The Knoll - Our Plans

If you attended our Trawlermen event at the Memorial Hall on Saturday, you should have seen on display the plans we have for The Knoll, should our notice of interest be favourably received by North East Lincolnshire Council. If you weren't there, you can view all the information and visualisations by clicking here. 

Thanks to Hodson Architects for putting it all together for us.

Here is an excerpt from the expression of interest submitted to the Council, which details what we wish to achieve and why we feel that FOCH would be fit and proper guardians of this beautiful old building:

• • ·       "Friends of Cleethorpes Heritage feel their proposed use of the building - as a community hub, heritage house and accredited museum space - will perfectly compliment The Knoll, a Listed Building of considerable elegance and architectural merit.  The Knoll holds a commanding position - it is physically at the centre of the seafront and could be at the centre of a resurgence in the fortunes and reputation of Cleethorpes as a resort for visitors. 

  • ·         The widening of the Cultural offer through exhibitions and exhibiting space on a year round basis would enhance the town greatly. To date we have only been able to offer a limited number of one-off events and talks each year. These have been highly successful, but the number of people who are able to access them has been limited because they have only been one day events. The acquisition of The Knoll would enable us to offer year round exhibitions and talks, which would be regularly changed rather than remaining static, so that people will return time and again to learn about and enjoy the many and varied aspects of the history and culture of Cleethorpes and North East Lincolnshire in general. We have also discussed the possibility of The Knoll becoming a national seaside heritage centre, which would attract visitors from all over the country.   

  • ·         Importantly, the Knoll would provide a venue of charm and individuality for both local residents and visitors from further afield.

  • ·         Although FOCH has been amassing its own collection since its formation and will display it at The Knoll, having another accredited museum space in North East Lincolnshire would also allow for the exhibition of more of the items from local collections, which are currently stored at Estate Road No. 3 and also allow us to access national collections and take items of interest on long-term loan. The public would also be able to access our archive materials, such as the papers of the late noted local historian Betty Watkinson.

  • ·         The project would create employment opportunities, in the areas of museums management and curatorship, retail and catering and hospitality.

  • ·         FOCH currently has a loyal group of volunteers attached to it, who act as trustees, carry out research and provide invaluable assistance at our events. Having a permanent year round base would increase opportunities for volunteering and strengthen our ability to apply for funding which requires us to match fund.

  • ·         In order to make the project sustainable in the long-term, income would come from a gift shop and a café/restaurant space, which would offer a Victorian Tea Room experience during the day and a seafood restaurant in the evening. The food and beverages served would, as far as is possible, be sourced from local suppliers. Profits from the gift shop and tea room/restaurant would be reinvested in the project as a whole.

  • ·         We are happy to work with the Armed Forces Group who currently have occupation of the upper floor of the Knoll -we have been advised by them that they hold the lease for the upper floor for a further four years - as we feel we could have a good symbiotic working relationship with this group and their aims, like ours, are to advance both social good and the standing and reputation of Cleethorpes. However, should they decide to vacate the upper floor in the future, we would consider taking on the whole of the building.

  • ·         This would be an intergenerational project, which would help to alleviate social isolation amongst the older population and improve access to local heritage and culture for the younger generation through visits from local schools. We would seek to involve people of all ages and backgrounds in the project, both through visiting The Knoll to view exhibitions and by involving them in gathering and recording local people’s knowledge about local history.

  • ·         On average, we attract 250-350 people to our larger events and 100-150 to our smaller events. Reviews, photo galleries and videos of our events can be viewed on our website www.friendsofcleethorpesheritage.co.uk.

  • ·         We are very active online via our website, Facebook and Twitter. We have 493 followers on Twitter and our Facebook page currently has 306 followers, across a wide age range (18-24 years – 3%, 25-34 years – 12%, 35-44 years – 22%, 45-54 years – 18%, 55-64 years – 25% and 65+ - 19%). The number has more than doubled since the beginning of 2016 and reflects a real and growing interest in our local heritage. There is also a huge passion for preserving local buildings, as was demonstrated by the reaction when we published slides by local photographer Ernie Tammas, featuring Grimsby town centre prior to the demolition of many of its iconic buildings in the 1960s and 1970s. This post reached over 6000 people and was shared numerous times.