 |access-date=24 January 2020}}</ref>

{{Weather box|location = Skegness{{efn|Weather station is located {{convert|0.5|mi|1|abbr=out}} from the Skegness town centre.}}<br />[[Location identifier#WMO station identifiers|WMO ID]]: 03395; coordinates {{coord|53.14789|N|0.34629|E|type:landmark_region:GB|name=Met Office Skegness|format=dms}}; elevation: {{convert|6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}; 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1904–present
| metric first = y
| single line  = y
| Jan record high C = 14.8
| Feb record high C = 17.2
| Mar record high C = 21.7
| Apr record high C = 24.3
| May record high C = 27.1
| Jun record high C = 31.4
| Jul record high C = 32.1
| Aug record high C = 32.4
| Sep record high C = 30.0
| Oct record high C = 27.4
| Nov record high C = 19.4
| Dec record high C = 15.6
| Jan high C = 7.2
| Feb high C = 7.8
| Mar high C = 10.0
| Apr high C = 12.3
| May high C = 15.2
| Jun high C = 18.2
| Jul high C = 20.6
| Aug high C = 20.7
| Sep high C = 18.1
| Oct high C = 14.3
| Nov high C = 10.3
| Dec high C = 7.6
| year high C = 13.2
| Jan mean C = 4.8
| Feb mean C = 5.0
| Mar mean C = 6.8
| Apr mean C = 8.9
| May mean C = 11.8
| Jun mean C = 14.7
| Jul mean C = 16.9
| Aug mean C = 17.0
| Sep mean C = 14.6
| Oct mean C = 11.4
| Nov mean C = 7.6
| Dec mean C = 5.1
| year mean C = 10.4
| Jan low C = 2.3
| Feb low C = 2.2
| Mar low C = 3.5
| Apr low C = 5.4
| May low C = 8.4
| Jun low C = 11.2
| Jul low C = 13.1
| Aug low C = 13.3
| Sep low C = 11.1
| Oct low C = 8.4
| Nov low C = 5.0
| Dec low C = 2.6
| year low C = 7.2
| Jan record low C = -10.6
| Feb record low C = -12.2
| Mar record low C = -7.8
| Apr record low C = -7.2
| May record low C = -2.2
| Jun record low C = 1.9
| Jul record low C = 3.9
| Aug record low C = 3.3
| Sep record low C = 0.0
| Oct record low C = -3.9
| Nov record low C = -6.7
| Dec record low C = -11.7
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 52.3
| Feb precipitation mm = 40.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 37.6
| Apr precipitation mm = 37.1
| May precipitation mm = 45.0
| Jun precipitation mm = 52.4
| Jul precipitation mm = 57.5
| Aug precipitation mm = 62.2
| Sep precipitation mm = 50.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 63.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 58.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 55.5
| year precipitation mm = 612.2
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 11.2
| Feb precipitation days = 9.6
| Mar precipitation days = 8.5
| Apr precipitation days = 8.0
| May precipitation days = 8.0
| Jun precipitation days = 8.6
| Jul precipitation days = 9.3
| Aug precipitation days = 9.2
| Sep precipitation days = 8.7
| Oct precipitation days = 10.4
| Nov precipitation days = 12.0
| Dec precipitation days = 11.4
| year precipitation days = 115.0
| source 1 = [[European Climate Assessment and Dataset]].<ref name="eca.knmi.nl"/>
}}
{{notelist
}}

== History ==
=== Prehistoric and medieval ===
There is evidence of late [[Iron Age|Iron-Age]] and early [[Roman Britain|Roman]] [[saltmaking]] activity in the Skegness area.<ref>{{Harvnb|Owen|Coates|2003|p=43}}. {{Harvnb|Kime|1986||p=13}} says local salt-making began in the Bronze Age. For further discussion about this industry, see {{Harvnb|Lane|Morris|2001}}.</ref> Place names and a report of a castle in the medieval settlement have been interpreted as evidence that a Roman fort existed in the town before being lost to the sea in the late Middle Ages.<ref name=":0">{{Harvnb|Owen|Coates|2003|p=43}}.</ref> The archaeologist [[Charles Phillips (archaeologist)|Charles Phillips]] suggested that Skegness was the terminus of a Roman road running from Lincoln through [[Burgh le Marsh]] and the location of a Roman ferry which crossed The Wash to [[Norfolk]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Owen|Coates|2003|pp=42–43}}.</ref> If the Roman fortifications indeed existed, it is likely that the Anglo-Saxons used them as a coastal shore fort. Later, the Vikings settled in Lincolnshire; their influence is detected in many local place names.<ref name=":4">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=13}}.</ref> Skegness's name combines the [[Old Norse]] words ''Skeggi'' and ''ness'', and means either "Skeggi's [[headland]]" or "beard-shaped headland";<ref>{{Harvnb|Cameron|Ingsley|1998|p=110}}.</ref> Skeggi (meaning "bearded one") may be the name of a [[Vikings|Viking]] settler or it could derive from the Old Norse word ''[[wikt:skegg#Old Norse|skegg]]'' "beard" and have been used to describe the shape of the landform.<ref name=":1">{{Harvnb|Mills|2011}} gives both possibilities.</ref> Skegness was not named in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' of 1086. It is usually identified with the ''Domesday'' settlement called [[Tric (vill)|Tric]].<ref name="Owen and Coates 2003, p. 42">{{Harvnb|Owen|Coates|2003|p=42}}.</ref>{{Refn|The geographer [[Ian Simmons]] says Skegness was "probably reckoned" with Ingoldmells in the Domesday Book, and that Tric was a separate vill,<ref>{{Cite web |author-link=Ian Simmons |last=Simmons |first=Ian G. |url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/east-lincs-history/investigations/the-saxon-shore-the-vikings-and-domesday-book/ |title=2.1 The Saxon Shore, the Vikings and Domesday Book |website=Margins of the East Fen: Historic Landscape Evolution |publisher=[[University of Durham]] |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052911/https://www.dur.ac.uk/east-lincs-history/investigations/the-saxon-shore-the-vikings-and-domesday-book/ |archive-date=23 May 2020}} § 2.1.6.</ref> but this view is not shared by most other authors.<ref name="Owen and Coates 2003, p. 42" /><br />In Domesday there are four entries for Tric: [[Alan Rufus|Alan of Brittany]] had an estate there which was [[soke (legal)|sokeland]] of his manor of [[Dry Drayton|Drayton]]; Eudo of [[Tattershall]] had two estates there, sokeland of his manors of Burgh Le Marsh and Addlethorpe respectively; and [[Robert Despenser]] had sokeland belonging to his manor of "Guldelsmere" which is normally identified with Ingoldmells.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=13}}. The full extent of these manors are given in {{Harvnb|Foster|Longley|1924|pp=70, 137, 158}}.</ref><br />According to the local historian W. O. Massingberd, there was no manor of Skegness, the "greater part" (including the township, the banks, dykes, port and shore) being under the jurisdiction of the manor of Ingoldmells (though the [[Bishop of Lincoln]] had a small manor in Skegness and some land was held in the parish as a parcel of the manor of Croft).<ref>{{Harvnb|Massingberd|1902|p=xiv}}.</ref> The manor of Ingoldmells was Despencer's Domesday estate. It passed to his brother [[Urse d'Abetot]] probably in the late 1090s; Urse exchanged them with [[de Lacy#Lords of Pontefract, Bowland and Clitheroe|Robert de Lacy, lord of Pontefract]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Mason|2009|p=84}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Massingberd|1902|pp=ix–xi}}.</ref> After a period of [[Forfeiture (law)|forfeiture]] in the 12th century (when they were held by Hugh de Leval and probably his son Guy), the de Lacy estates in England were settled on Robert's granddaughter and heiress Albreda de Lisours, who gave them to her own grandson [[Roger de Lacy (1170–1211)|Roger de Lacy]] by agreement in 1194. The Ingoldmells property then descended with the [[Honour of Pontefract]] through the de Lacy family until [[Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln]] entailed them to his daughter [[Alice de Lacy, 4th Countess of Lincoln|Alice]] and her husband [[Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster]] and their descendants, with a remainder to the heirs of Thomas. After Thomas and Alice died childless, the manor was inherited in 1348 by Thomas's nephew [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster]] (died 1360); it passed to [[John of Gaunt]] (died 1399), the husband of the duke's daughter and eventual sole heiress [[Blanche of Lancaster|Blanche]], and then to their son Henry of Bolingbroke, who became [[Henry IV of England|King Henry IV]], after which the lordship of the manor merged in the crown.<ref>{{Harvnb|Massingberd|1902|pp=xi–xiii}}.</ref> [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] sold it to trustees for the [[City of London Corporation]] in 1628, who disposed of it in 1657; the following year, it was acquired by Sir [[Drayner Massingberd]], whose direct descendant possessed the manor of Ingoldmells-cum-Addlethorpe in 1902.<ref>{{Harvnb|Massingberd|1902|pp=xiii–xiv}}.</ref>|group="n"}} The historian [[Arthur Owen (historian)|Arthur Owen]] and the linguist [[Richard Coates]] have argued that Tric derived its name from ''Traiectus'', [[Latin]] for "crossing", referring to the Roman ferry that Phillips argues launched from Skegness.<ref>{{Harvnb|Owen|Coates|2003|pp=42–44}}.</ref>{{Refn|In a dissertation on Lindsey place names, Irene Bower speculates that it may have been an abbreviated form of "''treow-wic''", meaning "places where there are trees" and referencing submerged Neolithic forests found in this part of the coast.<ref name="Bower 1940, p. 174">{{Harvnb|Bower|1940|p=174}}.</ref>|group="n"}} The name Skegness appears in the 12th century,<ref>{{Harvnb|Mills|2011}}.</ref> and further references are known from the 13th.<ref name="Bower 1940, p. 174"/>

Natural sea defences (including a [[promontory]] or cape, as the place name suggests, and [[Shoal|barrier shoals]] and [[dune]]s) protected a [[Harbor|harbour]] at Skegness in the Middle Ages.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|p=80}}.</ref> It was relatively small and its trade in the 14th century was predominantly [[Short-sea shipping|coastal]]; its economic fortunes were probably closely related to those of nearby coastal ports, such as Wainfleet, which in turn depended on the larger port at Boston which was heavily involved in the [[wool]] trade.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|pp=127, 148}}.</ref> It was also an important fishing port.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|pp=182, 190}}.</ref> During the medieval period the offshore barrier islands which sheltered the coast were destroyed, very likely in the 13th century during a period of exceptionally stormy weather. This left the coast exposed to the sea; later in the Middle Ages, frequent storms and floods eroded sea defences.<ref name=":10">{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|pp=73–76}}.</ref> Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Skegness was one of several coastal settlements to incur major loss of land. Local people attempted to make artificial banks, but they were costly.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|p=79}}.</ref> Rising sea levels further threatened the coast<ref name="simmons2-2-1-4">{{Cite web |author-link=Ian Simmons |last=Simmons |first=Ian G. |url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/east-lincs-history/investigations/from-1100-1500-the-coast/ |title=2.2 From 1100–1500: The Coast |website=Margins of the East Fen: Historic Landscape Evolution |publisher=[[University of Durham]] |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052910/https://www.dur.ac.uk/east-lincs-history/investigations/from-1100-1500-the-coast/ |archive-date=23 May 2020}} § 2.2.1.4.</ref> and in 1525 or 1526 Skegness was largely washed away in a storm, along with the hamlets of East and West Meales.<ref name=":2">{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|pp=80–81}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=84}}.</ref>{{Refn|A "meale" was a sand dune; it comes from the Old Norse "melr", meaning "a sand bank" or "sand hill";<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|p=81}}.</ref> West Meles has also been recorded as Westmells.<ref name="simmons2-2-1-4" />|group="n"}}

=== Later fishing and farming village ===
Skegness was rebuilt along the new coastline.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kime |first=Winston |url=https://www.skegness.gov.uk/history-of-skegness.html |title=History of Skegness |website=Skegness Town Council |date=3 June 2016 |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722213800/https://www.skegness.gov.uk/history-of-skegness.html |archive-date=22 July 2020}} See also {{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=12}}, for a map.</ref> By 1543, when the antiquarian [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] visited the town, he noted that "For old Skegnes is now buildid a pore new thing";<ref name=":2" /> the settlement was principally a small farming and fishing village throughout the early modern period,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MLI86086&resourceID=1006 |title=Settlement of Skegness (HER no. 45510) |website=Heritage Gateway |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052913/https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MLI86086&resourceID=1006 |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> with the marshland providing good summer [[pasture]] for sheep.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 16">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=16}}.</ref> Over the course of the 16th century, the sea continued to encroach into the land at Skegness, while depositing sand banks further south, leading to the creation of Gibraltar Point.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1984|pp=81–83}}.</ref><ref name="Kime 1986, p. 16" /> Roman [[Levee|Bank]], a clay sea defence upon which the A52 road now runs through Skegness, was built in the latter part of the century.<ref>{{Cite web |author-link=Ian Simmons |last=Simmons |first=Ian G. |url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/east-lincs-history/investigations/from-1100-1500-the-coast/ |title=2.2 From 1100–1500: The Coast |website=Margins of the East Fen: Historic Landscape Evolution |publisher=[[University of Durham]] |access-date=20 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052910/https://www.dur.ac.uk/east-lincs-history/investigations/from-1100-1500-the-coast/ |archive-date=23 May 2020}} § 2.2.4.4.</ref><ref>A description of the bank is in {{Harvnb|Edwards|1962|p=314}}.</ref><ref>Although {{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=13}}, calls the bank medieval, he also dates work on it to the late 16th century (p. 83).</ref> Much of the land in and around Skegness came into the hands of [[Nicholas Saunderson, 1st Viscount Castleton]],<ref name=":5">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=14}}.</ref> who [[Enclosure|enclosed]] {{convert|400|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of saltmarsh in 1627 and later in the 17th century reclaimed more marshland which had emerged from the sea, sheltered behind the growing Gibraltar Point.<ref name=":6">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=14–17}}.</ref> [[George Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton|His descendant]] was responsible for erecting Green Bank between Roman Bank and the shore in ''c''. 1670, allowing more lands to be converted to agriculture.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=85}}.</ref> The Lords Castleton enclosed a large portion of the land around Skegness by 1740,<ref name=":9">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=18}}.</ref> over {{convert|800|acre|ha|abbr=off}}.<ref name=":8">{{Harvnb|Thirsk|1957|p=68}}.</ref> The Castleton estate passed through the male line which became extinct in 1723 on the death of the 5th Viscount, who bequeathed his estate to his cousin [[Thomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of Scarbrough|Thomas Lumley]]; in 1739 Lumley became 3rd [[Earl of Scarbrough]]. By 1845, the Scarbrough estate comprised {{convert|1219|acre|ha|abbr=off}} at Skegness.<ref name=":6" />{{Refn|The Drake family of Shardeloes Park and the Tyrwhitts of Stainfield also had estates at Seacroft and Croft Marsh in the 17th and 18th centuries (Sir Edward Tyrwhitt had been involved in costly disputes with the first Lord Castleton over lands in Skegness). The Tyrwhitt portion was inherited by the Drakes in 1776 and included a large [[Warren (burrow)|warren]] south of Skegness; the family's holdings covered {{convert|3000|acre|ha|abbr=off}} and extended from Seacroft to Wainfleet.<ref name=":7b">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=16–17}}.</ref> A large part of this land was purchased by speculative developers in the 1920s and 1930s, but the major developer went into liquidation in 1934 and the proposed housing estates were not developed; it was purchased by the county council soon afterwards and was designated as Gibraltar Point nature reserve in 1952.<ref>{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=177}}.</ref>|group="n"}} Although the population rose above 300 by 1851,<ref name="Hewson 1986, p. 63">{{Harvnb|Hewson|1986|p=63}}.</ref> the settlement "was still very much an undeveloped village of fishermen, farmers and farm hands" in the early 1870s.<ref name=":3">{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=64}}.</ref>

=== Early resort ===
Local [[gentry]] began visiting the village for leisure from the late 18th century.{{Refn|group="n"|The local historian Richard Gurnham describes the clientele as "local gentry", without specifying further.<ref name=":3" /> The local historian Winston Kime also does not specify how far people travelled to holiday in the village, but quotes Canon [[Hardwicke Rawnsley|Drummond Rawnsley]] as describing the visitors as "local gentry", including members of the Rawnsley, Maddison, Tennyson, Allington, Massingberd, Brackenbury and Wall families.<ref name="Kime1986-19" /> Thomas Hawkes, a resident of [[Spalding, Lincolnshire|Spalding]], recorded in the 1790s that the [[The Fens|Fenland]] town was "much frequented" by visitors from [[Leicestershire]] and elsewhere on their way to bathe in the sea at [[Freiston]], Skegness or [[Cleethorpes]].<ref>Quoted in {{Harvnb|Wright|1982|p=64}}.</ref>}} The [[sea air]] was thought to have health-giving qualities.<ref name="Kime1986-19">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=19}}.</ref> To capitalise on this trend, the Skegness Hotel opened in 1770; visitors could reach it by [[Horsebus|omnibus]] from Boston, which was the terminus of several [[stagecoach]]es.<ref name="Stennett116">{{Harvnb|Stennett|2016|p=116}}.</ref> The first reference to [[bathing machine]]s on Skegness's shores dates to 1784 though they are thought to have been present earlier.<ref name=":3" /> Private houses also opened their doors to lodgers,<ref name=":3" /> and other hotels opened.<ref name="Kime1986-19-20">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=19–21}}.</ref><ref name="Kime 1986, p. 47">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=47}}.</ref> Born and raised at [[Somersby, Lincolnshire|Somersby]], the poet [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson|Alfred Tennyson]] holidayed at Skegness as a young man;<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=19–20}}.</ref> some scholars have drawn parallels between his poetry and the landscape he encountered on these visits.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mb0cr |title=Between the Ears: Tennyson in Skegness |website=[[BBC Radio 3]] |date=5 June 2010 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523084921/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mb0cr |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Rawnsley|1911|p=16}}.</ref>

=== Railways and the modern resort ===
[[File:Poacher Line Skegness.svg|alt=|thumb|The railway line connecting the East Midlands cities with Skegness]]
The [[East Lincolnshire Railway]], running along the coast between Boston and [[Grimsby]], opened in 1848. In 1871, a branch line was built to Wainfleet All Saints with rolling stock operated by the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]]; an extension to Skegness was approved by [[shareholder]]s that year<ref>{{Harvnb|Pearson|1968|p=284}}.</ref> and the railways arrived at Skegness in 1873.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=63}}.</ref> The line was designed to bring [[day trip]]pers to the seaside.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":11">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=31}}.</ref> Rising wages and better holiday provision meant that some [[Working class|working-class]] people from the East Midlands [[factory]] towns could afford to have a holiday for the first time.<ref name=":11" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Beastall|1975|p=184}}.</ref> With [[Great Depression of British Agriculture|agriculture in depression]], the major landowner [[Richard Lumley, 9th Earl of Scarbrough]] had seen his local rental income decline; his agent, H. V. Tippet, decided that the earl's fortunes might be revived if he turned Skegness into a seaside resort.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 32">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=32}}.</ref>{{Refn|group="n"|Henry Vivian Tippet was born in Bristol on 8 November 1833 and became agent to Lord Scarbrough in 1861. He moved to Skegness in 1882 and died there on 9 February 1902.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Death of Mr H. V. Tippet, of Skegness |work=Boston Guardian |date=15 February 1902 |page=8 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001888/19020215/188/0008 |access-date=4 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> The historian [[Philip Waller|P. J. Waller]] calls him "the prime mover" behind Skegness's transformation into a modern resort.<ref>{{Harvnb|Waller|1983|p=139}}.</ref>}} A road plan was developed and the earl took out a mortgage of £120,000 to fund developments. In 1878, the full plan laid out plots for 787 houses in a grid-aligned settlement on {{convert|96|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of land between the shoreline and Roman Bank north of the High Street.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 32" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|pp=65–66}}.</ref> Scarbrough Avenue would run inland from the centre of the Parade and was bisected by Lumley Avenue, with a new church in the [[roundabout]]. At the end of Scarbrough Avenue would be a [[pier]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=32, 36}}.</ref>

[[File:The parade, Skegness, England-LCCN2002708101.jpg|thumb|The Grand Parade before the clock tower was built, looking north towards the pier. The Marine Gardens are on the right.]] The earl spent thousands of pounds on laying roads and the [[sewerage]] system, and building the sea wall (finished in 1878).<ref>{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=66}}.</ref><ref name="Robinson 1989, p. 156">{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=156}}.</ref> He provided or invested in other amenities, including the gas and water supply, [[Skegness Pier]] (opened in 1881), the [[pleasure garden]]s (finished in 1881), the [[steamboat]]s (launched by 1883) and [[Turkish bath|bathing pools]] (1883).<ref>{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|pp=66–67}}.</ref><ref>The dates for the foundations of the water works, bathing pools and pier are from {{Harvnb|Kelly|1885|p=621}}. See {{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=47}} for the launching of the steamboats.</ref> He donated land and money towards the building of [[St Matthew's Church, Skegness|St Matthew's Church]], two [[Methodism|Methodist]] chapels, a school and the cricket ground.<ref name=":12">{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=67}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1230006 |title=Church of St Matthew (List Entry No. 1230006) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052911/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1230006 |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> Housebuilding was left to speculative builders; the earliest development was concentrated along Lumley Road, which offered a direct route from the train station to the seafront. Newspapers across the Midlands advertised properties, and shops began opening.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=32–34}}.</ref> By 1881 almost a thousand people had moved into the town.<ref name=":13">{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=71}}.</ref> According to the local historian Winston Kime, Skegness had become known as a "trippers' paradise" by 1880.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 47" /> The August [[bank holiday]] in 1882 saw 20,000 descend on the town to enjoy the beach and the sea, the many games and amusements that had popped up in the town, the pleasure boat trips that had just started launching from the pier, and the [[donkey rides]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=45–47}}.</ref> Building contracted after the 1883 season,<ref>{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|pp=72–73}}.</ref> although in 1888 the accreted sands in front of the sea wall south of the pier were converted into the Marine Gardens,<ref name=":14">{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=73}}.</ref> a lawn with trees and hedges.<ref name=":23" /> The undeveloped lands north of Scarbrough Avenue were fenced in and planted with trees in a space called The Park.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":36">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=33}}.</ref> This stagnation coincided with a declining number of day-trippers, which fell from a peak of 230,277 in 1882 to 118,473 in 1885.<ref name=":14" /> The local historian Richard Gurnham could not find a clear explanation for this decline in contemporary reports, though one newspaper article from 1884 blamed "the [[Economic depression|depression]] of trade" in Nottingham for a fall in visitor numbers compared with the previous year.<ref name=":14" />

=== 1890s to 1945: boom years ===
[[File:Poster, GNR. 'Skegness is So Bracing' by John Hassall.jpg|alt=|right|thumb|[[John Hassall (illustrator)|John Hassall]]'s "Jolly Fisherman" poster (1908)]]
Fortunes changed during the 1890s;<ref name=":15">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=48–49}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=74}}.</ref> in the words of the historian Susan Barton, "Skegness and other 'lower' status resorts provided cheap amusements, beach entertainers, street traders and, by the end of the nineteenth century, spectacular entertainment for a mass market".<ref>{{Harvnb|Barton|2005|p=134}}.</ref> [[Nursing home care|Convalescent homes]] began opening in the town, the earliest being the Nottinghamshire Convalescent Home for Men (1891). Holiday homes or camps for the poor opened in 1891 and 1907.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=49–50}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Dutton|1922|p=62}}.</ref> The town became an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] in 1895.<ref>{{Harvnb|Dutton|1922|p=81}}.</ref> In 1908 the famous "[[The Jolly Fisherman|Jolly Fisherman]]" poster was used by the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|GNR]] to advertise day trips from [[London King's Cross railway station|King's Cross]] in London.<ref name=":17">{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=171}}.</ref> By 1913 more than 750,000 people made excursions to the town.<ref name=":17" /> Aside from bathing and enjoying the sands, visitors to Skegness found entertainment in the pier, which had a concert hall, saloon and theatre. Other theatres and picture houses opened in the early 20th century.<ref name="Robinson 1989, p. 174">{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=174}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=53–54, 56, 103}}.</ref> Britain's first [[Switchback Railway|switchback railway]] had opened in the town in 1885 or 1887.{{Refn|Historic England give 1885,<ref>{{Harvnb|Brodie|Stamper|2015|p=15}}.</ref> but the amusement ride historian Martin Easdown says the first switchback in Britain was installed in 1887 and that by the end of the year one was in place at Skegness.<ref>{{Harvnb|Easdown|2012|p=11}}.</ref> It was on the sands north of the pier.|group="n"}} A fairground operated on the central beach before the [[World War I|First World War]] and the Figure 8 [[roller coaster]] replaced the switchback in 1908.<ref name="Kime 1986, pp. 103–104">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=103–104}}.</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1443891 |title=Skegness Esplanade and Tower Gardens (List Entry No. 443891) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327231727/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1443891 |archive-date=27 March 2019}}</ref> By 1911, the population had reached 3,775.<ref name="auto">{{Harvnb|Pevsner|Harris|Antram|1989|p=644}}.</ref>

Seventy-one local servicemen who died in the First World War are commemorated on the town's war memorial.<ref name="war-memorial">{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1441366?section=official-list-entry |title=Skegness War Memorial (List Entry No. 1441366) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204132237/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1441366?section=official-list-entry |archive-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> Aside from a [[seaplane]] base briefly established by the town in 1914, the conflict brought little change to the town's fabric.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=128}}.</ref> Its popularity as a tourist destination grew in the [[Interwar period|interwar]] years and boomed during the 1930s.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 104">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=104}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1969|p= 80}}.</ref> The urban district council purchased the seafront in 1922 and its surveyor R. H. Jenkins oversaw the construction of Tower [[Esplanade]] (1923), the boating lake (1924, extended in 1932), the Fairy Dell [[Swimming pool|paddling pool]], and the Embassy Ballroom and an outdoor pool in 1928, and remodelled the foreshore north of the pier in 1931. [[Billy Butlin]] (who had been a stall holder on the beach since 1925) built permanent amusements south of the pier in 1929.<ref name=":23" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=100–103, 109}}.</ref> In 1932 the first [[Illuminations (festival)|illuminations]] were turned on; the following year Butlin launched a [[carnival]]. Cinemas and [[casino]]s joined the theatres of the Edwardian period as popular attractions, while some of the apartments and houses by the seafront were converted into shops, cafés and arcades. In 1936, Butlin built [[Butlins Skegness|his own]] all-in [[holiday camp]] in Ingoldmells, providing entertainment and facilities for guests.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=103–105}}.</ref> It was joined in 1939 by [[The Derbyshire Miners' Holiday Camp]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Strange|2007|p=206}}.</ref> This coincided with growth in the residential area, mostly speculative developments and some [[council house|council housing]];{{Refn|group="n"|Speculative housing was put up north of Scarbrough Avenue from the 1920s by T. L. Kirk and J. H. Canning,<ref name="Robinson 1989, p. 156" /> and after Castleton Boulevard was built in 1934 the original plan area was largely filled in.<ref name=":39"/> A hundred houses were built in the Richmond Drive area under the [[Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919]],<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 104" /> and private developments took place around Wainfleet Road and Lincoln Road in the 1930s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1969|p= 81}}.</ref>}} North Parade was built up with hotels in the 1930s<ref name=":23" /> and the Seathorne Estate was also laid out in 1925.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001935/19250211/129/0008 |title=Growing Skegness: Development of New Estate |work=Skegness Standard |date=11 February 1925 |page=8 |access-date=4 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}} Progress on the estate was described as "phenomenal" by the ''[[Boston Guardian]]'' two years later: {{Cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001888/19270827/194/0011 |title=Healthy Skegness |work=Boston Guardian |date=27 August 1927 |page=11 |access-date=4 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}} That year, water pipes were also being laid for The Drive and Dormy Avenue: {{Cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001935/19270831/010/0002 |title=Skegness Council |work=Skegness Standard |date=31 August 1927 |page=2 |access-date=4 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> By 1931, the town's population had reached 9,122.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1969|p=168}}.</ref>

===Second World War===
During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the [[Royal Air Force]] billeted thousands of trainees in the town for its No. 11 Recruit Centre. The Butlin's camp was occupied by the [[Royal Navy]], who called it [[HMS Royal Arthur (shore establishment)|HMS ''Royal Arthur'']] and used it for training seamen.

[[Airstrike|Aerial bombing]] of the town began in 1940; there were fatalities on several occasions, the greatest being on 24 October 1941 when twelve residents were killed.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=128–129}}.</ref> Fifty-seven local servicemen died in the conflict and are named on the town's war memorial.<ref name="war-memorial"/>

=== Since the Second World War ===
[[File:Amusement arcade on Grand Parade.jpg|right|thumb|Grand Parade, showing some of the late-20th-century amusements which have replaced hotels and cinemas]]Since the Second World War, [[Self Catering|self-catered]] holidays have become popular, prompting the growth of [[Caravan (towed trailer)|caravan]] parks and [[chalet]] accommodation. By 1981, 20 caravan sites were in operation and five years later there were over 100,000 holiday caravans and chalets in Skegness and Ingoldmells.<ref name=":18">{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=175}}.</ref><ref name="Kime 1986, pp. 134–135">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=134–135}}.</ref> Increasingly the lodgings in the town centre closed or were converted into flats or shops.<ref name=":18" /> The 1970s also witnessed the advent of the cheap [[Package holiday|package airline holiday]] abroad, which took visitors away from British seaside towns.<ref name=":19">{{Harvnb|Walton|2000|p=69}}.</ref> The decline in [[coal mining]] in the East Midlands in the 1980s caused what the [[BBC]] described as a "damaging dip in trade".<ref name=":28">{{Cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/077.stm |title=Vote 2001: Boston and Skegness |website=[[BBC News Online]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203164108/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/077.stm |archive-date=3 February 2020}}</ref> Nevertheless, holiday-makers continued to visit the town and, in the 1980s and 1990s, people ventured to Skegness for their second holiday alongside trips abroad;<ref name=":19" /> it also proved popular among the elderly in the winter months.<ref name=":28" /> The resort's popularity grew during the late 2000s [[Great Recession]], as it offered a cheaper alternative to holidays abroad.<ref name="East Lindsey District Council 2016 p. 96">{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|2016|p=96}}.</ref> Between 2006 and 2008, 870,000 people made overnight trips to Skegness; this figure had risen to 1,030,000 for 2010–2012.<ref>{{Harvnb|VisitEngland|2012|p=12}}.</ref>

The fabric of the town centre has also changed. North and South Bracing were built in 1948–1949. Butlin's left the main amusement park and it was extensively refurbished by Botton Bros in 1966; the switchback on North Parade was demolished in 1970.<ref name="Kime 1986, pp. 134–135" /> Residential development has included council estates near St Clement's Church and Winthorpe,<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 135">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=135}}.</ref> and various private developments.<ref>{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|1995}}, paras. 18.1–18.8 and inset map 40. For the locations, compare inset map 40 with the [[Ordnance Survey]] [https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/556500/363500/10/101320 1:10,000 map from 1970] via Old Maps (retrieved 21 May 2020). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510133720/https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/556500/363500/10/101320 |date=10 May 2019 }}.</ref> The seafront was fully developed in the 1970s and the last of The Park built on in 1982.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=136}}.</ref> In 1971, the pier entrance was remodelled;<ref name="Robinson 1989, p. 174" /> seven years later, a large section was swept away in [[1978 North Sea storm surge|a storm]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://piers.org.uk/pier/skegness/ |title=Skegness |website=[[National Piers Society]] |date=24 March 2016 |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052944/https://piers.org.uk/pier/skegness/ |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> The Embassy Ballroom and the swimming baths were replaced in 1999 with the Embassy Theatre Complex, which includes a theatre, indoor swimming pool, [[leisure centre]] and car park.<ref name=":23" /> By 2001, [[European Union]] grants had provided millions of pounds towards [[Urban renewal|regeneration]] schemes.<ref name=":28" /> Most of the seafront's hotels, cinemas and theatres have been turned into amusement arcades, [[nightclub]]s, shops and bingo halls.<ref>{{Harvnb|Roberts|2016|p=103}}.</ref> What remained of Frederica Terrace, one of Skegness's oldest buildings, had been converted into entertainment bars and arcades before it was destroyed in a fire in 2007.<ref name="bbc-fire">{{Cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/england/lincolnshire/6950796.stm |title=Coastal Arcade Destroyed by Fire |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=17 August 2007 |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-date=26 August 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115215/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/mobile/uk_news/england/lincolnshire/6950796.stm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-40958903 |title=Skegness Seafront Fire Remembered 10 Years On |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=17 August 2017 |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115221/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-40958903}}</ref>

== Economy ==
[[File:Skegness Pier Deck.jpg|thumb|Skegness Pier deck looking seawards]]

According to [[VisitEngland]], in 2011 Skegness was the fourth most popular holiday destination in England among UK residents.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-14797335 |title=Skegness is Fourth Most Popular English Destination – Report |website=[[BBC News Online]] |date=6 September 2011 |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701222914/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-14797335 |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> In 2015, Skegness and Ingoldmells received 1,484,000 visitors, of which 649,000 were day visitors; this brought in £212.83 million in direct expenditure, with an estimated [[Economic impact analysis|economic impact]] of £289.60 million.<ref name=":34">{{Harvnb|Global Tourism Solutions|2016|p=4}}.</ref> The town council has described local employment as "heavily reliant" on tourism.<ref name=":33" /> One estimate suggested that in 2015 2,846 jobs were supported directly by the visitor economy (accounting for around a third of the town's employed residents), with tourism indirectly supporting nearly 900 more.<ref name=":34" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Focus Consultants|2018|p=20}}.</ref> Over half of these jobs were in accommodation and food and drink, with a further 18.1% in [[retail]].<ref name=":34" /> Skegness's visitor economy has been described by the district council as "counter-cyclical"; while continuing to serve a loyal client base, it provides a cheap alternative to holidays abroad and has therefore proven popular when the economy has been slower for the rest of the region.<ref name="East Lindsey District Council 2016 p. 96" /> The seafront is a hub for the tourism industry, much of which is geared towards the provision of food (most famously [[fish and chips]]), amusement arcades and other attractions, including the Botton's Pleasure Beach funfair. The pubs, bars and nightclubs, and neon-lit amusements have earned it the nickname "Skegvegas" (after [[Las Vegas]]).<ref name="naldrett">{{Harvnb|Naldrett|2016|p=126}}.</ref>

Before the 1950s, the only major [[manufacturing]] interest in Skegness was Alfred Hayward's [[Rock (confectionery)|rock]] factory which had opened in the 1920s. After the Second World War, some other [[light industry]] arrived, including [[Murphy Radio]] and the [[nylon]] makers Stiebels;<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 135" /> in 1954 the [[Bearing (mechanical)|bearings]] and [[Packaging and labeling|packaging]] systems manufacturer [[Rose Brothers (Gainsborough) Ltd]] opened a factory on Church Road in a former laundry.<ref name="Rose">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/R/RoseBrothersGainsborough/index.htm |title=History of Rose Brothers (Gainsborough) Ltd |website=Baker Perkins Historical Society |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222020243/http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/R/RoseBrothersGainsborough/index.htm |archive-date=22 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/cafcd26f-da5c-4af9-bc4d-cd46d5903a1e/?context=1519360 |title=Look Back at 'Minebea' Factory Workers in 1958 |work=Skegness Standard |date=18 February 2009 |via=[[LexisNexis|Nexis]] |access-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> The urban district council opened an [[Industrial park|industrial estate]] off Wainfleet Road in 1956 which Murphy and Stiebels moved to. Murphy's successor left the town in the 1970s, but Stiebels and the ride manufacturer R. G. Mitchell were still operating on the estate in the late 1980s, while Rose-Forgrove (which had opened a larger factory in 1977) and Sanderson [[Forklift]]s had factories elsewhere in the town.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 135" /><ref name="Rose" /> The latter went into administration in 1990,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/the-digger-blog/view/sanderson-forklifts-gone-but-not-forgotten |title=Sanderson Forklifts: Gone But Not Forgotten |website=Construction Index |date=10 September 2012 |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115326/https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/the-digger-blog/view/sanderson-forklifts-gone-but-not-forgotten |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> and the Rose Bearings factory was sold to [[MinebeaMitsumi|NMB-Minebea]] in 1992;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/R/RoseBrothersSaxilby/index.htm |title=History of Rose Bearings, Saxilby |website=Baker Perkins Historical Society |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210044337/http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/R/RoseBrothersSaxilby/index.htm |archive-date=10 February 2020}}</ref> they closed it in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/317939c2-ecd4-4d56-86f2-afd998d9837f/?context=1519360 |title=Skegness Factory Closure Leaves 176 Without Jobs |work=Skegness Standard |date=31 March 2009 |via=[[LexisNexis|Nexis]] |access-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> The ride manufacturer R. G. Mitchell was purchased in 2005 by [[Photo-Me International]]; operation resumed under the name Jolly Roger Amusement Rides,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/8c855de6-2276-4fab-affb-dfa31cdae0df/?context=1519360 |title=Photo-Me Intnl. Acquisition |work=[[London Stock Exchange]] Aggregated Regulatory News Service |date=11 July 2005 |via=[[LexisNexis|Nexis]] |access-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> which continues to operate on the industrial estate as of 2020.<ref name=":47">{{Cite web |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/53%C2%B008'32.3%22N+0%C2%B019'23.0%22E/ |title=53°08'32.3"N 0°19'23.0"E |website=[[Google Maps]] |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115217/https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/53%C2%B008%2732.3%22N+0%C2%B019%2723.0%22E/ |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> According to [[Google Maps]], in 2020 there were three other manufacturers operating on the industrial estate: Unique Car Mats (UK) Ltd (founded in 1989), Windale Furnishings Ltd (a caravan seating maker founded in 1993), and Parragon Rubber Company.<ref name=":47" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jolly-roger.co.uk/about-us/ |title=About Us |website=Jolly Roger Amusement Rides |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616171107/https://www.jolly-roger.co.uk/about-us/ |archive-date=16 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.uniqueproductsuk.com/ |title=Home |website=Unique Products UK |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119101154/https://uniqueproductsuk.com/ |archive-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://windalefurnishings.co.uk/about |title=About Us |website=Windale Furnishings Ltd |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115219/https://windalefurnishings.co.uk/about |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> A range of services have outlets on the estate, including a medical practice, two [[Tradesman|skilled trades]], a [[solicitor]], five vehicle repair garages, three other repair services and a [[Mobile disc jockey|mobile disco]]. There is, as of 2020, also a recycling centre and [[driving test]] centre; 16 shops ranging from a cheesemonger to tyre dealers; 12 [[Wholesaling|wholesalers]] in electrics, building materials, plumbing and hardware supply, and 11 other wholesalers in fields including clothing, restaurant equipment, meat and plastic sheeting.<ref name=":47" /> The district council have proposed extending the estate as of 2016. The council also opened the Aura Skegness Business Centre there in 2004.<ref>{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|2016|pp=91, 97}}.</ref>

