eligible routes by railway, to facilitate communication between London,
Ireland, and Scotland, reported that the harbour at Fleetwood--which by
the Preston and Wyre Railway is put in communication with
London--appears to them likely to form a good point of departure for the
north of Ireland and the west of Scotland. Since this report was
published, experiment has fully justified the opinion thus expressed.
The capabilities of Fleetwood as a commercial port are of the first
order; and the plans to render it such can be executed at a
comparatively small expense. Its fine spacious harbour, extensive dock,
cheap port-dues and dock-charges, cannot fail to attract a large share
of the American cotton, timber, and other foreign trade; while the great
recommendation of low charges induce the regular Belfast and Glasgow
steam-vessels to frequent the port. There is a custom-house, with bonded
warehouses for all ordinary merchandise, except East India goods and
tobacco--unless removed coastwise for home use and ship's stores. In a
very advantageous situation seaward, a very elegant and finely contrived
light-house has been erected; and, in pursuance of the comprehensive
schemes of Sir Hesketh Fleetwood, Bart., M.P., proprietor of the
harbour, numerous buildings have sprung up in all directions, and upon
ground which recently consisted of only a warren for rabbits. Among
these buildings are a handsome church, and a large and beautiful hotel,
the centre of which has seventy feet of frontage, besides two spacious
wings of ninety feet each; the whole forming one splendid edifice of two
hundred and ninety feet in length, and commanding an extent of marine
scenery not to be surpassed in any part of the kingdom.
[Illustration: BLACKPOOL.]
BLACKPOOL.
In referring to this watering-place for a second time we feel some
difficulty; not that we have said all that can be put forth in connexion
with its claims to the patronage of the health-seeking and
pleasure-loving population of Lancashire and the surrounding counties,
but because our desire has been to introduce, wherever possible, some
historical notice of the places which form the subject of our artist's
pencil, especially where, as in the present instance, more than one
illustration has been given of the same town or port. We must, however,
confess, that of Blackpool, historically considered, we have nothing to
record. Its chronicles, if ever it possessed any, have been swallowed up
by the encroaching waves, which have taken a large portion of what was
once dry land to augment their liquid domains.
About half-a-mile from the beach, the stranger's attention is directed
to a small rock in the sea, called the "Pennystone," which, according to
local tradition, marks the place where a public-house once stood on dry
land. In this stone, it is added, were fixed iron hooks, to which
travellers usually fastened their horses' bridles while they alighted to
refresh themselves with "penny pots of beer,"--a circumstance
perpetuated in the name which it still retains.
At the south end of the town is the now dilapidated building called
Vauxhall, where, in 1715, the Chevalier St. George lay for some time
concealed, while the secret measures were concocting by his adherents
for a general insurrection. This house belonged to the family of the
Tyldesleys, who at that time, and long previously, had considerable
possessions in this country; but being faithful adherents of the House
of Stuart, they embraced the desperate cause of the royal exile with
undissembled zeal. Sir Thomas Tyldesley, the head of the family at that
moment, prepared this house for the reception of the royal adventurer;
but this open declaration of his attachment proved ruinous to himself
and his descendants. The last male heir joined the standard of the
Chevalier in 1745. One of his ancestors was slain at the battle of Wigan
Lane, in that county, while marching to the assistance of Charles II.; a
monument to his memory was erected by one of his officers in 1679. It is
still in tolerable preservation, and bears an appropriate inscription.
East of Blackpool are situated the townships of Great and Little Marton,
where a subterraneous forest has been discovered, by digging out the
timber from which many of the peasantry obtain considerable sums. Some
of the trees are sound enough to make agricultural instruments, barn
roofs and fences, and even articles of ornamental furniture. Much of the
land in this neighbourhood has been reclaimed from a state of marsh; and
there are still remaining, within a few miles, a Moss comprising several
thousand acres--so extensive, indeed, as to have passed into a local
aphorism, "As inexhaustible as Pilling Moss," being an ordinary mode of
expressing anything that is supposed to be without limit. This moss is
reported to have, as lately as 1745, altered considerably in its level,
and, by a movement to the south, to have destroyed one hundred acres of
improved land. It affords a large supply of fuel for the district, and
seems likely to continue to do so for generations to come.
The little watering-place, from which we have thus wandered away, owes
its name to a pool of water of more than ordinary darkness of colour,
caused by the decaying vegetation of the marshes. It has now, however,
disappeared under the hand of modern improvement, and given place to a
supply of water more than usually pure, and which is not to be often
found in such close proximity to the coast.
[Illustration: BLACKPOOL SANDS.]
BLACKPOOL.
THE SANDS.
"Southward--old Cambria's Alpine charm
Cast their broad shadows o'er the plain;
Northward--the Cambrian summits swell
In many a glittering pinnacle;
In front--the waves, so darkly blue,
Refresh the heart and cheer the view;
While further--Mona's mountains swim
Like clouds upon the horizon's rim."
