The tramway passenger shelter in St Annes, originally built in 1918, served as a waiting room for passengers of the Lytham St Annes Corporation Tramways. Constructed by the original tramway company, the shelter was located at the junction of A584 Clifton Drive North and St Annes Road West. It was later extended in 1984 and used as the Clock House Café but it is now used as a Spud Hut. The shelter features the words “WAITING ROOM” engraved above the original entrance and a later-added clock.
The Loos Trenches Underneath this park lies an important WWI archaeological site. It is important because whilst most trench training sites in the UK were out in remote areas, this one was on the edge of a growing town; What also makes this this site remarkable is that when it was no longer needed by the army, it became a tourist attraction raising money, for the nearby Lancashire Military Convalescent hospital at the old Clifton Racecourse. There are very few photographs or images of the trenches except those contained within the 1916 guidebook, but the fact that the guidebook has… Read more »
The Church of St Stephen-on-the-Cliffs on Holmfield Road, Blackpool, is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Blackpool, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. St Stephen’s originated as a mission church to All Hallows Church, Bispham, and was opened in 1912. It became known as “The Church on the Cliffs”. In 1919 St Stephen’s became a parish in its own right. The mission church was too small to accommodate its growing congregation, and money was raised to build a new, larger church on a site to the north of the mission church. Its foundation stone… Read more »
The original Adelphi Hotel in Blackpool, located on Church Street, was built in 1835 by Esau Carter, believed to be Blackpool’s first postman. The hotel was later rebuilt by Catterall & Swarbrick, local brewers, in 1923, and featured a white tiled exterior, some of which can still be seen in Adelphi Street. A blue plaque on Church Street commemorates the hotel’s history and the story of Esau Carter, according to the Open Plaques website. To see the Adelphi building looking the way it does today is quite sad, especially with it being unoccupied. If you look at the comparison images… Read more »
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 »
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. 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… Read more »
The Poulton Health & Fitness Centre in Poulton-le-Fylde was built in 1974. It was originally part of the Poulton Leisure Centre, which also included dry-side facilities like a 43-station gym and an 8m x 15m exercise studio. The site also features wet-side facilities including a 3-lane 20m pool and a separate spa. The YMCA Poulton is your local leisure centre where everyone is welcome! Their friendly staff will help you with any aspect of your mental and physical fitness journey. They are fully accessible with a ramped entrance, wet and dry disabled changing facilities and pool hoist/graduated steps for easy entrance… Read more »
Beaverbrooks House in Blackpool is an iconic building that was gifted to the Blackpool Carers Centre by the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust. The building, formerly known as Blenheim House on Newton Drive, was initially purchased from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and renamed in honour of the trust in 2013. This donation, announced during National Carers Week in 2015, marked a significant step in the charity’s growth and allowed them to expand their services. As a result of the partnership with Beaverbrooks, Blackpool Carers won the Lloyds Foundation Regional award for Enterprising Collaboration, North West. One of the top Blackpool… Read more »
The parish church of Blackpool Saint John the Evangelist, or St John’s Blackpool, is an Anglican church in Blackpool. It was completed in 1878 and is a Grade II listed building. A church was built on the site in 1821 and was replaced by the current building to accommodate a larger congregation. The church was designed by Garlick, Park and Sykes in the Early English style and has been restored and renovated in 1986 and from 2000 to 2006. St John’s is known as the parish church of Blackpool, and is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn… Read more »
Sacred Heart Church was founded by the Jesuits as the town’s first Roman Catholic church. It was built in 1857 to a design by Edward Welby Pugin. The church was enlarged, to the east, in 1894, to a design by Pugin & Pugin. It was designated as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage on 20 October 1983. The Grade II* listing is for “particularly important buildings of more than special interest”. Since 2004, it has been served by priests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster. The parish priest is Canon Robert Dewhurst. The church is constructed of… Read more »