Cleethorpes | |
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Central Promenade |
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Cleethorpes shown within Lincolnshire | |
Population | 39,505 (2011) |
OS grid reference | TA310081 |
• London | 140 mi (230 km) S |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CLEETHORPES |
Postcode district | DN35 |
Dialling code | 01472 |
Police | Humberside |
Fire | Humberside |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
UK Parliament | |
Cleethorpes is a seaside resort on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of nearly 40,000 in 2011. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as a primary industry, while developing as a resort since the 19th century.
The town lies on the Greenwich meridian and its average annual rainfall is amongst the lowest in the British Isles.
The name Cleethorpes is thought to come from joining the words clee, an old word for clay, and thorpes, an Old English/Old Norse word for villages, and is of comparatively modern origin. Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of three small villages, or "thorpes": Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe, which were part of a wider parish called Clee (centred on Old Clee).
Whilst there are neolithic and Bronze Age remains in the area, permanent occupation appears to date from the 6th century, when the Danes arrived, with substantial communities appearing only in the 9th century.
The manor of Itterby was purchased in 1616 by the trustees of Peter Blundell's charity for the benefit of scholars and fellows at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge from Blundell's School, Tiverton. This is reflected in many of the street and park names in the area.
Cleethorpes developed as a fishing village. By the time of the 1801 census the population was 284. The 1820s saw the first developments of Cleethorpes as a health holiday resort, with sea-bathing and the taking of medicinal waters becoming fashionable. By 1831 the population had increased to 497.