A History Of Southport. I of 3 local films I produced back in the 90s.

Intro [Music] Ancient Rocks long before the dawning of written history when lancashire was but an embryonic part of britain the rocks which make up the present landscape were formed here we see receding ice drift forming the two sides of the post-glacial river ribble near preston four ice scratched relics of the last glacial period can still be seen in the crossings area two of the boulders now in john's churchyard were recovered by the amateur historian reverend william thomas bulpit some time before he died in 1904 the carboniferous limestone probably came from the lake district while the other of estdale shap granite came from westmoreland a third boulder of salarian grit was found in this cottage garden in rufford road a fourth boulder stands near the entrance to the cross and sewerage works this dumpfiesha boulder was found during the 1959 excavations for the pumping station and is pictured here before its plaque was stolen in the 1980s other ancient finds recorded in southport include elk antlers but the most intriguing discovery is a glacial boulder at hescoth bank recovered in 1982 thought to be the historic boundary marker known as the snotterstone its location marked on these maps dugout canoe however present day historians are not convinced that this ice age relic displayed at the entrance to ribble hall near hunt farm is in fact the west derby hundred stone dating to the saxon era another important archaeological discovery in this region was a dugout canoe from martin mir pictured here in 1899 with the reverent ball pit the canoe can still be seen in church town's botanic gardens museum prehistoric prints large bog oak tree stumps discovered in 1870 are the remains of a submerged forest which once covered the coast from the ribble to the mersey but perished in an earthquake and subsequent tidal wave in the 14th century however the most exciting discoveries of all have been along the formby coast heading towards ainsdale where in 1994 curious sets of 4 000 year old human rare animal and bird imprints were rediscovered encapsulated in black silt strata known as blue billy unfortunately these remarkable prehistoric prints some saved for posterity in plaster casts come and go with the tide unprotected these multiple human tracks of family hunters proof that neolithic man roamed this coastline are being damaged by shrimping rigs and cars along with hoof prince of the ancient longhorned auric an agile ferocious hairy primitive european bison which died out in the 17th century these impressive prints have caused much excitement throughout the region adding to these in 1996 was the discovery of unique 3000 year old british wolf paw prints also spotted along the formby coast norseman that is of norwegian origin settled along this isolated and open coastline a fact that can be deduced from local place names this map shows nor settlements here in the 10th century these peaceful immigrant settlers would have simply sailed right into north meals at what became church town along what is now the botanic gardens lake once an eel fishery called the otter pool the word meals is norse for sandhills three fearsomely named thanes probably the first resident landowners held these lands einelf and argonier ruled ainsdale and bergdale while odegrim's domain was churchtown crossans and the modern southport area early maps the romans generally avoided this region except for minor military detours possibly exploring path and waterways this side of martin mere from formby to tarleton however our ancient churchgate known then as kirk gutter would have seen civilians providing a lucrative market and linking traders journeying along what was then the original coastal pack road four early maps from the 16th to 18th century indicate the progression of the coast and martin mia's three islands they highlight the difficult terrain through which a roman army once marched traveling through in splundel formby bergdale and meals to banks and hundred end forwarding the ribble towards freckleton the coastline has altered much over the centuries as it still does during the roman era a now controversial map was produced allegedly drawn by ptolemy a second century greek mathematician who gave us bellissima which means beautiful river his massive estuary appears to be between what became the river's ribble and mersey on a site covering north meals and martin mere when churchgate was a shore road the high water mark skirted bankfield lane which was the original sea embankment built by pemberton monks in the 13th and 14th century they strengthened this coppice with willow trees but these were eventually swept away during a terrific storm however one 14th century willow tree still stood in a bankfield lane garden until 1968. Shipwrecks the existence of this early sea embankment throws feasibility on old traditions of shipwrecks in the botanic gardens vicinity including the one in 1565 in what is now sunny road which in the 17th century became known as sugarhillock which gave rise to a chapel of that name it was also this ship-wrecking incident that gave rise to the claim that north meals was where the first potatoes were grown in this country the main reason for the positioning of meals hall had been its close proximity to the sea at the entrance gates to the ancient manor house now covered by these two cottages a timber wharf was discovered in 1903 but a complete excavation could not take place because it ran underneath these buildings opposite the hesketh pub evidence shows that in early southport a deep sea marsh was situated close to where lord street now stands which was known as fairclough's lake opposite the present prince of wales hotel mapped here in 1738 this was safe anchorage and was responsible for the village to be dubbed a port situated south of churchtown and preston