Chapel St. Leonards is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
in the
East Lindsey
East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The population of the district council was 136,401 at the 2011 census. The council is based in Manby. Other major settlements in the district include Alford, Wragby, Spi ...
district of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...
, England. It is situated north from the
resort of
Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 201 ...
and just north of
Ingoldmells. It also lies right next to the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
.
The village is a location for
caravan park
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
* Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals
*Convoy, a group of ve ...
holidays as well as
campsites, and is next to several miles of beach, and close to
Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo ...
,
market town
A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
s, and the
Lincolnshire Wolds.
A landmark is Chapel Point, north from the centre of the village. It has a restored part of a major Second World War coastal defence line retaining the viewing platform. The adjacent North Sea Observatory, a futuristic, iconic visitors' centre using high quality materials and high-weatherproofing providing a comfortable facility for year-round use, was constructed between 2016 and 2018.
[New North Sea Observatory starts to take shape](_blank)
''Lincolnshire Live'', 6 January 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018
In recent years Chapel Point has become a location for
birdwatchers, being visited by migrating birds such as the
Mediterranean gull
The Mediterranean gull (''Ichthyaetus melanocephalus'') is a small gull. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus ''Ichthyaetus'' is from ''ikhthus'', "fish", and ''aetos'', "eagle", and the specific ''melanocephalus'' is from ''m ...
.
Governance
An
electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward stretches west to
Hogsthorpe
Hogsthorpe is a small village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately from the North Sea and Chapel St Leonards, and about north from Skegness. Through Hogsthorpe runs the A52, the main road connec ...
with a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,684.
North Sea Observatory

The UK's first purpose-built marine observatory, it was first conceived in 2005 with plans revealed to the public in July 2013. Planning permission was granted at the end of 2014 with the build between 2016 and 2018 funded mainly from
Lincolnshire County Council
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire an ...
and additionally from
Arts Council England and the Coastal Communities Fund.
[Planning permission is sought for a North Sea Observatory and Cafe at Chapel Point, Chapel St Leonards]
Lincolnshire County Council, 4 December 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2018[Take a look inside UK's first marine observatory offering great days out on our coast for families across the country](_blank)
''Lincolnshire Live'', 25 April 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018
It is the first stage of what is envisaged as part of the Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park (LCCP) with an intention to later develop the coastal walk as a visitor attraction northwards to
Sandilands. The site is owned by Chapel St Leonards Parish Council and is leased to the County Council.
[North Sea Observatory](_blank)
Lincolnshire County Council Retrieved 7 July 2018
Included into the futuristic design having main viewing windows orientated towards the sea, the observatory has multi-function spaces allocated for an exhibition gallery and education, together with a local base for
Coastwatch and a year-round cafe.
Despite a televised press-launch and announcements of opening 22 June, the centre did not open to the public, with several local journals carrying the same information from a Lincolnshire County Council press release citing further delays due to building snagging works.
[Lincolnshire’s North Sea Observatory opening delayed](_blank)
''Lincolnshire Reporter'', 21 June 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018[Last minute ‘snags’ delay opening of North Sea Observatory](_blank)
''Skegness Standard'', 20 June 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018 The centre finally opened 30 July 2018.
File:North Sea Observatory Chapel Point disabled access entrance.jpg, Entrance and the only disabled access via lift (seen to right)
File:North Sea Observatory Chapel Point north side.jpg, Outside viewing deck with walkway to the north linking-in to existing paths
File:North Sea Observatory Chapel Point main viewing windows.jpg, Example of the main viewing windows with coastal path around the Chapel Point promontory
File:North Sea Observatory Chapel Point with gun emplacement.jpg, Car park with old gun emplacement visible to left
File:North Sea Observatory Chapel Point view to east.jpg, Observatory to rear in elevated position above public toilets and Coastguard building on coast road
Chapel and church
The name of the village derives from a chapel at
Mumby dedicated to
St Leonard; the village history is tied to that of Mumby, both at one time being part of the same