By Tim Lambert
Early Morecambe
Morecambe is a seaside town in Lancashire. For hundreds of years, it was a little village called Poulton-le-Sands. Its name comes from the words pol meaning pool, and tun, meaning hamlet or settlement. By the end of the century, the suffix Le-Sands was added.
Nearby were the little villages of Bare and Torrisholme. Bare gets its name from the old word bureau, meaning a grove of trees. It’s believed that Torrisholme was once Thorold’s holmr. The Scandinavian word holmr meant an island or an area of dry land surrounded by marsh. The name Heysham comes from the old words haes, meaning brushwood, and ham, meaning village.
The name Morecambe Bay was first used in the late 18th century. In the 19th century, people began to call the growing town Morecambe and its name was officially changed in 1889.
For centuries, they were small fishing villages, but in the late 19th century, they grew into a seaside resort. In the late 19th century, some skilled workers and clerical workers were given paid holidays and staying by the seaside became popular. As a result, Morecambe boomed. In 1851, it only had a population of 1,300, but it grew enormously in the following decades.
Modern Morecambe
Amenities in the town developed rapidly in the 19th century. The first railway to Morecambe was built in 1848. The Stone Jetty was built in 1853. Heysham Port Station opened in 1904. Morecambe Promenade Station was built in 1907.
Central Pier was built in 1869 but was demolished in 1992. West End Pier was built in 1896 but was demolished in 1978.
The first electricity-generating station in Morecambe was built in 1891. Also in 1897, Morecambe Winter Gardens opened. The Battery Hotel was built in 1900, and the Clock Tower was built in 1905. Torrisholme Cemetery opened in 1907.
Meanwhile, St Peters Church in Heysham was built in 1864. Holy Trinity Church in Morecambe was built in 1897.
Morecambe Academy was founded as Morecambe Grammar School in 1919.
Morecambe FC was founded in 1920, and Happy Mount Park opened in 1926. Also, in 1926, War Memorial Hall was built. Morecambe Town Hall was built in 1932. The Midland Hotel opened in 1933. It was refurbished in 2007.
In 1901, Morecambe had a population of almost 12,000. By 1951, it had risen to 37,000. However, in the late 20th century, it fell slightly.
Meanwhile, actress Thora Hird was born in Morecambe in 1911. Comedian Eric Morecambe was born in the town in 1926. Actress Emma Atkins was born in Morecambe in 1975.
In the late 20th century, Morecambe, along with other British seaside towns, suffered because foreign holidays became popular. People began travelling abroad rather than going to British resorts.
However, Morecambe Lifeboat Station opened in 1966. Morecambe Library was built in 1967. The Arndale Centre opened in 1972. The Stone Jetty was rebuilt and extended in 1995. Festival Market opened in 1996. A new fire station opened in Morecambe in 2003, and Mazuma Stadium opened in 2010.
Morecambe Promenade Station closed in 1994. It became known as The Platform in 1997. The present Morecambe Railway Station opened in 1994. The Heysham to M6 Link Road opened in 2016.
A statue of Eric Morecambe was unveiled in 1999. The Venus and Cupid Sculpture was made in 2005.
Today, the population of Morecambe is 34,000.