hence the name southport any talk about local waterways brings us to the intriguing river nile which disappeared in a comparatively short time although it can still cause problems where it has been culverted victorian reports state that this watercourse was during high tide navigable from the shore to the old belmont castle residence in lord street west where it can be seen in this view southport itself may only be 200 years old but that short time scale is not the sum total of the immediate district's historical tale the roots begin at the resort's mother village church town in the heart of north meals recorded as o tegri mele in the doomsday book named after the norse settler order Meals Hall meals eventually came into the possession of the redactable warriors the de kudres hence the road name who rebuilt meals hall in the 12th century the 100 acres of wooded parkland probably held the medieval market the lords of the manor have passed through a total of 26 generations since the normal conquest and robert hesketh the present owner looks set to take meals hall a piece of historic treasure into the 21st century unfortunately the old weather beaten dovecot an indication of the 14th century prestige in wealth was pulled down in 1991 due to its precarious condition another landmark that has been lost is the old brick windmill a portion of which still stood in mill lane now bungalows at the turn of the century one could get quite sentimental and poetic about this ancient idyllic once barren outpost with its proud history and community spirit an old world inns both former fishermen's cottages and coaching houses other interesting features include the dozen or so picturesque whitewashed that's cottages the ancient manor house and of course its parish church which is still the most prominent feature of the old village watching quietly and wisely over its domain saint cuthbert the former shepherd boy St Cuthberts Church pictured here being persuaded to become a bishop died at lindisfarne in 687 a.d and less than 200 years later the romantic and legendary wanderings by the monks to escape the rampaging vikings led them through this area in 867 a.d the earliest mention of a chapel here probably wooden and perched on a sandhill lapped by the sea is 1113. the first mention of a minister is in 1178. the church was built completely in stone in 1571 but the oldest surviving part of the present church which was rebuilt in 1739 is a fragment of a 13th century gothic buttress possibly built in 1420 st cuthbert's graveyard is full of names that are part and parcel of north meals and southport one of the oldest is a rough stone simply initialed and dated jb 1577 another records jane the wife of john ball dated 1692. by far the most interesting is that of the mariner who was captive on the barbary coast in the west indies are known by generations of children as the pirates grave the skull and crossbones grave does not denote pirates but is the resting place of a local certain family although it is believed not to be that of the official founder of southport william duke sutton opposite the two pre-17th century inns and the 18th century stocks is the ancient village green this was once a hive of activity and in medieval times included a lockup called the cage which predated the old round house as an early form of imprisonment today the village green houses a 24 foot tall sandstone obelisk presented to the late colonel roger fleetwood hesketh in 1950 the old round dungeon was situated near the entrance to the wonderful botanic gardens which took over from the earlier form of entertainment the strawberry gardens situated opposite the botanic by the grounds of meals hall behind the present fencing the entrance being this cottage on the right where alcoves or summer houses and cream teas were on the menu then the 18th century brought winds of change blowing in visitors who wanted to bathe in the sea following the developing centuries in north meals we reach a dreary barren coastal scene some three miles from church town an old proverb warns of the foolishness in building on sand but that is exactly what william sutton the genial fiddle-playing innkeeper of the black bull now church town's hesketh arms did in that windblown marshland originally called south hawes now southport his inspirational 1792 bathing house was the first purpose-built structure in the infant village and despite it being dubbed as a folly by the locals became the key element in the founding of southport although he hadn't bothered to lease the land he was basically an entrepreneurial squatter four years on sutton's original ramshackled and weatherbeaten hostel had to be rebuilt after being blown down on what is now the lord street west roundabout and shelbourne hotel site emerged the new southport hotel little did sutton know what he had started it is said that duke saturn southport's equivalent to billy butlin and his friends christened his new brick-built hotel with a bottle of port dashing the contents around the room to hail the beginning of southport 1792 saw the birth of southport but 1798 exactly 200 years ago witnessed the christening the attractiveness of this new spot soon had cottages and villas sprouting up all The Birth Of Southport around it the oldest surviving house in southport is nile bank off duke street which hasn't altered a great deal and the willows in lord street west like a mini chicago the hamlet soon spread itself in all directions here is a bird's eye view of the village in 1849 sutton's folly flourished but he died in poverty in 1840 aged 88 in his beloved church town his hotel was demolished in 1854 because it was in the way of developing traffic and the monumental lamp was erected in his memory [Music] all that remains now are these stone tablets across the road from where it all began the license of the old southport hotel was transferred to