Jolly Fisherman art 'deteriorating' due to sea air

"Irreplaceable" artwork depicting the Jolly Fisherman skipping on Skegness beach has deteriorated because of exposure to the sea air, the town council has been told.

The mascot was first painted by John Hassall for a poster campaign advertising the resort in 1908.

The blue pigment on Jolly's jumper and the sea have darkened over time in two paintings now owned by the town council.

The town clerk said the paint has been affected by a "chemical reaction to the sea air" but that the council had commissioned work to prevent "further deterioration".

The two paintings, which are 101 and 118 years old have been on display at the Tower Gardens Pavilion in the town since being restored in 2020.

The original Jolly Fisherman poster, which features the slogan "Skegness is so bracing", was commissioned by the Great Northern Railway to encourage visitors to take the train on their seaside breaks to the town.

The artwork was gifted to the town council by the Great Northern Railway company in 1966.

A report to Skegness Town Council by Museum Conservation Services said "irreversible" changes to the pigments have been caused by a combination of "light, moisture and chlorine".

At a meeting of the Town Council's management committee on 21 October it was agreed to spend £2500 on specialist work to "stop further deterioration" of the paintings.

But it stopped short of approving work which would involve restoring the colours "because it was felt the painting would be changed" by the process.

Local artist John Byford said the damage was "incredibly worrying" and was concerned about the "the conditions in which these paintings have been displayed".

He was unconvinced the blame lay on the "bracing sea air", pointing to galleries based in other seaside resorts like the Tate in St Ives and the Turner Contemporary on the seafront in Margate, "I don't buy it," he added.

He said the "south facing, hot" cafe in the building was "not an environment for important works of art".

"Our heritage is irreplaceable," he said, adding that he hoped there would be "better protection for these precious artworks".

A spokesperson from the town council said it "completely rejects that it's not been taking care of the paintings".

They also added that it "considers it really important that residents in Skegness see them, because they're part of the town's history".

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices