Cleethorpes Pier Gardens Project to start next week

National organisation, Maylim, who pride themselves on creating award-winning landscaping projects for nature and communities to thrive, have won the bid to deliver the £7.9m contract.

Maylim is a landscape contractor specialising in both hard and soft landscaping, paving, highways and civil engineering. 

Previous projects undertaken by the company have included several landscaping projects in London as well as regeneration projects in other cities.

Tom Taylor, Project Lead from Maylim, said: “We are really pleased to have secured this project and make the space something for people to be proud of.

“When I first saw the plans, I could really see this was a project which was designed to bring the community together, and make them a beautiful space that people will want to spend time in.

“We’re looking forward to working with the community through local employment and businesses opportunities, along with a series of events to engage the whole community.”

Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “Landscaping changes over the years – just look at previous formal gardens in stately homes that were designed centuries ago. That’s essentially what Pier Gardens used to be when the railway first came to town. It’s time for us to change this and make them fit for the future, and I’m looking forward to seeing this project on the ground in the coming weeks.”

Public might see activity on the site and surrounding areas from Monday 9 February and the gardens will be closed to the public from Tuesday 10 February.

Fencing will be installed around the gardens, the pathways leading to them from Central Prom, and also a small area of pavement on Alexandra Road to allow the contractors to take over the site area and create a vehicle delivery access route into the gardens, approximately opposite the end of Dolphin Street.

Work on the Pier Gardens project will take approximately 15 months to complete, and the site will be closed for the duration of the project.

Background to the project

The project is one of three projects being funded by HM Government in Cleethorpes, the others being the Sea Road development and Market Place. Overall, grant funding of £18.4m was secured for these three projects.

History

Before the work starts, let’s have a look at the history of the Gardens!

During the 1500s the economy of Cleethorpes mainly comprised fishing and mixed arable farming, but by the 1700s, the town was gaining a reputation as a seaside resort, popular with the wealthy for the newly fashionable health reasons of “taking the waters”. Indeed, the original building on the Dolphin site, the Cleethorpes Hotel was opened around 1760!

Wind forward to 1842, and an “Inclosure Act” issued by Parliament set aside 2.5 acres of seafront for public recreation. This is the land we know as Pier Gardens.

The railway arrived in Cleethorpes in 1863, run by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway company (MSLR).

By the 1870s, the local Council of the time had to look at the security of the town - the cliff edge was being eroded badly by high tides. A plan was pulled together to reinforce the sea walls with substantial promenades, but as ever, this was a financial challenge for the local area, so the railway company was approached for help! In 1881, the MSLR was given approval to spend around £30,000 (around £3.2million in modern money, according to the Bank of England) to build two promenades, stabilise the cliff and landscape the top of the cliff into public gardens.

According to the Watkin Society, the gardens contained: “mock castle, a camera obscura, pavilion tearoom, tennis courts, photography booth, a resident phrenologist, winding walks, ornamental gardens and a very popular bowling green. The castle [Ross Castle, named after Edward Ross, the Secretary of the MSLR at the time] had a Gothic appearance and was built to the previous height of the cliff at that point. A path ingeniously spiralled upwards and around the circular castle to the top with some seats in niches for the weary. From the top of the castle extensive views of the Humber Mouth could be enjoyed.

“A conservatory, built in the gardens, supplied the plants for the flower beds. Outside the gardens to the south, a flight of steps allowed access to the promenade from High Cliff. The gardens were much admired, and trade directories mention how elegant and salubrious a bathing place it had become. The gardens with their plentiful seats and paths winding past rhododendrons delighted visitors. The MSLR are believed to have spent £100,000 eventually but the instincts of Watkin to invest heavily in the town were correct and it paid dividends.”

“A smiling garden, artistically laid out with due regard to the natural undulations of the ground. The jagged and dangerous edge of the old cliff has given place to the grassy slopes with rustic and picturesque paths down to the lower grounds and promenade” 1883 - Grimsby Observer - Reference to The Pleasure Grounds aka Pier Gardens

Cliff Gardens were officially opened in 1885 by HRH Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward of Wales KG, the eldest son of the then Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra.

The opening spectacle included a display of flags of many countries along the prom, and a pavilion and stage inside the gardens. There was an archway constructed of Norwegian Ice too! There were bands playing, and the Royal Standard was flown high from Ross Castle.

The Gardens were a “pay to enter” facility for many years, but this was removed in in 1939, and they were the free for everyone to use, and have been since.