A historic Cleethorpes café dating back to the Victorian era has undergone a complete restoration and interior refurbishment.
The Mermaid Café, now operating as a fish and chip shop, first opened its doors in 1874. Originally, the building served as a waiting room for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.
“Well it goes back obviously to the railway coming to Cleethorpes in 1863. That was the Manchester Sheffield Lincolnshire company” explained Carol Heidschuster, Townscape Heritage Project Manager for North East Lincolnshire Council.
The exterior restoration project, costing £395,000, was partly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Railway Heritage Trust, with the leaseholders covering the costs of the interior refurbishment.
Specialist conservation work was carried out on the Victorian cast iron framework, alongside the full restoration of the building’s timber elements. The roof was replaced, and new cast iron gutters and downpipes were installed.
“All of the cast iron is original from 1884, and as part of the restoration the windows have been double glazed. We had to replace all of the timber.
Early photographs were a key indicator of how to restore things, but it was also helped by other sources. “With a heritage project in a resort you get early postcards as well as early images which is a real bonus.” Said Ms Heidschuster
The project work began in December 2024, and was embraced enthusiastically.
“Local families were really passionate about seeing that restoration”, Ms Heidschuster said.
The Mermaid has been a long standing feature of the area, and has seen many different functions. “It’s had various uses over the many decades. It’s been amusements, its been shops. In recent memory it’s been a cafe and a chippy” Ms Heidschuster explained.
When part of the work on the suspended ceiling was removed during the restoration process what was described as a “Cathedral like” underlayer was found, resembling the underside of a boat. Possibly intended as an homage to the local heavy shipping industry.
A major new inclusion has been the restoration of the lantern that had been missing for many years.
The building’s fresh paintwork draws inspiration from the original livery colours of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway company.
Leaseholders Charles Crawford and Craig Brown explained that the interior refit was a long-term goal since securing Listed Building consent in 2021.
