Mablethorpe is a small seaside town in
East Lindsey on the coast of
Lincolnshire,
England.
Geography
Several small
caravan parks exist around Mablethorpe. The town is administered with
Sutton-on-Sea and
Trusthorpe, as the
civil parish of
Mablethorpe and Sutton. The former parish of Mablethorpe covers a reactangular area inland along the
A1104 Alford Road towards
Maltby le Marsh as far as the boundary between the LN12 and LN13 postcode at Grange Leisure Park where
Earl's Bridge crosses
West Bank. The southern boundary of the former parish follows the
Trusthorpe Drains which are crossed at Bamber's Bridge on
Mile Lane. Out towards
Alford near Strubby was the former RAF Strubby, now called Strubby Airfield. To the north is the parish of
Theddlethorpe St Helen, which is much bigger in geographic area than the former parish of Mablethorpe, extending up to the River Great Eau at
Saltfleetby. The town is the eastern terminus of the
A52. However, the town is best accessed via the A1104 and
A16 through Alford. The A157 to
Louth is the sixth bendiest road in the UK.
History
Mablethorpe Hall
Mablethorpe has been in existence for many centuries although part of it was lost to the sea in the 1540s. For example, records of the Fitzwilliam family of Mablethorpe Hall date back to the 14th century. In the 19th century it was also a centre for
ship breaking during the winter. Mablethorpe Hall is to the west of the town along
Alford Road. It is near the parish
church of St Mary. The Mablethorpe church group also includes Trusthorpe.
Lifeboat
In 1883 the first lifeboat station was built in Mablethorpe. The station ran until the
First World War when it temporarily closed due to not having a full crew. After the war the station was closed permanently due to a continuing shortage of crew until 1965 when an inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established. The town has a new
lifeboat station.
Tennyson
The town was visited by
Alfred Lord Tennyson in the 19th century.
D. H. Lawrence
Mablethorpe is the destination for the Morel family's first holiday in the
D. H. Lawrence novel,
Sons and Lovers, published in 1913.
"At last they got an answer from Mablethorpe, a cottage such as they wished for thirty shillings a week. There was immense jubilation. Paul was wild with joy for his mother's sake. She would have a real holiday now. He and she sat at evening picturing what it would be like. Annie came in, and Leonard, and Alice, and Kitty. There was wild rejoicing and anticipation. Paul told Miriam. She seemed to brood with joy over it. But the Morel's house rang with excitement."
Floods
In January 1953 Mablethorpe was hit by the disastrous
East Coast floods.
Transport
Along with many small seaside villages and some inland towns and villages, Mablethorpe lost its
railway station in 1970 due to the
Beeching Axe.
Skegness, however, kept its railway station. Mablethorpe only retained the miniature railway in Queen's Park.
Commercial trade
Shopping
There are two supermarkets in the town: One is operated by
Lidl, one by the
Co-op, there is also a convenient store
David's Supermarket it is an independent supermarket running under the
Nisa-Today's branded fascia. There is also a
Heron for discounted, frozen foods. There are also some independent retailers, geared largely towards selling cheap gifts and novelties for Mablethorpe's tourist trade.
Banks
The town is host to two banks Lloyds TSB and Barclays, the HSBC branch closing its doors for the final time in February 2011.
Leisure
Attractions at the resort include a
fairground and the
beach. Its beach is long, wide and flat and separated from the town by a narrow strip of large
sand dunes.
A sand train operates to take visitors to the north end of the beach.
In 2008 the old Dunes Theatre was changed to Sharky's Bar after a refit.
There are also numerous amusement arcades which offer your traditional seaside entertainment.
In May 2008 a very small, free-to-use, skatepark was opened in Mablethorpe. It is situated on the seafront opposite The Beck pub on Quebec Road. The park is host to a small funbox, a spine and two quarter-pipes.
Landmarks
Just over a mile to the northeast of the town, near the Seal Sanctuary, is the
Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal, which supplies 5% of the UK's gas. To the west is the Bambers
wind farm which opened in November 2004 and has 8
turbines which produce 5MWe. The Bambers II
windfarm, an extension of the first, opened in November 2006 producing 5MWe with 6 turbines. The two turbines at Mablethorpe wind farm, which produce 1.2MWe, were the first wind turbines in Lincolnshire when they were built in July 2002. All three are owned by
Ecotricity and situated at the corner of West Bank and the Trusthorpe Drains. The Star of the East is on the sea front.
Media
The local weekly
newspaper is the
Mablethorpe Leader.
Radio coverage for Lincolnshire is provided by
BBC Radio Lincolnshire and
Lincs FM.
Education
Primary schools
Mablethorpe Primary School
Theddlethorpe Primary School
Secondary schools
Mablethorpe Tennyson High School
Events
Mablethorpe hosts the UK's only beach hut festival
Bathing Beauties in September every year. Owners of private beach huts compete in exterior design as well as poetry, music and drama performances.
The Mablethorpe Marathon was launched in 2006 and attracted around 2,500 runners in its first year. Although it took a break in 2009 it returned in 2010 and should remain an annual event.
For over 40 years Mablethorpe has also been host to Motorcycle sand racing, which takes place in the Winter and Spring seasons. This inspired the Mablethorpe Motorcycle Festival which was launched in 2010 and will take place again in 2011, hopefully becoming another annual event.
Every summer Mablethorpe hosts its illuminations event known as the "Switch On", a celebrity turns on the lights. Past celebrities to turn on the lights include: Timmy Mallett, Barbara Windsor, Wolf from Gladiators & Hunter. In 2011 it will be hosted by Twist and Pulse in July.
Gallery
References
External links
Mablethorpe's first and most comprehensive town website
Mablethorpe's Town and Community website for visitors and residents
MASCOT - Mablethorpe And Sutton Chamber Of Trade
Photo gallery for Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe, Sutton-On-Sea with images old and new
Photos of Skegness, Mablethorpe, Chapel St. Leonards from the past to present day
Visit Lincolnshire
Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council
Mablethorpe and Sutton Chamber of Trade
Mablethorpe Wind Farm
Reviews of Golden Sands
News items
Star of the East in January 2007
Bambers Wind Farm opens in November 2004
Video clips
Seal sanctuary
Pathe newsreel, 1953, Flood victims evacuated to Mablethorpe
Pathe newsreel, 1953, Queen visiting flood victims in Tilbury & Mablethorpe
Pathe newsreel, 1955, Duke of Edinburgh visits flood defences
Category:Seaside resorts in England
Category:Towns in Lincolnshire
Category:Populated coastal places in Lincolnshire
Category:Wind farms in England