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The Sands Show bar was opened in 1976, underneath the Pier. The interior design bore a striking resemblance to the Fiesta Club in Sheffield. The tables were staggered on different levels, looking down on the stage. Each table had its own romantic, soft-glowing lamp.
I think I remember that the stage was quite revolutionary as it moved to create a dance floor. When the Sands Show-bar first opened, big-name celebrity acts, like The Three Degrees, Harry Secombe, Freddie Star and Guys & Dolls were booked, but these were soon abandoned for lesser-known acts just a few weeks later.

March 1976

Pier manager Mr Mike Blee (centre) discusses plans for the new Sands Showbar with its newly-appointed manager, Mr Peter Grimston, on site. Looking on (left) is Mr Ray Grange, Mr Blee’s new deputy.

August 1976 Review by Alan Bird
Sands Showbar - death of a dream?

SADLY, following the statement this week by the management of the Sands Showbar that they are replacing top name cabaret with `relatively unknown’ acts, we may be seeing the death of a dream.
So what went wrong? Quite simply the Sands could not attract the people necessary to make it a viable proposition.
The inquest begins. Why couldn’t they attract the audiences? Was it because, as the management say, the stars charge so much the ordinary public could or would not pay the admission fee. And the holidaymakers. Couldn’t they get to the Showbar because some hoteliers closed their doors at midnight and the cabaret did not finish until about this time or later? I think not.
I know that the management have tried to put on big names to attract the crowds, and apparently this did not succeed. Could it be that people don’t want to see the ’stars’ that they were offered.
Basically I think that the failure of the Sands to attract people is a combination of all these factors and perhaps one other.
The cabaret that was offered mainly at the Sands was aimed at attracting the older person, the middle aged couple, and not youngsters and people in their 20’s was mainly a ‘young ‘ audience that went and very nearly filled the place.
Could it be that the management of the Show-bar were getting the wrong acts altogether. Should they have tried to attract the ‘younger’ person?
It is no good putting artistes who have not got a single in the charts, or at least had one in recently.
Why do the stars charge so much for a performance? Quite simply the people, however young, are prepared to pay to follow their idols.
Already the Pier company caters for the mainly middle age group with the Norman Wisdom show at the end of the Pier, and are enjoying another successful season there. At the other end of the structure is the Variety Bar, which presents ‘relativley unknown’ cabaret.
So what for heavens sake, is the management of the Pier doing? They will be presenting the same type of entertainment in two of the three venues on the Pier. Don’t they realise that in making the Sands pay by putting on lesser known cabaret they may take away the people that are presently going into the Variety Bar?
The Pier company has a history of taking risks and making them pay off. They were the first people in recent years to put ’stars’ in a summer show at a theatre.

They opened the Variety Bar and people said that it would never pay. It did.
They then built and opened the Sands, when everything, especially the economic situation generally, was against it. And finally has it proved too much, and are they backing down from the challenge? It would appear so and it is a pity and very uncharacteristic.
When the Three Degrees stepped onto the Sands stage it was like a dream come true — international cabaret had come to Skegness.
But the dream soon developed tarnished edges until Showaddywaddy appeared on stage. Then the dream was given new life.
Changes had been made to the Showbar. There is now a bar where people can go and get their own drinks and generally the place has greatly improved — all the snags have been ironed out.
Now the Showbar has been relegated to the standing of a ‘flash’ Variety Bar, with little more audience appeal.
There is only one hope. That is if the big name acts in future, like Brotherhood of Man, though they may be well spaced out, prove to be a success then the Showbar will rise like the Phoenix from the ashes and international cabaret will be a regular, not occasional, feature in the resort.

Do you remember the Caribbean Steel Band often entertained at the Sands Show bar, pictured left in the 1980s and right in May 2003 (photo by paulgoochimages.org)

The Sands Show Bar closed down, reopening as Tuffty’s Wine Bar in 1985. More about Tuffty’s Wine Bar coming soon.

Do YOU remember the Sands Show Bar? Have You got any pictures of it? Tell us below…

news story date 24th June 2006

Today saw the grand opening of the Royal Renaissance Hotel, noe renamed the Royal Hotel, in Skegness. The £1.8 million project to completely renovate the former, tired looking Seacroft Hotel on South Parade, was undertaken by the Bola Family, T.K Bola, his brother Raj and sister Pam Kaur. A family member said that it was aptly named ‘Renaissance’ because the word means ‘rebirth’.

The hotel was officially opened by the Earl of Scarbrourgh, whose ancestor by the same title pioneered the building of Skegness as a seaside resort in the nineteenth century.