the newly built royal hotel which once had the old lifeboat house and bathing huts in front to keep it company it's now the impressive royal clifton hotel on the promenade southport became popular with lancashire cottontown folk who came to take the waters during a promiscuous heavy drinking annual august festival the town was fast becoming a fashionable watering place due to its salubrious air mild healthy climate and clean sea one of the best known features of early southport was the architecturally impressive belmont castle in lord street west a large castellated stone building used briefly as a school it must have looked far more a folly than the southport hotel which the locals thought would never be a successful venture however the new village soon became a leading seaside resort in the northwest even more so than blackpool at this time southport acquired its first church christchurch in 1821 situated on what was called lord street a roadway first mentioned by name in 1831. the first promenade in southport was completed in 1839 and soon became a popular and fashionable place for the women to parade dazzling high fashions the victoria baths were completed the same year as the town's first purpose-built attraction this vicinity became a focal point along with its marine lakes funfair and the flying dutchman sand yacht another cumbersome yachts on wheels The Pier by the mid-19th century southport had become a much sought-after place to live and visit a great pride was taken in the general appearance and statue of the town the town hall was opened in 1852 here it is in 1885. it was obvious that something more than a wooden jetty was needed to help improve southport's facilities so in 1862 the pier was built it is still as important as any peer in england and has the strongest claimed to have been the first seaside pleasure pier in the world it was also the longest in the country for many years in 1862 the pier boasted the first powered pier tramway with its open knife board seating the tram car whisked passengers in a white knuckle ride from one end to the other in three minutes later there were the madcap exploits of professors palsy and osborne and others who helped to entertain the crowds even more and are still remembered today the pier has never been without problems it has had three major fires which shortened its length and when marine drive was built in 1894 it nearly collapsed the irish sea is of course heavily The Shrimpers interwoven into the history of north meals for centuries the communities relied on fishing as well as the land to make a living although now shrimping off the southport coast is practically a thing of the past with only the occasional glimpse of a modern day rig venturing out into the briny in fact the shrimpers lot has not been a happy one if the hazardous coast did not stop them they still had problems on dry land the livelihood was jeopardized in 1913 when dutch and other shrimps were imported and potted in disguise and sold as southport shrimps a near riot involved mounted police trying to stop 500 men in larkfield lane and shellfield road from ditching the foreign muck and setting fire to it with paraffin at the turn of the century there were some 200 shrimpers but by 1953 there were only 40. the southport coast has always been a very dangerous one with several hundred ships recorded being wrecked or in dire straits and numerous lives were lost before lifeboats the lifesavers were local fishermen who volunteered for the daring work the peculiar danger of the southport coast was its shallow character violent waves and the risk of striking a sandbank in capsizing the first lifeboat house was built on the shore in 1816 then a landmark came in 1860 when a local branch of the rnli was formed and a new lifeboat house built on the promenade southport had a proud record of lifeboats in service up to 1925 although we now have modern rescue crafts to help those in danger the worst ever lifeboat disaster in british annals struck the southport coast during a cold wintry night in december 1886 when 27 men from southport's eliza fernley and sentan's laura janet lifeboats lost their lives attempting to rescue the crew of a german ship mexico only two lifeboatmen survived the disaster henry robinson and john jackson from southport Steamships another tragedy which affected marsh side occurred in january 1869 when seven shrimpers lost their lives in a dense fog when returning from fishing this incident resulted in the provision of a fog bell which had first stood on the shore the now forlorn memorial moved to its present location in 1892 southport's connection and traditional links with boats has not been confined to lifeboats fishermen and pleasure sailing although the channel by the pier called the bog hole was once very busy with all kinds of vessels the town once had excellent steamship services from the pier between 1835 and 1923 the paddle steamers gave people a chance to visit other seaside resorts from wales to cumberland and across to the isle of man with some 18 companies operating at least 48 steamships on a regular basis the first steam ships to southport came in 1835. here the pleasure steamer bell arrives in 1912. the opening of the pier in 1860 and encouraged the development of pleasure cruises but as time went on the seabed silted up and the sea retreated the last steamer believed to be the iron paddler bickerstaff left southport in august 1923 for blackpool and southport's history as a port was lost the dusty sandy roadways of southport Road Transport were filled with horses and donkeys pulling all kinds of conveyances including trams fire appliances and lifeboats donkeys survived well in southport for a remarkably long time due to the flat terrain and for many years southport resembled the old wild west from the mid-18th century stagecoaches became important for road transport of