Tag: Landmarks

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

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

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

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

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 »

The Foxhall’s Humble Beginnings, Now a Ma Kellys

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

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

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 »

The Legacy of the Gynn Pub & Restaurant

The original Gynn Inn in Blackpool, which dates back to 1715, closed its doors in 1921 and was demolished to make way for a new road and tramway layout. It was located roughly where Gynn Square roundabout is today and was one of Blackpool’s earliest hostelries. The building was originally a farmhouse, then became a grocer’s and beerhouse, and finally a public house. A blue plaque on the wall of the present-day Gynn Pub commemorates this history and the fact that the Duke of Cambridge, one of Blackpool’s first hotels, stood on this site as well. Right opposite the Gynn… Read more »

The Steady Growth of Melrose Investments

Melrose Investments was established in 1998 by Chris Chadwick in Marsh Mill Village, Thornton Cleveleys. His brother Andy was also very successful while running Chadwicks Timber, which was sold in 2005 to Saint-Gobain, a global construction materials leader, and now trades under the name of Jewson. Melrose Investments has a very successful track record of developing and investing in property across the North West of England for over 25 years. From their early beginnings as a residential developer, they are now concentrated on residential and commercial investment. Their commercial offices and retail outlets are situated within their award winning Marsh… Read more »

Establishment of Defence Business Services in Thornton-Cleveleys

The Defence Business Services (DBS) building in Cleveleys wasn’t built as a single entity but rather evolved from existing structures. It was established on 4 July 2011, by merging several Ministry of Defence (MOD) executive agencies. Whilst the exact date of the physical building’s construction is not known to Blackpool Timeline, it is clear that the entity known as DBS was formed on that date.Defence Business Services (DBS) operates a facility in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire. The facility’s full address is: Tomlinson House, Norcross, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, FY5 3WP. DBS provides a range of corporate services to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), including… Read more »