Grimsby is a seaport on the
HumberThe Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
Estuary in
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of
North East LincolnshireNorth East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, bordering the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire...
since 1996. According to legend, Grimsby was first founded by Grim, a Danish fisherman, 'By' means 'village' in
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
and 'city' or 'town' in the modern
Danish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
and
Norwegian languageNorwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
.
Geography
The town was previously titled "Great Grimsby" to distinguish it from Little Grimsby, a village about 14 miles (22 km) to the south, near
LouthLouth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
. People from Grimsby are called Grimbarians.
The town itself has a population of 87,574. It is physically linked to the adjoining town of
CleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
, and 11,000 of its inhabitants live in the village of
ScarthoScartho is a suburb located in the southern part of Grimsby, England, in the county of North East Lincolnshire. with a population of around 11,000. Up until the end of the Second World War it was a village; subsequent post-war expansion on the greenfield areas between Scartho and Grimsby has...
which was absorbed into Grimsby before laws on the green belt were put in place. All three areas come under the jurisdiction of the same council, North East Lincolnshire. It is close to the main terminus of the
A180The M180 motorway is a short but major motorway in England from junction 5 on the M18 motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster to a point close to Humberside Airport some from the ports of Immingham and Grimsby and the east coast and provides access for major routes to Cleethorpes,...
, which ends in Cleethorpes. 22 January is Great Grimsby Day.
The
River FreshneyThe River Freshney is a river in the English county of North East Lincolnshire. The town of Grimsby stands on its banks. It rises from at least four springs on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, although local folklore and oral tradition has it springing from Welbeck Hill...
passes to the west of the town, towards the
A46The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
. The A46 terminates near Grimsby in Cleethorpes at the junction with the A16 just north of Oasis Academy Wintringham.
Vikings
Grimsby was founded by the Danes in the 9th century AD, although there is some evidence of a small town of Roman workers sited in the area some seven centuries earlier. Located on The Haven, which flowed into the
HumberThe Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
, Grimsby would have provided an ideal location for ships to shelter from approaching storms. It was also well situated for the rich fishing grounds in the
North SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
The name Grimsby probably originated from the
Grim's by, or "Grim's Village". This is based on Grim the Danish Viking, supposedly the founder of the town, with the suffix
-by being the
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word for village. For more on the legendary founding of Grimsby see the Lay of Havelock the Dane. This is only one explanation of the founding of Grimsby, and is completely unsupported, being a legend. There is however a Grim and Havelock Association which has produced evidence to back up the legend.
In Norse Mythology, 'Grim' (Mask) and 'Grimnir' (Masked One) are names adopted by the deity
OdinOdin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
(Anglo-Saxon '
WodenWoden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
') when traveling incognito amongst mortals, as in the short poem known as 'Grimnir's Sayings' (
Grimnismal) in the
Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
, so the intended audience of the Havelock tale (recorded much later in the form of The Lay of Havelock the Dane) may have implicitly understood the fisherman Grim to be Odin in disguise. The Odinic name 'Grimr/Grim' occurs in many English placenames within the historical
DanelawThe Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
and elsewhere in Britain, examples being the numerous earthworks named
Grimsdyke. Every other British placename containing the element
Grim- is explained as a reference to
WodenWoden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
/
OdinOdin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
(e.g. Grimsbury, Grimspound, Grime's Graves, Grimsditch, Grimsworne), so one may argue that 'Grimsby' is unlikely to have a different derivation.
Grimsby is listed in the
Domesday BookDomesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, having a population of around 200, a priest, a mill and a ferry (probably to take people across the
HumberThe Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
, to
HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
).
It also appears in the
Orkneyinga SagaThe Orkneyinga saga is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands, from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200...
in this Dróttkvætt stanza by the Viking Rǫgnvald Kali:
- Vér hǫfum vaðnar leirur vikur fimm megingrimmar;
- saurs vara vant, er várum, viðr, í Grímsbœ miðjum.
- Nú'r þat's más of mýrar meginkátliga látum
- branda elg á bylgjur Bjǫrgynjar til dynja.
- "We have waded in mire for five terrible weeks; there was no lack of mud where we were, in the middle of Grimsby. But now away we let our beaked moose [= ship] resound meerily on the waves over the seagull's swamp [= sea] to Bergen."
During the 12th century, Grimsby developed into a fishing and trading port, at one point ranking twelfth in importance to the Crown in terms of tax revenue. The town was granted its charter by
King JohnJohn , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
in 1201 The first mayor was installed in 1218.
Grimsby does not have town walls. It was too small and was protected by the marshy land around it. However, the town did have a ditch. In medieval times, Grimsby had two parish churches, St Mary's and St James'. Only St James', now known as Grimsby Minster, remains. St James' shares with
Lincoln CathedralLincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
the folk tale of an
ImpAn imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.-Folklore:...
who played tricks in the church and was turned into stone by an angel (see
Lincoln ImpThe Lincoln Imp is the symbol of the City of Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, England.According to a 14th-century legend two mischievous creatures called imps were sent by Satan to do evil work on Earth. After causing mayhem in Northern England, the two imps headed to Lincoln Cathedral...
).
In the 15th century, The Haven began to silt up, preventing ships in the Humber from docking. As a result, Grimsby entered a long period of decline which lasted until the late 18th century. In 1801, the population of Grimsby numbered 1,524 , around the same size that it had been in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Fishing and maritime industry
In the early 19th century, the town grew rapidly. The Great Grimsby Haven Company was formed by Act of Parliament in May 1796 (the Grimsby Haven Act) for the purpose of "widening, deepening, enlarging, altering and improving the Haven of the Town and Port of Great Grimsby". Grimsby's port boomed, importing iron, timber, wheat, hemp and flax. New docks were necessary to cope with the expansion. The Grimsby Docks Act of 1845 allowed the necessary building works.
The Dock Tower was completed in 1851, followed by The Royal Dock in 1852. No.1 Fish Dock was completed in 1856, followed by No.2 Fish Dock in 1877. Alexandra Dock and Union Dock followed in 1879. During this period the fishing fleet was greatly expanded. In a rare reversal of the usual trends, large numbers of fishermen from the South-East and Devon travelled North to join the Grimsby fleet. Over 40% of these newcomers came from Barking in East London, and other Thames-side towns.
The arrival of the railway in 1848 made it far easier to transport goods to and from the port. Coal mined in the South Yorkshire coal fields was brought by rail and exported through Grimsby. Rail links direct to London and the
Billingsgate Fish MarketSituated in East London, Billingsgate Fish Market is the United Kingdom's largest inland fish market. It takes its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east of the City of London, where the riverside market was originally established...
allowed for fresh 'Grimsby Fish' to gain renown nationwide. The demand for fish in Grimsby grew to such an extent that, at its peak in the 1950s, Grimsby laid claim to the title of 'the largest fishing port in the world'. Following the pressures placed on the industry during the Cod Wars, many Grimsby firms made the decision to cease trawling operations from the town. The sudden demise of the Grimsby fishing industry brought to an end a way of life and community that had existed for generations. Huge numbers of men were now made redundant, highly skilled in a job that did not exist, and facing the daunting prospect of finding work ashore; a complete change of life for a Grimsby trawlerman. The change in events, as seen in the case of
Ross GroupThe Ross Group was a British food company founded in Grimsby, England in 1920.The Ross brand remains common in the retail frozen fish market...
, allowed some firms to concentrate on other expanding industries within the town, such as food processing. Grimsby's trawling days are remembered through the artifacts and permanent exhibits seen at the town's
Fishing Heritage CentreThe Fishing Heritage Centre is a museum at Alexandra Dock, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, opened in 1991. It depicts the 1950s heyday of the distant waters fishing fleet. The centre also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. Tours of the fishing trawler Ross Tiger are...
where the preserved 1950s trawler,
Ross TigerThe Ross Tiger is a traditional side-winder fishing trawler that was converted into a museum ship in 1992. She is currently berthed in Alexandra Dock at her home port of Grimsby, close to the site of the former PS Lincoln Castle. She forms the star attraction of North East Lincolnshire County...
