Whale jawbones from 1892 find new home in garden

The jawbones of a whale that died in the Humber in 1892 are back on public display.

Originally from a 76-tonne Rorqual, they were used as an arch at Sidney Park in Cleethorpes from the 1920s to the late 1980s and, more recently, at Jungle Zoo.

Ernie Brown, of Your Place, Grimsby community garden, has given the 134-year-old bones a new home at the venue by using them to create an arch.

Brown, who is the garden manager, said: "People like these things, it's a reminder of their past. So many, as a boy or girl, went through this, now it can all happen again."

Brown added: "It's a fantastic achievement. My name's on it, but I couldn't have done it without other people."

The bones came to Brown's attention when he found them being stored at a skip about 20 years ago. They spent time at Cleethorpes Business Park and then Jungle Zoo, where they were on display in the meerkat enclosure until the zoo was badly damaged by a fire in 2024.

He stepped in again when they had been taken to a demolition yard and now has them pride of place and on public display once more at the community garden, where they were unveiled on Sunday.

Grimsby firm Blackrow Engineering created a metal structure to keep the bones in place "rather like a ribcage", Brown explained.

"It looks a bit space age, its steel against 134-year-old bone," he added.

"Now, it's here for future generations. It's an asset for Grimsby and another piece of our heritage.

"A lot of the town's heritage has gone. Here's something that's here permanently that anybody can see any time they want to."

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