people and goods but the early development of southport is closely connected with the important lee's liverpool canal england's longest and arguably its most successful canal at scares brick visitors were ferried to the town by conveyances or vehicles of all descriptions the railways arrived to liverpool in Tramways 1848 providing fast cheap travel to ordinary folk the southport was drawn into the vortex of what was termed railway mania the town's original terminus now defunct was at portland street other routes soon followed and southport was no longer isolated the present railway station complex in chapel street dates to 1973. southport's tramway system had come very swiftly in 1873 much in the progressive nature of the early town the first tram cars of the two horse variety started from botanic gardens based at the church town terminus now retirement homes via lord street a journey of some four miles to berkdale this form of transportation was the pioneer of the present local public transport routes southport's compact system soon became the densest network of tramways anywhere in britain the last horse cars ran in 1902 two years after electrification the grand tours and tow strikes appeared as an innovation in 1914 and proved very popular operating until 1931 replaced by a shorter circular tour until 1933 the death knell had sounded and the last tram in southport ran late on new year's eve 1934 before its ceremonial burning the whole system was then torn apart and the modern motorbus took over the first motorcar to be constructed in southport was built by felix hudless at his tiny ivy street works in 1896 a few months before the speed restricting red flag was abolished then the pioneering brothers thomas and joseph hampson established their famous vulcan works in 1898 exactly 100 years ago in yellow house lane employing a staff of 200 people they quickly expanded and moved to crossings in 1907 in the building which is now dorman's employing 700 people and producing 20 cars a week the company certainly made a great impact on the british market until it sold out in 1938 to brockhouse engineering vulcan had been a victim of its own success the vehicles were so good they rarely broke down there were several other motor vehicle manufacturers in the early years including ribble motors in east bank street which operated between 1903 and 1912. as boisterous blackpool began to specialize as a working-class resort Shopping southport was allowed to become the red rose county's more upmarket seaside town as the imaginative planners created the lord street boulevard with its undercover shopping including wayfarers arcade and entertainment facilities like the incredible winter gardens complex southport shopping facilities are now amongst the best in britain but this is a far cry from what the town's early shoppers had to contend with lord street's first shops had originally been private houses from which the front sitting rooms were converted and only had an oil lamp for light some of the earlier ones like mello's on lord street were very ramshackled affairs lit by common dip candles in the window or on the counter and only open for one or two days so residents had to trek to ormskirk and preston market once a week southport shrimpers are seen here selling their wares in preston by the early 1820s southport contained three good inns including the union which became the prince of wales and the hesketh arms later the scares brick arms the hotel's tower contrary to popular belief was not used as a lookout for the early visitors arriving from the canal boats as it was not built until the turn of the century Supermarkets samuel whiteley's impressive repository on the southern promenade built in 1812 stocked an assortment of fancy articles fitting for a watering place like shells and shellfish as well as recreational rooms library a wine and porter vault and a well-stocked warehouse with the necessities and luxuries of life it was obviously southport's first supermarket it is pictured here sandwiched between the lifeboat house and the royal hotel southport's embryonic town council the improvement commissioners established the town's first permanent market house with london street's victoria market opened in 1848 set around the quadrangle it had 28 stalls and a covered walkway for customers in 1857 the market was transferred to chapel street roughly where boots is now and remained there until 1881 when the east bank street market was built with its familiar dome this was gutted by fire in 1913 and the present market on king street and market street was built on part of the site in 1931 Winter Gardens whiteley superstore was demolished in 1873 to make way for the wonderful and the original winter gardens complex opened in 1874 opposite what is now the royal clifton hotel seen here on the left covering nine acres this magnificent structure had practically everything a ballroom and roller skating rink an aquarium with 27 large tanks including 20 basking sharks a sea pool for alligators and crocodiles an opera house now the bingo hall on lord street concert pavilion palm house and much more the winter gardens complex was certainly the most awe-inspiring building southport has ever had but the economic climate and people's tastes changed and the company was wound up in 1901 the kingsway road was then created down the middle of the once treasured area and for a few years after only the scala cinema remained as a memory it was later used by the southport referee company until 1962 the site became a 1990s nightmare before it was finally developed into a safeway shopping center unfortunately the old land of little people just off rotten row was demolished to make way for it the new model village in king's gardens has however thankfully rewritten a wrong large-scale embellishment of a town by parkland trees shrubs and flowers as exemplified by