Arcadia after the storm 1953.

An original, amateur photograph. Not a postcard.

Joseph Rodgers Hancock (1860-1943) was born in Sheffield. He moved to Cleethorpes as a cabinet maker and later became an “Amusement & Refreshment Caterer” on the Foreshore at Cleethorpes. He built Hancock’s ‘Palace of Pleasure’ on the beach and his family were involved in running the business.

The ‘Palace of Pleasure’ gradually changed its name to ‘Arcadia’ in the 1940s and was destroyed in the 1953 storm. The foundations can still be seen.

Joseph Rodgers Hancock lived at ‘Kandylea” 21 Elm Road, Cleethorpes until his death.