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Historical cafe to be restored to former glory

North East Lincolnshire Council The Mermaid fish and chip cafe - a Victorian-era wood and ironwork building with large ornate windows. It has been painted blue with black ironwork. A clock tower and railway station can be seen in the distance.North East Lincolnshire Council
The Mermaid Cafe has long been one of Cleethorpes' most distinctive buildings

A 150-year-old building is to get a new lease of life after winning funding for a full restoration.

The Mermaid Cafe, built in 1847, is part of the listed buildings at Cleethorpes Railway Station, but has not been renovated for several years.

However, it will now receive funding to carry out work to its distinctive wood and ironwork, following donations from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Railway Trust.

Leaseholders Charles Crawford and Craig Brown said they were really pleased to secure the funding, and added they "can't wait to see what the building will look like when restored".

Based on the North Prom sea front, the building was constructed as a waiting room for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. It is set to be repainted in these company colours.

The project will see conservation work to the Victorian cast-iron framework of the building, as well as full restoration and conservation of the timber elements.

The building will also be re-roofed, and cast-iron gutters and downpipes will also be replaced.

North East Lincolnshire Council The interior of an intricate wooden roof, which has some paint flaking off. North East Lincolnshire Council
The building's historical timber elements will also be restored as part of the project

Tim Hedley-Jones, of The Railway Trust, said he was really happy to be "working collaboratively with both the leaseholders and the council" to restore a historical railway building.

Councillor Philip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said he was "really pleased to see this particular building come forward as part of the Townscape Heritage Project".

He added: "It's one of the key buildings that people see as they arrive in Cleethorpes on the train, and to have it restored to its former glory will be wonderful."

The work will be carried out by CAG, which has completed heritage works in other areas of the resort.

Planning permission is already in place for the work, and initial internal work has begun, with hoardings already up around the building and the ironwork set to be removed before Christmas.

The main work will start in the new year, and is set to be complete before summer 2025.

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