The History of the Jolly Fisherman...

The Jolly Fisherman is a big part of Skegness!

The Jolly Fisherman began as just a poster in 1908 advertising Skegness as 'so bracing'... The poster was commissioned by the Great Northern Railway Company and the Jolly Fisherman made his debut around Easter that same year in conjunction for Londoners to visit Skegness.

Almost 30 years after creating his Skegness illustration, he made the trip here in 1936 after being gifted an 'illuminated address' and 'the freedom of the foreshore'. According to Skegness Town Council, Mr Hassall was a big fan of the resort. "The reality of Skegness has eclipsed all my anticipations," he reportedly said. "It is even more bracing and attractive than I had been led to expect."

The poster then became a mascot for the town and a statue in the Compass Gardens.