Morecambe

Morecambe is a resort town in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. As of 2003 it has a resident population of about 45,000. It faces into Morecambe Bay.

The town is in the Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency and is governed by Lancaster City Council.

History

Morecambe beach

In 1889 the villages of Bare, Poulton-le-Sands and Torrisholme collectively became known as Morecambe, and those areas of Morecambe are still known by their original names.

Morecambe has had a proud history as a thriving seaside resort in the mid-twentieth century. Whilst Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire and Scotland. Between 1956 and 1989 it was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest.

However, Morecambe has suffered a decline in recent years. It once had two piers - Central Pier and West End Pier, but both are now gone. In 1994, The World of Crinkley Bottom attraction in Happy Mount Park closed only 13 weeks after its opening. The ensuing 'Blobbygate' scandal led to a legal battle between Lancaster City Council and TV star Noel Edmonds. The closures of Bubbles, Morecambe's indoor waterworld, and Frontierland, its Pleasure Beach, soon followed. The west end of Morecambe became an extremely run-down slum area. However, the west end of Morecambe is now an 'up and coming area' with massive investment in the area and house prices rising steeply. Both The Times and the Daily Telegraph ran two-page features on Morecambe's revival around Easter 2006. And, after falling into abeyance in the mid-1980s, the Miss Morecambe beauty contest is being revived in 2006 by Margee, a local fashion store, founded in 1933 - the same year that the Midland Hotel opened it's doors.

Landmarks

Eric Morecambe statue

One of Morecambe's most famous landmarks is a statue commemorating one of its most famous sons Eric Morecambe.

Morecambe is home to the Midland hotel, an important art deco luxury hotel which still contains pieces by luminaries such as Eric Gill. It is currently undergoing a £7m restoration, headed by Manchester company Urban Splash. The company intends to restore the hotel to its former glory and open it for business in 2006. This would include new additions such an outdoor swimming pool as shown in the buildings new design.

Another famous landmark is the partially renovated Victoria Pavilion otherwise popularly known as Morecambe Winter Gardens which was once a venue for swimming baths, grand theatre, restaurant and ballroom and even became a training camp at various times in it's life.

Transport

Morecambe railway station, which serves the town is the terminus of the Morecambe Branch Line from Lancaster. Occasional trains reverse at Morecambe, continuing to Heysham, where they connect with the ferry service to the Isle of Man. There is another station at Bare Lane, serving the suburb of Bare. Services are operated by Northern Rail.

Bus services in the area are operated mainly by Stagecoach Lancaster, services link the town with Lancaster where connections can take you to Keswick, Preston, Blackpool and further. Regular services up to every 10 minutes (numbers 3/3A/4) operate along the promanade to Heysham and to Lancaster University whilst services 2 and 2A operate up to every 10 minutes from Euston Road to both Heysham and Lancaster University. Services 6 and 6A operate via westgate (where most caravan holiday parks are) and ASDA supermarket and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre. Sevice 5 operates to Overton and Carnforth. Many services (2/2A/3/3A/4) operate using Low Floor Easy Access Vehicles suitable for wheelchair users and prams/pushchairs, whilst other services use older buses. Other local services are operated by Battersby's Coaches.

For information about sewrvices call 0870 608 2 608For Stagecoach Lancaster Depot (including lost property) call 01524 422 217

Geography

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