HERE, Jeff Beedham shares his memories of the early development of Cleethorpes and his recollections of Sidney Park.

He said: "Towards the end of the 19th century, Cleethorpes, mainly due to the Railway Company and landowners Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, was a rapidly expanding town.

"It went from a population of just 830 in 1851 to 4,300 inhabitants in 1891.

"In 1880 the MS & LR had extended the railway station, which opened in 1863 with just a single branch line to Grimsby, from one to six platforms.

"Four years later they built swimming baths (both fresh and salt water), refreshment rooms, a colonnade, promenade and extensive gardens, opened in 1885 by Prince Albert Victor, all planned to entice more visitors to the resort.

"The council, mindful of the lack of leisure facilities for the locals, and possibly envious of the MS & LR's investment, approached the college for land to build that classic Victorian innovation, a public park.

"In 1898, the college donated 12 acres of land for what would become Sidney Park.

"The council engaged eminent landscape architect, Mr TH Mawson, who designed the park that was opened on August 4, 1904, by Mr Charles Smith, Master of Sidney Sussex College.

"The park soon became a focus of local events and civic functions and the local press commented: 'The new park is in such a position that Grimsby folk can easily use it.'

"The popular Edwardian hobby of building and racing model yachts was catered for by the superb park pond that was regularly used by the Grimsby And Cleethorpes Model Yacht Club.

"The president of the club, Sir George Moody, presented a fine silver cup each year to the most successful yacht and its owner.

"In 1906 the college donated a further six acres to extend the park and eight acres of land for the nearby Sussex Recreation Ground.

"In 1912, after winning the cup for the fourth successive year, Mr JH Bradley, with 'Annie', his fine 5ft mahogany yacht, finally got to keep the silver cup and it can be seen today in Goole Museum.

"More than 100 years later, the pond is still regularly used by the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Model Boat Society.

"My first experience of Sidney Park was during the 1950s when summer Sundays were often spent sailing my model boats with my father on the pond.

"I had a fine mahogany yacht, painted red and varnished with a heavy lead keel about two-feet long, which was built by my father's cousin. I also had a battery-powered RAF Rescue Launch that was built by my father.

"Living over the West Marsh it was a short walk to the Palace Theatre to catch a trolley bus to St Aidan's Church, which was just a short walk from the park.

"In those days, a large whale jawbone spanned the entrance to the park. Passing through these, the crowds admired the immaculately manicured flowerbeds before the pond was soon in sight. There was a busy kiosk selling ice cream and soft drinks and there would be long queues of people waiting for refreshments.

"Large radio-controlled battleships were wheeled to the water's edge on special trailers and carefully lowered into the pond.

"These impressive scale models, with rotating gun turrets, always attracted crowds who would watch them cruise around the pond.

"Today, after years of neglect and vandalism, the park has been smartened up. Passing by it last week I was reminded of those happy, carefree childhood days spent with my late father sailing my boats on the Sidney Park pond."