Tucked away in an obscure Edwardian guidebook, long out of print, is the following snippet of information about Cleethorpes Pier: “nimble visitors may revel in terpsichorean indulgence to their hearts’ content”. Today this reads as total drivel, but back in 1909, with an England still predominantly pagan, the lucky few who knew how to read would have been more than familiar with Terpsichore, the God of Dancing.

Almost a hundred years later, Terpsichore is still holding sway on Cleethorpes Pier. Indeed, this pier focuses so much on the funky strutting of stuff that precious little else ever happens here; bring a small child to the pier to watch clowns and eat candy floss and you’ll regret it, as the little nipper will end up wailing with fear and disappointment when confronted with nothing but a smoky nightclub.

Back in the old days, the pier dances were fashionable affairs that appealed to all age-groups, and in the early part of the 20th century the pier regularly played host to the impressive and well-respected Cleethorpes Musical Festival. After the usual enforced closure during World War II, for fear of invasion, the pier took some time in regaining its former lustre. But in 1968, a whacking £50,000 was spent on modernising the pier, focusing chiefly on a brand new concert hall. By the mid-seventies, Cleethorpes Pier found itself at the centre of a burgeoning musical movement, presenting hugely popular Northern Soul club nights.

So successful were these nights, that Cleethorpes Pier can convincingly lay claim to ‘breaking’ a handful of stomping soul anthems, including “I’m Your Pimp” by Skull Snaps and the evergreen “Broadway Cissy” by Roscoe and Friends.

A brief break from the dancing was taken in 1981; the pier was bought by Funworld Limited, who focused on traditional ‘summer season’ end-of-the-pier shows. These were not a success, and the pier was closed down two years later as a result. Then along came Mark Mayer, who bought the pier in 1985 and spent £300,000 transforming the pier into a spanking new ‘premier’ nightclub called “Pier 39”.

“Pier 39” continues to be a great success today, and in 2000 Cleethorpes hosted “Party on the Pier”, a fantastic musical extravaganza featuring top acts such as Billie Piper and Sid Owen, aka ‘Ricky’ from Eastenders. ‘With-it’ funnyman Richard Blackwood, known to his fans as ‘da man’, had this to say: “Cleethorpes is the place to be!”

Cleethorpes Pier Fun Fact

Bits of old pier taken off by the army during World War II were to resurface elsewhere – as part of the stands at Leicester City Football Club’s Filbert Street Stadium!