Morecambe

Coordinates: 54°04′23″N 2°52′12″W / 54.073°N 2.870°W / 54.073; -2.870
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the town and parish in Lancashire, England. For other uses, see Morecambe (disambiguation).

Morecambe
Town
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMORECAMBE
Postcode districtLA3, LA4
Dialling code01524
PoliceLancashire
FireLancashire
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Lancashire
54°04′23″N 2°52′12″W / 54.073°N 2.870°W / 54.073; -2.870

Morecambe (

seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea
.

Name

The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his History of Manchester (1771), when he refers to the "æstury of Moricambe". It next appears four years later in Antiquities of Furness, where the bay is described as "the Bay of Morecambe".

That name is derived from the Roman name Moriancabris Æsturis shown on maps prepared for them by Claudius Ptolemœus (

Celtic language) or from Greek. The Latin version describes the fourth inlet north from Wales on the west coast of England as Moriancabris Æsturis. Translated, this gives a more accurate description than the present name of Morecambe Bay
as the Latin refers to multiple estuaries on a curved sea, not a bay, as then the word sinus or gulf would have been used.

The name appeared in March 1862 on a steam locomotive built for the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, which could indicate it was already in unofficial use for the area.

It was not until 1889 that the necessary legislation was passed to officially name the area Morecambe, comprising the hamlets of

Census of 1841 but shown as separate townships in the previous Census of 1831). In 1894, the Urban District Council was formed, thus freeing Morecambe completely from its governance by the Borough
of Lancaster until 1974 when Lancaster again took charge.

Before the creation of Morecambe, Poulton acquired two suffixes, "le Sands" and briefly "by Sands". The reason for these additions stems from the dearth of names of townships in earlier times with the same name recurring over again. In the days before free movement of people, this was not so important. As travel became easier through first the turnpikes and later the railways, it became necessary to differentiate between the various towns with the same name, hence the additions.

On 3 August 1928, the name changed again when the Corporation of Morecambe amalgamated with Heysham Urban District Council to form the Municipal Borough of Morecambe and Heysham.

History

In 1846, the

Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company was formed[4] to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the fishing village of Poulton-le-Sands, and a connecting railway. By 1850, the railway linked to Skipton, Keighley and Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and a settlement began to grow around the harbour and railway to service the port and as a seaside resort. The settlement expanded to absorb Poulton and the villages of Bare and Torrisholme
. The settlement started to be referred to as "Morecambe", possibly after the harbour and railway. In 1889, the new name was officially adopted.

Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. It was home to the largest

beauty contest
.

Morecambe suffered a decades-long decline after a series of incidents that damaged tourism and the local economy.

Blobbygate scandal, a financial disaster after projected visitor numbers did not materialise, led to a legal battle between Lancaster City Council and TV star Noel Edmonds, costing North Lancashire taxpayers £2.6 million.[9] The closures of Bubbles, Morecambe's swimming pool, and the Frontierland
fairground soon followed.

Morecambe was selected by the

RNLI as the location for its first active life-saving hovercraft. (Griffon 470SAR) H-002 "The Hurley Flyer", which became operational on 23 December 2002, was housed in a temporary garage next to the Yacht Club until a permanent building could be designed and built. Work on the latter began in 2008, and it officially opened on 12 June 2010.[10]

On 5 February 2004, there was a major loss of life in Morecambe Bay when at least 21

Chinese immigrant shellfish harvesters were drowned after they became trapped by the incoming tide.[11]

In December 2017 a local general practitioner and community health activist[12][13] claimed that children in Morecambe were suffering from malnourishment and implied that cases of rickets had been observed as a consequence.[14] The Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group subsequently sought to correct the GP's claims and clarified the etiology of vitamin D deficiency in the local population, explaining "rickets is a very rare condition and has multiple causes".[15]

The "Morecambe Budget"