southport is the result of thoughtful caring and careful planning southport soon had over 330 acres of parks recreation grounds and golf links including seven acres of flower beds and borders the town owes much of its success to its municipal gardens especially botanic hescoth victoria and princess park not forgetting rotten row southport has always taken immense pride in its floral displays picture postcards from the early part of this century often featured the various gardens depicting them from all aspects and at different times of the year although not all the parks have survived the richmond hotel in scares bricknew road and a small part of q woods next to the new district hospital is all that remains of kew gardens formerly alexandra gardens the once extensive pleasure gardens which occupied 12 acres from the 1860s which closed in the interwar years these dream gardens had illuminated carnivals on the lake a variety theater and a dancing pavilion and a zoo mention southport to a gardener anywhere in the country and it is a fair assumption they will associate southport with its flower show which began in 1924 apart from a break during the war and the heart-stopping moment when it nearly folded in 1986 it is as famous as ever southport also of course boasts its ever-popular botanic gardens a wonderful 20-acre site which combines the beauties of nature with skillful landscape gardening opened in 1875 the victorian gardens with its serpentine boating lake ornamental bridges grottoes and serene walkways and flower beds also included a conservatory fernery curio museum and at one time a monkey house surviving a brief closure in the mid-1930s its revival has spawned fresh enthusiasm and a redeveloped museum with its excellent local history displays the most popular bandstand southport had was on lord street demolished in 1969 it was replaced in the 1980s a little further away the municipal gardens outside the town hall has been revamped and named after princess diana this unpopular concrete fountain has now disappeared Health Services southport's rapid increase of visitors and inhabitants prompted the establishment of the southport visitor newspaper which began life in lord street three years after the death of william sutton in may 1844 by the printer and bookseller robert johnson the office moved in 1848 to a small disused slaughterhouse on the opposite side of lord street now the site of the present cinema in 1844 the southport visitor appeared and has held its pole position as the town's leading newspaper ever since one of the early aims was to keep the female readers up to date with the latest fashions the visitor went through a successful transformation from broadsheet to tabloid in 1986 however it has always had competitors to fend off especially the southport guardian and the southport journal which both began in 1882 but both of which were eventually taken over by the visitor a town that has health of the people as its motto has of course great responsibility in southport taking to the waters was a serious business in victorian times in 1839 the victoria baths opened in front of the original 1840 sea wall the promenade the premier plunge is still fondly remembered these baths were enlarged in 1871 but just over 100 years later it was given a new lease of life as a nightclub and a squash club the modern era brought extended provision of health services by southport corporation which opened the christiana hartley maternity hospital in 1932. however this has recently closed and since january 1998 babies are delivered at the queue hospital before that the old infirmary was built in 1870 for local patients and the recently transformed promenade hospital which opened in 1883 began life as the strangest charity in 1806. the general hospital at queue opened in 1988 and has superseded them all the fire service has come a long way Pubs since struggling to contain the town's first big fire in 1848 on the promenade clermont house when a messenger boy was sent to ormskirk on horseback to get help the fire brigade moved to its present position on the manchester road albert road corner in 1940 as did the police force who made a panic rush there from their cramped and dismal town hall premises to stave off the new building being requisitioned by the army the albert road site formerly the woodland school was originally known as peter's slack used for skating when it froze over most of southport's pubs date back to the mid 19th century but many have long interesting histories traceable back several centuries like the portland formerly the ash tree in berkdale the hescath wants the black ball and bold previously the griffin both in church town and the plow and crossings formerly the letter and board the cheshire lines in king street and the blue anchor can also be traced back a fair way while this centuries-old dwelling in liverpool robertdale used to be the cottage inn dubbed the dog trap a beer retailing building that dated to at least the 15th century during the late 19th century boom era there were some 170 separate beer selling houses some of those was thirst quenching names that have disappeared including the boot and shoe on rufford road the black horse southbank road the buffalo arms on corporation street the rising sun west street and the hare and hounds on onside road to mention just a few southport also has the smallest pub in britain with the lake side in which started life as a mere promenade shelter before it was a yacht club social bar and modern legend has it the renowned hangman albert pierpoint once worked there as a barman despite its lack of stylized public houses southport can boast having the Architecture first boulevard in the world law street yes even paris pinched the idea [Music] victorian southport created a rich kaleidoscope of architectural styles and the variety and contrast helps us to appreciate