, is also to be found. Very few fishing vessels still operate from Grimsby's once thriving docks, although the town does maintain a substantial fish market, 'recognised as being one of the most important fish markets in Europe'.
The population of Grimsby grew from 75,000 in 1901 to 92,000 by 1931 but then remained fairly static for the rest of the 20th century.
The former Humber
ferry,
PS Lincoln Castle,
moored was, since the mid-1980s, moored in Alexandra Dock. She was used during this time as a pub\restaurant, but despite the uniqueness of her design and status as Britain's last coal fired paddle steamer at the time of her withdrawal, she was controversially broken up in 2010. Remaining berthed in the Alexandra Dock is the
Ross TigerThe Ross Tiger is a traditional side-winder fishing trawler that was converted into a museum ship in 1992. She is currently berthed in Alexandra Dock at her home port of Grimsby, close to the site of the former PS Lincoln Castle. She forms the star attraction of North East Lincolnshire County...
, the last survivor of what was once the world's largest sidewinder trawler fleet, which can be toured throughout the year as part of the Fishing Heritage
centre.
World War II
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Grimsby's status as a major port made it a focus of the German
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. They used the Dock Tower as a landmark and refused to bomb it (the British Government discussed its demolition to prevent its use as a navigational aid). It was later revealed that had the German invasion been successful Grimsby would have been one of the first landing points in the north of England due to the combination of its location and its infrastructure. This was probably one reason why the town suffered significantly less bombing raids than neighbouring fishing port
HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
whose geographical location would have made it harder to reach. However, Grimsby was still hit by numerous air raids during the war and 197 people were killed. Grimsby was also the first place in Great Britain to have the
Butterfly BombA Butterfly Bomb, or was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when the bomblet deployed gave it the superficial appearance of a large butterfly...
used against it by the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
in 1943, devastating many areas.
The Royal Dock was used as the UK's largest base for
minesweeperA minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
s, to patrol the
North SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Minesweepers are military vessels using deep-sea trawling methods. There is a
memorial, financed and realised though the efforts of the Royal Naval Patrol Service Veterans, situated by the Queen's Steps at the lock pits and in the shadow of the Dock Tower.
Grimsby class sloopWith the realisation that war was approaching, 13 Grimsby class sloops were laid down in the mid to late 1930s. Of these eight were built in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy, four in Australia for the Royal Australian Navy and one for India...
s saw service from the 1930s until 1966.
In reference to modern-day minesweeping,
HMS GrimsbyHMS Grimsby is a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy, and the second ship to bear the name.-History:She was built by Vosper Thornycroft, in Woolston, Hampshire, and commissioned in 1999...
is a
Sandown class minehunterThe Sandown class is a class of minehunter originally built for the British Royal Navy). Sandown-class vessels also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy...
(commissioned in 1999) currently in service in the Royal Navy.
Local government
Great Grimsby formed an ancient Borough in the
North RidingThe North Riding of Lindsey was a division of the Lindsey part of Lincolnshire in England. It consisted of the north eastern part of the county, and included the Bradley-Haverstoe, Ludborough, Walshcroft and Yarborough wapentakes....
of
Lincolnshire, Parts of LindseyLindsey was a unit of local government until 1974 in Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it...
. It was reformed by the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
and became a Municipal Borough in that year. In 1889 a County Council was created for Lindsey, but Great Grimsby was outside its area of control and formed an independent
County BoroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
in 1891. The Borough expanded to absorb the adjacent hamlet of Wellow (1889), also the neighbouring parishes of
Clee-with-WeelsbyOld Clee is located in the Clee Road and Carr Lane area of eastern Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England and adjoins the neighbouring town of Cleethorpes, with which it has historic links. Previously a separate village, its parish church of Holy Trinity and Saint Mary, claimed to be the oldest...
(1889),
Little CoatesLittle Coates is an area of western Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. Its history goes back to medieval times with a mention in the Domesday Book....
(1928),
ScarthoScartho is a suburb located in the southern part of Grimsby, England, in the county of North East Lincolnshire. with a population of around 11,000. Up until the end of the Second World War it was a village; subsequent post-war expansion on the greenfield areas between Scartho and Grimsby has...
(1928),
WeelsbyWeelsby is located in the Weelsby Road area of eastern Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. Previously separate from Grimsby, Weelsby Woods and Weelsby Hall lie within the area, as does the Grimsby Tennis Centre, Peaks Lane fire station, Saint Andrews Hospice, Saint Hughs Hospital and the...
(1928) and
Great CoatesGreat Coates is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is to the north-west of the Grimsby urban area, and is served by Great Coates railway station...
(1968). It had its own
policeThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force until 1967 when it merged with the Lincolnshire force.
In 1974, the County Borough was abolished and Great Grimsby was reconstituted (with the same boundaries) as the
Grimsby non-metropolitan district in the new county of
HumbersideHumberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East and West ridings of Yorkshire and parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire...
by the
Local Government Act 1972The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. The district was renamed
Great Grimsby in 1979. Local government in the area came under the review of the
Local Government Commission for EnglandThe Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992, replacing the Local Government Boundary Commission for England...
and Humberside was abolished in 1996. The former area of the Great Grimsby district merged with that of
CleethorpesCleethorpes was a local government district in Humberside, England from 1974 to 1996. It was granted borough status in 1975.It was formed on April 1, 1974, and covered Cleethorpes itself along with a wider area including Humberston, Laceby, Stallingborough, New Waltham, and Immingham...
to form the unitary authority of
North East LincolnshireNorth East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, bordering the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire...
. The town does not have its own town council, instead there is a board of
Charter TrusteesIn England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established...
. During 2007, in the struggle for identity, it was suggested that the district could be renamed to something like
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes to give a stronger indication of the towns the district consists of. This did not meet with favourable comment among local residents, and the Council Leader dropped the idea a year later.
Council Wards and Elected Members
North East Lincolnshire Council has eight Council Wards within the area of Grimsby.
Freshney Ward
- Cllr Peggy Elliott (L)
- Cllr Clifford Barber (L)
- Cllr Ray Sutton (L)
Heneage Ward
- Cllr Rosalind A James (L)
- Cllr Matthew Patrick (L)
- Cllr Karl Wilson (L)
Scartho Ward
- Cllr Alex Baxter (C)
- Cllr Pat Colebrook (C)
- Cllr David J Hornby (C)
South Ward
- Cllr Jane Bramley (L)
- Cllr Norma Lincoln (L)
- Cllr Susan Pickett (C)
East Marsh Ward
- Cllr Stephen Beasant (LD)
- Cllr Jon-Paul Howarth (L)
- Cllr Terry Walker (L)
Park Ward
- Cllr Andrew De Freitas (LD)
- Cllr Christina McGilligan-Fell (LD)
- Cllr Geoff Lowis (LD)
West Marsh Ward
- Cllr Darren Billard (L)
- Cllr Ian Lindley (L)
Yarborough Ward
- Cllr Peter Wheatley (L)
- Cllr Peter K Bailey (LD)
- Cllr Anne Darby (LD)
KEY: (L) = Labour Party (C) = Conservative Party (LD) = Liberal Democrat Party
Economy
Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes, together form the economic area known as
Greater GrimsbyThe North East Lincolnshire towns of Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes, form the economic area known as Greater Grimsby. The main sectors of the Greater Grimsby economy are food and drink; ports and logistics; renewable energy; chemicals and process industries and digital media.- Europe’s food...
. The main sectors of the Greater Grimsby economy are food and drink; ports and logistics; renewable energy; chemicals and process industries and digital media.
Food industry
Grimsby is indelibly linked with the sea fishing industry, which once gave the town much of its wealth. At its peak in the 1950s, it was the largest and busiest fishing port in the world. However as a result of the Cod Wars with
IcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
this industry has been in decline for many years. It is still home to the largest
fish market in the UK although most of what is sold is now brought overland from other ports or
IcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
via containerisation.