Morecambe Beach looking towards the West End

Enoch Powell made a speech in Morecambe on 11 October 1968 on the economy, setting out alternative, radical free-market policies that would later be called the Morecambe Budget.[16] Powell used the financial year 1968–69 to show how income tax could be halved from 8s 3d to 4s 3d in the pound (basic rate cut from 41% to 21%)[17][18] and how capital gains tax and Selective Employment Tax could be abolished without reducing expenditure on defence or the social services. These tax cuts required a saving of £2,855 million, and this would be funded by eradicating losses in the nationalised industries and denationalising the profit-making state concerns; ending all housing subsidies except for those who could not afford their own housing; ending all foreign aid; ending all grants and subsidies in agriculture; ending all assistance to development areas; ending all investment grants;[19] abolishing the National Economic Development Council; and abolishing the Prices and Incomes Board[20] The cuts in taxation would also allow the state to borrow from the public to spend on capital projects such as hospitals and roads and on the firm and humane treatment of criminals.[21]

Governance

Morecambe Town Hall, completed in 1932

The town is in the Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency; the current Member of parliament is David Morris.

Before Brexit, it was in the North West England European Parliamentary Constituency.

Morecambe is governed by three tiers of Local Government:

Economy

Morecambe Promenade

Morecambe's main central shopping area incorporates two markets—the Festival Market and the Morecambe Sunday Market—and the Reel Cinema complex.

Tourism

Morecambe Sands in summer

Morecambe Hotel and Tourism Association, which had forty members, has merged with the Bay Tourism Association. At a full meeting of the Morecambe Hotel and Tourism Association on Monday 8 March 2010, it was unanimously resolved that the MHTA would join with Bay Tourism to become one association under the name of the Bay Tourism Association and the MHTA would cease to operate as an association. The BTA works closely with Lancaster Chamber and organises joint promotional ventures with other tourism associations in the region. Recent tourism initiatives have made Morecambe a centre for bird watchers with the Tern Project enhancing the town's heritage linked to the extensive natural landscape of Morecambe Bay and its diverse wildlife.

Eden Project Morecambe

Main article:
Eden Project Morecambe

In 2018, the Eden Project revealed its design for the Eden Project North (later renamed Eden Project Morecambe)[23] on the seafront in Morecambe. There will be biodomes shaped like mussels and a focus on the marine environment.[24][25] Grimshaw are the architects for the £80 million project,[26] which is a partnership with the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, Lancaster University, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council.[24][25]

Education

Morecambe is served by a number of primary, secondary and tertiary educational establishments. These include Morecambe Bay Academy, Bay Leadership Academy and Lancaster and Morecambe College.

Culture

Performing arts

Morecambe has two large live-music venues: the Platform and More Music. The Platform is a converted Victorian-styled building which used to be

Tourist Information Centre
. Morecambe has a number of bands playing in the town's pubs and music venues.

Morecambe is home to community music charity More Music. More Music was established in 1993 and is based in the Hothouse. The Hothouse is now a venue for live gigs.

Morecambe and Alan Bennett

The

Bank Holiday of 1933 at Morecambe or Filey."[28] In the same collection, Bennett pays tribute to the Morecambe-born actress Thora Hird
in the essays Last of the Sun, about the final play he wrote for her, and "Thora Hird 1911–2003", a memoir of the work they had done together since the 1960s. Earlier in the book, he discusses his maternal aunt Kathleen, who married in Morecambe and lived there until her death in 1974.

Art

Morecambe was the birthplace of the artist William Woodhouse (1857–1939), who lived all his life in the town and is buried with his wife and daughter at St. Peter's Church in the village of Heysham, a little to the south of Morecambe.

Youth and Community

Stanley's Youth and Community Centre is based on Stanley Road in the West End of Morecambe. It offers the opportunity for young people aged 8–18 to play music, cook or just use the facilities to catch up with friends. There are also community sessions including community meal, women's group and 'Get Connected' information service.

