Tag: Blue Plaques

Original Start for Courtfield House

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Built in 1897 by Town Freeman, successful businessman and ex Mayor Robert Mather JP, the house was considered to be one of the finest in the borough. The Mather family occupied the house until its sale, by auction in 1945. The name of ‘Courtfield’ was suggested by a family friend, Rev Fr Bernard Vaughan. The Vaughan’s ancestral home in Gloucestershire was called ‘Courtfield’, it had been in the family since 1570. At a cost of £14,750 (plus £396 costs) the buildings and land were bought amid controversy. There was much disquiet about the cost and perceived competition between the college… Read more »

Land First Purchased for Blackpool Masonic Hall

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A small piece of land at the top of Adelaide Street, at the junction with Lower King Street on the north side of the street was purchased by the Blackpool Masonic Hall Ltd on the 1 February 1888. The cost of this plot was £1700. Blackpool Masonic Hall Ltd had been incorporated on 2 December the previous year and 6000 £1 shares were issued. Whitaker Bond, the landlord of the Stanley Arms, and Thomas Sankey, school master of St John’s School, owned the land. From the signature of the original documents it appears that the same Thomas Sankey was also… Read more »

15-Year-Old Audrey Mosson, British Railway Queen, Visits Moscow

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Elsie Audrey Mosson (3 September 1920, Preston – 1 September 2009, Hastings) was an English teen celebrity and later a professional dancer. Her youngest daughter, Mandy Tulloch, followed in her mother’s footsteps becoming an accomplished dancer and actress, followed by Mandy’s youngest daughter Makena Ram who became an accomplished ballerina and choreographer. It was, however, Mandy’s eldest daughter Danielle Ashley that Audrey favoured and saw herself in above all her decedents. In 1936, she travelled to the Soviet Union on a peace visit and met Joseph Stalin. Mosson was born in Preston, Lancashire. She was crowned the 10th Railway Queen… Read more »

The Old Coach House, the Oldest House in South Shore

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The Old Coach House in Blackpool, South Shore, is a historic 4-star boutique guesthouse with a rich history dating back to 1851. It’s considered the oldest remaining house in South Shore, and originally served as a vicarage. The building features Tudor architecture and retains many original features, including freizes and fireplaces. It has a handsomeTudor front and retains many original features incluyding freizes and fireplaces. This historic detached house is surrounded by its own award winning gardens: an unexpected oasis in the heart of Blackpool. The 11 bedrooms are beautifully furnished, have many little extras and the ensuites have large… Read more »

Robert’s Oyster Bar, Trading on the Prom for Nearly 150 Years

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Robert’s Oyster Bar, 90 Promenade, Blackpool, FY1 1HB, located in the famous Robert’s Oyster Rooms, a staple on the Blackpool Promenade for nearly 150 years. Robert’s Oyster Rooms has been in Blackpool since 1876 and sells all manner of seaside and beach goods alongside a wide selection of fresh shellfish on the Oyster Bar. It was originally built to be Blackpool’s most famous oyster bar, and at the time, this large, three-storey building must have been very impressive. The first customers could buy seven oysters for a shilling, the equivalent of around 5pence in today’s money. What a bargain! Today,… Read more »

The Impact of John Charles Robinson’s Architecture

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John Charles Robinson was a prominent architect in Blackpool, serving as the Borough Architect from 1920 to 1944. He designed numerous iconic civic buildings, including schools, libraries, and recreational facilities. Blackpool Council has a new project on Church Street that bears his name. Here is a list of some of the buildings that have benefitted from John Charles Robinson: The shelter, Devonshire Square Citadel 1924 Memorial Hall Colonade, Blackpool promenade Blackpool Zoo Harrowside Pool and Bridge North Shore Lift Layton Square Toilet block Stanley Buildings Carleton Crematorium Gatehouse and Chapel Little Bispham Tram Shelter Blackpool Cricket Club Stanley Park Golf… Read more »

Alistair Cooke Gets a Firm Footing From Blackpool

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Alistair Cooke, KBE (né Alfred Cooke; 20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British-American writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the United States. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and America: A Personal History of the United States, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theatre from 1971 to 1992. After holding the job for 22 years, and having worked in television for 42 years, Cooke retired in 1992, although he continued to present Letter from America until shortly… Read more »

The Foxhall’s Humble Beginnings, Now a Ma Kellys

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THE FOXHALL Fox Hall was built in the latter part of the 17th century by Edward Tyldesley 1635-1685. Some believe the year to be circa 1670. Edward’s son, Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1714, lived there during the period for which his diary survives. The location at Blackpool—then largely a deserted coastline—has inevitably led to speculation that it was chosen to allow the Tyldesleys to practise their religion and pursue their political interests away from the public gaze. A nearby “black pool” draining dark water from Marton Moss gave the area its name. The peaty coloured pool, which gives name to the place,… Read more »

Cornelius Bagot Moves Back to Blackpool

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The son of C. Bagot, Esq of Blackpool, yeoman, who for over forty years held the honorary office of Overseer of that town, Cornelius Bagot was born in Blackpool, 15 February 1838, and was educated at the Marton Grammar School, under the Rev. Joseph Bryers, M.A., and Rogers’ School, Blackpool. He served a full apprenticeship to William Stones, of Blackburn, and afterwards had over thirty years’ experience in Manchester with Peter Bradshaw Alley, architect and surveyor, John Lowe, FRIBA, and with William Dawes, architect surveyor, and others. He commenced practice in Manchester in I886, and was engaged upon numerous schools,… Read more »

Stanley Park Visitors Centre

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The Stanley Park Visitor Centre in Blackpool was officially opened on August 24, 2005, by the 19th Earl of Derby, Edward Richard William Stanley. It was funded by the National Lottery Fund and provides an office for the Friends of Stanley Park who now manage the building. The centre is built on the site of an old, unused joinery workshop and is staffed by volunteers. Stanley Park itself was opened on 2 October 1926 by the 17th Earl of Derby, on the same day as opening the new marine promenade. The marine promenade cost £320,000 and at the opening the… Read more »