Cod Almighty | Article

by Anne-Mette Skovsgaard

21 June 2012

Back in the spring the Cod Almighty team received an email from Anne-Mette Skovsgaard, a Dane who was about to visit North East Lincs. She'd just read our 2005 article about the old Croft Baker maternity home in Cleethorpes. And she was just about to head over there herself. The journey would be a remarkable and sometimes emotional return...

Croft baker maternity

On Friday 17 February I flew home to Grimsby.

I live in Copenhagen but was born at Croft Baker maternity home to my Danish mum in May 1971. I'd only visited Grimsby on two other occasions - when I was back with my parents in 1977 for the jubilee of the Danish consul, and then again in 2007 for a short stop over to see my nanny from my early days in Grimsby on the way back to Denmark from a vacation with my parents to Ireland.

Fishing museum statueI was thrilled to go back. I do not recall a lot from when I lived in Grimsby, but somehow I feel British all the way through. My annual visit to London reminds me of this and I don't ever want to go back to Denmark when I am in England. However, this trip to Grimsby was different. I was coming home in more than the sense of just visiting.

Arriving with the afternoon train from Manchester with Band of Horses and 'On My Way Back Home' on the iPod, the scene was set and I was excited to get off the train at Grimsby station. What would Grimsby be like? Would I feel at home after all? Would I remember anything? Would Grimsby remember anything from the 'Danish' period in the happy 70s?

Having checked in at Millfields Hotel I headed off to see my nanny - she is now 95 and still alive and kicking. And she remembered me! I didn't tell her that I would be coming, so she was quite surprised at this unexpected visitor who stopped by for a cup of Friday afternoon tea. We had a good chat and remembered the old days, looking at many pictures.

The road to Croft BakerNext stop was the town centre. Rain started pouring down and my boyfriend and I found shelter outside of St James' Hotel. To my surprise, I looked directly at the statue of a fisherman - and I felt happy and proud of being from Grimsby with all its history and exciting stories from the sea.

Off to Cleethorpes the next morning. Sun was shining and welcomed us with a sense of spring. Children played at the beach in bare feet even though dark clouds suddenly hung over the beach from out of nowhere.

We walked around to find Mill Road and Croft Baker and there it was. Even though the house had been rebuilt to flats, I had a strange feeling of having been here before. A resident waved at us from his living room window while talking on the phone. No questions asked - he was probably used to visitors with cameras and curious noses.

The old Danish lodgeWe had a wonderful meal at Figs and got on the evening train back to Grimsby. Exhausted with all the impressions of the day, I went to bed at 7 and slept from a football match on the big screen in the hotel bar and a wedding in the conference rooms.

Sunday morning and day of departure. Went to see my nanny again and then off to find the Landings - the former Danish Lodge. Luckily, my boyfriend works very well as a compass, so we walked from the hotel with our luggage all the way through town, passing the National Fishing Heritage Centre and Freeman Street. And there it was - the Dock Tower in the horizon... and there was the Landings restaurant. The restaurant did not open until 12 but a nice employee let us have a look inside.

Waiting for the trainAll of a sudden, I was three years old again and could see myself crawling and running on the floors of the Seamen's living room where the restaurant is now. That was nostalgic. And the floor at the entrance still had the sign from the Danish Lodge. What a surprise. I took a picture of the floor and will have it printed in large format and framed for my parents as a Grimsby souvenir.

Back to the town centre for one last take away coffee from Starbucks. On the Manchester train and the evening flight to Copenhagen I was filled with nice memories of a wonderful return to Grimsby, a sense of having searched and found my own roots and my own Grimsby, and I am so looking forward to coming back again for a cup of Starbucks coffee and fish and chips, of course... and maybe a small bite of carrot cake the next time I get a chance to come home.

If you'd like to say anything about Anne-Mette's experience, please use the Cod Almighty feedback form. What? No, we've just got something in our eye...