Today, Greater Grimsby is home to around 500 food-related companies making it one of the largest concentrations of food manufacturing, research, storage and distribution in Europe. As a result the local council has promoted the town as
Europe's Food Town for nearly twenty years.
Grimsby is recognised as the main centre of the UK fish processing industry. In recent years, this expertise has led to diversification into all forms of frozen and chilled foods and consequently the town is one of the single largest centres of fish processing in Europe. More than 100 local companies are involved in fresh and frozen fish production, the largest of which is the
Findus GroupLion Capital LLP is a British private equity firm, primarily focusing on leveraged buyout investments in Europe. The firm specializes on investments in the consumer sector...
, comprising
Young's SeafoodsYoung's Seafood Ltd. is a British producer and distributor of frozen, fresh, and chilled seafood, supplying approximately 40% of all the fish eaten in the United Kingdom every year. It is headquartered in Grimsby, England....
and
FindusFindus is a company that produces and retails frozen food. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.- Origins :...
and whose corporate headquarters are in the town. Young's is a major employer in the area, with some 2,500 people based at its headquarters. From this base, Young’s has a global sourcing operation supplying 60 species from 30 countries.
Media interest has surrounded Traditional Grimsby smoked fish, which was awarded a
Protected Geographical IndicationProtected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PGI) by the European Union. This award safeguards the unique and specialist process of traditional fish smoking developed in the town. The traditional process relies on a natural method of slow smoking as opposed to the more widely used mechanical method. Producers that wish to call their product Traditional Grimsby smoked fish must adhere to strict quality standards laid down by the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group. As a regional food it has been commended by celebrity chefs Rick Stein, Mitch Tonks and Minister for Food and the Environment Jim Fitzpatrick in 2010.
Other major seafood companies include the Icelandic-owned
Coldwater Seafood, employing more than 700 people across its sites in Grimsby and
Five Star Fish, a supplier of fish products to the UK foodservice market. The £5.6 million Humber Seafood Institute opened in 2008 and is the first of its kind in the UK. Backed by Yorkshire Forward, North East Lincolnshire Council and the European Regional Development Fund, the HSI is managed by the local council and tenants include the Seafish Industry Authority and
Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher EducationThe Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education is a further and higher education college in North East Lincolnshire, England.-Grimsby College of Further Education:...
. Greater Grimsby is a European centre of excellence in the production of chilled prepared meals, and the area has the largest concentration of cold storage facilities in Europe.
The food production and seafood heritage links are perpetuated in a UK 2006
Young'sYoung's Seafood Ltd. is a British producer and distributor of frozen, fresh, and chilled seafood, supplying approximately 40% of all the fish eaten in the United Kingdom every year. It is headquartered in Grimsby, England....
television advertising campaign emphasising Grimsby as the source of its seafood products. In the campaign, Grimsby Docks are briefly shown, at dusk, lit and shot somewhat romantically. In 2008 this was followed up by further commercials paying reference to the town and its main industry as the company launched a range of
Great Grimsby fish-based frozen meals.
Ports
The Port of Grimsby and Immingham is the UK’s largest port by tonnage. Its prime deep-water location on the Humber Estuary, gives companies direct access to mainland Europe and beyond. Benefiting from a prime deep-water location on the Humber Estuary, one of Europe’s busiest trade routes, it plays a central role in the commercial life of the UK. The port is operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK's largest and leading ports group. Grimsby and Immingham, and ABP's 19 other ports, form a UK-wide network capable of handling every conceivable type of cargo.
Flood sirens
The
Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
has awarded
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
-based telemetry company CSE Seprol a contract to supply flood warning devices for risk areas in
East AngliaEast Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. CSE Seprol provides outstations that control the risk area's flood warning sirens to alert local people of impending severe flooding. The control and monitoring of the sirens is linked by a Seprol S250 telemetry outstation to the Environment Agency's Regional telemetry system.
The 18 sirens, at various locations around the flood risk area of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, should reach 25,500 households to warn them of portending
floodA flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s. The sirens will only be sounded in the event of the
Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
issuing a severe flood warning for tidal flooding or if there is a likelihood of the sea defences being breached. The sirens make a variety of sounds, from the traditional wailing sound to a voice message. The alarms are said to sound like
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
air raidAn air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
sirens, with an 'all clear' system in place.
In the event of flood siren activation, which can give up to six hours notice of pending floods, residents are advised to go indoors and listen to local radio stations
BBC Radio HumbersideBBC Radio Humberside is a BBC Local Radio service covering the area of the former English county of Humberside, which was returned to North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Kingston upon Hull on 1 April 1996....
or Viking FM.
Testing of the sirens takes place annually on 26 October, and residents are not required to take any action.
Places of interest and landmarks
- Corporation Bridge
The Corporation Bridge in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire is a lifting bridge in the town's former fish docks. Road vehicles can pass freely over the bridge and it is part of one of Grimsby's busiest traffic spots, leading to a major junction at Freeport Wharfe and Victoria Street.-Original...
- Fisherman's Memorial
- Freshney Place Shopping Centre
- Grimsby Docks
- Grimsby Dock Tower
Grimsby Dock Tower is a hydraulic accumulator tower and a famous maritime landmark in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It was completed on 27 March 1852 with the purpose of containing a 30,000 UK gallon hydraulic wrought iron reservoir at a height of , to provide hydraulic power to...
- Grimsby Institute
- Grimsby Marina
- Grimsby Parish Church
Grimsby Minster is a minster and parish church located in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. Dedicated to St. James, the church belongs to the Church of England and is within the Diocese of Lincoln.-Background:...
- Grimsby Town Hall
- Humber Forts
The Humber Forts are two large fortifications in the mouth of the Humber estuary in northern England: Haile Sand Fort and Bull Sand Fort ....
- National Fishing Heritage Centre
The Fishing Heritage Centre is a museum at Alexandra Dock, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, opened in 1991. It depicts the 1950s heyday of the distant waters fishing fleet. The centre also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. Tours of the fishing trawler Ross Tiger are...
- People's Park and Floral Hall
- Waltham Windmill
Waltham Windmill is a six-sailed windmill located in the village of Waltham, five miles from Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. It is renowned in the area for having all six sails still in full working capacity, being one of the very few windmills like this in the United Kingdom.-Construction:The...
- Weelsby Woods
Weelsby Woods is a large public park in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. With mature trees, woodland, and large grassy areas which are used for recreation....
- Welholme Galleries
- Grimsby is the site of a Blue Cross
The Blue Cross is a registered animal welfare charity in the United Kingdom, founded in 1897 as Our Dumb Friends League. The charity provides support for pet owners who cannot afford private veterinary treatment, helps to find homes for unwanted animals, and educates the public in the...
Animal Hospital, one of only four in the country, the other three being situated in London. The Grimsby hospital was previously in Cleethorpe Road, but in 2005 it moved to a new building called 'Coco Markus House' in the town's Nelson Street.
Infant, Junior & Primary schools
- East Ravendale CofE Primary School
- Edward Heneage Primary School
- Enfield Primary School
- Fairfield Primary School
- Grange Infant School and Nursery
- Grange Junior School
- Great Coates Primary School
- Humberston Cloverfields Primary School
- Humberston CofE Primary School
- Laceby Acres Primary School
- Lisle Marsden CofE Primary School
- Littlecoates Primary School
- Macaulay Primary School
- New Waltham Primary School
- Nunsthorpe Primary School
- Old Clee Primary School
- Scartho Infants School
- Scartho Junior School
- South Parade Primary School
- Springfield Primary School
- Strand Community School
- St. James' School
- St. Martin's Preparatory
- St. Mary's Catholic Primary School
- Stallingborough Primary School
- Stanford Junior and Infants School
- The Leas Infants School
- The Leas Junior School
- Weelsby Primary School
- Welholme Infants School
- Welholme Junior School
- Western Primary School
- Willows Primary School
- Woodlands Primary School
- Wybers Wood Primary School
- Yarborough Primary School
Secondary schools
- Havelock Academy
Havelock Academy is a secondary school and sixth form, with Academy status, based in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.-Admissions:It is situated north of the A46, near the junction with the A1031, on the opposite of the road from the former Matthew Humberstone School .-The Havelock...