them all [Music] although most of the buildings were constructed in the last hundred years or so they appear as if from a picture book on the history of architecture although most people would pass by without noticing [Music] and what is this an observatory a coast guard station a lighthouse no it's the most curious and interesting private residence in the southport area the notable and very noticeable roundhouse situated opposite the famous royal berkdale golf club in waterloo road it was built between 1924 25 originally in brick but rendered afterwards and simply the lifelong ambition of a then 74 year old builder luke highton who always wanted a in 1927 members of the british astronomical association were invited to the roundhouse to watch the moon's eclipse of the sun southport was right in the path of the eclipse and therefore the best located site in the world to view this rare spectacle [Music] this magnificent house is built on the highest point in town and from the top there is an uninterrupted 360 degree panorama of mountains plains sandhills sand and sky for as far as the eye or telescope can see southport's principal banks and the war memorial are good examples of classical architecture of ancient greece and rome solid and elegant giving an impression of strength and dependability other good examples imitate the muslim style while others resemble the english tudor style with echoes of black and white timber the nostalgia tea rooms is said to be the only wooden building in southport southport splendid medley of architectural styles including those in berkdale and church town never ceased to amaze visitors and residents when they bother to go around and look upwards occasionally because that is where many of the best bits are high up Palace Hotel however southport also has some surprises underground half of the original neville street is hidden away underneath queen victoria's statue in 1903 the subway to the beach was filled in and the statue was positioned over the tunnel after being moved in 1912 from the outside of the municipal buildings where it had been unveiled in 1904 unfortunately southport has lost many fine buildings over the years to redevelopment not least the old bellevue hotel previously bellevue cottage now beach priory gardens the victoria hotel and of course berkdale's grand palace hotel at its peak the palace hotel opened in 1866 had more than 1 000 rooms including 250 bedrooms it even had its own railway station on the cheshire lines spooky goings-on plagued the building throughout the 1960s and the magnificent but exclusive hotel was demolished in 1969 due to a lack of guests contrary to popular belief the architect did not commit suicide because he had designed it the wrong way around all three architects lived to a right old age but unfortunately the hotel did not and it's a real loss to southport the only part of it that has survived apart from the naming of palace road is the old public bar now the fisherman's rest one aspect that has made southport so nationally and even internationally Sports noteworthy has been its sporting activities from the early days of land speed motor racing records to the legendary triple grand national winner red rum from open classics at the royal berkdale golf club two spectacular 24-hour yacht races southport has shone long gone are the days of the local bull baiting and cockfighting meetings although some would call the annual hair coursing at the waterloo cup which goes back 160 years here just as barbaric some popular sports that have disappeared from the local scene include ice skating and curling tournaments at the glacerium on lord street which ended in 1889 and sand yachting on the beach motorcar speed trials along the promenade and along the golden firm beaches in front of tens of thousands of spectators have also gone but occasionally sports fans are treated to motorbike racing on the beach southport football club in hague avenue has had its ups and downs over the years but it is currently vying for its rightful place in the football league a status it lost in 1978 five years after their storming fourth division championship win meanwhile the town's rugby club based in waterloo road hillside goes on from strength to strength southport boasts the largest man-made lake in england and this is the focal point for all kinds of water sports and activities from power boat racing to a leisurely cruise in a paddle boat sailing is strongly represented by the west lancashire yacht club founded in 1894 with its famous 24-hour yacht race and the more modern southport sailing club of 1960 but above all southport is a paradise for golfers nowhere else in england is there such a concentration of golf courses with nine courses nearby six of them with championship status the hesketh golf links to the surprise of many is actually on the site of an old hamlet called little ireland it appears the community living in ramshackle cottages were mainly irish settlers evacuating from the dreadful irish potato famine of 1840 the hamlet survived at least 60 years before being bulldozed to the ground at the turn of the century because it was an eyesore and an embarrassment to the much improving seaside resort the prestigious royal boatdale founded in 1889 is the duel in the golfing crown and has become one of the toughest championship courses in the world it is a regular venue for the famous open championship southport folk of the past have always had their eyes to the sky during the Leisure great and early days of aviation including pleasure flying from the beach the oldest such pursuit in lancashire and which still carries on a throwback from the days of the legendary norman gyro which is still fondly remembered in the early days of the century the sight of an aeroplane making the mammoth effort to take off drew very large crowds on the beach one of the earliest air shows