Guests to the Grand Opening of the Royal Renaissance included the Mayor and Mayoress of Skegness, the Town Clerk, Town Councillors, including the former Mayor of Skegness, Coun Brian O’Connor, members of the local clergy and the local authoress, Margaret Dickinson.

Guests were greeted in the reception hall by the Jolly Fisherman, the mascot of Skegness.

The VIPs gathered for the official opening, (L to R) Coun Mark Anderson, Jolly Fisherman, Margaret Dickinson, an East Lindsay District Council Representative, Henrietta, the Earl’s partner, the Earl of Scarborough, Mayor and Mayoress of Skegness. Mrs Crawshaw and Town Clerk, Alan Crawshaw.

The Earl of Scarbrough declared the Royal Renaissance Hotel officially open…

…and hundreds of balloons were released, almost swamping the VIPs…

momenteraly blotting out the sky…

…to finally drift off over the rooftops of the hotel.

The Earl of Scarbrough congratulated the Bola Family and wished them well in their venture.

The interior designer of the new Royal Renaissance hotel was presented with a bouquet of flowers by the Earl.

below: local authoress, Margaret Dickinson with the Earl of Scarbrough.

The Grand Opening was a huge success.
The Royal Renaissance has breath-taking views of the sea and beach, and has been refurbished to a luxurious, but certainly affordable, standard as seen in the photos below:
top left- the reception desk; top right- one of the dining rooms; bottom left- looking down a corridor; bottom right- the luxuriously painted renaissance style ceiling in the reception lobby.

The Royal Renaissance has a stretched limo and (below) two Tuk-Tuks, which have been specially shipped in from India.
The vehicles are to be used to transport the hotel’s guests.

Raj Bola, one of the hotel’s owners is pictured in the Tuk-Tuk.

The hotel also caters for special functions including weddings, gay weddings, wedding fayres, fashion shows or conferences.

Wedding, functions, events, public relations photographer Paul Gooch 07801540866

The Royal Hotel may have been plushly decorated fit for a King, but check out the prices at the hotel’s website - they are definitely not ‘Princely’
Visit the Royal Hotel Website

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

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.

Some, of the 95 children from Inglewood School are seen here in 1972 carrying their harvest gifts to St Clement’s Church, Skegness, on Friday, for their harvest festival and service, which was conducted by the Rev Roderick Welts.
The theme of the simple service was “Feed the Mind,” and the children and parents sang hymns, and then listened to Mr Wells give a talk about the meaning of the theme.
The produce was auctioned in St Matthew’s Hall on Monday evening for the “Feed the Mind ” organisation.

Do YOU remember the Inglewood school in Skegness? Tell us more about it!

news story date 29th July 2006

Skegness Pier celebrated its 125th anniversary today. And what an absolutely fabulous day it was!

Built in 1881, the pier was reduced to its present length by storms and flood in 1978. Over half a million pounds has been spent on refurbishing the pier by its present owners. It’s one of the leading entertainment centres in Great Britain, having over one million visitors each year.

The Mayor of Skegness, Coun Phil Kemp, officially opened the newly refurbished pier on its 125th anniversary. Coun Kemp said that he was a little disappointed that he wasn’t asked to open the pier originally, but he was pleased to be there today. He said everyone was sorry that the scheduled fly past of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire fighter plane had to be canceled due to adverse weather conditions at RAF Coningsby.

The Mayor is pictured below with his wife, Lynda Kemp, Mayoress of Skegness, Billy Brewer, mascot of Batemans Beer, Dino the Dinosaur, mascot of Skegness Pier and Salty the Seal, mascot of the Skegness Standard newspaper.

After the official reopening, hundreds of spectators were treated to a dancing show by the Slovakian Appalachian Clog Dancers.

photos below:Dino the Dinosaur, the mascot of Skegness Pier, Salty the Seal, the Jolly Fisherman, mascot of Skegness, Billy Brewer and other cuddly mascots.

Children were mesmerized by a Magic Show and Punch & Judy.

One of the big highlights of the day was the Skuttle Race across the Pier by the various Mascots:

Under starters orders, they all line up ready for the race.

3…2…1…and they’re OFF!

Penguin won the race.

Jolly Fisherman, in pure, unhurried English Gentlemanly style, walked unruffled to the finishing line.

Elephant? well poor Elephant was last!

below: Beve’s Dancers entertaining the crowds

Fran (waving) and son, Jack were having a wonderful time….

…and so were the crowds!

Videos below: the official opening by the Mayor of Skegness and the Skuttle Race and the fabulous Slovakian Appalachian Clog Dancers.