- Hereford Technology School
Ormiston Maritime Academy is a secondary school with specialist school status as a Technology College...
- Humberston Maths and Computing College
Humberston Maths and Computing College is a secondary school based in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.-Admissions:It does not have a sixth form. It is situated on in the west of Humberston...
- Oasis Academy Wintringham
- St. James' School
- Western Technology School
- Tollbar Academy
- Whitgift School
Whitgift School is a comprehensive co-educational secondary school on Crosland Road in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.-Admissions:...
Shopping facilities
The award-winning
Freshney Place Shopping Centre in the heart of the town boasts over 70 stores including Marks and Spencer,
House of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
and BHS. It was originally constructed between 1967 and 1971 in a joint venture between the old
Grimsby Borough Council and developers
Hammerson's UK Ltd.Hammerson plc is a major British property development and investment company. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
and was known as the
Riverhead Centre (so named as the development was adjacent to where the two local rivers, the
FreshneyThe River Freshney is a river in the English county of North East Lincolnshire. The town of Grimsby stands on its banks. It rises from at least four springs on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, although local folklore and oral tradition has it springing from Welbeck Hill...
and the Haven, meet).
Victoria Street is the main shopping street.
The Riverhead Centre development caused some controversy at the time as it followed the 1960s trend of replacing old architecture with new; in this case it involved the wholesale demolition of much of the old town centre including the historic Bull Ring (which is now where
Wilkinson'sWilkinson or Wilko is a British high-street discount chain with over 300 stores, selling primarily homewares and household goods.Founded in 1930 Wilkinson Cash Stores by James Kemsey Wilkinson, the company has remained largely in the hands of the founding family since...
, the Halifax Bank and the St James Hotel are based) and streets going back many centuries including
Flottergate (located at the present day entrance to Freshney Place between British Home Stores and the market),
Brewery Street (located at the present day entrance to Freshney Place between the branch of Barclays Bank and the offices of the Cheltenham and Gloucester) and
East St Mary's Gate (no trace remains). During this reconstruction the ornate
VictorianThe term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
branch of the
Midland BankMidland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
was demolished and rebuilt into a contemporary design that was incorporated into the new shopping centre. In 1985 Marks and Spencer purchased the local department store
Lawsons and Stockdale whose frontage ran along Victoria Street; like the Midland branch this was demolished and a new store, linked to the centre, was constructed.
In 1990 the council agreed to sell the area around the shopping centre, used for surface car parking, to Hammerson's UK Ltd. The development owner and Humberside County Council, the
highway authorityA highway authority is a name given to a body responsible for the administration of public roads.-India:The National Highways Authority of India is the national authority for the management of a network of over 60,000 km of National Highways in India...
at that time, agreed to the sale of the area of
Baxtergate, the road which ran to the rear of the shopping centre, between the shopping centre and the surface car park.
Baxtergate was relocated alongside the River Freshney and became phase one of the
Peaks ParkwayThe Peaks Parkway is part of the northern end of the A16 road, in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. It was conceived in the 1970s and follows part of the trackbed of the former East Lincolnshire Railway between and .-Background:...
. Hammerson's UK Ltd began a £100 million redevelopment of the site which saw it double in size. The centre was also covered in a glass roof and (where the new extension was built) two multi-storey car parks were constructed at each end of the centre, effectively privatising, roofing and enclosing the old
Top Town area of Grimsby. Servicing to the stores was made available from a first floor service area, accessible even by large vehicles, using a ramp at the western end. The ramp also provided access to the car park on the roof of the indoor market which is operated by the local council. In recognition of the design of the new facilities, the Royal Town Planning Institute awarded the scheme a commendation in 1992.
Other developments near the town centre include a new Tesco Extra (the
second in the area), the
Victoria Mills Retail Park which is home to several chain stores including
NextNext plc is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire, England. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East...
and a
B&QB&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
Depot off the
Peaks Parkway A16The Peaks Parkway is part of the northern end of the A16 road, in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. It was conceived in the 1970s and follows part of the trackbed of the former East Lincolnshire Railway between and .-Background:...
.
Unlike many other towns that have shopping facilities on their outskirts, these (and other similar developments) can be found in and around Grimsby's town centre, making shopping far easier for pedestrians and public transport users, reflecting Grimsby's relatively cheap central commercial land. Other major retailers include the
supermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chains
TescoTesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, Marks & Spencers, Sainsbury's,
AsdaAsda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
on
Holles Street and
MorrisonsWm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
. The Morrisons store is located just outside the town boundary, in the parish of
LacebyLaceby is a village in North East Lincolnshire, England, located on the A46 road just outside the western boundary of Grimsby. The main feature of the village is the 15th century Anglican parish church.-History:...
, and is peculiarly known as Morrisons Cleethorpes. This is an anomaly arising from when the area was part of the now defunct
CleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
Borough. Most major
supermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s in the town have expanded somewhat in the last few years, including a massive extension built at Asda, and more recently another floor was built at Tesco at Hewitts Circus (although this store is technically in the neighbouring conurbation, Cleethorpes).
There are also a number of local, independent specialist stores and the
Abbeygate Centre (off Bethlehem Street) is where many are located. Once the head office of local brewers
Hewitt Brothers it was renovated in the mid-1980s and is home to a number of restaurants and designer clothing stores. The town also has two markets, one next to Freshney Place and the other in
Freeman Street (B1213), itself once a dominant shopping area in the town with close connections to the docks but one that has sadly struggled since the late 1970s.
In March 2007, Henry Boot properties announced a new £30m shopping development adjacent to the existing Freshney Place site. The project will create 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) of retail space and 290 car parking places on land between the River Freshney and Sainsbury's, presently occupied by the former
Travis PerkinsTravis Perkins plc is a British builders merchant based in Northampton. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
builders' merchants. As of November 2011 no work has commenced on the proposed development.
A further retail development is planned alongside the planned new stadium for Grimsby Town FC at
Great CoatesGreat Coates is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is to the north-west of the Grimsby urban area, and is served by Great Coates railway station...
adjacent to the A180, scheduled for completion in mid-2010. As of November 2011 no work has commenced on the proposed development.
Such is the quality of shopping in the area that bus services are run to bring in shoppers from across the county of
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, especially from smaller towns such as
LouthLouth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
,
BriggBrigg is a small market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in 2,213 households . The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east-west transport routes across northern Lincolnshire...
, and
ScunthorpeScunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
.
Entertainment
The area has a developed, if somewhat
corporate, nightlife. Aside from the
nightclubA nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s in nearby
CleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
, the town centre has undergone a renaissance in the last decade. A number of national pub chains have redeveloped or opened new outlets, including a specially-built complex at the Riverhead which is home to three (originally five) such operations. Prior to the late 1960s many public houses in the area were owned by the local brewer
Hewitt Brothers and gave a distinctive local touch but following a takeover in 1969 by the brewer
Bass CharringtonThe Bass Brewery was founded as a brewery in 1777 by William Bass in Burton upon Trent, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, which was once the highest selling beer in the UK...
these have been re-badged (many times), closed or sold off; examples are the
Yarborough Hotel.
Musical entertainment is found at the
Grimsby AuditoriumGrimsby Auditorium is a theatre situated on Cromwell Road, in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. With a seated audience capacity of 1,200 the Grimsby Auditorium is the largest professional theatre in Lincolnshire, and one of the larger theatres in the East of England...
, built in 1995, on
Cromwell Road in Yarborough near
Grimsby Leisure Centre. The smaller Caxton Theatre is on
Cleethorpe Road (A180) in East Marsh near the docks. The
Caxton Theatre provides entertainment by adults and youths in theatre. A notable theatre company in the area is the Class Act Theatre Company run by local playwright David Wrightam. The company produces strong factual drama and premiere award-winning productions.