{{multiple image|direction=horizontal|image1=Gateway, Skegness (1992) - geograph.org.uk - 3721388.jpg|caption1=The Hildred's Shopping Centre which opened in 1988|image2=Skegness Retail Park.jpg|caption2=Skegness Retail Park, developed between 2000 and 2005|total_width = 380}}
Along with [[Louth, Lincolnshire|Louth]], Skegness is "one of the main shopping and commercial centres" in East Lindsey, most likely due to it being the closest service hub for a large part of the surrounding rural area.<ref name=":32">{{Harvnb|Community Resource Planning|2019|p=2}}.</ref> [[Management Horizon Europe]]'s 2008 UK shopping index measured the presence of national suppliers; Skegness was the highest ranked shopping destination in the district. It also ranked highest in the 2013–14 [[Venuescore]] survey.<ref>{{Harvnb|Nathan Lichfield and Partners|2014|p=3}}.</ref> The High Street and Lumley Road are key retail areas,<ref>{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|2018b|pp=36–37}}.</ref> along with the Hildreds Centre (a small [[shopping mall]] which opened in 1988),<ref name="kw-14">{{Harvnb|Kime|Wilkinson|2011|p=14}}.</ref> Skegness Retail Park (developed between 2000 and 2005),<ref>{{Harvnb|Wilkinson Williams|Savills|2013|pp=48–51}}.</ref> and the Quora Retail Park on Burgh Road which opened in 2017 and includes several [[supermarket]]s;<ref>{{Cite news |first=Holly |last=O'Flinn |url=https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/started-queueing-530am-dozens-shoppers-650281 |title=They Started Queuing at 5.30am! Dozens of Shoppers Line up in the Rain for Launch of New Aldi Store |work=[[Lincolnshire Live]] |date=19 October 2017 |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716113326/https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/started-queueing-530am-dozens-shoppers-650281 |archive-date=16 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Avison Young|2020 |p=19}}.</ref> other supermarkets operate elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.visittheseaside.com/skegness/supermarkets |title=Supermarkets in Skegness |website=Visit The Seaside |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701005021/https://www.visittheseaside.com/skegness/supermarkets |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref>{{Refn|group="n"|[[Safeway (UK)|Safeway]] was given permission to build a supermarket off Wainfleet Road in 1992; it was subsequently acquired by [[Morrisons]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://publicaccess.e-lindsey.gov.uk/online-applications/buildingControlDetails.do?previousCaseType=Property&keyVal=_EASTL_BCAPR_10054&previousCaseNumber=_EASTL_PROPLPI_60240_3&previousCaseUprn=10008519865&activeTab=summary&previousKeyVal=_EASTL_PROPLPI_60240_3 |title=153/00624/92/FP |website=East Lindsey District Council Planning Portal |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716173934/https://publicaccess.e-lindsey.gov.uk/online-applications/buildingControlDetails.do?previousCaseType=Property&keyVal=_EASTL_BCAPR_10054&previousCaseNumber=_EASTL_PROPLPI_60240_3&previousCaseUprn=10008519865&activeTab=summary&previousKeyVal=_EASTL_PROPLPI_60240_3 |archive-date=16 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://publicaccess.e-lindsey.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=_EASTL_PROPLPI_60240_3 |title=Property History: 10008519865 |website=East Lindsey District Council Planning Portal |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716173931/https://publicaccess.e-lindsey.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=_EASTL_PROPLPI_60240_3 |archive-date=16 July 2020}}</ref> [[Lidl]] opened a supermarket on Richmond Drive in ''c''. 2000<ref>{{Cite news |title=Shopping bid |work=Grimsby Evening Telegraph |date=14 December 2000 |page=5}}</ref> and [[Tesco]] was granted permission to build its supermarket nearby in 2002.<ref>{{Harvnb|Friends of the Earth|2007|p=24}}.</ref>}} Occupancy rates are relatively high: in 2015, 4% of ground-floor retail units were vacant, which is less than half the national average and down from 9% in 2009.<ref>{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|2016|p=92}}.</ref> Nevertheless, Skegness is relatively weak at offering higher value [[comparison good]]s, with Lincoln and Grimsby being key destinations for high-value shopping.<ref name=":32" />

== Demography ==
{{Historical populations
|title = [[Population growth|Population changes]] of Skegness (Civil Parish)
| align = right
| shading = off
| pop_name = Population
| percentages = on
| cols = 2
| 1801 | 134
| 1811 | 132
| 1821 | 150
| 1831 | 185
| 1841 | 316
| 1851 | 366
| 1861 | 322
| 1871 | 349
| 1881 | 1,338
| 1882{{Refn|group="n"|This was an unofficial census carried out locally.<ref name=":14" />}} | 1,934
| 1891 | 1,488
| 1901 | 2,140
| 1911 | 3,775
| 1921 | 9,246
| 1931 | 9,122
| 1951 | 12,539
| 1961 | 12,847
| 1971 | 13,578
| 1981 | 14,452
| 1991 | 15,149
| 2001 | 18,910
| 2011 | 19,579
| align-fn=center
| source  = <ref name=":29">Figures for 1801–1961, except 1861 and 1871, are taken from {{Cite web |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10450688/cube/TOT_POP |title=Skegness CP/AP |website=[[Vision of Britain]] |publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]] |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701192150/https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10450688/cube/TOT_POP |archive-date=1 July 2020}} The figures for 1861 and 1871 are from {{Harvnb|Hewson|1986|p=63}}. The local census conducted in 1882 is cited in {{Harvnb|Gurnham|1972|p=73}}. The figure for 1971 was accessed via a query in [http://casweb.mimas.ac.uk/ "Casweb"]. ''[[UK Data Service]]''. Retrieved 28 June 2020. The 1981 figure is from {{Harvnb|Fullard|1983|p=15}}. The 1991 figure is from {{Harvnb|Office for National Statistics|1998|p=180}}. The 2001 figure is from {{Harvnb|Lincolnshire Research Observatory|2003|p=1}}. The 2011 figure is from {{Cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04005719 |title=Skegness Parish: Local Area Report |website=Nomis: Official Labour Market Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics (United Kingdom)|Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628112751/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04005719 |archive-date=28 June 2020}}</ref>
}}

=== Population change ===
The [[Poll tax#Great Britain|poll tax]] returns for 1377 recorded 140 people living in Skegness over the age of 14; in 1563 there were 14 households, and in the late 17th century there were ten families.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstothepast.com/Settlement-of-Skegness/242609.record?pt=S |title=Settlement of Skegness |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]] |access-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826115216/https://www.lincstothepast.com/Settlement-of-Skegness/242609.record?pt=S |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> The first [[Census in the United Kingdom|census]] of the parish was conducted in 1801 and recorded a population of 134. It had risen above 300 by 1841 and reached 366 ten years later, before dropping back to 349 in 1871. Following the initial development of the seaside resort, the population rose rapidly,<ref name="Hewson 1986, p. 63" /> contracted in the 1880s<ref name=":14" /> and then rose sharply so that by 1921 the resident population was over 9,000. This figure reached 12,539 in 1951, and continued to rise at varying rates over the century. It had reached 18,910 in 2001 and 19,579 in the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]].<ref name=":29" /> As designated by the [[Office for National Statistics (United Kingdom)|Office for National Statistics]], the Skegness [[built-up area]] incorporates the contiguous conurbation extending north through Ingoldmells to [[Chapel St Leonards]]; this had a population of 24,876 in 2011 which makes it the largest settlement in the East Lindsey district (followed by Louth)<ref>{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|2016|p=10}}.</ref> and represents about 18% of the district's population.<ref>Compare with {{Cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E07000137 |title=East Lindsey Local Authority |website=Nomis: Official Labour Market Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711184906/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E07000137 |archive-date=11 July 2020}}</ref>

=== Ethnicity and religion ===
According to the 2011 census, Skegness's population was 97.6% [[White people|White]]; 1% [[Asian people|Asian]] or [[British Asian]]; 0.4% [[Black people|Black]], [[Demographics of Africa|African]], [[Caribbean people|Caribbean]] or [[Black British people|Black British]]; and 0.9% [[Mixed ethnicity|mixed]] or multi-ethnic; and 0.1% other. The population is therefore less ethnically diverse than England as a whole. 94.2% of the town's population were born in the United Kingdom, compared with 86.2% nationally; 3.5% were born in European Union countries other than the UK and Ireland, of which more than three quarters (2.7% of the total) were born in [[Enlargement of the European Union|post-2001 accession states]]; for England, the figures were 3.7% and 2.0% respectively. 1.8% of the population was born outside the EU, whereas the total for England was 9.4%.<ref name="nomis-skeg">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04005719 |title=Skegness Parish: Local Area Report |website=Nomis: Official Labour Market Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628112751/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04005719 |archive-date=28 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="nomis-eng">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E92000001 |title=England: Country Report |website=Nomis: Official Labour Market Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622012249/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E92000001 |archive-date=22 June 2020}}</ref>

In the 2011 census, 68.2% of Skegness's population said they were [[Religion|religious]] and 24.9% said they [[Irreligion|did not follow a religion]], very similar to England as a whole (68.1% and 24.7% respectively). However, compared to England's population, [[Christians]] were a higher proportion of the Skegness population (66.8%), and all other groups were present at a lower proportion than the national rates. There were 8 [[Sikhs]] in Skegness, making up a negligible proportion of the population compared with 0.8% nationally; [[Hindus]] composed 0.1% (compared with 1.5% in England), [[Muslims]] 0.5% against 5% nationally, [[Jews|Jewish people]] 0.1% compared with 0.5% for all of England, and [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] 0.2% of the town's population, contrasting with 0.5% nationally.<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
! colspan=14 | Ethnicity, nationality and religious affiliation of residents (2011)<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />
|-
!
!White
!Asian or British Asian
!Black, African, Caribbean or Black British
!Mixed or multi-ethnic
!Other ethnicity
!Born in UK
!Born in EU (except UK and Ireland)
!Born outside EU
!Religious
!Did not follow a religion
!Christian
!Muslim
!Other religions
|-
!Skegness
|97.6%
|1.0%
|0.4%
|0.9%
|0.1%
|94.2%
|3.5%
|1.8%
|68.2%
|24.9%
|66.8%
|0.5%
|0.4%
|-
!England
|85.4%
|7.8%
|3.5%
|2.3%
|1.0%
|86.2%
|3.7%
|9.4%
|68.1%
|24.7%
|59.4%
|5.0%
|2.5%
|}

=== Household composition, age, health and housing ===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed floatright"
! colspan=3 | Gender, age, health and household characteristics (2011)<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />
|-
!Characteristics
!Skegness
!England
|-
|Male
|47.8%
|49.2%
|-
|Female
|52.2%
|50.8%
|-
|Married{{Refn|group="n"|name=first|Residents aged 16 and over}}
|45.3%
|46.6%
|-
|Single{{Refn|group="n"|name=first}}
|28.8%
|34.6%
|-
|Divorced{{Refn|group="n"|name=first}}
|12.8%
|9.0%
|-
|Widowed{{Refn|group="n"|name=first}}
|10.3%
|6.9%
|-
|One-person households
|35.9%
|30.2%
|-
|One-family households
|58.1%
|61.8%
|-
|Mean age
|44.3
|39.3
|-
|Median age
|46.0
|39.0
|-
|Population under 20
|21.0%
|24.0%
|-
|Population over 60
|32.2%
|22.0%
|-
|Residents in good health
|69.6%
|81.4%
|-
|Owner-occupiers{{Refn|group="n"|name=first1|Households}}
|54.7%
|63.3%
|-
|Private renters{{Refn|group="n"|name=first1}}
|27.5%
|16.8%
|-
|Social renters{{Refn|group="n"|name=first1}}
|15.7%
|17.7%
|-
|Living in a detached house{{Refn|group="n"|name=first1}}
|32.4%
|22.3%
|}
In the 2011 census, 47.8% of the population were male and 52.2% female. Of the population over 16, 45.3% were married, compared to 46.6% in England; 28.8% were single (a smaller proportion than in England where it is 34.6%), 12.8% [[divorce]]d (compared with 9% in England), 10.3% widowed (higher than the 6.9% for all of England), 2.6% separated and 0.2% in same-sex [[Civil partnership in the United Kingdom|civil partnerships]] (2.7% and 0.2% respectively in England). In 2011, there were 9,003 households in Skegness civil parish. It has a slightly higher than average proportion of one-person households (35.9% compared with England's figure of 30.2%); most other households consist of one family (58.1% of the total, compared with 61.8% in England). There are higher than average rates of one-person (16.8%) and one-family (10.8%) households aged over 65 (the figures for England are 12.4% and 8.1% respectively).<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" /> In 2016, East Lindsey had Lincolnshire's second-highest rate of [[Conception (biology)|conception]] among females aged 15 to 17 (28.7 per 1,000).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/east-lindsey-and-boston-have-highest-rates-teen-pregnancy-809292 |title=East Lindsey and Boston Have 'Highest Rates' of Teen Pregnancy |work=Skegness Standard |date=28 March 2018 |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702203139/https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/east-lindsey-and-boston-have-highest-rates-teen-pregnancy-809292 |archive-date=2 July 2020}}</ref>

East Lindsey has a high proportion of [[Old age|elderly]] residents, driven partly by high in-migration and by the out-migration of younger residents; the local authority has described this as a "demographic imbalance".<ref name=":30">{{Harvnb|East Lindsey District Council|2018a|p=13}}.</ref> A 2005 study by the town council reported that for every two people aged 16–24 who left the town, three people aged 60 or above moved in.<ref name=":33">Memorandum by Skegness Town Council, printed in {{Harvnb|House of Commons Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee|2006|p=Ev 37}}.</ref> The 2011 census showed Skegness's population to be [[Population ageing|older]] than the national average; the mean age was 44.3 and the median 46 years, compared with 39.3 and 39 for England. 21% of the population was under 20, versus 24% of England's, and 32.2% of Skegness's population was aged over 60, compared with 22% of England's population.<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" /> This high proportion of elderly residents has increased the proportion of infirm people in the district.<ref name=":30" /> In 2011, 69.6% of the population were in good or very good health, compared to 81.4% in England, and 9.9% in very bad or bad health, against 5.4% for England. 28.6% of people (12.8% in 16–64 year-olds) also reported having their day-to-day activities limited, compared with 17.6% in England (8.2% in 16–64 year-olds).<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />

As of 2011, Skegness has a lower proportion of people who own their homes with or without a mortgage (54.7%) than in England (63.3%), a greater proportion of people who [[Private rented sector|privately rent]] (27.5% compared with 16.8%) and a slightly smaller proportion of [[Council house|social renters]] (15.7% compared with 17.7% nationally). The proportion of household spaces which are [[Single-family detached home|detached]] houses is higher than average (32.4% compared with 22.3%), as is the proportion which are apartments in a converted house (9.8% compared with 4.3%) and flats in a commercial building (2.2% compared with 1.1%). The proportion of [[Terraced house|terraced]] household spaces is much lower (8.9% against 24.5% nationally), while the proportion of purpose-built flats is also lower (14% versus 16.7%). 2.3% of household spaces are caravans or other [[Mobile home|mobile structures]], compared with 0.4% nationally.<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" /> Since the end the 20th century, a growing number of people have opted to live in static caravans for a large part of the year; a 2011 report estimated that 6,600 people (mostly older and from former factory cities in the Midlands) were living in such properties in Skegness.<ref>{{Harvnb|Beatty|Fothergill|Powell|Scott|2011|p=3}}.</ref>

=== Workforce and deprivation ===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed floatright"
! colspan=3 | Economic characteristics of residents aged 16 to 74 (2011)<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />
|-
!Characteristic
!Skegness
!England
|-
! colspan=3 |Economic activity
|-
|Economically active
|60.0%
|69.9%
|-
|Employed
|51.7%
|62.1%
|-
|Full-time employed
|27.7%
|38.6%
|-
|Retirees
|21.7%
|13.7%
|-
|Long-term sick or disabled
|7.9%
|4.0%
|-
|Long-term unemployed
|2.3%
|1.7%
|-
! colspan="3" |Industry
|-
|Manufacturing
|7.1%
|8.8%
|-
|Construction
|6.9%
|7.7%
|-
|Wholesale and retail trade; repair of vehicles
|21.2%
|15.9%
|-
|Transport and storage
|4.3%
|5.0%
|-
|Accommodation and food services
|17.3%
|5.6%
|-
|Information and communication
|0.6%
|4.1%
|-
|Financial and insurance
|0.8%
|4.4%
|-
|Professional, scientific and technical
|2.8%
|6.7%
|-
|Public administration and defence
|3.6%
|5.9%
|-
|Education
|7.3%
|9.9%
|-
|Health and social work
|11.7%
|12.4%
|-
! colspan="3" |Occupation
|-
|Managers and directors
|12.9%
|10.9%
|-
|Professionals; associate professionals
|13.9%
|30.3%
|-
|Administrative and secretarial
|8.4%
|11.5%
|-
|Sales and customer services
|12.1%
|8.4%
|-
|Caring, leisure and other services
|12.2%
|9.3%
|-
|Skilled trades
|12.9%
|11.4%
|-
|Process, plant and machine operatives
|8.9%
|7.2%
|-
|Elementary occupations
|18.9%
|11.1%
|-
! colspan="3" |Qualifications
|-
|No qualifications
|40.8%
|22.5%
|-
|Level 4 or higher
|10.7%
|27.4%
|-
|}