was in 1911 when hundreds turned up to see graham white earn for southport the honor of being the first town in the country to receive its mail by air although the plane didn't actually land claude graham white wanted to take off and land on lord street but the authorities dissuaded him from demonstrating his skills as is pictured here in a similar stunt in the usa it could well be lord street another highlight came in 1936 when the famous american aviators dick merrill and harry richmond had a record-breaking transatlantic flight from southport to newfoundland in lady peace taking 17 hours and 47 minutes before returning the following year to shave nearly two hours off the record here the famous airwoman amy johnson is pictured after visiting in 1930. southport has numerous leisure facilities including pleasure land which is ever improving the original fairground grew around the marine park from 1903 which featured a water chute and flying machine amongst others in 1922 the attractions were moved nearer the sea and enclosed the lakeside miniature railway opened in 1911 and still runs between pleasureland and the pier one outdoor leisurely pursuit sadly lost recently some 60 years as a very popular venue was the sea bathing lake in princess park the open-air baths as it was referred to was built in 1928 everyone who lived in southport from then until 1989 when it closed properly visited the oval-shaped amphitheater at least once although its heyday was in the 1930s the end of an era came in 1994 when it was demolished and now the future holds redevelopments Education up to the year 1800 there was only one regular place of worship in north meals st cuthbert's church or chapel some berkdale residents negotiated four miles of fields along the ancient churchgate to get there the first church in southport proper was christchurch in 1821 and then victorian southport catered for most religions at some time or other the town was proud of its numerous churches and chapels which outnumbered pubs in the 1880s a former methodist church in duke street built in 1879 by the same architects as the arts center became the masonic hall as the churches of southport sprang up many schools followed in association with their particular church the north meals grammar school dating to at least 1660 was not converted into a national school until 1826. the school now a conservative club was replaced in 1859 by st cuthbert school which was rebuilt by southport council in 1911 as churchtown primary southport's first national school was founded in connection with christchurch in 1825 it is now retail development higher education was mainly carried out by private schools and the university school in cambridge road one of several which cared for the well-to-do higher education by the municipality began in 1887 with the victorian science and arts schools at the back of cambridge hall now the arts center cambridge hall was built by maxwell and tuke in 1874. under the 1902 education act southport corporation became the education authority and set up new council schools the first one being lineker street school in 1910 on attaining county borough status in 1905 southport became responsible for secondary education a short-lived secondary school for boys founded in 1918 at the woodlands manchester road was replaced by king george v kgv in scarce brick new road in 1926 however this sank in the middle and was rebuilt as kgv sixth form college which has more than taken the place of the former grammar school proving to be very successful the science school by the atkinson library was succeeded by southport technical college which opened in 1935 and has since seen thousands of people young and old gain a valuable education the arts and crafts school was added three years later in 1992 despite being financially Southport 200 unready southport celebrated its 200th birthday this film celebrates the town's christening in 1798. in 1992 sefton council yes southport failed to get its independence did not have the finance to do anything spectacular but enthusiasm was high enough to bring the town alive every so often the bicentenary year fell at a bad time and was dogged by controversy but then prince edward arrived to give our birthday bash royal approval despite a grumble by the sutton clan who thought the show would make a mockery of william sutton schools organizations businesses societies residents and the chamber of commerce buckled down and the party mustered into a trot as the ripples of activity began phil king southport's tourism supremo performed wonders to produce something out of nothing on the easter monday the mayor councillor sid whitby officially declared the potentially fun-packed celebrations open and a play recreated southport's origins behind the dukes memorial stones in front of hundreds of bewildered shoppers numerous local history publications came out with the official souvenir entitled southport 200 years written by local historian and journalist jeff wright now running southport heritage enterprises the scares brick hotel flew a special bicentenary flag all year and joined the southport visitor with a promotion entitled time travellers two-way connections were made with southport in north carolina which was also celebrating its 200th birthday many other worthy events took place but time does not allow mention of them all suffice to say that southport got its just reward the memory of william sutton was honored strengthening the claim that he was southport's true founder in conclusion we look to the future with hope that this wonderful seaside resort goes from strength to strength hopefully the sea wall will be holding back the globally warm tides the pier staves off demolition and new leisure facilities on the seafront including ocean plaza and the water park sees southport gain further success in the millennium salus populist [Music] you