North East Lincolnshire Council have installed a Wi-Fi network covering
Victoria Street in central Grimsby. The service provides access to the Internet for the general public on a yearly subscription.
Politics
Since 1977
Austin MitchellAustin Vernon Mitchell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby since a 1977 by-election.-Education and early life:...
(
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) has been the
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the
Great GrimsbyGreat Grimsby is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, consisting of the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency. Mitchell, a journalist by trade, succeeded in a
by-electionA by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
following the death of the
Highgate School-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...
-educated incumbent
Anthony CroslandCharles Anthony Raven Crosland , otherwise Tony Crosland or C.A.R. Crosland, was a British Labour Party politician and author. He served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire and later for Great Grimsby...
, who was elected in 1959 and after several ministerial posts, reached the rank of Foreign Secretary in 1976. Crossland served in the Government of
Harold WilsonJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
as Education Minister and Foreign Secretary. He was a champion of
comprehensiveA comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
education, and
Whitgift School is situated in the town's
Crosland Road.
The constituency of Great Grimsby is considered a Labour stronghold although Austin Mitchell held the seat in both the
1983The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
and 2010 general elections with a majority of less than 800.
Buses
Grimsby's bus service is provided by
StagecoachStagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
which took over the original
Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport in 1993.
Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport had been formed in 1957, with the merger of the previously separate Grimsby and Cleethorpes transport (GCT) undertakings. Stagecoach had all the buses resprayed to their standard livery to replace the buses previous colour-scheme of orange and white. Prior to this, the buses were painted blue and white until 1981, when the colours were changed to caramel and cream. The orange and white livery was introduced in 1987. Until 1982
GCT ran a mixture of crewed and
one-person operated services. However, in that year the job of conductor was abolished and the company changed entirely to driver-only services.
In 2005, Stagecoach bought out
Lincolnshire Road Car, who provided buses to
KillingholmeKillingholme is an area of Lincolnshire, comprising the villages of North Killingholme and South Killingholme. It is the site of two oil refineries, the Humber Refinery and Lindsey Oil Refinery, and an liquid petroleum gas storage facility .It is also a fast expanding port, handling RORO ferries...
,
LouthLouth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
,
Barton-upon-HumberBarton-upon-Humber or Barton is a small town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary, and at the end of the Humber Bridge. It lies east of Leeds, southwest of Hull and north northeast of the county town of Lincoln...
and the Willows Estate. The company is now known as
Stagecoach in LincolnshireStagecoach Lincolnshire is a bus company, formerly known as Lincolnshire RoadCar, which runs services throughout Lincolnshire.Stagecoach in Lincolnshire is the trading name of the Lincolnshire RoadCar Company Limited, which is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and part of its East Midlands...
. Joint ticketing was allowed with
Stagecoach Grimsby-CleethorpesStagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes is the sector of the Stagecoach Group that operates buses in and around North East Lincolnshire , serving a population of over 150,000....
from May 2006.
From September 2006, a new fleet of low-floor single-decker was introduced, making the fleet an unprecedented 85% low-floor.
Railways
Grimsby also has rail links via
Grimsby Town railway stationGrimsby Town railway station serves the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is currently operated by First TransPennine Express, and is also served by Northern Rail and East Midlands Trains...
and
Grimsby Docks railway stationGrimsby Docks railway station serves the Freeman Street area of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. This is one of the oldest parts of the town, close to the Freeman Street Market and the town's docks both commercial and fish, the railway entrance to both being over the level crossing at...
. There is a
level crossingA level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
in the centre of the town
across Wellowgate. TransPennine Express provide direct trains to
Manchester AirportManchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.- Description:...
via
DoncasterDoncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
and
SheffieldSheffield station, formerly Pond Street and later Sheffield Midland, is a railway station in Sheffield, England and is the busiest station in South Yorkshire...
whilst
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
operate services to
Barton-upon-HumberBarton-on-Humber railway station serves the town of Barton-upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire, England.The station, which was once the terminus of a branch line from New Holland, is nowadays the terminus of the Barton Line services operating from Cleethorpes. It is situated west of the resort...
(for buses to
HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
) and a Saturday only service to Sheffield via. Retford.
LincolnLincoln Central railway station serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is operated by East Midlands Trains, who provide services along with Northern Rail and East Coast....
and Newark are served by
East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
services which can go on to Nottingham on Sunday in the Summer months. The service to Cleethorpes runs at least hourly during the day, along a
single track, passing stations at
Grimsby DocksGrimsby Docks railway station serves the Freeman Street area of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. This is one of the oldest parts of the town, close to the Freeman Street Market and the town's docks both commercial and fish, the railway entrance to both being over the level crossing at...
and
New CleeNew Clee railway station serves the suburb of New Clee, Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. The station originally had two platforms, since reduced to one and is served by trains on the Barton Line, operated by Northern Rail.-Service:...
.
Former trams
Grimsby was home to two tramway networks: the
Grimsby District Light RailwayThe Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company was a tramway serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, England. It was a subsidiary of the Provincial Tramway Company....
and the
Grimsby & Immingham Electric RailwayThe Grimsby & Immingham Electric Railway was an electric tramway linking Grimsby with the port of Immingham in Lincolnshire, England.It is probably best described by the American term "interurban" as it ran on reserved track rather that through the streets....
. The Grimsby Electric was a normal gauge tramway opened in 1912 between
Corporation Bridge at Grimsby and
ImminghamImmingham is a town in North East Lincolnshire, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary...
. There was no physical connection with the railway system. The tramway served the town with a passenger service between Grimsby and Immingham until closure in 1961. It is claimed that once this was controlled by the Corporation, they were more interested in supporting the motorbus service, now number 45.
The Grimsby Light Railway opened in 1881 using horse drawn trams. In 1901, these were replaced with electric tramways. In 1925 the Grimsby Transport Company bought the tramway company and in 1927 moved the depot to the Victoria Street Depot, an old sea plane hangar. This system closed in 1937. The
depot continues to be used by Stagecoach, though the old Grimsby Tramways livery is still visible on the front of the building.
Operating in the area until the 1950s was a network of electrically operated trolley buses which received their power from overhead power lines.
In the early years of the new millennium it was suggested that a
TramA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way system much like the
Sheffield SupertramThe Supertram, officially called the Stagecoach Supertram, is a light rail tram system in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...
should be built in Grimsby. Various news reports and details of which areas the trams might go through were published, though the project was abandoned due to lack of funding. Currently there are no active plans to bring back this proposed system.
Airport
14 miles (22.5 km) west of Grimsby is
Humberside Airport-Cargo flights:Icelandair Cargo operate a weekly Sunday flight from Keflavík which then departs to Liege-Passenger statistics:-Bus service:An hourly daytime bus service runs from Grimsby and Hull to the airport from Monday to Saturday.-External links:**...
, which mainly caters for charter holidays, and is popular for general aviation, with five flying clubs based there. There are also scheduled flights to
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, provided by
Eastern AirwaysEastern Airways is an airline with its head office at Humberside Airport in Kirmington, North Lincolnshire, England. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and private charter services...
and KLM respectively.
Redevelopment and regeneration
Greater Grimsby is undergoing a radical transformation as part of Yorkshire Forward’s Renaissance Towns Programme. The 25-year vision for Grimsby involves making a town which is attractive and an economically and socially desirable place to live, visit, work and play. The aim is to bring new life to the town centre by creating quality surroundings and rejuvenating the historic waterside and docks for the enjoyment of all.
Media
The
Grimsby TelegraphThe Grimsby Telegraph is a daily British regional newspaper for the town of Grimsby and the surrounding area that makes up North East Lincolnshire. It is owned by Northcliffe Newspapers. The main area for the paper's distribution is in or around Grimsby and Cleethorpes...