In 2011, 60% of Skegness's residents aged between 16 and 74 were [[Economic activity rate|economically active]], compared with 69.9% for all of England. 51.7% were in [[employment]], compared with 62.1% nationally. The proportion in full-time employment is comparatively low, at 27.7% (against 38.6% for England). The proportion of retirees is higher, at 21.7% compared with 13.7% for England. The proportion of long-term sick or disabled is 7.9%, nearly double England's 4%; 2.3% of people were [[Unemployment|long-term unemployed]], compared with 1.7% in all of England. The 2011 census revealed that the most common industry residents worked in were: [[Wholesaling|wholesale]] and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles (21.2%), accommodation and food services (17.3%), and human health and [[social work]] (11.7%). The proportion of people employed in accommodation and food services was over three times the national figure (5.6%), while the proportion working in wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair was also higher than in England as a whole (15.9%). Most other industries were under-represented comparatively, with both [[financial services]] (0.8% versus 4.4% nationally) and [[Information and communications technology|information and communication]] (0.6% against 4.1% nationally) especially so.<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />

The tourism industry in Skegness is dominated by low-paid, low-skilled and [[Seasonal industry|seasonal]] work.<ref name=":31" /> Compared with the whole of England, the workforce has a relatively high proportion of people in [[elementary occupation]]s (18.9%), sales and [[customer service]] occupations (12.1%), [[Care work|caring]], leisure and other [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service occupations]] (12.2%), as well as [[Tradesman|skilled trades]] (12.9%), [[Management|managers]] and [[Director (business)|directors]] (12.9%) and [[process plant]] and machine operatives (8.7%). There is a much lower proportion of people in [[professional]], associate professional, technical, administrative and [[Secretary|secretarial]] occupations than in England as a whole (combined 22.3% versus 41.7% of England's population aged 16–74).<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />

A lack of more varied, higher skilled and better paid work and [[further education]] opportunities leads many more skilled, ambitious or qualified young people to leave. There is a chronic difficulty in attracting professionals to the area, including [[teacher]]s and [[Physician|doctors]]; this is partly due to the perceived remoteness of the area, seasonality and social exclusion.<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":31" /> Skegess's poor transport links with other towns and limited public transport have also been identified by consultants as a "barrier" to economic growth, [[Economic diversity|diversification]], investment and [[Commuting|commutability]]. While the digital nature of the [[information technology]] sector could provide opportunities for growth, weak [[broadband]] has stymied this sector's development in the town.<ref>{{Harvnb|Community Resource Planning|2019|p=7}}.</ref> Employers also find it difficult to attract higher skilled workers, including [[chef]]s; a report prepared for the town council cites a lack of "work readiness" among young people as a common problem facing employers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Community Resource Planning|2019|p=9}}.</ref> The proportion of residents aged 16 to 74 with no qualifications was 40.8%, much higher than the national figure (22.5%); the proportion of residents whose highest qualification is at [[National qualifications frameworks in the United Kingdom|Level 1, 2 or 3]] (equivalent to [[GCSE]]s or [[A-Level]]s) is lower in each category than the national population; 10.7% of the population have a qualification at Level 4 ([[Certificate of Higher Education]]) or above, compared with 27.4% nationally.<ref name="nomis-skeg" /><ref name="nomis-eng" />

In a 2013 ONS study of 57 English seaside resorts, Skegness and Ingoldmells (combined) was the most [[Relative deprivation|deprived]] seaside town; 61.5% of their statistical areas ([[Lower Layer Super Output Area|LSOAs]]) were in the most deprived quintile nationally; only 7.7% fell in the least-deprived three quintiles.<ref>{{Harvnb|Office for National Statistics|2013|p=20}}.</ref> The government's [[Multiple deprivation index|Indices of Multiple Deprivation]] (2019) place large parts of Skegness among the 10% most deprived parts of England;<ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2019|p=5}}.</ref> two of its neighbourhoods were ranked among the ten most deprived areas in Lincolnshire.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Claire |last1=Miller |first2=Paul |last2=Whitelam |url=https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/ten-most-deprived-neighbourhoods-lincolnshire-3369859 |title=Ten Most Deprived Neighbourhoods in Lincolnshire Revealed |work=[[Lincolnshire Live]] |date=29 September 2019 |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630160106/https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/ten-most-deprived-neighbourhoods-lincolnshire-3369859 |archive-date=30 June 2020}}</ref> There is limited research into the causes of deprivation in the town.<ref name=":31">{{Harvnb|House of Lords Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities|2019|p=686}}.</ref> A local official quoted by ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2013 attributed high levels of deprivation to the seasonal and low-paid nature of work in the tourism industry, which constitutes a large part of Skegness's economy; and also the tendency for retirees (often in variable health) from former industrial areas in the East Midlands to move to the town and spend most of the year living there in caravans.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Caroline |last=Davies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/21/english-seaside-towns-deprivation |title=English Seaside Towns Suffer from Above-Average Deprivation, Finds Study |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=21 August 2013 |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701063718/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/21/english-seaside-towns-deprivation |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> In 2019, the town council listed several key challenges: the low-paid, low-skilled and seasonal nature of work in the tourism industry; a consequential dependency on [[Benefits (social welfare)|benefits]] and a reduced [[tax]] base; the under-funding of public services; poor [[infrastructure]]; a lack of training for and consequent out-migration of talented young people; and difficulty attracting skilled workers.<ref name=":31" />

== Transport ==
=== Railway ===
[[File:Railway Station, Skegness - geograph.org.uk - 815849.jpg|thumb|Skegness railway station]]

[[Skegness railway station]] is the eastern terminus for the [[Grantham to Skegness Line|Grantham to Skegness ''Poacher'' line]]. [[East Midlands Railway]] operates hourly services to/from {{rws|Nottingham}} via {{rws|Grantham}}.<ref>{{Cite web |work=East Midlands Railway |title=Timetables |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=26 August 2024 |url= https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables |quote=}}</ref>

As of 2020, trains run the full length of the Poacher Line and the [[Nottingham to Grantham Line]] to provide connections throughout the [[East Midlands]]; Nottingham, Grantham, {{rws|Boston}} and {{rws|Sleaford}} have direct connections, while {{rws|Leicester}}, {{rws|Derby}} and {{rws|Kettering}} require a change at Nottingham.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables-updates/route-map |title=Route Map |website=[[East Midlands Railway]] |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707140328/https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables-updates/route-map |archive-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>

Opened in 1873, it was the final station on the Firsby–Skegness branch of the East Lincolnshire Railway.<ref>{{Harvnb|Neller|2011|p=12}}.</ref> The number of people travelling by car and coach probably overtook the number using the train in the 1930s, a trend solidified in the post-war years. The station was earmarked for closure in the [[Beeching cuts]] in the 1960s, but a third of the summer visitors still used it and lobbying by the urban district council preserved passenger services. The line was nevertheless closed to [[Cargo|freight]] traffic in 1966 and the main interconnecting line, the East Lincolnshire Railway, was dismantled from Firsby to Grimsby in 1970. The passenger timetable was reduced to save costs in 1977, but a full timetable returned in 1989 and improvement works were carried out in 2001 and 2011; the latter saw the old station master's house demolished.<ref>{{Harvnb|Neller|2011|pp=21, 24–26}}.</ref>

=== Road ===
The [[A52 road]] from [[Newcastle-under-Lyme]] to Mablethorpe passes through Skegness, via Nottingham, Grantham and Boston. The A158 from Lincoln terminates in the town. The [[A1028 road|A1028]] connects Skegness with the [[A16 road (England)|A16]], which runs from Grimsby to [[Peterborough]] via Louth.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/doc/7000000000005167 |title=Skegness |website=[[Ordnance Survey]] |access-date=22 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428095347/http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/doc/7000000000005167 |archive-date=28 April 2020}}</ref>

=== Buses ===
Omnibus services reached the village from Boston before the development of the resort;<ref name="Stennett116" /> by the 1840s, Brown's omnibus made the journey from Boston three days a week.<ref>{{Harvnb|Neller|2011|pp=11–12}}.</ref>

[[Stagecoach Lincolnshire]] is the main [[Bus company|bus operator]] in the town, with regular services on routes to Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east-midlands/skegness-seasiders/fares |title=Skegness Seasiders: Route Map |website=[[Stagecoach Group]] |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200822051312/https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east-midlands/skegness-seasiders/fares |archive-date=22 August 2020}}</ref> there are [[Lincolnshire InterConnect]] services up the coast as far as Mablethorpe and inland to Boston and Lincoln.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skegness Bus Services |work=Bus Times |date=2024 |access-date=26 August 2024 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/skegness |quote=}}</ref>

=== Air ===
Skegness Water Leisure Park, located to the north of the town, has its own [[light aircraft]] airfield named ''Skegness Airfield'' ([[ICAO airport code|ICAO]]: EGNI), operated by Skegness Aerofield Club. It is equipped with two runways and PPR (Prior Permission Required) is required for landing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegnessairfield.co.uk/ |title=Home |website=Skegness Airfield |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711025142/https://www.skegnessairfield.co.uk/ |archive-date=11 July 2020}}</ref> The airfield, since June 2025, has been closed to the public and is only accessible to the emergency services or by prior approval for authorised, private individuals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skegness Airfield |url=https://www.skegnessairfield.co.uk/ |access-date=2025-08-14 |website=www.skegnessairfield.co.uk}}</ref>

The main international [[airport]] serving Skegness is [[East Midlands Airport]] at [[Castle Donington]], {{convert|14|mi|km}} south of Nottingham and approximately {{convert|90|mi|km}} from Skegness. [[Humberside Airport]], near [[Immingham]] in [[North Lincolnshire]], is approximately {{convert|48|mi|km}} away, but operates a much smaller range of passenger services.

== Government and politics ==
=== Local government ===
[[File:North Parade, Skegness - geograph.org.uk - 815526 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The former [[Skegness Town Hall]]]]
Lying within the [[Historic counties of England|historic county boundaries]] of Lincolnshire since the Middle Ages, the ancient parish of Skegness was in the Marsh division of the ancient [[wapentake]] of [[Candleshoe (wapentake)|Candleshoe]] in the [[Parts of Lindsey]].<ref name=":41">{{Harvnb|Youngs|1991|p=278}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Oldfield|1829|p=21}}.</ref> In 1875, it was placed in the Spilsby [[Poor law union|Poor Law Union]], but in 1885 Skegness became a [[local board of health]] and [[Sanitary district|urban sanitary district]]. In 1894, [[Skegness Urban District]] was created in its place.<ref name=":41" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=121}}.</ref> The civil parish of Winthorpe{{snd}}which had previously been part of the Spilsby union, rural sanitary district and, from 1894, rural district{{snd}}was abolished in 1926; most of it was merged into Skegness Urban District and a portion into Addlethorpe civil parish.<ref>{{Harvnb|Youngs|1991|p= 288}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=122}}.</ref> In 1974, the urban district was merged with the [[Municipal Borough of Louth|municipal borough of Louth]], the [[Alford Urban District|Alford]], [[Horncastle Urban District|Horncastle]], [[Mablethorpe and Sutton Urban District|Mablethorpe and Sutton]], and [[Woodhall Spa Urban District|Woodhall Spa]] urban districts, and the rural districts of [[Horncastle Rural District|Horncastle]], [[Louth Rural District|Louth]] and [[Spilsby Rural District|Spilsby]] to create East Lindsey, a [[Districts of England|district]] of Lincolnshire;<ref>{{Harvnb|Youngs|1991|p=708}}.</ref> by [[statutory instrument]] Skegness civil parish became the urban district's [[Successor parish|successor]].<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1110/made The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973], SI 1973/1110 (s. 3; Sch. 1). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206200036/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1110/made |date= 6 February 2020}}.</ref>

Skegness Town Council, the parish-level government body beneath the district council, is composed of 21 councillors from four [[Ward (electoral subdivision)|wards]]: Clock Tower (1 seat), St Clements (7 seats), Winthorpe (5 seats) and Woodlands (8 seats). There are seven representatives for Skegness on East Lindsey District Council, which uses different wards: three councillors are returned for Scarbrough and Seacroft ward, and two each from St Clements and Winthorpe wards. Skegness sends two councillors to Lincolnshire County Council, one each for Skegness North and Skegness South divisions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegness.gov.uk/councillors.html |title=Councillors |website=Skegness Town Council |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719191216/https://www.skegness.gov.uk/councillors.html |archive-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>

Skegness Urban District Council meetings were held at 23 Algitha Road until 1920, when the authority purchased the Earl of Scarbrough's estate office at Roman Bank for £3,000 and used those as offices; these burned down in 1928; a new [[town hall]] opened in 1931 and was later extended. In the 1950s, the council acquired for £50,000 the [[Skegness Town Hall|former convalescent home]] run by the [[National Deposit Friendly Society]] on North Parade (this had been built in 1927); this was converted into offices, which were opened in 1964.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=122–123}}.</ref> The town council took over the building and it continues as the town hall as of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.slha.org.uk/photogallery/index.php?thislocation=Skegness |title=Skegness |website=[[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604145637/http://www.slha.org.uk/photogallery/index.php?thislocation=Skegness |archive-date=4 June 2020}} Click on the images of the town hall.</ref>

=== National and European politics ===
[[File:BostonSkegnessConstituency.svg|thumb|Boston and Skegness parliamentary constituency]]
In national politics, Skegness fell within the [[Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Lincolnshire]] [[Parliamentary Constituency|parliamentary constituency]] until 1832; in 1818 four residents were entitled to vote, and in 1832 there were seven electors.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 123">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=123}}.</ref> That year the county was divided up and the village was included (with all of [[Lindsey, Lincolnshire|Lindsey]]) in [[North Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North Lincolnshire]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Youngs|1991|p=824}}.</ref> In 1867, it was transferred to the new [[Mid Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Lincolnshire]] constituency, which was abolished in 1885, after which Skegness was placed in the [[Horncastle (UK Parliament constituency)|Horncastle]] constituency.<ref>{{Harvnb|Youngs|1991|pp=824–826}}.</ref> Another reorganisation saw the parish incorporated into the [[East Lindsey (UK Parliament constituency)|East Lindsey]] seat in 1983;<ref>District of East Lindsey (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1979, S.I. 1979/1415, which came into force on 5 May 1983. Specifically, the wards of St Clement's, Scarbrough, Seacroft and Winthorpe.</ref> this was abolished in 1995 and Skegness was transferred into the new constituency of [[Boston and Skegness (UK Parliament constituency)|Boston and Skegness]].<ref>[http://legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/1626/made The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995], S.I. 1995/1626 (s. 2; Sch.). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201142854/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/1626/made |date=1 February 2020}}. Specifically, the wards of St Clement's, Scarbrough, Seacroft and Winthorpe.</ref> The incumbent MP is [[Richard Tice]] of [[Reform UK]], who has held the constituency since winning it from [[Matt Warman]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston and Skegness - Election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001114 |website=BBC News |access-date=11 July 2024}}</ref> The constituency was previously a Conservative Party stronghold and was held by Conservative members of parliament since it was created.{{Refn|group="n"|The previous MPs were Sir [[Richard Body]], (1997–2001)<ref>{{Cite news |first=Stephen |last=Gates |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/19/sir-richard-body-obituary |title=Sir Richard Body Obituary |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 March 2018 |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108165917/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/19/sir-richard-body-obituary |archive-date=8 November 2019}}</ref> [[Mark Simmonds]] (2001–15).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1393/career |title=Mark Simmonds |website=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201172508/https://members.parliament.uk/member/1393/career |archive-date=1 February 2020}}</ref> and [[Matt Warman]] (2015–24)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4361/contact |title=Matt Warman MP |website=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524195627/https://members.parliament.uk/member/4361/contact/ |archive-date=24 May 2020}}</ref>}}  Between 1999 and [[Brexit|the United Kingdom's departure]] from the European Union (EU) in 2020, Skegness was represented in the [[European Parliament]] by the [[East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|East Midlands constituency]].<ref>Created by [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/1/schedule/1/enacted European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999], sch. 1. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422233407/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/1/schedule/1/enacted |date=22 April 2019 }}.</ref>

At the first election after it was created ([[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]), the current seat was highly [[Marginal seat|marginal]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Waller|Criddle|1999|pp=lv, 90}}.</ref> with the Conservatives receiving 42.4% of the vote and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] 41.0%.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/077.stm |title=Boston & Skegness |work=[[BBC News Online|BBC News Vote 2001]] |access-date=4 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203164108/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/077.stm |archive-date=3 February 2020}}</ref> By [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019]] the Conservatives had increased their vote share to 76.7% (their second-highest nationally),<ref>{{Harvnb|Uberoi|Baker|Cracknell|2019|p=10}}.</ref> while Labour's share had fallen to 14.0%.<ref name="electionr">{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000582 |title=Boston and Skegness |website=[[BBC News Online]] |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-date=13 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113105544/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000582}}</ref>