The Exchange, which was set up in 2015 and is based on West Street in the West End of Morecambe, is a Community Arts CIC, offering free creative workshops to local residents. Promoting creativity as a means of well-being, it serves as a non-profit welcome space for all ages and abilities. In addition to workshops, The Exchange sells the artwork of local residents and hosts events such as the popular Soup Night.

Cuisine

Morecambe Bay potted shrimps are a famous local delicacy.

Landmarks

Eric Morecambe statue

One of Morecambe's most famous landmarks is a statue commemorating one of its most famous sons, Eric Morecambe. It was created by sculptor Graham Ibbeson.

One of Morecambe's landmark buildings is the partially renovated Victoria Pavilion or Morecambe Winter Gardens. This was once a venue for swimming baths, a grand theatre, a restaurant and a ballroom.

Morecambe's current library opened in 1967; it was designed by the office of the architect Roger Booth. It replaced the Victoria Street library, which opened in 1928. There had been earlier proposals to build a library in Morecambe with Carnegie funding, but arguments about the rates involved stalled the project. The library is mentioned by Pevsner and is one of the few noteworthy buildings, other than churches, that are not connected to the seaside trade. The building is formed by hexagons, with a hyperbolic parabolic roof, creating a distinctive skyline and interior.[29]

Morecambe once boasted two fairgrounds: a small one to the north of the railway station, which closed down in the 1980s, and a larger one to the south of the station, which ultimately became Frontierland and closed in 1999. The last remaining landmark on the site was the Polo Tower, left standing only because of the contract for the phone mast on top.[30] This was demolished mid 2017.

In July 2008, the local council ordered a clean-up of the Polo Tower, and scaffolding was erected around the structure to carry out a survey. It was demolished in sections, in July 2017.

Near the promenade is the Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial which commemorates the men of Morecambe who lost their lives in the two world wars and the Korean War.[31] The memorial differs from most as it lists the First World War as 1914 to 1919 rather than 1914 to 1918.

In March 2019 a Time and Tide Bell designed by Marcus Vergette was installed beside the Stone Jetty, as part of a national public art project.[32][33]

Midland Hotel

Midland Hotel
in 2008 after restoration

The

art deco hotel on the seafront. It contains interior design and art pieces by artist Eric Gill. In 2009[34] it underwent a £7m restoration, headed by Manchester company Urban Splash
. The hotel re-opened for business in June 2008.

In March 2011 Urban Splash sold the freehold of the building to Lancashire-based 'The Lancaster Foundation'.

Sport

Football

Morecambe football fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

League One. They had a successful first season in the Football League, surprising a few teams, and in the 2009–10 season they reached the play-offs, only to lose 7–2, on aggregate, to eventual winners Dagenham & Redbridge
. At the end of the 2009–10 season the team moved from its
Globe Arena. The old ground was demolished to make way for a Sainsbury's supermarket. On 31 May 2021, Morecambe won the League Two play-off final at Wembley, beating Newport County
1-0 after extra time to win promotion to League One for the first time in their history.

Rugby league

When the rugby football schism occurred in 1895, the now defunct Morecambe RFC joined the Northern Rugby Football Union (now Rugby Football League) in its second season. Morecambe played for eight of the ten seasons from the 1896–97 season through to the end of 1905–06 season. Morecambe finished 14th of 14 in its first three seasons of the Lancashire Senior Competition, withdrew for the 1899–1900 and 1900–01 seasons, finished 11th of 13 in the Lancashire Senior Competition, then finished 17th of 18, 16th of 17, 13th of 14 in Division-2, and finally 30th of 31 in the recombined league, after which Morecambe withdrew from the Northern Rugby Football Union.

The town still hosts a rugby league team, with Heysham Atoms playing from their Trimpell Sports and Social Club base. The Atoms finished joint top of division three in the North West Counties in 2012.