, with an audited circulation of 40,533 copies (January–June 2004), has the highest circulation of a local newspaper in Grimsby and the surrounding area since it is the only daily newspaper. Its
headquarters are on
Cleethorpe Road next to the A180. The local radio stations are
BBC Radio HumbersideBBC Radio Humberside is a BBC Local Radio service covering the area of the former English county of Humberside, which was returned to North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Kingston upon Hull on 1 April 1996....
(which has a
studio on
Victoria Street manned by
Lara King),
Lincs FMLincs FM is an Independent Local Radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark, from the Humber to The Wash. It is the current holder of the licence which was advertised by the Radio Authority on 4 March 1991.-Background:...
, Viking FM and the exclusively
North East LincolnshireNorth East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, bordering the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire...
-based
Compass FMCompass FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from Lincs FM in Lincoln. The station serves Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes and is part of the Lincs FM Group. It's strap line is 'The Music You Love'.-Format:...
. The transmitter for Compass FM and EMAP Humberside (Lincs FM DAB) is on top of a
block of flats in East Marsh. Terrestrial television coverage based in the area are the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
who share the radio facilities on Victoria Street and
ITV YorkshireYorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
who have a news unit based in
ImminghamImmingham is a town in North East Lincolnshire, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary...
. Channel 7 Television is a satellite and cable-based station which has studios in
ImminghamImmingham is a town in North East Lincolnshire, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary...
and the Grimsby Institute.
Grimsby in the media
- The old ice factory on Grimsby Docks was used as one of the locations for the film Atonement
Atonement is a 2007 British romantic suspense war film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film stars James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan. It was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006...
(2007). Adapted from a novel by Ian McEwanIan Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
the film stars Keira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
.
- Local actor Thomas Turgoose
-Early life:Thomas was born on 11 February 1992 and brought up in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. He attended Wintringham School.- Career :In his first film role in 2006, he played the lead character, Shaun, in This Is England, written and directed by Shane Meadows...
, was studying at the town's Wintringham SchoolOasis Academy Wintringham is a secondary school on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is just the A16 Peaks Parkway just south-west of the A46 crossroads next to the Lisle Marsden CE in Wellow and on the Grimsby/Cleethorpes boundary...
when he starred in the Shane MeadowsShane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter, occasional actor and BAFTA winner.-Background:Meadows grew up in the Westlands Road area of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. His father was a long distance lorry driver and his mother worked in a fish and chip shop...
film, This Is England-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
(2006). Some of the film was also filmed in the town.
- Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
, who lived in HumberstonHumberston is a large village and civil parish to the south of Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire...
and Tealby (near Market Rasen) when in his teens, wrote the lyrics to Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's 1974 song, GrimsbyCaribou is the 8th studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1974 . It was John's 4th chart-topping album in the U.S. and his 3rd in the U.K. The album contains the singles, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached # 16 in the UK Singles Chart and # 2 in the U.S.,...
, detailing his time in the town.
- Corporation Bridge was featured in the video for the Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
song "The Circus". It also featured clips showing CleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
' Big Wheel.
- Grimsby was the location for the 1937 film The Last Adventurers.
- The town's Scartho Hospital - now Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital
Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital is situated off Scartho Road, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. It was renamed in the Princess' honour after her death because she had opened it a decade before on 26 July 1983....
, as well as the Scartho Cemetery entrance featured in the 1985 film ClockwiseClockwise is a 1986 British comedy film starring John Cleese. It was directed by Christopher Morahan, written by Michael Frayn and produced by Michael Codron. The film was co-produced by Moment Films and Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment...
, starring John CleeseJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
.
- Grimsby was featured in the Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
documentary CoastCoast is a BBC documentary series first broadcast on BBC Two television in 2005. A second series started on 26 October 2006, a third in early 2007 and a fourth in mid-2009...
, which despite the food heritage of historic significance, chose to show only a 'fish-finger' production line.
- A rash of lottery winners in the late 1990s saw the town being officially designated "Winsby" by the Grimsby Evening Telegraph but despite popular support this new name never really caught on.
- The town went Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
mad' in 2003 when Grimsby girl Kim Gee made it into the final 12 of the live TV talent show and in 2006 youngster Georgia Taylor emerged from the smoke and dazzled the nation as the winner of Stars in Their Eyes KidsStars in Their Eyes is a British television talent show that ran on Saturdays nights from 21 July 1990 until 23 December 2006 in which contestants impersonate showbiz stars...
but later lost out in the live final. Kim Gee now presents a daily radioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
show called Compass FM, which is broadcast locally.
- Grimsby also went X Factor
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
crazy' when in the first series, G4G4 were a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in ITV's talent show The X Factor in 2004. The members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for "Guildhall 4", derives.-The X Factor:G4 auditioned for the...
, a pop quartet with a member from Grimsby, and Verity Keays, a singer from Grimsby, all made final three. Neither Verity nor G4 won the contest, but G4 went on to become a big success.
- The Grimsby Telegraph also encouraged the town to support Big Brother
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
6 contestant Derek LaudDerek George Henry Laud is a former British political adviser and Government Relations specialist, who has advised the Bank of England, The Securities and Investments Board, British Steel and Takcare PLC...
because in the early 1980s he was once a researcher for Michael BrownMichael Russell Brown is a British former Conservative Party politician and is now a newspaper and broadcast political journalist. He was a Member of Parliament from 1979 to 1997.-Biography:...
, who was then MP for Brigg and CleethorpesBrigg and Cleethorpes was a constituency on the south bank of the River Humber which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
.
- Grimsby features in the PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
videogame Resistance: Fall of ManResistance: Fall of Man is a first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3. It was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game is set in an alternate history 1951, and follows Sgt...
, where the player has to escape a Chimeran Conversion Centre on the Docks.
- In January 2001, Nicholas Griffin, the owner of the Little Amsterdam sex shop on Freeman Street was fined £5,800 at York Magistrates Court for four offences under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968
The Trade Descriptions 1968 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which prevents manufacturers, retailers or service industry providers from misleading consumers as to what they are spending their money on....
because angry customers had complained to Trading Standards officers in York that some of the films he sold were not pornographic enough.
- A shot of sand flying over Cleethorpes beach is featured on the cover of the album, One Week in Sand, by experimental musician, A Ninja Slob Drew Me
- In an episode of My Hero, Thermoman prevents an abandoned Russian space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
from crashing into the centre of Grimsby.
- In 1998, Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
, one of the Spice GirlsThe Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
, was mobbed in Cleethorpes whilst making an impromptu visit to the town with her then boyfriend, Grimsby born dancer Christian Horsfall. Horsfall had intended to introduce Halliwell to his former dance teacher who was involved in the annual Cleethorpes Dance Festival at the Memeorial Hall, however when they arrived at the venue, they were mobbed by a crowd of festival spectators. The story was subsequently picked up by the national press.
- On 11 June 1967, Sergeant-Major
Sergeants major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers...
Tom Oxley took part in a parachute demonstration over Grimsby, when his chute failed to open, and he landed on a house roof in Rialto Avenue, bouncing into the next-door garden, landing on a concrete path having no serious injuries. He had jumped from 8,000 ft, and attempted to open his parachute at 1,500 ft. It is thought he hit the roof at a speed of 28 feet per second. He was given a cup of tea by resident, Helen Beardsley, a 19 year old nurse.
Football
The football team is
Grimsby Town F.C.Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, nicknamed 'The Mariners', who play in the
Football ConferenceThe Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
. Their ground is
Blundell ParkBlundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
in
CleethorpesCleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
. Due to the club's football grounds being in the neighbouring town it is often joked by locals that it is the only British club that plays away every game. It is the oldest professional
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team in the
countyA county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
(indeed one of the oldest in the country being formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham with a home ground on land off Ainslie Street, Grimsby).
During the 1930s they played in the English First Division, the then highest level of the domestic game in England. They also appeared in two
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finals in this decade, in 1936 (against
ArsenalArsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
) and 1939 (against
Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
). The latter semi-final was held at Old Trafford,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and the attendance (76,962) is still a record for that stadium.
Grimsby Town were relegated on 7 May 2010 to the Football Conference, losing their proud status as a league club.
