History of Morecambe

The history of Morecambe falls within the larger theme of the development of the British seaside as a holiday destination during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  Morecambe itself initially served the industrial north – the coal, steel, and mill towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire whose mass of urban workers (with the emergence of the railways and a liberal sprinkling of Victorian philanthropy) were given leave to take to the seaside. Embedded in Victorian culture was the association of the seaside as a restorative to health and no doubt workers were encouraged to take full advantage to rest, recover, and regenerate from their labours within the environs of the seaside climate.

Of course the workers appreciated these good intentions but completely disregarded them. Pursuits other than admiring the views of the Bay and promenading were to be had at Morecambe.  For the thousands who flocked to Morecambe in ‘the season’ the attractions and novelties on show at the seaside, including the palaces and piers lining the promenade, brought escape, adventure, excitement, and freshness to lives dominated by a dull and draconian work environment. For a short time worry was left behind and good memories made.  This essentially is the story of Morecambe – a town born out of the demand and provision of leisure and pleasure for the British working public.

Although the name of Morecambe is an ancient one, derived from the Celtic Mwr Cwm, which translates as ‘Great Bay’, the town is relatively young having only received its royal charter for full borough status in 1902. Prior to 1850 the district we now know as Morecambe was generally referred to as Morecambe Bay or the parish of Poulton, Bare & Torrisholme, whilst Heysham itself was an independent parish in its own right. Poulton, Bare, Torrisholme and Heysham all pre-date Morecambe by many centuries and existed as independent communities with unique identities and fascinating histories.

So what period of time does the history of Morecambe span? If we start with the statement I made above, that Morecambe was ‘ a town born out of the demand and provision of leisure and pleasure’ then Roger K. Bingham’s general history of Morecambe, Lost Resort? The Flow and Ebb of Morecambe, provides us with a good starting point. Bingham places the adoption of Morecambe as a name for the area to 1850 when an advertisement for a steamer trip from Lancaster referred to the ships destination as Morecambe, as opposed to Morecambe Bay or Poulton. (Bingham, p.68). In the same year rail links between Morecambe and the West Riding towns of Yorkshire were completed by the North Western Railway Company, therefore presenting Morecambe as a seaside destination for the inhabitants of industrial Bradford and Leeds.(Bingham, p.68).

The end point for our period of exploration into Morecambe’s history is 1974 because this is a significant point in the history of the town in terms of its loss of political autonomy and ultimately the power to shape its own destiny as a tourist resort. Added to this the seventies were also a watershed both in terms of the decline of traditional British industries, and the increase of popular package holidays to the continent, both of which had economic and social consequences for Morecambe. Although an interesting and exciting period I will leave this last thirty or so years of Morecambe’s history to be explored and presented by another.

For the sake of maintaining your interest and not becoming too much of a crushing bore, I will avoid presenting a drawn out chronological and factual account of the history of Morecambe. History is as much about people as it is about facts - people as individuals, as groups, and the dynamics of their relationships. Therefore, in exploring and presenting the history of Morecambe I will try to convey as best I can the relationships between visitors, residents, performers, entertainers, and the entrepreneurs who built the hotels, theatres, cinemas, and provided other numerous entertainments.  I will also choose themes and ‘dip in’ to particular periods at random. So for example I may run a particular story within the theme of entertainers or accommodation providers in the Edwardian period or perhaps the 1950’s.

As a final note I am not a historian by profession but a keen amateur local historian so if any inaccuracies are presented please feel free to point them out to me, and may I give my apologies in advance. Should anyone have a particular subject or story they would like me to explore and present then I would be more than happy to oblige.

David Ross-Clasper

September 2010

 

Bingham, Roger, K., (1990). Lost Resort? The Flow and Ebb of Morecambe. Milnthorpe. Cumbria. Cicerone Press.

 

 

 

Looking out everyday on a Morecambe Bay almost devoid of boats it is difficult to imagine that a little over a century ago there would have been hundreds of vessels floating on its waters, from yachts and steamboats providing pleasure trips, to numerous sailing, fishing, and rowing boats of all shapes and sizes. With current talk of a marina being bandied about the town who knows – we may just see the regatta revived once more. In this first article on the history of Morecambe what better subject to open with than the Morecambe Regatta which took place intermittently between 1829 and 1891. The Morecambe regatta...   read more