Skegness Magazine

Photos of Lumley Road are commonly found on old postcards of Skegness.
The image below, supplied by the Mayor of Skegness, Coun Phil Kemp, clearly illustrates the Lion Hotel in the left of the foreground.

The hotel was opened in 1881 and the 1881 census for the Lion Hotel shows that the landlord was Samuel Clark.
On the 1891 census and the 1901 census Frederick Kirkby from Boston was the landlord.
It’s common knowledge that the Lion Hotel began its life with a large stone lion perched aloft on the corner of the hotel. The stone lion, sculptured by Richard Winn of Grimsby, was brought down to ground level in 1904, so the photo above was taken after this date.

Zooming into the corner of the Lion Hotel in a similar photo, we can clearly see the domed top, the ornate stonework, the words ‘Lion Hotel’, the two rounded bay windows, each divided into three panes. Underneath the lower window is a smaller inverted dome introducing the arch of the doorway which is flanked by decorative, paler stonework.
The road sign ‘Roman Bank’ is just detectable on the wall left of the lower bay window.

Let’s have a look at a present day photo of the Lion Hotel.
It’s quite difficult to get a good position because of a crop of traffic lights!

Essentially, the structure remains the same. The logo is lost and the upper bay window has been replaced during the last few months.
Thankfully, the street signs for Roman Bank and Lumley Road are still in place.

Now look at the picture below.
This photo of the Lion Hotel was taken in 1890.
The stone lion is perched aloft, in place of the dome.
The two bay windows didn’t exist!
You can see the Lion logo and the landlord’s name, Frederick Kirkby.
There’s more writing underneath but it’s difficult to make out.

So somewhere between the mid 1890s and 1906, alterations were made.
Have you got or seen an old photo of the Lion Hotel?
Check it out to see if the lion is aloft and whether the bay windows and dome is in evidence. Then make a note of the date.
Pehaps you could email the data and the date of your photo!