They also reached an FA Cup quarter-final 1987 and in 1998 won the
Auto Windscreens ShieldThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
and the second division play-off final. Notable former managers include
Bill ShanklyWilliam "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
and
Lawrie McMenemyLawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...
.
Blundell Park has the oldest stand in English professional football, the Main Stand. It was first opened in 1899 although only the present-day foundations date from this time. The club plan to move to a proposed new stadium, sponsored by
ConocoPhillipsConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
, at nearby
Great CoatesGreat Coates is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is to the north-west of the Grimsby urban area, and is served by Great Coates railway station...
in the summer of 2009. This will cost £14 million and accommodate 20,000 spectators.
Grimsby Borough F.C.Grimsby Borough F.C. is an English football club based in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. The club is currently a member of Division One of the Northern Counties East League and plays at the Bradley Football Development Centre...
is a football club established in 2003 and based in Grimsby. They are members of the Northern Counties East League Division One.
Ice hockey
There has been an ice hockey club based in Grimsby since 1936. The current club has teams playing at different levels throughout the
English Ice Hockey AssociationThe English Ice Hockey Association is the governing body responsible for the administration of all ice hockey in England and Wales and was formed in 1982...
structure, all under the name of the
Grimsby Red WingsThe Grimsby Red Wings are a British ice hockey club.The Red Wings were founded in 1932 making them one of the oldest teams still in operation. The team currently competes in the North 2 division of the ENIHL....
. In 2009 the club added a
Sledge HockeySledge hockey is a sport that was designed to allow participants who have a physical disability to play the game of ice hockey. Ice sledge hockey was invented in the early 1960s in Stockholm, Sweden at a rehabilitation center...
team to ensure that it was able to offer a fully inclusive sport to the NE Lincolnshire area.
Rugby
The area also boasts an amateur rugby union side, the
Grimsby RUFC, and an amateur cricket side, the
Grimsby Town Cricket Club, both of which attract reasonable levels of support.
Tennis
Tennis teams from local clubs have been successful in various inter-County competitions with the Men's Team from
Grimsby Tennis Centre winning the Lincolnshire Doubles League again in 2005. Tennis players from the town represent the County on a regular basis at all age levels.
Grimsby Tennis CentreGrimsby Tennis Centre is a tennis club in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. It was founded by members of the Welholme Methodist Church on grass courts in Welholme Road, Grimsby. In order to protect the membership from personal liability the club was formed into a Limited Company on 16 January 1922...
underwent a major redevelopment of facilities in 2005 and is now entirely accessible to the disabled.
Table tennis
The town had one of the largest
table tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
leagues in the country (
Grimsby & District Table Tennis League)with over 120 teams competing during the 1970s, but sadly, like the game of
squashSquash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, the sport has declined in the town during recent years.
Cricket
Cleethorpes Cricket Club (Chichester Road, Cleethorpes) has three
squashSquash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts,
Millfields Hotel (in
Bargate) two courts and there is one court at
Grimsby Tennis Centre (
Weelsby Avenue, Grimsby).
Notable people
Grimbarians (natives of Grimsby) were mainly born at the former Grimsby Maternity Hospital in Second Avenue, Nunsthorpe, Grimsby. However, the close proximity to Cleethorpes meant that many Grimbarians were actually born at the now defunct Croft Baker Maternity Hospital in Cleethorpes. Those born and/or brought up in the area include:
- Shirley Bloomer (b 1934) won the French Open Singles and Doubles titles in 1957, and the French Open Mixed title in 1958. She played tennis in her early years at Grimsby Tennis Club. She was married to athlete Chris Brasher
Christopher William "Chris" Brasher CBE was a British athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon.-History:...
.
- Quentin Cooper
Quentin Cooper is a science journalist and current presenter of The Material World on Thursday afternoons and Connect on BBC Radio 4 less frequently on Wednesday nights...
, presenter of Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Material WorldMaterial World is a weekly science magazine programme on BBC Radio 4 on a Thursday afternoon, presented by Quentin Cooper with contributions from scientists researching areas under discussion in each programme.-History:...
, and film correspondent for BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
grew up in the town, attending Wintringham School
- Peter "Mars" Cowling - Bass player in the Pat Travers
Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...
Band for many years.
- Michele Dotrice
Michele Dotrice is an English actress best known for her portrayal of Betty, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer, played by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, which ran from 1973 to 1978....
(b 1948), actor, Betty Spencer in the 1970s comedy Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'EmSome Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
- Helen Fospero
Helen Fospero is an English television newsreader and journalist.-Early life:Born Helen Jane Morton, she grew up in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire and attended Whitgift School on Crosland Road in Grimsby. She left school just before her 18th birthday and started her career at the local weekly...
, newsreader for Sky NewsSky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
and Five News
- Keeley Donovan
Keeley Emma Donovan is a news and weather presenter for the BBC on local television and radio in the Yorkshire and Humber region.-Early life:...
, weather presenter for BBC NorthBBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
- Freddie Frinton
Freddie Frinton, born Frederick Bittiner Coo was an English comedian who remains a household name in Germany and Scandinavia because of his performance in Dinner for One....
(1909–1968), comedian famous for playing a drunk, although in real life he was teetotal. He is more famous in Germany and Scandinavia than he is in his native United Kingdom due to a recording of a sketch of his entitled Dinner for OneDinner for One, also known as The 90th Birthday, or by its corresponding German title, Der 90. Geburtstag, is a comedy sketch written by British author Lauri Wylie for the theatre in the 1920s....
. Based on a music hall act he used to perform, this is shown in Europe every year as part of the New Year's EveNew Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
celebrations. In his own country he is generally better remembered for his role in the 1960s BBC comedy Meet The WifeMeet the Wife is a 1960s BBC situation comedy written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, which featured Freddie Frinton as Freddie Blacklock with Thora Hird as his tyrannical wife, Thora. It ran to five series....
, which also starred Thora HirdDame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
.
- Freddie Frith
Frederick Lee "Freddie" Frith OBE was a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion. A former stonemason and motor-trader dealer was a stylish rider and five times winner of the Isle of Man TT...
(b 1909) - former Grand PrixRoad Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
motorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
road racingRoad racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
World Champion.
- Phil Gladwin
Phil Gladwin is a television writer and script editor. He was born in Grimsby in 1963.- Written Work :* Grange Hill* The Bill** Soft Talking - 2000** Real Crime - 2001** Eye of the Lens - 2001** Liquid City - 2001** 006 - 2002** 057 - 2002...
(b 1963), television screenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, Warriors of KudlakWarriors of Kudlak is the fourth story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It forms the fifth and sixth episodes of the show's first series...
- Vivean Gray
Vivean Gray is an English actress, who found her niche playing gossipy characters in Australian television series. In her early life, she lived in England but moved to Australia after she had trouble finding any acting opportunities...
(b 1924), actor, Nell Mangel in Australian soap opera NeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, her father was once a fish merchant on Grimsby Docks
- Dan Haigh (b 1981), bass guitarist in rock group Fightstar
Fightstar are an English alternative rock band from London. They formed in 2003 and their lineup comprises lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and vocalist Alex Westaway, bass guitarist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi...
, was born and brought up in the town
- Patricia Hodge
Patricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...
(b 1946), actor, Rumpole of the BaileyRumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
and Jemima Shore Investigates. Her parents used to manage the now defunct Royal Hotel in the town. She attended Wintringham SchoolOasis Academy Wintringham is a secondary school on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is just the A16 Peaks Parkway just south-west of the A46 crossroads next to the Lisle Marsden CE in Wellow and on the Grimsby/Cleethorpes boundary...
in Grimsby.
- Ian Huntley (b 1974), double child murder
The Soham murders was an English murder case in 2002 of two 10-year-old girls in the village of Soham, Cambridgeshire.The victims were Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Aimee Chapman...
at SohamSoham is a small town in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It lies just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket . Its population is 9,102 , and it is within the district of East Cambridgeshire.-Archaeology:...