Boxing

Morecambe has a Commonwealth Featherweight Champion, Isaac Lowe, who beat Marco McCullough in the 8th round with in one minute and 56 seconds on the Frampton Vs Quigg Under-card.[35] World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury lives nearby and is often seen in and around Morecambe.

Running

A 5 km parkrun event takes place every Saturday morning on the Promenade.[36] The first event was held in April 2019.[37]

Transport

Rail

class=notpageimage|
Railway station
Site of former railway station

Northern
.

The present-day Morecambe station opened in 1994, replacing an older station once known as

London & North Western Railway
, which closed in 1963.

Bus

Bus services in the area are operated mainly by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire & other local companies. Direct services link the town with Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere via Carnforth, Milnthorpe and Kendal (755), Lancaster with connections to Keswick via Carnforth, Milnthorpe, Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere (555), Carnforth (5, 55, 755), and, all via Garstang, Preston (40/41), Blackpool (42). Regular services up to every 15 minutes (numbers 41/100) operate along the promenade to Heysham and to Lancaster University, a bus route also runs from the bus station via Heysham and then fast to Lancaster (number 2X), while service 1 and 1A operate up to every 10 minutes from Euston Road to both Heysham and Lancaster University.[38] Services 6 and 6A operate via Westgate (where most caravan holiday parks are) to the Asda supermarket and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre. Service 5 operates to Overton and Carnforth. Most services (2X/4/6/6A/40/41/42/100/555/755) operate using Low Floor Easy Access Vehicles suitable for wheelchair users and prams/pushchairs.

Morecambe in popular culture

Notable people

See Category:People from Morecambe

Climate

Climate data for Morecambe No. 2[a], elevation: 3 m (10 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1924–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.9
(57.0) 		16.6
(61.9) 		22.2
(72.0) 		23.9
(75.0) 		27.7
(81.9) 		31.7
(89.1) 		36.3
(97.3) 		32.7
(90.9) 		28.7
(83.7) 		26.3
(79.3) 		17.9
(64.2) 		15.2
(59.4) 		36.3
(97.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.2
(45.0) 		7.6
(45.7) 		9.5
(49.1) 		12.4
(54.3) 		15.7
(60.3) 		18.0
(64.4) 		19.7
(67.5) 		19.3
(66.7) 		17.3
(63.1) 		13.9
(57.0) 		10.2
(50.4) 		7.8
(46.0) 		13.2
(55.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0) 		5.1
(41.2) 		6.7
(44.1) 		9.1
(48.4) 		12.1
(53.8) 		14.8
(58.6) 		16.6
(61.9) 		16.3
(61.3) 		14.2
(57.6) 		11.0
(51.8) 		7.8
(46.0) 		5.3
(41.5) 		10.3
(50.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0) 		2.7
(36.9) 		3.8
(38.8) 		5.8
(42.4) 		8.6
(47.5) 		11.6
(52.9) 		13.5
(56.3) 		13.3
(55.9) 		11.1
(52.0) 		8.2
(46.8) 		5.3
(41.5) 		2.9
(37.2) 		7.5
(45.5)
Record low °C (°F) −13.3
(8.1) 		−8.3
(17.1) 		−7.8
(18.0) 		−4.3
(24.3) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		2.5
(36.5) 		4.4
(39.9) 		4.9
(40.8) 		0.6
(33.1) 		−4.4
(24.1) 		−6.5
(20.3) 		−9.4
(15.1) 		−13.3
(8.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 98.0
(3.86) 		84.2
(3.31) 		69.5
(2.74) 		52.0
(2.05) 		60.5
(2.38) 		68.5
(2.70) 		84.8
(3.34) 		98.2
(3.87) 		101.0
(3.98) 		112.4
(4.43) 		113.3
(4.46) 		118.1
(4.65) 		1,060.3
(41.74)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 15.4 12.2 12.4 10.1 10.4 10.3 12.0 13.3 12.1 14.6 16.3 16.0 154.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 50.6 81.0 123.3 172.8 216.8 200.5 176.4 182.9 144.4 101.8 63.2 45.0 1,558.6
Source 1: Met Office[44]
Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[45][46]


See also

Notes

  1. ^ Weather station is located 3 miles (5 km) from the Lancaster city centre.