Blackpool is a favourable instance of that spirit of enterprise which is
at work on almost every point of the British coast, and under the
creative influence of which so many obscure or little-frequented
localities have suddenly risen into provincial, and even national
importance. Wherever nature had thrown out any encouraging hint, it has
been eagerly taken advantage of by the hand of art, and, under the
guidance of taste and liberality, been turned into a source of public
emolument. It is, comparatively, only a few years ago since Blackpool
exhibited in its appearance nothing superior to that of an
inconsiderable hamlet, with few visitors, less trade, and little
opportunity of extending the sources of native industry. It is now a
fashionable and well-frequented watering-place, deriving a certain
annual revenue from its visitors, and enjoying a considerable share of
trade, with every reasonable prospect of a progressive increase. These
are gratifying facts which abundantly prove the healthful vigour with
which the country is animated, and the boundless resources which are
everywhere thrown open to native industry and talent.
The line of coast at Blackpool runs in a nearly straight direction for
several miles; and the cliffs which form the sea boundary, mostly clay,
rise to various heights--the greatest elevation above high-water mark
being about twenty yards. The sea-bank is lined with houses at
considerable intervals to the extent of a mile or more; not grouped
together as in villages, but each occupying a position independent of
its neighbour. Most of those houses intended for the accommodation of
visitors have an aspect due west, so as to command an uninterrupted
marine view, which at this point presents a field of interest of which
the mind and the eye are never weary. The land, gradually rising as it
recedes from the beach, acquires a degree of elevation which excludes
the eastern landscape; but for this defect the other points of the
compass make ample amends, and present landscapes so varied and
extensive as can be rarely met with on the coast of Great Britain. To
the southward, at the distance of fifty miles or more, and gradually
stretching forward till lost in the horizon, the "Cambrian Alps" present
a grand and imposing feature, connected with glimpses of Cheshire,
Flint, Caernarvon, and the Isle of Anglesea. On the north, the
promontory of Furness, the mountainous features of Westmoreland,
Cumberland, and the craggy summits of Lancashire, give a bold transition
to the picture; while in front the dimly-visioned Mona finishes the
panorama, and conjures up many a slumbering image and recollection of
the past.
The sea on this point of the coast retreats nearly half a mile at
ebb-tide, so that an ample space of nearly twenty miles, on a bed of
hard sand, is left for the enjoyment of pedestrian, horse, and carriage
exercise. These, indeed, are the principal out-door resources during the
fine season, and, with the additional luxury of a salubrious and bracing
atmosphere, produce a highly invigorating effect upon the constitution
of invalids,--particularly dyspeptics, who derive great and almost
uniform benefit from this new and salutary mode of life. The air of
Blackpool is proverbial for its salubrious quality; the best evidence of
which is afforded by the patriarchal age of many of its inhabitants.
[Illustration: LYTHAM]
LYTHAM.
"All places that the eye of Heaven visits
Are to the wise man ports and happy havens."
SHAKESPEARE.
Lytham is another of those delightful watering-places to which, in our
brief survey of the Lancashire coast, we have so often had occasion to
refer. There is not a bay, indeed, along the whole line of sand which
forms our ocean frontier on the west, but offers some pleasing summer
retreat, where the invalid may repair his constitution, and return with
renovated strength to the active duties of life.
Lytham is about twelve miles west from Preston, and offers every
accommodation to visitors which is either usual or desirable in
sea-bathing quarters. The town is cheerful, well-built, containing about
fifteen hundred inhabitants, and is a place of considerable antiquity.
It was here, that in the reign of Richard the First, Baron Fitz-Roger
founded, in honour of the Virgin Mary and St. Cuthbert, a cell of
Benedictine monks; the annual revenues of which, at the dissolution of
religious houses, amounted to fifty-four pounds--equal in the present
day to at least three hundred and twenty pounds. The site of this
ancient cell was shortly after granted by Parliament to Sir Thomas
Holcroft. Lytham Hall, the seat of John Clifton, Esq., is an object of
considerable interest in the neighbourhood, and familiar to all who have
ever listened to the "Lass of Lytham Hall."[17]
The country around Lytham abounds in fine drives; and, independently of
the minor points, which cannot fail to engage the attention of visitors,
the ancient town of Preston will offer a full day's entertainment to all
who are curious in historical sites. The lordship of Preston was granted
by Richard the First to Theobald Walter, seneschal of Ireland, ancestor
of the dukes of Ormond, and sheriff of Lancashire; and by Edward the
Third it was constituted the chief seat of the duchy and palatinate
courts. King James the First honoured it with a visit in his progress to
Scotland, in 1617; and on Ribbleton Moor, on the east side of the town,
the Scottish forces, under the Duke of Hamilton, sustained a serious
defeat in 1648--the last operation of the civil war in this country. In
1715 the Chevalier de St. George was proclaimed at the Market-cross, by
the title of James the Third; and in 1745 the troops, under Prince
Charles Edward, marched through the town to the Jacobin air of "The king
shall have his sin again." This lively tune, however, as the reader
knows, was changed into a melancholy dirge on his return through
Preston--only a fortnight afterwards. The celebrated Preston Guild,
which is held once in twenty years, is considered to be one of the most
splendid provincial festivals in England. The institution of this
ancient and unique pageant is five centuries old, the first having taken
place in the reign of Edward III. It commences on the Monday after the
day set apart by the Church in commemoration of the beheading of St.