The same period saw support for the [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]] [[UK Independence Party]] (UKIP) grow, reaching a peak in [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]], when it polled second and secured UKIP's second-highest vote share in any constituency in that election.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hawkins|Keen|Nakatudde|Ayres|2015|pp=105, 107}}.</ref> The constituency is estimated to have had the highest vote share in favour of leaving the EU in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 EU referendum]], at 75.6%.<ref>Voting for the referendum was not recorded in constituencies, but counting areas; the results for the Boston and East Lindsey areas saw 75.6% and 70.7% vote to leave respectively: {{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36616740 |title=Lincolnshire Records UK's Highest Brexit Vote |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=24 June 2016 |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202112002/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36616740 |archive-date=2 February 2020}} The estimates for constituency vote shares are from {{Cite web |first=Noel |last=Dempsey |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/eureferendum_constitunecy.xlsx |title=EU Referendum: Constituency Results |publisher=[[House of Commons Library]] |date=6 February 2017 |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130130805/https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/eureferendum_constitunecy.xlsx |archive-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> In the aftermath the town became the focus of international media attention,<ref>{{Cite news |first=Anthony |last=Clavane |url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/this-is-why-skegness-is-the-seaside-town-brexit-could-close-down-1-4977081 |title=This Is Why Skegness Is the Seaside Town Brexit Could Close Down |work=[[The New European]] |date=14 April 2017 |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704145319/https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/this-is-why-skegness-is-the-seaside-town-brexit-could-close-down-1-4977081 |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Dean |last=Kirby |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/brexit/brexit-road-trip-skegness-eurosceptic-british-seaside-holidays-butlins-zoltar-leave-remain-322817 |title=Brexit Road Trip: In Eurosceptic Skegness, the Locals Are Ready to Leave − and Hopeful That It Can Spark a Revival |work=[[I (British newspaper)|i]] |date=6 August 2019 |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704135045/https://inews.co.uk/news/brexit/brexit-road-trip-skegness-eurosceptic-british-seaside-holidays-butlins-zoltar-leave-remain-322817 |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> with [[Reuters]] labelling it "[[Brexit]]-on-Sea" and suggesting that many of its residents were "more nostalgic and more socially conservative" than those in diverse, [[Liberalism|liberal]], urban areas, and keen to see state funds paid to the EU redirected into supporting the town.<ref name="reuters">{{Cite news |first1=Clodagh |last1=Kilcoyne |first2=Sara |last2=Ledwith |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-coast-insight/in-brexit-on-sea-the-left-behind-still-want-out-idUKKCN1RG0GL |title=In Brexit-on-Sea, the Left-Behind Still Want Out |work=[[Reuters]] |date=4 April 2019 |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708043317/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-coast-insight/in-brexit-on-sea-the-left-behind-still-want-out-idUKKCN1RG0GL |archive-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> Afterwards support for UKIP fell and the party did not stand in 2019,<ref name="electionr" /> although support for leaving the EU remained high.<ref name="reuters" /> The [[Brexit Party]] did not contest the parliamentary seat in 2019,<ref name="electionr" /> but in the European Parliament elections held [[2019 European Parliament election|earlier that year]], it has been estimated that Boston and Skegness probably had the third-highest vote share for the Brexit Party of any constituency.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Chris |last=Hanretty |url=https://medium.com/@chrishanretty/ep2019-results-mapped-onto-westminster-constituencies-8a2a6ed14146 |title=EP2019 Results Mapped onto Westminster Constituencies |website=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |date=29 May 2019 |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128132942/https://medium.com/@chrishanretty/ep2019-results-mapped-onto-westminster-constituencies-8a2a6ed14146 |archive-date=28 January 2020}} The estimates are in {{Cite web |first=Chris |last=Hanretty |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G_zdsUdYjvZKOCm1F_cE4vuTI6KKXNMwMQE_z8-ZiWg/edit#gid=1595021733 |title=Estimates of the EP2019 Vote in Westminster Constituencies |publisher=[[Google Drive]] |access-date=4 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709072324/https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G_zdsUdYjvZKOCm1F_cE4vuTI6KKXNMwMQE_z8-ZiWg/edit#gid=1595021733 |archive-date=9 July 2020}}</ref>

== Public services ==
=== Utilities and communications ===
As part of the Earl of Scarbrough's scheme, gas works were opened in the town in 1877 and were [[Street light|lighting]] the streets the following year.<ref name=":36"/> The urban district council (UDC) declined to purchase the gas company in 1902; the UDC attempted to take it over in 1911, and (after much dispute with the company) purchased it in 1914.<ref name=":40">{{Cite web |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/479c3d73-825a-41d2-9c08-c7f353f41549 |title=National Gas Archive: Skegness Urban District Council |website=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630171624/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/479c3d73-825a-41d2-9c08-c7f353f41549 |archive-date=30 June 2020}}</ref> The works were extended in the 1920s.<ref name=":37">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=106}}.</ref> The UDC's gas company was [[Nationalization|nationalised]] in 1949 and its functions taken over by the [[East Midlands Gas Board]],<ref name=":40" /> which merged into [[British Gas Corporation]] in 1973 and was [[privatised]] in 1986.<ref>{{Harvnb|Butler|Butler|2011|p=473}}.</ref>

The town's water works opened in 1879<ref>{{Harvnb|Kelly|1885|p=621}}.</ref> and were extended in the 1920s.<ref name=":37" /> To meet growing demand, Lord Scarbrough had a new [[borehole]] sunk at [[Welton le Marsh]] in 1904, with a [[pumping station]] and pipes which transported fresh water to the town; the water company was purchased by Skegness Urban District Council in 1909.<ref name=":16">{{Harvnb|Robinson|1989|p=157}}.</ref><ref name=":35">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=47–49}}.</ref> The first sewerage disposal system was designed by D. Balfour as part of the Earl of Scarbrough's development scheme; a sewerage farm and works were erected at Seacroft. The development was principally funded by the Earl, with a quarter of the funds contributed by the Spilsby Sanitary Authority.<ref name=":36" /> A sewerage disposal works opened at Burgh Le Marsh in 1936.<ref name=":37" /> Responsibility for water was later taken over by the East Lincolnshire Water Board; in 1973 this merged into the [[Anglian Water Authority]],<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1359/pdfs/uksi_19731359_en.pdf The Anglian Water Authority Constitution Order 1973], SI 1973/1359 (sch. 3). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718043450/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1359/pdfs/uksi_19731359_en.pdf |date=18 July 2020}}.</ref> which was privatised as [[Anglian Water]] in 1989.<ref>{{Harvnb|Guislain|1997|p=216}}.</ref>

The [[Mid-Lincolnshire Electricity Supply Company]] brought electricity to the town in 1932.<ref name=":38">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=105–106}}.</ref> The company was nationalised in 1948 and its function taken over by the [[East Midlands Electricity]] Board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/9b83c654-da7d-38da-9e63-6505f1ce8f60 |title=Records of the Mid-Lincolnshire Electric Supply Company Limited, 1936–1948 |website=[[Archives Hub]] |publisher=[[Jisc]] |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701000605/https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/9b83c654-da7d-38da-9e63-6505f1ce8f60 |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> Street lighting was electrified in the late 1950s.<ref name=":38" /> Electricity supply was privatised in 1990.<ref>{{Harvnb|Butler|Butler|2011|p=472}}.</ref>

Skegness's first [[post office]] opened in 1870; it moved premises in 1888 and 1905, before moving to Roman Bank in 1929.<ref name=":39">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=105}}.</ref> As of 2020, [[Royal Mail]]'s Skegness Delivery Office operates there;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you/delivery-office/skegness-delivery-office-pe25-2aa |title=Skegness Delivery Office |website=[[Royal Mail]] |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630214331/https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you/delivery-office/skegness-delivery-office-pe25-2aa |archive-date=30 June 2020}}</ref> Post Offices also operate on Burgh Road and Drummond Road in Skegness, and at Winthorpe Avenue in Seathorne.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you#/results?&postcode=PE25%202AG&latitude=53.144196&longitude=0.337916&searchRadius=40&count=20&filters=&selectedName=Seathorne |title=Services Near You |website=[[Royal Mail]] |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823120105/https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you#/results?&postcode=PE25%202AG&latitude=53.144196&longitude=0.337916&searchRadius=40&count=20&filters=&selectedName=Seathorne |archive-date=23 August 2020}}</ref> A wireless [[Telegraphy|telegraph station]] operated at Winthorpe from 1926 to 1939.<ref name=":39" /> Lincolnshire County Library Service opened a branch in 1929 which was run by volunteers. In the 1930s, the council purchased a former shop on Roman Bank and converted it into the current library, run by full-time staff.<ref name=":37" /> {{As of|2020}}, it opens every day except Sunday.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lincolnshire.fsd.org.uk/kb5/lincs/fsd/service.page?id=BMhWfQHGZC4&familychannel=0 |title=Skegness Library |website=[[Lincolnshire County Council]] Family Services Directory and Local Offer |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709160528/https://lincolnshire.fsd.org.uk/kb5/lincs/fsd/service.page?id=BMhWfQHGZC4&familychannel=0 |archive-date=9 July 2020}}</ref>

=== Emergency services and justice ===
[[File:Lifeboat Station - Skegness - geograph.org.uk - 780022.jpg|thumb|Skegness lifeboat station]]
In 1827 the village was afforded its first [[Constable|police constable]], which it shared with Ingoldmells.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=23}}.</ref> The town's first police station opened in 1883 on Roman Bank.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kelly's Directories|1913|p=520}}.</ref> In 1932, Skegness became a divisional police headquarters. Its current building opened in 1975. Criminal cases were heard in [[Spilsby]] until Skegness was granted its own [[petty session]]s in 1908; these operated only during summer until 1929, when cases were heard there year-round; a court opened on Roman Bank that year. The building was replaced in 1975 and the Spilsby [[Magistrates' court (England and Wales)|magistrates court]] closed in 1980, transferring all cases to Skegness.<ref name=":39"/> By 1913, the town had a [[Fire department|fire brigade]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Kelly's Directories|1913|p=521}}.</ref> A station was added to the Town Hall on the corner of Roman Bank and Algitha Road in the late 1920s. A new station was built on Churchill Avenue in 1973.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 123" /> It continues to operate as of 2020.

Skegness had a [[signal station]] by 1812 and four years later a mortar-fired brass lifeline was put in place in the village. In 1825, a [[Lifeboat (rescue)|lifeboat]] was purchased for [[Wainfleet Haven]] and first launched from Gibraltar Point in 1827; it moved to Skegness in 1830. A new boathouse was built in 1864 on South Parade and rebuilt in 1892. Motorised [[tractors]] were used to pull the boats after 1926 and the last sailing boat was retired four years later.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=93–96}}.</ref> The [[Skegness Lifeboat Station|current lifeboat station]] was built in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/skegness-lifeboat-station/station-history-skegness |title=Station History |website=[[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] |access-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702075326/https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/skegness-lifeboat-station/station-history-skegness |archive-date=2 July 2020}}</ref>

=== Healthcare ===
[[Skegness and District General Hospital]] opened in 1913 as a [[cottage hospital]]; it underwent major redevelopment works in 1939, was taken over by the [[National Health Service]] nine years later and extended in 1985.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 49">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=49}}.</ref> As of June 2020, it is a [[community hospital]] run by the [[Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=30005 |title=Overview – Skegness and District General Hospital |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701092331/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=30005 |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> some of its services are provided by the [[United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust]] (ULH). It contains two in-patient wards, with 39 beds (including three in [[palliative care]]) and its services include a 24-hour, walk-in [[Urgent care center|Urgent Care Centre]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Services/DefaultView.aspx?id=30005 |title=Services – Skegness and District General Hospital |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630011612/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Services/DefaultView.aspx?id=30005 |archive-date=30 June 2020}}</ref> ULH runs Accident and Emergency departments at [[Lincoln County Hospital]] and [[Pilgrim Hospital]] in Boston.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/services/accident-emergency/ |title=Accident and Emergency |website=[[United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust]] |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820160505/https://www.ulh.nhs.uk/services/accident-emergency/ |archive-date=20 August 2020}}</ref> As of 2020, the town has two [[General practitioner|GP]] practices (on Hawthorn Road and Churchill Avenue),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Skegness?latitude=53.14453660499903&longitude=0.3362003511184569 |title=GPs Near Skegness |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712145348/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Skegness?latitude=53.14453660499903&longitude=0.3362003511184569 |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref> four [[dental practice]]s (three on Algitha Road and one on Ida Road),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist/results/Skegness?latitude=53.14453660499903&longitude=0.3362003511184569 |title=Dentists Near Skegness |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714192851/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist/results/Skegness?latitude=53.14453660499903&longitude=0.3362003511184569 |archive-date=14 July 2020}}</ref> and three [[optician]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-an-optician/results/Skegness?latitude=53.14453660499903&longitude=0.3362003511184569 |title=Opticians Near Skegness |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712110753/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-an-optician/results/Skegness?latitude=53.14453660499903&longitude=0.3362003511184569 |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref> There are community mental health services provided at Holly Lodge.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/Services/clinics/Services/DefaultView.aspx?id=126838 |title=Mental Health Services – Holly Lodge |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712111456/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/clinics/Services/DefaultView.aspx?id=126838 |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref> There is a health centre on Cecil Avenue<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/Services/clinics/MapsAndDirections/DefaultView.aspx?id=115307 |title=Skegness Health Clinic |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715171805/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/clinics/MapsAndDirections/DefaultView.aspx?id=115307 |archive-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> and the hospital includes a [[Birth control|contraception]] and general health advice centre.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/services/service-directory/skegness-gum/N10509098 |title=Skegness Gum |website=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712154014/https://www.nhs.uk/services/service-directory/skegness-gum/N10509098 |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref>

== Education ==

Skegness's first [[Primary school|elementary school]] was established in 1839. Winthorpe's first schoolhouse opened in 1865.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=77}}.</ref> As part of Lord Scarbrough's town plan, Skegness [[National school (England and Wales)|National School]] opened on Roman Bank in 1880; in 1932 it was replaced with another elementary school, Skegness Senior Council School, which existed until it became a [[secondary modern school]] in the 1940s.<ref name=":24">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=79}}.</ref><ref name=":25" /> The county-council run Infants' School was founded on Cavendish Road in 1908, followed by Skegness County Junior School in 1935 (renamed Skegness Junior School in 1999), the Seathorne Junior School in 1951 (replacing the Winthorpe School which closed) and Richmond Junior School in 1976.<ref name=":24" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstothepast.com/SKEGNESS-PRIMARY-SCHOOLS--MANAGERS/885800.record?pt=S |title=Skegness Primary Schools Managers (Reference Name SR/948) |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120711/https://www.lincstothepast.com/SKEGNESS-PRIMARY-SCHOOLS--MANAGERS/885800.record?pt=S |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstothepast.com/WINTHORPE-CE-SCHOOL/885976.record?pt=S |title=Winthorpe CE School (Reference Name SR/1217) |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120711/https://www.lincstothepast.com/WINTHORPE-CE-SCHOOL/885976.record?pt=S |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstothepast.com/SKEGNESS-JUNIOR-SCHOOL/825292.record?pt=S |title=Skegness Junior School (Reference Name SR/942) |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120721/https://www.lincstothepast.com/SKEGNESS-JUNIOR-SCHOOL/825292.record?pt=S |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> As of 2020, the town is served by five [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]] [[State school|state]] primary schools, four of which are [[Academy (English school)|academies]]: the Skegness Infant Academy (established when the infant school became an academy in 2012);<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/138750 |title=Skegness Infant Academy (URN: 138750) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120714/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/138750 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> Skegness Junior Academy (which replaced the Junior School in 2012);<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/138442 |title=Skegness Junior Academy (URN: 138442) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120723/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/138442 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> Seathorne Primary Academy (which replaced Seathorne Primary School in 2019);<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/147412 |title=Seathorne Primary Academy (URN: 147412) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120723/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/147412 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> The Richmond School;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/120494 |title=The Richmond School, Skegness (URN: 120494) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120717/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/120494 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> and Beacon Primary Academy (opened as a new school in 2014).<ref>{{Harvnb|Ofsted|2016|p=9}}.</ref> As of 2020, one private primary school operates in the town: The Viking School, which opened in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/120739 |title=The Viking School (URN: 120739) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726031033/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/120739 |archive-date=26 July 2019}}</ref>

Before 1933, the only [[secondary education]] available to Skegness's children was at [[Magdalen College School, Wainfleet|Magdalen College School]], a [[grammar school]] in Wainfleet. In 1933, it closed and was replaced by the coeducational [[Skegness Grammar School]], which opened in the town<ref name=":24" /> and continues to select pupils using the [[eleven-plus]] examination; it provides [[Boarding school|boarding]] facilities for pupils who do not live locally. Having previously been [[Grant-maintained school|grant-maintained]] and a [[Foundation school|foundation status]] school, Skegness Grammar School converted to an academy in 2012. At its last [[Ofsted]] inspection report in 2017, it was assessed as "requiring improvement". As of 2020, there are 456 pupils on the roll, out of a capacity of 898.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegnessgrammar.co.uk/default.asp |title=Our School |website=[[Skegness Grammar School]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120720/https://www.skegnessgrammar.co.uk/default.asp |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref name=":26">{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/138757 |title=Skegness Grammar School (URN: 138757) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120722/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/138757 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Ofsted|2017|pp=1, 9–10}}.</ref> The passage of the [[Education Act 1944]] made secondary education compulsory for pupils aged 11–15 from 1945.<ref>{{Harvnb|Trowler|2003|p=2}}.</ref> The [[Skegness Secondary Modern School]] opened as a result; it was renamed the Lumley Secondary Modern School in 1956. Another school, the [[Morris Secondary Modern School|Morris Secondary Modern]], opened in 1955. They merged in 1986 to form the [[Earl of Scarbrough School]],<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstothepast.com/SKEGNESS-SECONDARY-MODERN-SCHOOLS--LUMLEY-SECONDARY-SCHOOL--amp--MORRIS-SECONDARY-SCHOOL-/717556.record?pt=S |title=Skegness Secondary Modern Schools (Lumley Secondary Modern School and Morris Secondary Modern School): Reference Name SR/951 |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120726/https://www.lincstothepast.com/SKEGNESS-SECONDARY-MODERN-SCHOOLS--LUMLEY-SECONDARY-SCHOOL--amp--MORRIS-SECONDARY-SCHOOL-/717556.record?pt=S |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> which closed in 2004 and reopened as [[St Clements College]], a [[Community school (England and Wales)|community school]] which converted into [[Skegness Academy]] in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/134615?searchQueryString=SelectedTab%3DEstablishments%26SearchType%3DLocation%26SearchType%3DLocation%26LocationSearchModel.Text%3DSkegness%252c%2BLincolnshire%26LocationSearchModel.AutoSuggestValue%3D53.14942932128906%252c%2B0.33956998586654663%26OpenOnly%3Dfalse#school-links |title=St Clement's College (URN 134615): Linked Establishments |website=[[Government of the United Kingdom|HM Government]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120712/https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/134615?searchQueryString=SelectedTab%3DEstablishments%26SearchType%3DLocation%26SearchType%3DLocation%26LocationSearchModel.Text%3DSkegness%252c%2BLincolnshire%26LocationSearchModel.AutoSuggestValue%3D53.14942932128906%252c%2B0.33956998586654663%26OpenOnly%3Dfalse#school-links |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/134615?searchQueryString=SelectedTab%3DEstablishments%26SearchType%3DLocation%26SearchType%3DLocation%26LocationSearchModel.Text%3DSkegness%252c%2BLincolnshire%26LocationSearchModel.AutoSuggestValue%3D53.14942932128906%252c%2B0.33956998586654663%26OpenOnly%3Dfalse |title=St Clement's College (URN 134615) |website=[[Government of the United Kingdom|HM Government]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120712/https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/134615?searchQueryString=SelectedTab%3DEstablishments%26SearchType%3DLocation%26SearchType%3DLocation%26LocationSearchModel.Text%3DSkegness%252c%2BLincolnshire%26LocationSearchModel.AutoSuggestValue%3D53.14942932128906%252c%2B0.33956998586654663%26OpenOnly%3Dfalse |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> It is coeducational and has a sixth form; at its 2020 Ofsted inspection, it was assessed as "requiring improvement". There were 893 pupils on roll in that year, out of a capacity of 1,340.<ref name=":27">{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/136217 |title=Skegness Academy (URN: 136217) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120730/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/136217 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref>