References

  1. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  2. ISBN 9781405881180
  3. ISBN 9780521152532
  4. ISBN 1-85260-049-7
    .
  5. ^ "Making memories in Morecambe". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Morecambe: The holiday hotspot that drew many from factories, mills and schools". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Bradford-by-the-Sea salutes the greats". www.thevisitor.co.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  8. ^ Alan Cowell, Postcard From Ailing British Coasts: Wish You Were Here, The New York Times, 12 April 2007.
  9. ^ "Blobbygate: The story of Morecambe's Crinkley Bottom theme park fiasco - LancsLive". 23 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  10. ^ Visitor Newspaper,[1], Visitor, 28 July 2008.
  11. ^ Boyle, Joe (24 March 2006). "Death in a cold, strange land". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Dr Andy Knox tag". Morecambe Collective. 24 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Health and Society – Can We Make A Difference? Part 2 – politics". Reimagining Health. 24 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Children in Morecambe 'suffering from rickets due to poverty'". Lancaster Guardian. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  15. ^ "CCG statement – Rickets – Morecambe Bay CCG". www.morecambebayccg.nhs.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  16. ^ Richards, Peter (August 2010). "Enoch Powell: Libertarian, Tory and Nationalist". The Individual (54).
  17. ^ Roy Lewis, Enoch Powell: Principle in Politics (Cassell, 1979), p. 69.
  18. Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell
    . London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 484.
  19. ^ Robert Shepherd, Enoch Powell. A Biography (London: Pimlico, 1997), p. 375 -->–6.
  20. ^ Heffer, p. 485.
  21. ^ Heffer, pp. 485–6.
  22. ^ "Morecambe Town Council".
  23. ^ "Eden Project Morecambe, UK". Eden Project. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  24. ^ a b "New vision for Morecambe's Eden Project revealed". Archived from the original on 21 December 2018.
  25. ^
    Independent.co.uk
    . 24 November 2018.
  26. ^ "Plans for £80m Eden Project North are unveiled". 23 November 2018.
  27. ^ Bennett, Alan (6 September 2006). "'Untold Stories' by Alan Bennett". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  28. ^ Bennett, Alan (2005). Untold Stories. Faber and Faber.
  29. ^ "Home - Red Rose Collections from Lancashire County Council". Lanternimages.lancashire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  30. ^ Cooper, Glen (5 October 2007). "Polo no-no". The Visitor. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  31. ^ Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial. United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. UKNIWM Ref: 3332. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  32. ^ "Time and Tide Bell". Morecambe Artists Colony. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  33. ^ "Home page". Time and Tide Bell. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  34. ^ "It's been a decade now since we completed our restoration of the Midland Hotel".
  35. ^ "Isaac Lowe lifts Commonwealth featherweight title with stunning stoppage win". The visitor. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  36. ^ "Morecambe Prom parkrun". Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  37. ^ "Morecambe Prom parkrun Event History". Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  38. ^ "Lancaster Network Change Jan 2019". Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  39. ^ [2] The Weird Shadow over Morecambe at Amazon.co.uk
  40. ^ [3] "Morecambe" mentioned in Porridge
  41. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  42. ^ "Dave Chisnall has sights set on world title". The Visitor. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  43. ^ Hello (20 February 2016). "Trainer Jimmy Harrington: Isaac Lowe will do Morecambe proud". The visitor. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  44. ^ "Morecambe No 2 1991–2020 averages". Station, District and regional averages 1981–2010. Met Office. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  45. ^ "Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature". Starlings Roost Weather. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  46. ^ "Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature". Starlings Roost Weather. Retrieved 7 March 2023.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morecambe.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Morecambe.
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