John the Baptist (the 29th August), and continues about a fortnight. By
the charter which renders the celebration necessary twenty-eight days
are allowed to all who are disposed to renew their freedom. On the first
day the different trades muster in number, form processions, and attend
the mayor and corporation to church; the following day the ladies of
Preston, with the mayoress, are escorted in the like manner, and various
festivities are encouraged during the time. On Wednesday the races
commence; the race ground is about two miles distant, on Falwood Moor,
anciently a part of the royal forest of the same name. Preston Guild was
celebrated three times during the reign of George III., an event that
never occurred in the reign of any other king of England.
[17]
"I've climb'd the Alps,--I've cross'd the seas,
And travers'd many a land,
Where summer smiles on spicy isles,
And coral decks the strand:
But the fairest spot that Earth can boast,
Is here, by the blue sea-wall,
And the fairest maid on her native coast
Is the Lass of Lytham Hall," &c. &c.
[Illustration: THE SANDS AT SOUTHPORT.]
SOUTHPORT SANDS.
LANCASHIRE.
There's Buxton bath for gout and spleen;
There's Cheltenham for wealth;
There's Matlock vale for Beauty's queen;
And SOUTHPORT SANDS for health.
Southport--formerly South Hawes--is about two miles to the southward of
North Meols, near the estuary of the Ribble, and opens upon a
magnificent bay. Its situation among the dry sand-hills, or _meols_,
contributes much to the salubrity of the place, and it appears to gain
in popularity as it becomes more generally known.
This popular watering-place is of modern erection, as in the year 1809
it contained only eighty-eight houses, but it no sooner obtained the
patronage of the wealthy and active merchants of Lancashire, than it
sprung up with rapid strides, and those numerous appliances of luxury
which its patrons know so well how to appreciate were produced in
abundance, while the low, barren sand-hills of this part of the coast
were soon covered with spacious hotels, boarding-houses, baths, and all
the essentials of a fashionable sea-bathing town. There is no doubt but
that at some period the sea must have covered much of what is now dry
land, as in the churchyard of North Meols, sea shells, in considerable
numbers, are frequently found when the ground is opened for graves, to
the depth of five or six feet.
In the vicinity of Southport, and forming part of the same parish, is
Martin (or more properly Merton) Meer, once an extensive morass. In
Leland's time, it was four miles long and two broad, and emptied itself
into the sea. About 1692, Mr. Fleetwood, of Bank Hall, commenced
draining this meer by a sluice, shutting and opening with the tide, and
died with the idea that he had completed the work. When the water was
drained off, eight canoes were found, scooped out of the trunks of
trees, in the same mode as they are made among the Indians of the
Pacific at this day; one of them had plates of iron fixed upon it, and
all were constructed probably before the Roman possession of Britain. In
1755, the Meer was again inundated by a very high tide, owing to the
insufficiency of the sluice-gates, and Mr. Eccleston, of Scarisbrick,
made a second attempt to drain it, and succeeded until 1789, when a
partial inundation from the river Douglas did some mischief, but more
extensive injury was prevented by the action of some floodgates, which
had been erected to guard against such accidents. In 1813, the sea-gates
were again swept away, but the land was protected by the stop-gates as
before. Since that time a great improvement has taken place in the Meer,
and much of it is now good land.
The practice of sea-bathing--if we may judge by the much improved
accommodations at Southport and along the coast--appears to be on the
increase. There are many, indeed, who a few years ago would hardly have
been persuaded to dip their fingers in salt-water; but, having once
become converts to that salutary habit, they would now suffer many
privations rather than forego their annual visits to the cheerful
"sands" and sea-breezes of their native coast. After an indulgence of
this nature, the man of business returns fresh-braced to his
counting-house, the student to his books, each with renewed strength and
resolution to perform their several duties in the great drama of active
life. We are in hopes that those of our compatriots who have really the
means of such enjoyment at their command, will at length do justice to
the beauty of their own shores. The millions that are squandered in
perambulating foreign lands, under the specious pretext of recovering
health, or in pursuit of amusement, if spent in England would secure for
their owners at least something like an equivalent for their money, and
testify in their own persons and in everything around them, not only
proofs of good judgment, but praise for their patriotism. This mania,
which for so many years has deprived our native watering-places of their
legitimate revenue, is certainly on the decline; and we speak from much
experience in foreign travel, when we state that, to a well regulated
mind, England alone presents, in the greatest proportion, the true
requisites for health and rational enjoyment. In no other country of the
world is the word "comfort" so well understood; and in no other
climate--"damp and dripping" as it has been pronounced by certain morbid
peripatetics--can we promise ourselves so much out-door luxury and
enjoyment as at "home." But to him who still entertains a doubt on this
point, and prefers, with Lucullus, to change his quarters, we recommend
Southport by way of experiment, and have no doubt that he will soon make
a voluntary surrender of his prejudices.