Blackpool and the Fylde

Allen Clarke (1897)

LAST year saw two momentous events in the history of Blackpool. Firstly, for the first time since measurements were made, the Fylde's beaches passed the Bathing Waters Directive.

Secondly, a decision was made to develop Blackpool into a casino resort.

Will this succeed? If Blackpool and the Fylde want success they will eventually achieve it and probably add a bonus as well!

It is vital that Blackpool should continue its fun-loving traditions - the tower (the Tall One), the wonderful Pleasure Beach (the Big One) and Uncle Toms Cabin (the Old one) should continue along with the theatres, the pubs and the shops.

Lytham, St Anne's, Fleetwood and all points in between cater for all tastes.

Winter breaks can reveal gems of history and natural history between the Rivers Ribble and Wyre.

LYTHAM

SET on the banks of the Ribble estuary, Lytham has a long tradition of shipbuilding and reached a peak during the 19th century. One of the most famous vessels built in the yards around Lytham Creek saw valiant service plying the rivers of Africa and starred in the film The African Queen with Kathryn Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.

Even as late as the Second World War the Lytham yards were making history. they built some of the Mulberry harbours sent to the battle torn beaches of Normandy.

Often known as Leafy Lytham, this ancient settlement once had a Benedictine chapel associated with the monastery of Durham. Here are wide streets with up-market shops leading down to the beach overlooked by a windmill and a lifeboat museum.

The area around Fairhaven Lake is one of the most important ornithological sites in the North West.

Lytham, however, means golf because here are a number of championship courses and between the beach and the links are some excellent and reasonably priced restaurants.

ST ANNE'S

OLD Lytham and Young St. Anne's were separate settlements until 1923. Although Lytham dates back to Doomsday, the architecture of St Anne's is just as interesting.

The opening up of the railway network from the 1850s allowed the rich men in the cotton trade to build impressive residences overlooking the sea. They could easily commute from Lytham and St. Anne's to the cotton towns of Bury, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley and Manchester. These red brick mansions still stand, some now functioning as small hotels.

St Anne's pier with its mock Tudor facade looks older than it is. It was opened by Lord Stanley in 1885.

FLEETWOOD

FLEETWOOD is a town with a split personality.

Until the 19th century it was a tiny and insignificant village on the Wyre earning a meagre living from fishing. It later developed into one of the major fishing ports.

The fishermen needed treatment for chills and colds and one remedy was provided by a chemist named Lofthouse. A lozenge impregnated with herbs was invented and the well-named Fisherman's Friend is now a major industry in Fleetwood.

The fishing industry has sadly declined but its heyday is recalled in the magnificent Maritime Museum sited in what was the Customs house. The history of the town owes much to the inspiration and fortune of one ambitious landowner.

The Fleetword-Hesketh family was based in what is now Rossall School. In Elizabethan times Rossall was an illicit base for Catholic clergy. Rossall has been a school since 1884. In the 1830s Sir Peter Fleetwood-Hesketh planned a new town based upon his view that Fleetwood should be the major port for the link between Scotland and England. This was based upon Sir Peter's view that it was impossible to build a rail line over Shap.

Just as Fleetwood became functional the rail line was built and Sir Peter was bankrupt. The buildings were designed by the best architects, especially Decimus Burton who went on to construct London's Regent Street.

Many of these wonderful buildings remain and because of this Fleetwood is unique.

Fleetwood, with its tram link, also developed as a seaside resort with a difference. There are good hotels, bowling greens and magnificent views over the Wyre estuary.

Fleetwood's market is rightly famous and at Knott End on the opposite side of the river there is another market. The two are linked in the summer months by the Knott End Ferry.

Close to Fleetwood is Thornton Mill, a restored and working windmill. Guided tours are provided and inside there is an information centre and a museum.The mill is the focus for a shopping centre and coffee bars, pubs and restaurants.

Windmills are very much a feature of the Fylde and hopefully some sort of Windmill Tourist Trail will be developed.

"O' Windmill Land dear Windmill Land

May thy white towers for ever stand."

Allen Clarke (1863-1935)

BLACKPOOL BY TRAM

IN the 1890s an advertisement in a newspaper pointed out that Blackpool "offers more fun for less money than anywhere else." This is still the case today and the best proof is to travel to Fleetwood on the tram and walk along the beach until you feel tired.

The line was built in 1885 runs from Starr Gate near the Pleasure Beach to Fleetwood, a distance of around 11 miles. The Pleasure Beach probably the most compact pleasure park in the world was begun in 1903 and has been run by the same family ever since. The Pepsi-Max Big One roller coaster opened in 1994 and cost £11 million.

South Pier has had more than its share of storm and fire, but thankfully it has been restored. The Central Pier is 1,518 feet and was built in 1868. It, too, has had more than its share of problems. North Pier is 1,405 feet and was opened in 1863.

Blackpool Tower took three years to build and at 518 feet was once the highest building in Britain. The design followed that of the Eiffel Tower and it opened in 1894. It is impossible to imagine this resort without its tower.

Blackpool's theatres offer the best entertainment in terms of sheer contrast. Here are summer shows on the piers, the Winter Gardens and the Opera House which has been renovated to reveal all its glory which first opened its doors in 1878.

In the winter there is opera and ballet plus the chance to see some shows being put through their paces prior to trying their lunch in London's West End.