Both of the secondary schools provide education for pupils aged 16–18.<ref name=":26" /><ref name=":27" /> Other providers of further education include the [[Skegness College of Vocational Training]] (a private centre founded in 1975);<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/33/54397 |title=Skegness College of Vocational Training Limited (URN: 54397) |website=[[Ofsted]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120712/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/33/54397 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Ofsted|2015|p=2}}.</ref> [[First College, Skegness|First College]], which formed in 2000 following a merger of the [[East Lindsey Information Technology Centre]] (East Lindsey ITeC) which had opened in Skegness in 1984;<ref>{{Harvnb|Training Standards Council|1998|p=3}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Adult Learning Inspectorate|2006|p=1}}.</ref> and the [[Skegness TEC]], which in 2017 replaced the [[Lincolnshire Regional College]] in Skegness (founded in 2009).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://skegnesstec.ac.uk/about-skegness-tec/ |title=About |website=Skegness TEC |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120732/https://skegnesstec.ac.uk/about-skegness-tec/ |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref>

== Religious sites ==
[[File:St Matthew, Skegness - geograph.org.uk - 822555.jpg|right|thumb|St Matthew's Church, Skegness (Anglican)]]
The three [[Church of England|Anglican]] places of worship are the churches of St Clement and St Matthew in Skegness, and [[St Mary's Church, Winthorpe|St Mary's Church]] in Winthorpe. St Clement's and St Mary's have medieval origins. When the seaside resort was being planned in the 1870s, St Clement's was too small and far from the new town so the much larger St Matthew's Church was built on Scarbrough Avenue and [[Consecration|consecrated]] in 1885.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=67–68}}.</ref>{{Refn|group="n"|The earliest record of a priest at Skegness dates to 1291. The church belonged to [[Tattershall College|Holy Trinity College]] at Tattershall in the late Middle Ages and, in 1548, the [[Advowson|patronage]] was held by the [[Katherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk|Duchess of Suffolk]]; by 1641 the patron was Nicholas Saunderson, 1st Viscount Castleton, and the [[advowson]] passed to his eventual heirs, the Earls of Scarbrough.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=68}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Oldfield|1829|p=249}}.</ref> Winthorpe's church was possessed by [[Bullington Priory]] in the Middle Ages. The vicarage was united with Burgh Le Marsh in 1729, but they were separated in 1914.<ref name=":45">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=68–69}}.</ref>}} As of 2020, services are usually held every Sunday in St Matthew's, and in St Mary's and St Clement's on all but the first Sunday of the month.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skegness-anglican.org.uk/whats-on/ |title=What's on |website=Skegness Group of Churches |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706210552/http://skegness-anglican.org.uk/whats-on/ |archive-date=6 July 2020}}</ref> The parishes of Skegness and Winthorpe were united in 1978;<ref name=":45" /> its legal name is Skegness with Winthorpe.<ref name=":42">{{Cite web |url=https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14969/more-information/ |title=St Clement's Church, Skegness: More Information |website=A Church Near You |publisher=[[The Church of England]] |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716205404/https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14969/more-information/ |archive-date=16 July 2020}}</ref> The parish forms part of the Skegness Group, which includes the parishes of Ingoldmells and Addlethorpe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skegness-anglican.org.uk/people-2/ |title=People |website=Skegness Group |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819182217/http://skegness-anglican.org.uk/people-2/ |archive-date=19 August 2020}}</ref> It is in the Calcewaithe and Candleshoe [[rural dean]]ery in the [[Archdeacon of Lincoln|archdeaconry]] and [[diocese of Lincoln]].<ref name=":42" /><ref name=":46" />{{Refn|group="n"|It was in the Candleshoe [[Rural dean|Rural Deanery]] until 1866, when it was placed in the Candleshoe No. 2 Rural Deanery; reorganised into the Candleshoe Rural Deanery in 1910, it was placed in the Calcewaithe and Candleshoe Rural Deanery in 1968.<ref name=":46">{{Harvnb|Youngs|1991|pp=245, 278}}.</ref>}}

Skegness also has a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] church, the Church of the Sacred Heart on Grosvenor Road;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skegnessrcparish.org/contact/ |title=Contact |website=Church of the Sacred Heart, Skegness |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821144128/http://skegnessrcparish.org/contact/ |archive-date=21 August 2020}}</ref> it has been based there since 1950, having previously occupied the town's first purpose-built Catholic church since 1898.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=69}}.</ref>

As of 2020, Skegness [[Methodism|Methodist]] Chapel on Algitha Road holds services on Sundays and mid-morning prayers on Mondays.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eastlincolnshiremethodistcircuit.org.uk/chapels/skegness |title=Skegness |website=East Lincolnshire Methodist Circuit |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823131327/https://eastlincolnshiremethodistcircuit.org.uk/chapels/skegness |archive-date=23 August 2020}}</ref>{{Refn|Methodism arrived in Skegness in the early 19th century. A Wesleyan preacher visited once a month before the Wesleyans built a chapel on the High Street in 1837, which was replaced in 1848 and again in 1876; as the resort developed they were allocated a new site on Algitha Road where a chapel was built in 1881.<ref name="Kime69-70">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=69–70}}.</ref> The Primitive Methodists built a chapel (Bank Chapel) on land on Roman Bank purchased in 1836; as it was closer to Winthorpe, worshippers from Skegness raised money to build their own chapel closer to the growing town in 1881; they replaced this in 1899. In 1979, the Skegness Primitive Methodists' chapel closed, with the Wesleyan chapel taking over a united congregation. The original Bank Chapel was used by people from Winthorpe until it was replaced by Seathorne Methodist Church in 1910;<ref name="Kime69-70" /> this closed in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstothepast.com/Seathorne-Chapel--Primitive-Methodist-/883810.record?pt=S |title=Seathorne Chapel (Primitive Methodist) |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]] |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107005255/https://www.lincstothepast.com/Seathorne-Chapel--Primitive-Methodist-/883810.record?pt=S |archive-date=7 November 2020}}</ref>|group=n}} St Paul's Baptist Church also holds regular Sunday services.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegnessbaptistchurch.co.uk/welcome.htm |title=Welcome |website=St Paul's Baptist Church, Skegness |access-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707030219/https://www.skegnessbaptistchurch.co.uk/welcome.htm |archive-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>{{Refn|The Baptists also held services on the beaches of Skegness from 1893, forming a branch of the church the next year; temporary accommodation was built soon afterwards which sufficed until St Paul's Baptist Church opened in 1911; it was named for the short-lived St Paul's Free Church group of worshippers which had split from the Anglican congregation in the 1890s and whose accommodation on Beresford Avenue the Baptists used before they built their own chapel.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=70–71}}.</ref>|group=n}} [[The Salvation Army]] has had a unit in the town since 1913 and built its [[Citadel (Salvation Army)|citadel]] on the High Street in 1929;<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=71}}.</ref> it remains in use as of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/skegness |title=Skegness |website=[[Salvation Army]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708115148/https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/skegness |archive-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> The Assemblies of God [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] Church was registered as a charity in 1996; it later changed its name to the New Day Christian Centre<ref name=":43">{{Cite web |url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityFramework.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1052143&SubsidiaryNumber=0 |title=The Storehouse – 1052143 |website=[[Charity Commission for England and Wales]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709234909/http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityFramework.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1052143&SubsidiaryNumber=0 |archive-date=9 July 2020}}</ref> and moved to new premises in 2011;<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-14408552 |title=Visitor Numbers to Lincolnshire's Churches Still Rising |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=5 August 2011 |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708120200/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-14408552 |archive-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> as of 2020 it operates on North Parade as The Storehouse Church and, as well as running church services, provides Skegness's only [[food bank]].<ref name=":43" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/article/7964/Rough-Sleepers |title=Rough Sleepers |website=[[East Lindsey District Council]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709211230/https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/article/7964/Rough-Sleepers |archive-date=9 July 2020}}</ref> As of 2020, there is a [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|seventh-day adventist]] church on Philip Grove.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://adventist.uk/nc/who-we-are/church-finder/lo/-/-/city/Skegness%2C%20UK/15/ |title=Church Finder: Skegness |website=[[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709211230/https://adventist.uk/nc/who-we-are/church-finder/lo/-/-/city/Skegness,%20UK/15/ |archive-date=9 July 2020}}</ref>

In 2019, East Lindsey Council approved plans for a [[mosque]] and community centre on Roman Bank.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Daniel |last1=James |first2=Peter |last2=Hennessy |url=https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/skegness-mosque-roman-bank-approved-3624595 |title='It Will Serve Everyone' – Plans for Skegness Mosque Approved by Council after 'Hate Crime' Arson Attack |work=[[Lincolnshire Echo|Lincolnshire Live]] |date=9 December 2019 |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708103315/https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/skegness-mosque-roman-bank-approved-3624595 |archive-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>

== Culture ==
=== Visitor attractions ===
[[File:Skegness4web.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Donkeys at Skegness, July 2005]]The ''[[Rough Guides]]'' describe Skegness as "every inch the traditional English seaside town".<ref name="rgtb" /> Its long, wide, sandy beach is a main attraction for visitors;<ref name="rgtb">{{Cite web |url=https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/england/east-midlands/lincolnshire-coast/skegness/ |title=Skegness |website=[[Rough Guides]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703140538/https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/england/east-midlands/lincolnshire-coast/skegness/ |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> described as "sparklingly clean" by ''Rough Guides'',<ref name="rgtb" /> in 2019 it was re-awarded the [[Foundation for Environmental Education]]'s [[Blue Flag beach|Blue Flag]] award which recognises the beach's high-quality water, facilities, beach safety, management and environmental education facilities.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/blue-flag-flying-high-again-skegness-beach-691452 |title=Blue Flag Flying High Again on Skegness Beach |work=Skegness Standard |date=15 May 2019 |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703195025/https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/blue-flag-flying-high-again-skegness-beach-691452 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> Between 1 May and 30 September, dogs are banned from the beach.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/article/6050/Public-Space-Protection-Orders-and-Dog-Free-Beaches |title=Public Space Protection Orders and Dog Free Beaches |website=[[East Lindsey District Council]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705045036/https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/article/6050/Public-Space-Protection-Orders-and-Dog-Free-Beaches |archive-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> Donkey rides are offered for children there.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-52978730 |title=Coronavirus: Threat to Century-Old Seaside Donkey Rides |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=9 June 2020 |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707092920/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-52978730 |archive-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>

The seafront includes Skegness Pier, which houses amusements;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegnesspier.co.uk/ |title=Home |website=[[Skegness Pier]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703160449/https://www.skegnesspier.co.uk/ |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> to the south, Botton's Pleasure Beach is a funfair with roller coasters and other rides.<ref name="naldrett" /> Further south still is the Jubilee Clock Tower and the boating lake and Fairy Dell paddling pool.<ref name="esplan">{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1443891 |title=Skegness Esplanade and Tower Gardens (List Entry No. 1443891) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327231727/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1443891 |archive-date=27 March 2019}}</ref> The western side of Grand Parade houses amusements and eateries,<ref name="rgtb" /><ref name="naldrett" /> punctuated by the entrance to Tower Gardens, a park; its pavilion, which dated to 1879, was demolished in 2019–20 and a community centre and café built on its site.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/people/works-complete-new-ps16million-tower-gardens-pavilion-1393313 |title=Works Complete on the New £1.6million Tower Gardens Pavilion |work=Skegness Standard |date=8 February 2020 |access-date=3 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703154508/https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/people/works-complete-new-ps16million-tower-gardens-pavilion-1393313 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> Opposite the gardens is the Embassy Theatre.<ref name="esplan" /> The town's nightlife includes bars, pubs and nightclubs.<ref name="naldrett" />

[[Natureland Seal Sanctuary]], on North Parade, rescues and houses distressed seals; it also features penguins, aquariums, and other animals.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegnessnatureland.co.uk/what-we-do/ |title=What We Do |website=[[Natureland Seal Sanctuary]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125205238/https://www.skegnessnatureland.co.uk/what-we-do/ |archive-date=25 January 2019}}</ref> The town has an aquarium ([[Skegness Aquarium]]), which opened on Tower Esplanade in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105170159/http://www.skegness-aquarium.uk/about-us/ |title=About Us |website=Skegness Aquarium |url=http://www.skegness-aquarium.uk/about-us/ |archive-date=5 November 2015}}</ref> Further into the town, [[The Village Church Farm]] (formerly Church Farm Museum) contains exhibitions about historical farming life.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://churchfarmvillage.org.uk/ |title=Welcome to The Village |website=[[The Village Church Farm]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902233144/http://churchfarmvillage.org.uk/ |archive-date=2 September 2011}}</ref> A volunteer-run [[heritage railway]], the [[Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway]], moved to Skegness in 1990 and opened to fare-paying members of the public in 2009; it operates along a {{convert|1.5|mile|km|adj=on}} length of track.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://visitlincscoast.co.uk/attractions/profile/1507/lincolnshire-coast-light-railway |title=Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway |website=Visit Lincs Coast |publisher=Lincolnshire Coast Destination [[Business improvement district|BID]] |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709171947/https://visitlincscoast.co.uk/attractions/profile/1507/lincolnshire-coast-light-railway |archive-date=9 July 2020}}</ref>

To the south of Skegness is [[Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire|Gibraltar Point]], a [[National nature reserves in England|national nature reserve]], consisting of unspoilt marshland. It was among England's earliest bird observatories when it was established in 1949 and, as of 2020, is open to the public. Alongside walkways and paths, it has a visitor centre, café and toilet facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/gibraltar-point |title=Gibraltar Point |website=[[Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626011313/https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/get-involved/top-reserves/gibraltar-point |archive-date=26 June 2020}}</ref>

=== Arts and music ===
{{multiple image|direction=vertical|image1=Skegness - Grand Parade (Embassy Theatre) - geograph.org.uk - 1496367.jpg|caption1=The Embassy Theatre Complex on Grand Parade (built 1999)|image2=Tower Cinema and Casino on Lumley Road.jpg|caption2=Tower Cinema on Lumley Road (opened 1922)}}
Skegness Carnival operates as an annual event in August as of 2020;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skegnesscarnival.com/ |title=Home |website=Skegness Carnival |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708172850/http://skegnesscarnival.com/ |archive-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> the town hosted its first [[carnival]] in 1898, but the modern event dates to 1933.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 104"/> Since 2009, Skegness has held a music, art and cultural event, the SO Festival;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sofestival.org/history/ |title=Our History |website=SO Festival |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819202653/https://www.sofestival.org/history/ |archive-date=19 August 2020}}</ref> in 2013 the district council estimated that it generated £1m for the area.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-21903670 |title=SO Festival Labelled Waste of Money 'One of the Best' |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=24 March 2013 |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712071018/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-21903670 |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref> In 1928, as part of the local authority's foreshore development, the Embassy Ballroom was built on Grand Parade. It was remodelled in 1982 and completely rebuilt in 1999 as the Embassy Theatre Complex,<ref name=":23" /> which is Skegness's only theatre as of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://database.theatrestrust.org.uk/discover-theatres/theatres-database?search=skegness&field_significant_date_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_significant_date_value%5Bmax%5D= |title=Skegness |website=[[Theatres Trust]] |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710105759/https://database.theatrestrust.org.uk/discover-theatres/theatres-database?search=skegness&field_significant_date_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_significant_date_value%5Bmax%5D= |archive-date=10 July 2020}}</ref>{{Refn|Skegness Pier (built 1882) had a concert hall and later the Pier Theatre.<ref name="Robinson 1989, p. 174"/> Otherwise, most early attractions were to be found on the beach;<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=46}}.</ref> Fred Clements ran a concert on the sands, which he moved to a temporary building on the lawn of Hildred's Hotel in 1906.<ref name="Robinson 1989, p. 174"/> He opened the Arcadia Concert Hall in 1911.<ref name="theatretrust">{{Cite web |url=https://database.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/306-arcadia-theatre |title=Arcadia Theatre |website=[[Theatres Trust]] |access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> The town's early dance halls included the Alhambra on Grand Parade (1911) and Central Hall on Roman Bank (1912). The Alhambra was converted into a casino in 1922,<ref name="Kime 1986, pp. 103–104"/> the same year Central Hall became a cinema. The Arcadia became a theatre; it was renamed the Arcadia Centre following a renovation in 1972 but closed in 1987 and was demolished before 2000.<ref name="theatretrust" /> Henri de Monde opened the King's Theatre in 1912.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pearson|1991|p= 103}}.</ref>|group=n}} The town has two cinemas: the Tower Cinema (opened in 1922) and an [[ABC Cinemas|ABC Cinema]] (opened in 1936), as of 2020.<ref name="towerc">{{Cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/25355 |title=Tower Cinema |website=Cinema Treasures |access-date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711114222/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/25355 |archive-date=11 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="abcc">{{Cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/25354 |title=ABC Cinema, Skegness |website=Cinema Treasures |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710225333/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/25354 |archive-date=10 July 2020}}</ref>{{Refn|Skegness's first cinema – the Lawn Theatre – opened in 1911. G. J. Mellor says this was run by Henri de Monde,<ref name="Mellor37">{{Harvnb|Mellor|1971|p=37}}.</ref> but Winston Kime says it was built by Bass's in the lawn adjacent to Hildred's Hotel, who leased it to Fred Clements, who only gave the lease to Monde after the First World War.<ref name="Kime103">{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=103}}.</ref> Later cinemas included The Parade Cinema which opened in 1933 and closed in the 1970s.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 104" /><ref name="kw59">{{Harvnb|Kime|Wilkinson|2011|p=59}}.</ref>|group=n}}

The Skegness Boys' Brigade Band started in 1908; it was disbanded on the outbreak of the First World War. A new band was formed in 1923 or 1928, as Skegness Town Band, which later changed its name to Skegness Silver Band.<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210182811/http://www.skegnesssilverband.co.uk/?page_id=10 |title=History |website=Skegness Silver Band |url=http://www.skegnesssilverband.co.uk/?page_id=10 |archive-date=10 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=104}}, who gives the date as 1923.</ref> The band continues to operate as of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.skegnesssilverband.co.uk/ |title=Home |website=Skegness Silver Band |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818133741/http://www.skegnesssilverband.co.uk/ |archive-date=18 August 2020}}</ref> The Skegness Excelsior Band also operated in the interwar period.<ref name="Kime 1986, p. 104" /> The town's amateur dramatic society, the Skegness Playgoers, was founded in 1937. As of 2020, they aim to put on two productions a year at the Embassy Theatre.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visitoruk.com/Skegness/skegness-playgoers-C1208-L1231.html |title=Skegness Playgoers |website=Visitor UK |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711200624/http://www.visitoruk.com/Skegness/skegness-playgoers-C1208-L1231.html |archive-date=11 July 2020}}</ref>

