New Police Station for Skegness
Source: Skegness Herald 1883
THE SKEGNESS POLICE STATION
This new station which is situated on the Roman Bank has just been completed and Inspector Watkin has taken up his residence in the same.
At the Petty Sessions at Spilsby, on Monday, our new station was appointed to be used as
one of the occasional court-houses, where cases it may be heard, tried, determined, and adjudged, pursuant to the Summary Jurisdiction Act. 1879 The powers of the magistrate or magistrates at these occasional courts are confined to imprisonment for 14 days, and to fining offenders not, exceeding 20s including costs. Hitherto every trifling case has had to be taken to Spilsby, and the expense of moving prisoners thereto incurred, but in future, cases of drunkenness, and all other petty offences, may be disposed of here, and the services of any magistrate who happen to be in the town, or here on a visit, may be secured for that purpose.
The Police Station on Roman Bank, Skegness is pictured below as it is today. The building has altered very little. The second photo is of the rear of the police station which shows the securing bars up to the windows. The building was still used as police cells up until the early 1970s.
SKEGNESS POLICE STATION, what is now the social services building. This view is from the back and as you can see the windows to the containment cells with bars. As a young teenager in the mods and rocker days, I had the unfortunate experience of staying in one of those cells for a couple of days. I was put in the one on the bottom left next to the drainpipe. The womens cells were at the top. They were very basic and dingy – a hard wooden bed and a toilet, no sink. The cells are still there today, and the magistrates court was next door. Now of course they have built a new, larger police station and court house next to the town hall on Park Avenue. Glad to say have not had a stay in that one yet lol!