Cleethorpes Water Chute, c.1908

This unusual amateur photograph shows the water chute at Cleethorpes, c.1908. The photograph survives on part of a photographic postcard, with “Cleethorpes Water Chute c1908” written on the back.

The substantial timber structure dominates the scene, with boats positioned at the foot of the steep chute and visitors riding the craft down towards the water. Spectators gather around the attraction and along the beach, providing a fascinating glimpse of Cleethorpes as a busy seaside resort in the early twentieth century.

The water chute was already established by April 1900, when a local newspaper described the “revolving tower, water chute and patent bicycle railway” among the new features at Cleethorpes. The same report mentioned the Mutoscope, a slot machine operating on the cinematograph principle, which was showing pictures of the Boer War.

The photograph is particularly valuable because it is an amateur record rather than a formal commercial postcard view. It captures the attraction in use, surrounded by visitors, boats and the everyday activity of the seafront, preserving a remarkable visual record of Cleethorpes entertainment at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Object: Amateur photograph on part of a photographic postcard Subject: Cleethorpes Water Chute Date: c.1908 Place: Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire