The Heritage Committee

From 2011 the Heritage Committee has expanded into the Heritage and Environment Committee. The Heritage Committee encourages the support and preservation of our history and environment in the North East Lincolnshire Council area.

The Committee has generated Heritage Walks of Grimsby and Cleethorpes (see Heritage main menu). The Cleethorpes Walk is also available in leaflet form from Cleethorpes Tourist Information Centre. Look out for the Heritage Green Plaques on sites of interest in Cleethorpes.

The Committee takes part in the annual Heritage Open Days (see Heritage main menu), which this year will happen over Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th September.

Each year, the Society works with Lincolnshire Heritage, the group which promotes the days via a theme within the historic county of Lincolnshire. This years theme, "Arts, Literature and Music in Lincolnshire" was chosen to fit in with the 200th anniversary of Tennyson's birth and to complement poetry, literature and arts related events which will be taking place over the year.

In 2008 the Committee was been out on the streets, raising the profile and increasing the membership of the Society.

Sunday 22nd June. As part of Civic Societies Week, organised by Yorkshire and Humberside Association of Civic Societies, the first Guided Walk of the Cleethorpes Heritage Trail was given by Ernie Brown and Alan Dowling.

Saturday 26th July. Cleethorpes Carnival; The Civic Society took part in the Grimsby in Bloom entry, which won Best Organisation and Best Pedestrian Group categories.

Friday 5th September. Civic launch of the Cleethorpes Heritage Trail by the Mayor of North East Lincs, Colin Eastwell.

Saturday 13 September. Heritage Open Day at Griffin Hall, Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. Displays on Lincolnshire at Play, Cinemas of Grimsby & Cleethorpes, Friends of Barton Line, Model Railways, and al fresco Accordian concerts .

Sunday 14th September. Heritage Open Day at BlundellPark (Grimsby Town Football Club).

Monday 15th September and Tuesday 16th September. Contributing to NE Lincs Council's Community Engagement Week (aka The Big Conversation), Ernie Brown conducted guided walks of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, and Alan Dowling gave lectures on the street names of Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Finally, as part of NE Lincs Council's "Lit Fest", Ernie Brown led two well attended guided walks - the Industrial Heritage tour of Grimsby on Sunday 12th October, and the Gory Grimsby Trail on Sunday 19th September.

Palace Buffet

Palace Court, the re-development of the old Palace Buffet, has been an example of how existing structures can be renovated to meet changing commercial needs while remaining sympathetic to the character of the original building.

Following the closure of the Palace Buffet as a public house (itself the last lingering remnant of the old theatre), the elements attacked the structure. Rather than flatten the site and start again with a utilitarian tin box, Nunn's, the developers invested their resources in augmenting the existing structure with modern materials which matched the original design.

Despite the demolition of the old theatre several years ago, some of the Victorian tiles from the wall of the Gentleman's Cloakroom remained intact. As a further commitment to the site, the developers have erected a protective covering over the tiles in what is now the customer Car Park. With the help of Signs Express, the developers erected an information board detailing the history of the Palace Theatre, with text provided by David Robinson, during his period as Chairman of the Heritage Committee.

The Palace Buffet was subsequently awarded the Society's first design plaque for sympathetic restoration.