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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…

JOLLY SAVES THE DAY, Skegness Civic Society

Skegness Civic Society has just published a colouring and story book called “Jolly Saves the Day” to promote beach safety at Skegness.

The publishing of the book is linked to the opening of the Jolly Trail on Wednesday, 21 May and it will be made available as a printed book to those who complete the Jolly Trail and also be downloadable from the internet.
“Jolly Saves the Day” has just been published by Skegness Civic Society. The book, which is both a story and colouring book, was written by Steve Kirk, Chairman of Skegness Civic Society, to mark the opening of the “Jolly Trail” along Skegness’s seafront.
In the book Skegness’s iconic Jolly Fisherman saves two children who have drifted out to sea on an airbed. The book is intended to carry the message of beach safety to young children and adults alike in an entertaining and fun way.
Skegness Civic Society, with financial assistance from Regeneration Across Communities of Lincolnshire (RACoL), has printed five thousand copies of the book to be given away, together with a set of crayons, to children who complete the Jolly Trail.
To complete the Jolly Trail children must first obtain a free leaflet with questions at the beginning of the trail at the Tourist Information Office situated at the entrance to the Tower Gardens on Grand Parade. The children can find the answers to the questions as they follow the big yellow footprints that mark the trail. The footsteps take the children back to the Tourist Office – where they can claim their prize. The trail takes about an hour to complete.
As well as being given away as a prize the book will also be available as a free download from as many websites as possible.
The Jolly Trail was first envisaged by Steve Kirk three years ago and, after much persuasion, taken up by Lincolnshire Tourism, Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council and Skegness Town Council. The Jolly Trail will be officially launched on Wednesday, 21 May at 11.00 am at the Tower Gardens, Skegness.
Steve Kirk, Chairman of Skegness Civic Society, said:
“For such a small book I have been surprised how much work it has entailed. The “Drier Side of Britain” is renowned for it’s beautiful golden beaches. With the hot sunny weather we are having who could blame anybody for taking a dip in the sea. However if this book helps to dissuade just one person from taking their inflatable into the sea with them it will all have been well worth it.”
And on the subject of the Jolly Trail he said, “I can’t believe it’s finally going to happen. After over three years of planning I believe it will be a big success and another tourist attraction for the town. I must say a huge heartfelt thank you to the officers of Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council and Skegness Town Council for making my dream a reality.
Further information may be obtained from: Mr Steve Kirk, Chairman of Skegness Civic Society, 105 Beresford Avenue, SKEGNESS PE25 3JL Tel: 01754 766258 Email: steve@skegnesstown.com

(click the picture above to download ‘Jolly Saves the Day’ in pdf 4.63Mg- note: you will need Acrobat Reader to download the pdf file)

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

Flash back to the horse era
THIS photograph of Mr John Wells, 13 Richmond Drive, Skegness, was taken 25 years ago. He is seen delivering parcels for the railway company with a horse and dray. A few days afterwards lorries were introduced for the task.
When Mr. Wells first started the horse and cart delivery for Hydes and Son of Skegness, he had to cover the whole of the town on his own. Later his task became lighter when he worked with three agents.
Now aged 78, Mr Wells passes his time by doing a certain amount of jobbing gardening. This month sees the 25th anniversary of the replacement vehicles.

Unfortunately, I haven’t got an exact reference date for this news story, so if anyone can help please leave a comment. However, I have found John Wells on the 1901 census for Skegness, living in Mayfield Villas on Wainfleet Road, with his father, aged 57, working in the Gravel Pits, and mother, Maria. John (in the photo) is aged 21 on the 1901 census, so from the clues we have, we can date the news article to 1958. Therefore we can deduce that the picture was actually taken around 1933, which it seems is the year that the horse and cart was ousted by the railway in Skegness, in favour of delivery lorries.

If you require more research into John Wells’ family history, or any other Skegness families, please ask.

Skegness herald 1901

DEATH OF A CHILD by POISONING

An inquest was held at the Vine Hotel on Tuesday last by Dr. Walker, of Spilsby, coroner for the district, on the body of Sarah Jane Toyne, three years of age, who resided with her parents at Croft Marsh, and who died from irritant poisoning. It appeared from the evidence that the deceased and a younger sister had eaten some mutton which had laeen in the house Borne days and smelt very strong. They were soon after this taken ill, and Dr. Wallace sent for.

The younger of the two recovered, but the other died in great pain. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased died from inflamation of the bowels caused by irritant poisoning, but that there was not sufficient evidence to show how the poisoning was caused.

Mr. S. G. Randall was foreman of the jury.