The Jolly Fisherman's Story

This wonderful poster was painted by John Hassall, way back in 1908.     The Great Northern Railway Company paid him £12 for the original oil painting, it was to be used as a publicity poster,  advertising a series of Sunday excursions from King's Cross to Skegness - for the very modest return fare of 3/-.

It proved to be extremely popular, so much so, that in 1934 the artist was presented with a silver statuette modelled from his figure of the fisherman, a token of appreciation from the railway and the Skegness authorities.

Twenty-eight years after he painted the original, Hassall paid his first visit to Skegness, admitting that the portrait was not based on anyone local, he had simply painted it in the hopes of selling it as a poster design.

A few years later, in his mid-70's, and suffering from such severe arthritis in his hands that he had been unable to paint for two years, he unexpectedly found himself being honoured in George VI's Civil Pensions List.    This granted him the sum of £110 per annum, for the remainder of his life, in recognition of his "distinguished services to poster art."

He died in 1943, aged 80.

His jolly bounding fisherman painting ensures that he will never be forgotten in Skegness.

This is the statue that you will see today at Skegness railway station.   He has been updated, but he is still very definitely John Hassall's marvellous character.


He painted hundreds of fabulous poster designs.   I took a quick look and these are the first few I came across.