=== Sport ===
Skegness is home to [[Skegness Town A.F.C.]], which plays at the Vertigo Stadium on Wainfleet Road; known as The Lilywhites, the club was founded in 1947 and has been in the [[Northern Counties East Football League]] since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ncefl.org.uk/teams/skegnesstown/ |title=Skegness Town |website=[[Northern Counties East Football League|Toolstation Northern Counties East Football League]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211131256/http://www.ncefl.org.uk/teams/skegnesstown/ |archive-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> Another team, Skegness United F.C., folded in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/sport/football/end-era-skegness-united-851329 |title=End of an Era for Skegness United |work=Skegness Standard |date=8 August 2018 |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703145206/https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/sport/football/end-era-skegness-united-851329 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> The town has a rugby club, Skegness R.U.F.C., which plays in the Midlands 4 East (North) division of the [[Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire Rugby Football Union]], and has a clubhouse on Wainfleet Road.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nldrfu.co.uk/club/skegness-rfc/ |title=Skegness RFC |website=Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire Rugby Football Union |access-date=18 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307142307/http://nldrfu.co.uk/club/skegness-rfc/ |archive-date=7 March 2017}}</ref> Skegness Cricket Club traces its origins to at least 1877 and has its ground on Richmond Drive.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.skegnesscc.co.uk/aboutus.html |title=About the Club |website=Skegness Cricket Club |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120728/http://www.skegnesscc.co.uk/aboutus.html |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> There is also the Skegness Yacht Club, Indoor Bowls Club and Skegness Town Bowls Club.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegness.gov.uk/findmynearest.html?category=22%3A9182 |title=Directory – Sports Clubs |website=Skegness Town Council |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703145210/https://www.skegness.gov.uk/findmynearest.html?category=22%3A9182 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> [[Skegness Stadium]], just outside the town, hosts [[stock car racing]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skegness-raceway.info/Home |title=Home |website=Skegness Raceway |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704011748/http://skegness-raceway.info/Home |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> [[Seacroft golf course]] is a traditional 18-hole [[Links (golf)|links course]] at the southern end of Skegness. It was designed by Willie Fernie and opened in 1900, replacing a 9-hole course built in 1895.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seacroft Golf Course |url=https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/seacroft/14878 |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=Top 100 Golf Courses}}</ref>

=== Media ===
In 1922, the proprietors of the ''Lincolnshire Standard'' group of newspapers established a local version for the town, the ''Skegness Standard''; it switched to [[tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] in 1981;<ref name=":37" /> the ''Standard'' continues as a weekly as of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/ |title=Home |website=Skegness Standard |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823000604/https://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/ |archive-date=23 August 2020}}</ref> Founded in 2001, the ''East Lindsey Target'' became the ''East Coast and The Wolds Target'' in 2017, and continues as of 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.org.uk/product/8951-east-coast-and-the-wolds-target |title=East Coast and The Wolds Target |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC]] |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120733/https://www.abc.org.uk/product/8951-east-coast-and-the-wolds-target |archive-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> Former newspapers include the ''Skegness Herald'' (1882–1917) and the ''Skegness News'' (1909–1964; revived in 1985 but merged into the ''Skegness Standard'' in 2007).<ref name=":37" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2007/news/big-changes-for-lincolnshire-weeklies/ |title=Big Changes for Lincolnshire Weeklies |work=Hold the Front Page |date=25 June 2007 |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814223332/https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2007/news/big-changes-for-lincolnshire-weeklies/ |archive-date=14 August 2020}}</ref>

Skegness is covered by [[BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire]] and [[ITV Yorkshire]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7747697.stm |title=Changing UK: Map of BBC TV Regions |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=1 December 2008 |access-date=12 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812003423/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7747697.stm |archive-date=12 August 2017}}</ref><ref>See map at {{Cite web |url=https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/advertising-on-itv/regional-advertising |title=Regional advertising |website=[[ITV (TV channel)|ITV Media]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712120429/https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/advertising-on-itv/regional-advertising |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref> Local radio stations that broadcast to Skegness are [[BBC Radio Lincolnshire]], [[Hits Radio Lincolnshire]] and [[Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire|Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_radio_lincolnshire |title=Radio Lincolnshire |website=[[BBC]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818190234/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_lincolnshire |archive-date=18 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lincsfm.co.uk/ |title=Hits and Memories for Lincolnshire and Newark |website=[[Lincs FM]] |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503233421/https://www.lincsfm.co.uk/ |archive-date=3 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire |url=https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/lincolnshire/ |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=Greatest Hits Radio}}</ref> Coastal Sound radio (founded in 2016) is a community radio service broadcasting from Skegness to the area and beyond by way of the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://coastalsound.co.uk/ |title=Home |website=Coastal Sound |access-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712131926/https://coastalsound.co.uk/ |archive-date=12 July 2020}}</ref>

===Twin towns===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in England}}
Skegness is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Bad Gandersheim]], Germany

The arrangement, dating from 1979, is managed by the Skegness Twinning Association.<ref>{{cite web|title=Town Twinning |url=https://www.skegness.gov.uk/our-community/town-twinning/|publisher=Skegness Town Council|access-date=4 February 2025}}</ref>

== Historic buildings ==
[[File:Church of St Clement, Skegness.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|St Clement's Church, Skegness]]
Skegness's oldest buildings are the medieval churches of St Clement, in Skegness, and St Mary, in Winthorpe. St Clement's has a 13th-century tower; the rest of the building may be medieval, but probably dates to the mid-16th century when it is thought to have been rebuilt. There were restorations in 1884 and the 20th-century and it is [[Listed building|grade-II* listed]].<ref name=":44">{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229943 |title=Church of St Clement, Skegness (List Entry No. 1229943) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]]) |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052908/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229943 |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> St Mary's is grade-I listed and is mostly 15th-century, with some late 12th-century elements. There are some 16th-century [[monumental brass]]es,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229941 |title=Church of St Mary (List Entry No. 1229941) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705120555/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229941 |archive-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> and a medieval [[High cross|standing cross]] in the churchyard, which is a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1014427 |title=Churchyard cross, St Mary's churchyard, Winthorpe (List Entry No. 1014427) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703192321/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1014427 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> Other buildings which predate the modern resort town include the Ivy House Farmhouse on Burgh Road, which dates to the mid or late 18th century,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1278845 |title=Ivy House Farmhouse (List Entry No. 1278845) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703194547/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1278845 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> Church Farmhouse on Church Road, which dates to the early 18th century and hosts the Church Farm Museum,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1278851 |title=Church Farmhouse (List Entry No. 1278851) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705133730/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1278851 |archive-date=5 July 2020}}</ref> the 18th-century Church Farmhouse on Church End, Winthorpe,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229939 |title=Church Farmhouse (List Entry No. 1229939) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703132504/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229939 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> and the early-19th-century Burnside Farmhouse.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1230007 |title=Burnside Farmhouse (List Entry No. 1230007) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703192318/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1230007 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> The houses at 1–5 St Andrew's Drive are mid- to late-19th-century cottages and thought to have been built to house coastguards.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229947 |title=1–5, St Andrew's Drive (List Entry No. 1229947) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704163350/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229947 |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref>

Parts of the Victorian development have been recognised for their special interest. These include the Church of St Matthew<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1230006 |title=Church of St Matthew (List Entry No. 1230006) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052911/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1230006 |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> and the war memorial in its churchyard,<ref name="war-memorial"/> the Jubilee Clock Tower (built in 1898 and a [[landmark]] in the town),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229944 |title=Jubilee Clock Tower (List Entry No. 1229944) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704154820/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1229944 |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> and portions of original railings dating from the 1870s which are situated to the south and north of the clock tower;<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1452072 |title=Seaside Shelter and Railings, 150 Meters South of Jubilee Clock Tower (List Entry No. 1452072) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704010403/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1452072 |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1452062 |title=Seaside Shelter and railings, east side of Grand Parade, north of Jubilee Clock Tower (List Entry No. 1452062) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703152523/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1452062 |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> these are all grade-II listed structures. A large portion of the later esplanade, boating lake, land north of the pier and tower gardens is also grade-II listed.<ref name=":23" /> South Parade and Grand Parade contain 19th- and 20th-century boarding houses in the [[Queen Anne style architecture|Queen Anne revival style]]. Modern buildings of note include the Sun Castle (1932), County Hotel (1935)<ref>{{Harvnb|Pevsner|Harris|Antram|1989|p=646}}.</ref> and The Ship Hotel (''c''. 1935).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1236694 |title=The Ship Hotel (List Entry No. 1236694) |website=[[The National Heritage List for England]] |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614180113/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1236694 |archive-date=14 June 2020}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{Main|Category:People from Skegness}}
Skegness has been home to several people associated with the entertainment industry. Billy Butlin first set up his amusements stall on the seafront in the 1920s, opened the fairground rides south of the pier in 1929 and then established the first of his all-in holiday camps at Ingoldmells in 1936.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |first=Douglas A. |last=Reid |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/30887 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-30887 |title=Butlin, Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne &lsqb;Billy&rsqb; |date=September 2017 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Among performers connected with the town was the comedian [[Arthur Lucan]], who grew up in the Boston area and busked in Skegness after leaving home.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |first=Michael |last=Pointon |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/64573 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-64573 |title=Lucan, Arthur &lsqb;real name Arthur Towle &rsqb; |date=January 2011 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The actress [[Elizabeth Allan]] was born in the town.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=58}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Elizabeth Allan |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=30 July 1990 |page=12}}</ref> The rock singer and songwriter [[Graham Bonnet]] was born in Skegness in 1947.<ref>{{Harvnb|Larkin|2011|p=1902}}.</ref> The comedian [[Dave Allen (comedian)|Dave Allen]] worked as a [[Butlins Redcoats|redcoat]] at Butlins early in his career.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Dave Allen |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=12 March 2005 |page=80}}</ref> The disgraced clergyman [[Harold Davidson]] performed in a circus act in the amusement park in 1937 (while campaigning for his reinstatement to the priesthood), but died that year in the town after being mauled by one of his lions.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |first=Robert |last=Brown |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/51099 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-51099 |title=Davidson, Harold Francis |date=September 2017 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The clown [[Robert George John Francis Fossett|Jacko Fossett]] retired to Skegness.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Dee |last=Vegas |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/aug/28/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |title=Obituary: Jacko Fossett |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 August 2004 |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702213647/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/aug/28/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |archive-date=2 July 2020}}</ref>

Several notable religious figures either lived in the town or served it in some capacity: [[Edward Steere]] was curate from 1858 to 1862,<ref>{{Cite DNB |wstitle= Steere, Edward | volume= 54 |last= Harris |first= Charles Alexander  |author-link= Charles Alexander Harris |pages = 141-142 |short=1}}  For the dates, see {{Cite journal |title=Reviews and Notices |journal=The Church of England Pulpit, and Ecclesiastical Review |volume=14 |year=1882 |page=120}}</ref> [[George Clarkson|George William Clarkson]] was rector from 1944 to 1948,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Clarkson, Rt Rev. George William |encyclopedia=[[Who's Who (UK)|Who Was Who]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=December 2019 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U153242 |isbn=978-0-19-954089-1}}</ref> [[Roderick Wells]] was rector from 1971 to 1978,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Wells, Ven. Roderick John |encyclopedia=[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=December 2019 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U39319 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4}}</ref> and [[Kenneth Thompson (bishop)|Kenneth Thompson]] lived in the town.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Thompson, Rt Rev. Kenneth George |encyclopedia=[[Who's Who (UK)|Who Was Who]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=December 2019 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U160263 |isbn=978-0-19-954089-1}}</ref>

Local sportspeople include [[Anne Pashley]] (died 2016), the Olympic athlete and (latterly) opera singer, who was born at Wallace's holiday camp in Skegness in 1935.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Mel |last=Watman |doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.111487 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-111487 |title=Pashley, Anne |website=[[The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=January 2020 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The footballer [[Ray Clemence]] was born in Skegness in 1948.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|p=107}}.</ref> The cricketer [[Ray Frearson]] (1904–1991) played for the Skegness team and died in the town.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=106–107}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/228716.html |title=Obituaries in 1991 |website=[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]] 1992 |date=6 December 2005 |publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo|ESPNCricinfo]] |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701190852/https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/228716.html |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> Among golfers, [[Mark Seymour (golfer)|Mark Seymour]] died in Skegness in 1952,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19520920/109/0005 |title=Mark Seymour Dead |work=[[The Courier (Dundee)|Dundee Courier]] |date=20 September 1952 |page=5 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> and [[Helen Dobson]] was born there in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.englandgolf.org/helen-hewlett-to-manage-gbi-teams/ |title=Helen Hewlett to Manage GB&I Teams |work=[[England Golf]] |date=29 January 2015 |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703104259/https://www.englandgolf.org/helen-hewlett-to-manage-gbi-teams/ |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>

Others with links to Skegness include the poet and art critic [[William Cosmo Monkhouse]], who died in the town in 1901,<ref>{{Cite ODNB |first1=Austin |last1=Dobson |first2=Sayoni |last2=Basu (rev.) |editor-first1=Sayoni |editor-last1=Basu |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/35067 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-35067 |title=Monkhouse, William Cosmo |date=September 2004 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> and the novelist [[Vernon Scannell]], who was born there in 1922.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |first=Alan |last=Brownjohn |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/99252 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-99252 |title=Scannell, Vernon &lsqb;real name John Vernon Bain&rsqb;" |date=January 2011 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The former tabloid editor [[Neil Wallis]] started his journalistic career at the ''Skegness Standard'' in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Ian |last=Burrell |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/fleet-streets-wolfman-hardened-hack-with-a-hotline-to-the-met-2314076.html |title=Fleet Street's 'Wolfman': Hardened Hack with a Hotline to the Met |work=[[The Independent]] |date=15 July 2011 |access-date=29 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052912/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/fleet-streets-wolfman-hardened-hack-with-a-hotline-to-the-met-2314076.html |archive-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> [[Reginald J. G. Dutton]], who created the [[shorthand]] [[Dutton Speedwords]], chaired Skegness Urban District Council.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kime|1986|pp=119, 125}}. For the dates of birth and death, see {{Cite web |first=John |last=Kennaway |url=http://www2.cmp.uea.ac.uk/~jrk/conlang.dir/SpeedwordsBackground.html |title=Dutton Speedwords: Background and Purpose |publisher=[[University of East Anglia]] |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723123840/http://www2.cmp.uea.ac.uk/~jrk/conlang.dir/SpeedwordsBackground.html |archive-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> The naval officer Sir [[Guy Grantham]] was born in the town in 1900,<ref>{{Cite ODNB |author-link=John Winton |first=John |last=Winton |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/51054 |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-51054 |title=Grantham, Sir Guy |date=September 2004 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=1 July 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> as was the seaman [[Jesse Handsley]], who served on [[Scott's first Antarctic expedition|Scott's first Antarctic Expedition]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.skegness.gov.uk/march-2016---unveiling-of-the-je.html |title=Unveiling of the Jesse Handsley Tribute Board |website=Skegness Town Council |date=March 2016 |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703104258/https://www.skegness.gov.uk/march-2016---unveiling-of-the-je.html |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> The chess champion and educator [[John Littlewood (chess player)|John Littlewood]] taught at the grammar school.<ref>{{Cite news |title=John Littlewood |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=22 September 2009 |page=59}}</ref>

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|group="n"}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Smalldiv|1=
{{Div col}}
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* {{Cite book |author=Avison Young |url=https://www.avisonyoungretail.co.uk/uploads/media//Portfolio/The%20Omaha%20Portfolio%20-%20AY%20030220.pdf |title=The Omaha Portfolio |location=London |publisher=Avison Young |year=2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717043049/https://www.avisonyoungretail.co.uk/uploads/media//Portfolio/The%20Omaha%20Portfolio%20-%20AY%20030220.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2020}}
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* {{Cite book |author=[[East Lindsey District Council]] |url=https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/9794/Settlement-Proposals-Pt3-Coastal-Settlements/pdf/Settlement_Proposals_Pt3_Coastal_Settlements.pdf |title=East Lindsey Settlement Proposals Development Plan Document: Part 3, Coastal Settlements: Adopted July 2018 |location=Louth |publisher=East Lindsey District Council |year=2018b |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827103015/https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/9794/Settlement-Proposals-Pt3-Coastal-Settlements/pdf/Settlement_Proposals_Pt3_Coastal_Settlements.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[East Midlands Railway]] |url=https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/media/20200605/52E4ynM9oXwcjs5pOi3lagUs4OhdJFcve-AavA2gsAM/not-skg_weekdays_valid_from_080620.pdf |title=Replacement Train Timetable: Nottingham–Skegness |location=London |publisher=East Midlands Railway |date=8 June 2020 |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709171949/https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/media/20200605/52E4ynM9oXwcjs5pOi3lagUs4OhdJFcve-AavA2gsAM/not-skg_weekdays_valid_from_080620.pdf |archive-date=9 July 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=K. C. Edwards |last=Edwards |first=K. C. |chapter=Lincolnshire |editor-first=J. B. |editor-last=Mitchell |title=Great Britain: Geographical Essays |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1962 |pages=308–329 |isbn=978-0-521-05739-4}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Environment Agency]] |url=https://www.channelcoast.org/anglia/analysis_programme/Coastal%20Trends%20Report%20Lincolnshire%20(Subcells%202b-c%20-%20Grimbsy%20to%20Gibraltar%20Point)%20RP007L2008.pdf |title=Coastal Trends Report: Lincolnshire (Subcells 2b–c – Grimsby to Gibraltar Point) |series=Coastal Trends Reports |volume=RP007/L/2008 |location=Peterborough |publisher=Environment Agency |year=2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827103042/https://www.channelcoast.org/anglia/analysis_programme/Coastal%20Trends%20Report%20Lincolnshire%20%28Subcells%202b-c%20-%20Grimbsy%20to%20Gibraltar%20Point%29%20RP007L2008.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Environment Agency]] |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805667/Saltfleet_to_Gibralter_Point_Non-technical_summary_-_FINAL_DOCUMENT_-_3005.pdf |title=Saltfleet to Gibraltar Point Strategy: Non-Technical Summary |location=Lincoln |publisher=Environment Agency |year=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827103100/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805667/Saltfleet_to_Gibralter_Point_Non-technical_summary_-_FINAL_DOCUMENT_-_3005.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Friends of the Earth]] |url=http://www.tescopoly.org/sites/default/files/shopping_the_bullies.pdf |title=Shopping the Bullies |location=London |publisher=Friends of the Earth |year=2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909100746/http://www.tescopoly.org/sites/default/files/shopping_the_bullies.pdf |archive-date=9 September 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=Focus Consultants |url=https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/11198/Skegness-Foreshore-Masterplan-/pdf/Skegness_Masterplan_-_December_2018.pdf?m=636808923087370000 |title=East Lindsey District Council: Skegness Masterplan Refresh |location=Nottingham |publisher=Focus Consultants |year=2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827103110/https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/11198/Skegness-Foreshore-Masterplan-/pdf/Skegness_Masterplan_-_December_2018.pdf?m=636808923087370000 |archive-date=27 August 2020}}
* {{Cite book |editor-link1=C. W. Foster |editor-last1=Foster |editor-first1=C. W. |editor-first2=Thomas |editor-last2=Longley |url=https://archive.org/details/publicationslinc19lincuoft/page/n7/mode/2up |title=The Lincolnshire Domesday and the Lindsey Survey |series=The Publications of the Lincoln Record Society |volume=19 |location=Horncastle |publisher=W. K. Morton and Sons, for the [[Lincoln Record Society]] |year=1924 |oclc=644784483}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fullard |first=Harold |title=The Geographical Digest |location=London |publisher=George Phillip and Son |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-540-01074-5}}
* {{Cite book |author=Global Tourism Solutions |url=https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/5824/CD53-STEAM-Final-Trend-Report-2013-2015-for-Skegness-and-Ingoldmells/pdf/CD53_STEAM_Final_Trend_Report_2013-2015_for_Skegness_and_Ingoldmells.pdf?m=636409851841870000 |title=STEAM Final Trend Report for 2013–2015 |location=Scarborough |publisher=Global Tourism Solutions |year=2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827103125/https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/5824/CD53-STEAM-Final-Trend-Report-2013-2015-for-Skegness-and-Ingoldmells/pdf/CD53_STEAM_Final_Trend_Report_2013-2015_for_Skegness_and_Ingoldmells.pdf?m=636409851841870000 |archive-date=27 August 2020}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Gurnham |first=Richard |url=http://www.slha.org.uk/downloads/publications.php?filename=LHA7-Gurnham.pdf |title=Creation of Skegness as a Resort Town by the 9th Earl of Scarbrough |journal=[[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology|Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |volume=7 |year=1972 |pages=63–76 |issn=0459-4487}}
* {{Cite book |last=Guislain |first=Pierre |title=The Privatization Challenge: A Strategic, Legal, and Institutional Analysis of International Experience |series=World Bank Regional and Sectoral Studies |location=Washington, DC |publisher=[[World Bank]] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-8213-3736-3}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Hawkins |first1=Oliver |first2=Richard |last2=Keen |first3=Nambassa |last3=Nakatudde |first4=Steven |last4=Ayres |first5=Carl |last5=Baker |first6=Rachael |last6=Harker |first7=Paul |last7=Bolton |first8=Neil |last8=Johnston |first9=Richard |last9=Cracknell |url=http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7186/CBP-7186.pdf |title=General Election 2015 |series=[[House of Commons Library]] Briefing Papers |volume=CBP7186 |location=London |publisher=House of Commons Library |year=2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126132714/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7186/CBP-7186.pdf |archive-date=26 January 2020}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Hewson |first=Julie E. |url=http://www.slha.org.uk/downloads/publications.php?filename=LHA21-Hewson.pdf |title=Who Were the Skegness Pioneers? A Study of the People Who Settled in the New Town of Skegness, 1871–1881 |journal=[[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology|Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |volume=21 |year=1986 |pages=63–65 |issn=0459-4487}}
* {{Cite book |author=(([[House of Commons]] Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee)) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OJbXl7V1JlcC&pg=PA37 |title=Coastal Towns |volume=2 |location=London |publisher=[[The Stationery Office]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-215-02841-9}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[House of Lords]] Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities |url=https://old.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/Regenerating-Seaside-Towns/Seaside-Written_Evidence_Volume.pdf |title=Written Evidence |location=London |publisher=House of Lords |year=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909101233/https://old.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/Regenerating-Seaside-Towns/Seaside-Written_Evidence_Volume.pdf |archive-date=9 September 2020}}
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Kelly |editor-first=E. R. |url=http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/193632/rec/1 |title=Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire with Map |location=London |publisher=[[Kelly's Directory|Kelly & Co.]] |year=1885 |oclc=877575451}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Kelly's Directories]] |url=http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/232500/rec/1 |title=Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire with Map |location=London |publisher=Kelly's Directories |year=1913 |oclc=877575451}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kime |first=Winston |title=Skeggy! The Story of an East Coast Town |location=Skegness |publisher=Seashell Books |year=1969 |isbn=978-0-9500573-0-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kime |first=Winston |title=The Book of Skegness, Ingoldmells, Addlethorpe and Chapel St. Leonards |location=Buckingham |publisher=Barracuda |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-86023-271-1}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Kime |first1=Winston |first2=Ken |last2=Wilkinson |title=Skegness Past & Present |series=Britain in Old Photographs |location=Cheltenham |publisher=[[The History Press]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7524-6012-3}}
* {{Cite book |editor-link=Colin Larkin |last=Larkin |first=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Concise Edition |edition=5th |location=London |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}
* {{Cite book |editor-last1=Lane |editor-first1=Tom |editor-first2=Elaine L. |editor-last2=Morris |title=A Millennium of Saltmaking: Prehistoric and Romano-British Salt Production in the Fenland |series=Lincolnshire Archaeology and Heritage Reports |volume=4 |location=Heckington |publisher=Archaeological Project Services |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-948639-32-6}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Lincolnshire County Council]] |url=http://www.research-lincs.org.uk/UI/Documents/2019.pdf |title=Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019 |location=Lincoln |publisher=Lincolnshire County Council |year=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629110249/http://www.research-lincs.org.uk/UI/Documents/2019.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=Lincolnshire Research Observatory |url=http://www.research-lincs.org.uk/lro/documents_lro/Site_Text/2001_Census/Parish_Profiles/PDF/32UC136.pdf |title=Statistics about Skegness, East Lindsey |location=Lincoln |publisher=Lincolnshire Research Observatory |year=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052912/http://www.research-lincs.org.uk/lro/documents_lro/Site_Text/2001_Census/Parish_Profiles/PDF/32UC136.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2020}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mason |first=Emma |chapter-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt81gv2.10 |chapter=Brothers at Court: Urse de Abetot and Robert Dispenser |title=Anglo-Norman Studies: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2008 |location=Woodbridge |publisher=[[Boydell & Brewer|Boydell and Brewer]] |year=2009 |volume=31 |pages=64–89 |jstor=10.7722/j.ctt81gv2.10 |isbn=978-1-84615-690-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Massingberd |first=W. O. |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Court_Rolls_of_the_Manor_of_Ingoldmells_in_the_County_of_Lincoln |title=Court Rolls of the Manor of Ingoldmells in the County of Lincoln |location=London |publisher=[[Eyre & Spottiswoode|Spottiswoode]] |year=1902 |oclc=12159166}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mellor |first=G. J. |title=Picture Pioneers: The Story of the Northern Cinema, 1896–1971 |location=Newcastle-upon-Tyne |publisher=Graham |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-902833-01-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mills |first=A. D. |chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199609086.001.0001/acref-9780199609086-e-11961 |chapter=Skegness |editor-first=A. D. |editor-last=Mills |title=A Dictionary of British Place-Names |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2011 |page=422 |isbn=978-0-19-960908-6}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Museum of London Archaeology]] Service |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/ehswithern_eh_2009/skegness.cfm?REDSQUIDARCHIVES_856983da-0a9f-4855-bc8d-ca9bf347facb_0 |title=England's Historic Seascapes: Withernsea to Skegness: Skegness and Mablethorpe Coastal Waters Character Area |location=York |publisher=[[Archaeology Data Service]] |year=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523052912/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/ehswithern_eh_2009/skegness.cfm?REDSQUIDARCHIVES_856983da-0a9f-4855-bc8d-ca9bf347facb_0 |archive-date=23 May 2020}}
* {{Cite book |last=Naldrett |first=Peter |title=Around the Coast in 80 Days: Your Guide to Britain's Best Coastal Towns, Beaches, Cliffs and Headlands |location=London |publisher=Conway |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-84486-559-8}}
* {{Cite book |author=Nathan Lichfield and Partners |url=https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/5808/CD46-East-Lindsey-Retail-and-Economic-Assessment-Update-2014/pdf/CD46_East_Lindsey_Retail_and_Economic_Assessment_Update_2014.pdf |title=East Lindsey Retail and Economic Assessment |location=London |publisher=Nathan Lichfield and Partners |year=2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827104125/https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/media/5808/CD46-East-Lindsey-Retail-and-Economic-Assessment-Update-2014/pdf/CD46_East_Lindsey_Retail_and_Economic_Assessment_Update_2014.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2020}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Neller |first=Ruth |url=http://slha.org.uk/downloads/publications.php?filename=LHA46-Neller-Skegness.pdf |title=Skegness: a History of Railway Excursions |journal=[[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology|Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |volume=46 |year=2011 |pages=11–27 |issn=0459-4487}}
* {{Cite book |last=Oldfield |first=Edmund |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4oQuAAAAMAAJ |title=A Topographical and Historical Account of Wainfleet and the Wapentake of Candleshoe, in the County of Lincoln |location=London |publisher=Longman and others |year=1829 |isbn=978-1-296-54221-4}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Office for National Statistics |author=Office for National Statistics |title=1991 Census: Key Statistics for Urban and Rural Areas. The Midlands |location=London |publisher=[[The Stationery Office]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-11-620905-4}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Office for National Statistics |author=Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.coastalcommunities.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/A_Profile_of_Deprivation_in_Larger_English_Seaside_Destinations.pdf |title=A Profile of Deprivation in Larger English Seaside Destinations, 2007 and 2010 |location=London |publisher=Office for National Statistics and [[Department for Communities and Local Government]] |year=2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630005017/https://www.coastalcommunities.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/A_Profile_of_Deprivation_in_Larger_English_Seaside_Destinations.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Ofsted]] |url=https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2528871 |title=Skegness College of Vocational Training |location=Manchester |publisher=Ofsted |year=2015 |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918072325/https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2528871 |archive-date=18 September 2021}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Ofsted]] |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2616523 |title=Beacon Primary Academy |location=Manchester |publisher=Ofsted |year=2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120720/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2616523 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Ofsted]] |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2730693 |title=Skegness Grammar School |location=Manchester |publisher=Ofsted |year=2017 |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826120722/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2730693 |archive-date=26 August 2020}}
* {{Cite journal |author-link1=Arthur E. B. Owen |last1=Owen |first1=Arthur E. B. |author-link2=Richard Coates |first2=Richard |last2=Coates |url=http://www.slha.org.uk/downloads/publications.php?filename=LHA38-Owen-Coates.pdf |title=Traiectus/Tric/Skegness: A Domesday Name Explained |journal=[[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology|Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |volume=38 |year=2003 |pages=42–44 |issn=0459-4487}}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Pawley |first=Simon |url=https://figshare.com/articles/Lincolnshire_coastal_villages_and_the_sea_c_1300_-_c_1600_economy_and_society/10176488 |title=Lincolnshire Coastal Villages and the Sea ''c''. 1300–''c''. 1600: Economy and Society |type=PhD |location=[[University of Leicester]] |year=1984}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Pearson |first=R. E. |title=Railways in Relation to Resort Development in East Lincolnshire |journal=East Midland Geographer |volume=4 |year=1968 |pages=281–295 |issn=0012-8481}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pearson |first=Lynn F. |title=The People's Palaces: The Story of the Seaside Pleasure Buildings of 1870–1914 |location=Buckingham |publisher=Buckingham |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-86023-455-5}}
* {{Cite book |author-link1=Nikolaus Pevsner |last1=Pevsner |first1=Nikolaus |author-link2=John Harris (curator) |first2=John |last2=Harris |title=The Buildings of Lincolnshire |location=Harmondsworth |publisher=[[Penguin (publisher)|Penguin]] |year=1964 |oclc=1032884339}}
* {{Cite book |author-link1=Nikolaus Pevsner |last1=Pevsner |first1=Nikolaus |author-link2=John Harris (curator) |first2=John |last2=Harris |first3=Nicholas |last3=Antram |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQqV7kdX1Y0C&pg=PA643 |title=The Buildings of Lincolnshire |edition=2nd |series=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides]] |location=New Haven, Conn., and London |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-300-09620-0}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Willingham Franklin Rawnsley |last=Rawnsley |first=Willingham |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/tennysonhisfrien00tennuoft/page/18/mode/2up |chapter=Tennyson and Lincolnshire: II. The Somerset Friends |editor-link=Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson |editor-last=Tennyson |editor-first=Hallam |title=Tennyson and His Friends |location=London |publisher=[[Macmillan and Co.]] |year=1911 |pages=18–32 |isbn=978-0-659-90561-1}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Ken Roberts (academic) |last=Roberts |first=Ken |title=The Business of Leisure: Tourism, Sport, Events and Other Leisure Industries |location=Basingstoke |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-137-42818-9}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=David Robinson (journalist) |last=Robinson |first=David N. |chapter=The Changing Coastline |editor-first=Dennis R. |editor-last=Mills |title=Twentieth Century Lincolnshire |series=History of Lincolnshire |volume=12 |location=Lincoln |publisher=History of Lincolnshire Committee of the [[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |year=1989 |pages=155–180 |isbn=978-0-902668-15-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Stennett |first=Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5k5DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT116 |title=Lincolnshire Railways |location=Marlborough |publisher=Crowood Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78500-082-9}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Julie-Marie Strange |last=Strange |first=Julie-Marie |chapter=Leisure |editor-first1=Francesca |editor-last1=Carneval |editor-first2=Julie-Marie |editor-last2=Strange |title=20th Century Britain: Economic, Cultural and Social Change |edition=2nd |location=Abingdon |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2007 |pages=197–213 |isbn=978-0-582-77287-8}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Joan Thirsk |last=Thirsk |first=Joan |title=English Peasant Farming: The Agrarian History of Lincolnshire from Tudor to Recent Times |location=London |publisher=[[Routledge]] and Kegan Paul |year=1957 |isbn=978-0-415-37703-4}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[Training Standards Council]] |url=https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/867785 |title=Training Standards Council Inspection Report July 1998: East Lindsey ITeC |location=Oxford |publisher=Training Standards Council |year=1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920170506/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/867785 |archive-date=20 September 2021}}
* {{Cite book |last=Trowler |first=Paul |title=Education Policy |edition=2nd |location=London and New York |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-415-27554-5}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Uberoi |first1=Elise |first2=Carl |last2=Baker |first3=Richard |last3=Cracknell |url=http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf |title=General Election 2019: Results and Analysis |series=[[House of Commons Library]] Briefing Papers |volume=CBP 8749 |location=London |publisher=House of Commons Library |year=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724111706/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2020}}
* {{Cite book |author=[[VisitEngland]] |url=https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Images/England-stats-insights/seaside_report_final_v2_without_summary.pdf |title=England's Seaside: What Are the Opportunities? |location=London |publisher=VisitEngland |year=2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628023157/https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Images/England-stats-insights/seaside_report_final_v2_without_summary.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2020}}
* {{Cite book |last=Waller |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Waller |title=Town, City and Nation: England, 1850–1914 |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Clarendon Press]] |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-19-289163-1}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Waller |first1=Robert |first2=Byron |last2=Criddle |title=The Almanac of British Politics |edition=6th |location=London |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-415-18541-7}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=John K. Walton |last=Walton |first=John K. |title=The British Seaside: Holidays and Resorts in the Twentieth Century |location=Manchester |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7190-5170-8}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Whitehead |first1=E. J. |first2=A. R. |last2=Lawrence |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/3699/1/RR06003.pdf |title=The Chalk Aquifer System of Lincolnshire |series=British Geological Survey Research Report |volume=RR/06/03 |location=Keyworth |publisher=[[British Geological Survey]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-85272-522-1}}
* {{Cite book |author1=Wilkinson Williams |author2=[[Savills]] |url=https://www.avisonyoungretail.co.uk/uploads/media//Portfolio/11419.001%20diamond%20portfolio_AW2.pdf |title=The Diamond Portfolio: A Portfolio of Seven Institutional Retail Park and Food Store Assets |location=Guildford |publisher=The Completely Group |year=2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716145944/https://www.avisonyoungretail.co.uk/uploads/media//Portfolio/11419.001%20diamond%20portfolio_AW2.pdf |archive-date=16 July 2020}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wright |first=Neil R. |title=Lincolnshire Towns and Industry, 1700–1914 |series=History of Lincolnshire |volume=11 |location=Lincoln |publisher=History of Lincolnshire Committee of the [[Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology]] |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-902668-10-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Youngs |first=F. A. |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England |volume=2 |location=London |publisher=[[Royal Historical Society]] |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-86193-127-9}}{{Div col end}}}}

== Further reading ==
{{Smalldiv|1=
{{Div col}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kime |first=Winston |title=The Lincolnshire Seaside |series=Britain in Old Photographs |location=Stroud |publisher=[[The History Press|Sutton]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7509-4129-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kime |first=Winston |title=The Skegness Date Book 1850–2000 |location=Skegness |publisher=Skegness Town Council |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-9554820-0-7}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Massingberd |first=W. O. |title=The Court Rolls of the Manor of Ingoldmells-cum-Addlethorpe |journal=Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies' Reports and Papers |volume=21 |year=1891 |pages=176–190 |oclc=1009008172}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Minkley |first=J. W. |title=South Africa in Skegness |journal=The Journal of the Cricket Society |volume=15 |issue=2 |year=1991 |pages=32–33 |oclc=8203896}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Vic |first2=Keith |last2=Smith |title=Branch Lines to Skegness and Mablethorpe, also to Spilsby and Coningsby |location=Midhurst |publisher=Middleton Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-908174-84-0}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=David Robinson (journalist) |last=Robinson |first=David N. |title=The Book of the Lincolnshire Seaside: The Story of the Coastline from the Humber to the Wash |location=Buckingham |publisher=Barracuda |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-86023-122-6}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Tatham |first=E. H. R. |title='Chesterland' in the Court Rolls of Ingoldmells |journal=Lincolnshire Notes and Queries |volume=11 |year=1911 |pages=226–229 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c804AQAAMAAJ |oclc=561063617}}
* {{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Stephen |title=Firsby to Wainfleet and Skegness |location=Boston |publisher=KMS Books |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-948017-04-9}}
{{Div col end}}}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.skegness.gov.uk/ Skegness Town Council]
* [https://www.in2town.co.uk/skegness-news/ Skegness News]
* {{Commons category-inline|Skegness}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline}}

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

{{Authority control}}

{{Featured article}}

[[Category:Skegness| ]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Towns in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:East Lindsey District]]
[[Category:Beaches of Lincolnshire]]