Skegness Magazine

The Town of Skegness

Skegness Today
Skegness is a bustling little seaside resort on the east coast of England in Lincolnshire. The town specializes in tourism and leisure activities for people on holiday.
Amusement arcades, heaving nightlife in the pubs and clubs, swimming pools, heritage museums, Lots of places to eat - restaurants, cafes. Lots of hotels and guest houses, plus self-catering accommodation like caravans or holiday flats. Plenty of things to do and see- there’s even plans to build a new casino!
The twenty first century Skegness has a residential population of around 19,000-20,000 (measured at 18,910 on the 2001 census).
But what was the town like in the 19th century?

Skegness Yesterday
The Danes gave the town its name when the Vikings settled in the ninth century.
It was a small port until the seas ravaged it in the early fifteen hundreds. The folk began the slow process of rebuilding their village.
Little is known about the statistics in these early days.
In 1801, and subsequently every decade, the government of England required a census to be taken of the population of the land. This data provides a wonderful insight into how Skegness has developed since then.

What does ‘Skegness’ mean?
The name is of Danish origin and is derived from ‘Skeggi’, meaning a beard, and ‘ness’ meaning nose.
It is thought to have derived from an individual called Skeggi.

How old is Skegness?
There is strong evidence that the little place called Skegness has been in existance for over a thousand years, and records referring to Skegness date around 700 years ago.