The Building Bricks of Cleethorpes

This fantastic photograph of 16-18 Sea View Street was featured in the book "Cleethorpes As It Was" by Janet Swithinbank and is part of the Hallgarth Collection. Today, Hermes Antiques inhabits the property, but in the early decades of the 1900s it was home to John Henry Kitchen's drapers and milliners, pictured here.

John Henry Kitchen was born on 29th July 1868 in Wansford, East Riding, the son of Robert and Hannah Kitchen. His father was for many years a lock keeper. In 1891, John was single and a draper's assistant in Brandesburton, but by 1901 he had his own shop in Sea View Street and had been married to Sarah Hives for five years. They had three children, one of whom died in infancy. His two surviving daughters Elsie Annie and Hilda Mary both married locally, Elsie to Henry H.W. Smith in 1921 and Hilda to Ernest Houghton in 1926. In 1939, Hilda and Ernest both had connections to the A.R.P. Hilda was shorthand typist to a Div. A.R.P. Officer, whilst Ernest, the director and manager of an ironmongery firm, was a volunteer ambulance driver.