, Cambridgeshire, in August 2002. He was born at Grimsby and lived there until the late 1990s.
- Madge Kendal
Dame Madge Kendal GBE , born as Margaret Shafto Robertson, was an English actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, best known for her roles in Shakespeare and English comedies. Together with her husband, W. H...
(1848–1935), theatrical actor. Dame Kendal Grove, in NunsthorpeNunsthorpe is a suburb and housing estate in the western part of Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England...
, is named after her.
- Matt Kennard
Matthew Kennard is an English television actor, best known for starring in UK daytime drama Doctors, as nurse Archie Hallam....
(b 1982), television actor, best known for starring in UK daytime drama DoctorsDoctors is a British daytime television soap opera, set in the fictional Midland town of Letherbridge, defined as being close to the City of Birmingham. It was created by Chris Murray; Mal Young drove its development, and Carson Black was the original producer. The first episode was broadcast on...
, as nurse Archie HallamArchie Hallam was a fictional character in the soap opera Doctors. He was played by Matt Kennard and made his first appearance on 21 August 2007. His last appearance was on the 27th April 2009.-Character:...
.
- Duncan McKenzie
Duncan McKenzie is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Mansfield Town, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers in the 1970s, in Belgium for Anderlecht, in the North American Soccer League for the Tulsa Roughnecks and the...
(b 1950), footballer, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Everton. Known for feats such as jumping over a Mini from a standing start and throwing a cricket ball out of the ground at Leeds. He attended Wintringham School.
- Darren Pattinson
Darren John Pattinson is an English cricketer who currently plays for Victoria and Nottinghamshire.Pattinson received considerable press coverage when he was surprisingly selected for the England cricket team in July 2008 for the 2nd Test against South Africa at Headingley...
(b 1978), England Test cricketer, born in Grimsby
- Julie Peasgood
Julie May Peasgood is an English actress, television presenter, author and voice over artist known for her distinctive voice. She attended Grimsby's Wintringham School as a student. She is best known for her role as Fran Pearson in the television soap Brookside...
(b 1956), actor, Fran in soap opera BrooksideBrookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, grew up in Grimsby and attended Wintringham School
- Matthew Stiff
Matthew William Tansley Stiff is a bass singer, formerly with British vocal group G4 and a former Classic FM radio presenter.-Early life:...
(b 1979), vocalist with troupe G4G4 were a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in ITV's talent show The X Factor in 2004. The members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for "Guildhall 4", derives.-The X Factor:G4 auditioned for the...
, born in the town and brought up in the nearby village of Waltham
- John Whitgift
John Whitgift was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 800 horsemen...
(1530–1604), Archbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
under Queen Elizabeth I
- Patrick Wymark
Patrick Wymark , was a British, stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Born Patrick Carl Cheeseman in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England...
(1926–1970), actor, 1960s ITV drama The Power Game, 1970 film CromwellCromwell is a 1970 film, based on the life of Oliver Cromwell who led the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War and, as Lord Protector, ruled Great Britain and Ireland in the 1650s. It features an all-star cast led by Richard Harris as Cromwell and Alec Guinness as King Charles I...
, completed shortly before his death aged 44. Wymark View was named after him.
- Numerous well-known snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
players come from the town, the best-known being Ray EdmondsRay Edmonds is a former English professional player of English billiards and snooker. He twice won the World Amateur Snooker title, and won the World Professional Billiards Championship in 1985.-Playing career:...
(b 1936), Dean ReynoldsDean Reynolds is an English professional snooker player.-Career:Before turning professional, Reynolds won the first-ever Junior Pot Black in 1981, beating Dene O'Kane, another future professional, with a 2- aggregate score of 151–79.He twice reached a ranking tournament final, but lost both times,...
(b 1963), Mike HallettMike Hallett is an English professional snooker player and television sports commentator.-Career:Hallett was a consistently solid snooker player, but never achieved the very top ranks...
(b 1959), and Sean StoreySean Storey is an English professional snooker player.His best ranking performance to date came in the World Championship in 2003, where he bowed out in the last 16, losing 7-13 to John Higgins. Previously he had qualified for the World Championship in 2001, but lost 10-9 to Joe Swail after...
(b 1971).
Those with connections to the town include:
- Jeffrey Archer (b 1940), when Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the former Louth constituency from 1970–1974, his constituency house was in Tetney
- Richard A Collins (b 1966), scientist and author of Under A Blood Red Sky, lived with his parents in Holton-le-Clay
Holton-le-Clay is a village and civil parish in the extreme north of the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, south of Grimsby on the A16...
and ScarthoScartho is a suburb located in the southern part of Grimsby, England, in the county of North East Lincolnshire. with a population of around 11,000. Up until the end of the Second World War it was a village; subsequent post-war expansion on the greenfield areas between Scartho and Grimsby has...
for most of his youth
- John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
(b 1940) - actor, spent his formative years in the town while his father was a minister at St Aidan, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.
- Norman Lamont
Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, PC is a British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames. He is best-known for his period serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, from 1990 until 1993...
(b 1942), Conservative MP and former Chancellor of the ExchequerThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, brought up in the town
- David Ross
David Peter John Ross , is an English businessman, co-founder with school friend Charles Dunstone of The Carphone Warehouse. At peak valuation of his business interests, Ross was one of the 100 richest people in the United Kingdom. A profile in The Daily Telegraph put his current net worth at...
- businessman, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse was brought up in the town. His grandfather J Carl Ross was the founder of the Ross Trawler Company and who moved into frozen food. It is still a popular frozen food brand albeit no longer with any family connection.
- Matthew Kennard
Matthew Kennard is a British journalist who has previously written for the Leeds Student, Daily Bruin, Bulb magazine, New Statesman and The Guardian. He made headlines when as a student journalist he accused Leeds University lecturer Frank Ellis of racism and was interviewed by the Today programme...
(b 1983), actor, Archie in Doctors, also The BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Coronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
and Heartbeat
- Ernest Worrall
Ernest Worrall was an English artist and teacher. Born in London, he served in World War I and graduated from the Royal College of Art before moving to Grimsby. He is remembered for a series of paintings depicting the impact of World War II on the town...
(1898-1972), painter known for works depicting Grimsby during World War II, lived in the town from 1932 until the 1960s and taught at Wintringham Grammar School.
Those who live in the local area include:
- Roy 'Chubby' Brown
Roy "Chubby" Brown is an English stand-up comedian, notorious for his decidedly blue humour. The controversial nature of his act means that he rarely appears on major television channels, and Brown has attracted accusations that his comedy style is outdated whilst also being described as "The most...
(b 1945), comedian, lives in the nearby village of FulstowFulstow is a small marsh village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, half way between the towns of Louth and Grimsby. It is scattered around the "30 foot" contour road. which joins Fulstow to the neighbouring villages of Covenham and Alvingham to the south and Tetney to the...
, near Tetney
- Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
(b 1947), singer, lives near Louth
- Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
(b 1940), actor, lives near Louth
- Graham Fellows
Graham David Fellows is an English comedy actor and musician, best known for creating the characters of John Shuttleworth and Jilted John.-Early life:...
(b 1959), comedy writer/performer and musician, most famous for his character John Shuttleworth and 1970s punk-parody artist Jilted John, lives near Louth
Film and television
The 2006 film
This Is England-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
(starring locally born actor
Thomas Turgoose-Early life:Thomas was born on 11 February 1992 and brought up in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. He attended Wintringham School.- Career :In his first film role in 2006, he played the lead character, Shaun, in This Is England, written and directed by Shane Meadows...
; born 1992) was partially set and filmed in Grimsby (with the storyline set in 1983) and other surrounding locations such as Nottingham, as was the television serial sequel
This is England 86 - set in 1986.
Twin cities
Grimsby's
twin citiesTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
include:
TromsøTromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, Norway, since 1961 BremerhavenBremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, Germany, since February 1963 |
Banjul-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...
, The GambiaThe Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
DieppeDieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
, France |
External links