Lytham's Talbot Hotel and its Evolution

The Talbot Hotel in Lytham was a landmark building built between 1850 and 1870, located on Clifton Street. Originally a popular inn, it later became a shopping complex after significant refurbishment in the 1980s. The building featured a Bath Street entrance that served as an order office and later became a recreation room. Notably, a rare cobble-walled stable located behind the hotel, possibly part of an earlier farm, was also a significant historical feature.

The Talbot Building with retail units as it is in 2025 © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd

The Talbot Building with retail units as it is in 2025 © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd

For many years Leonard Dews (see image below) occupied this space as well as other sites in the Isle of Man and Blackpool. Unfortunately, a robbery at the Lytham site in September 2011 led to the store’s demise. Four men pulled up in a black Ford Mondeo outside the store and three masked men armed with sledgehammers entered the jewellers and threatened staff. The men raided display cabinets and escaped with a substantial amount of jewellery. The three men then got back into the car where a fourth man acted as a getaway driver. The car was abandoned shortly afterwards on nearby Agnew Street where it was set alight. It is then believed that the men escaped in silver Ford S-Max in the direction of Wrea Green.