Category: 1946

Poulton’s Moorland Tennis Club

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Trading under the name of Moorland Tennis Club today, Moorland Sports Club Limited in Poulton-le-Fylde was incorporated in 1946. However, there was an ‘opening’ event in 1950, attended by Tessie O’Shea who lived just a little further down Breck Road in Poulton. Another celebrity, Terry Thomas, was also at the event. The club is adjacent to the YMCA sports complex and golf club and has undergone significant renovations since then, including a new clubhouse and updated tennis facilities. Members can play year-round on floodlit courts, with both carpet, astroturf, and hard courts available. The club also participates in various leagues for… Read more »

Beaverbrooks Base Their Operations in St Annes

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Beaverbrooks, a family-owned jeweller, has a strong presence in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. It was established in 1919 by three brothers, the Adlestone brothers, Isaac, Harry and Maurice, moved to Belfast to sell fine jewelry and gifts. While the main headquarters are in St Annes, near Blackpool, they have a store in Church Street, Blackpool. Beaverbrooks’ history in the North West of England began with the brothers targeting the area and basing their operations in St Annes in 1946. They’re celebrating 105 years of family heritage. Today, they now have 85 stores nationwide and over 1,200 colleagues. And, Isaac’s… Read more »

John Lennon’s Father’s Home in Blackpool

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The Fylde coast played a significant role in John Lennon’s early years. As a child, Lennon spent many summers with his cousins, Leila and Stanley, who were at boarding schools in St Annes and Rossall. He would often take the tram to Blackpool, where he enjoyed performances by George Formby, Dickie Valentine, and Arthur Askey. He also learned to swim at Fleetwood’s old open-air baths, and it’s even rumoured that he and Stanley supported Fleetwood Town. In June 1946, John’s father, Alfred, visited his sister Mimi at 251 Menlove Avenue and took John on what seemed like a long “holiday”… Read more »

Josef Locke’s Summer Show at the Opera House

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Josef Locke made an immediate impact when featured in “Starry Way,” a twenty-week summer show at the Blackpool Opera House in 1946 and was rebooked for the following summer, then starring for three seasons at the Blackpool Hippodrome. He appeared in ten Blackpool seasons from 1946 to 1969, not the nineteen seasons he later claimed. Joseph McLaughlin (23 March 1917 – 15 October 1999), known professionally as Josef Locke, was an Irish tenor. He was successful in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Derry, Ireland, he was the son of a butcher and cattle… Read more »

Casdon Toys

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Casdon Toys was founded on June 8, 1946, by Thomas Cassidy with the vision to create toys that would spark children’s imagination and promote their development through play. Today, it remains a family-owned and managed business, now in its third generation, under the leadership of Phil and Peter Cassidy. The company’s journey began in a modest shed in the backyard of Thomas’s Blackpool home. As a skilled toolmaker, Thomas started by crafting molds to produce miniature, decorative items aimed at children. In order to fund his toy-making venture, he also repaired vacuum cleaners in his spare time. The name “Casdon”… Read more »