Butlin House Skegness Demolished
Butlin House, a landmark on the corner of Lumley Road and Grand Parade, Skegness for over 75 years is no more. The photo shows the demolition almost complete at the end of last week.
Once known as Osbert House, it was the most southerly of the imposing dwellings which formed Frederica Terrace on Grand Parade.
It was taken over by Billy Butlin as offices when he ran an amusement park on the site now occupied by Bottons and has been empty for the last three years.
It was owned by the late J A Tansley of 6 North Foreland Drive.
In its place will rise four walk-round shops with a 300 seat restaurant above, ready to serve holidaymakers in the coming season.
The Skegness Standard 19th January 1972
Photograph by Norman Beckett
Skegness Butlin house demolished in 1972
More about Butlin House:
Butlin House was formerly named Osbert House, and formed part of Frederica Terrace on Grand Parade Skegness. The terrace was the first set of buildings to be erected on Skegness seafront and was completed by 1879. The restaurant mentioned in the old newspaper story above was May Lee’s Chinese Restaurant; today the building is the LA Cafe.
Most of Frederica Terrace, later known as the Parade Complex, was destroyed by the Skegness Fire in August 2007.
Skegness Butlin house formerly Osbert house demolished in 1972
The old Butlin House I have a photo in the 60s of myself and my friend Mick Barrick sat on the wall outside, when we worked at the Parade selfservice which later became Fat Louis. We used to take our breaks sat on the wall. I’m not sure what function the building served at the time. Newspaper sellers used to have their bundles lined up on the wall outside. One character was Billy and he sold a weekly joke paper called Billy’s Weekly Liar, and he used shout, “Billy’s Weekly Liar – a thousand laughs for a tanner” (sixpence). For those of you who dont know where it used to be – on the Clocktower end or the Parade Complex on the site that the L.A.BAR stands now.