Visit Morecambe
About Morecambe: Now and Then
Morecambe is the sea side resort in the North West of England which came to be when the three fishing villages of Poulton-le-Sands, Bare and Torrisholme merged under a single township way back in 1889 - the original villages still carry their individual names.
The town became one of the most popular holiday destinations in the UK in the attracting visitors from far and wide with a large influx of ‘trippers’ from the textile towns of Yorkshire and Scotland. The port at neighbouring Heysham meant that the town would welcome families from Ireland and there were always a few sailors docked to add to the mix. All in all Morecambe was an exciting and vibrant place in the early 1900’s; peaking in popularity in the 60’s and 70’s up until around the mid 80’s when the package holiday (abroad) became affordable to all, and everyone jetted off to Spain, thus beginning the demise of the British sea side holiday. Morecambe went from hosting the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Miss UK Beauty Contests ,Scooter Rally’s, Womad Festival’s, the world famous Punk Festivals to virtually nothing. Into the 1990’s Morecambe was down and the ensuing recession practically killed off any hope of regaining its former glory and so the outlook was pretty bleak until now.
Morecambe is being overhauled, rejuvenated, re-invented with millions of pounds having been and being invested, exciting times are ahead. Urban Splash (Manchester) is the design and regeneration developer behind the re-construction of Morecambe’s promenade and indeed the town as a sea side resort.
The Midland Hotel has been restored to former glory with a contemporary twist, attracting international acclaim and visitors, and there are plans submitted (by Urban Splash) for the Beachcomber Marina. Everywhere you look in the town you can see improvements; from the beautiful Happy Mount Park which hosts live music, performance and events in the summer months, to the award winning Tern Project which pays homage to the prolific wildlife in the Morecambe Bay area.
Entertainment is back too and in no small measure. In recent months the Morecambe Dome has enjoyed chart toppers The Arctic Monkeys, Ocean Colour Scene, The Fratellis, The Kooks and British Sea Power as well as XWA Wrestling and classic entertainment such as Joe Longthorn, Freddie Starr, dance festivals, jazz, big band and much more!
More investments are being made all the time and with trust groups and other initiatives the town contimues to move forward. After the sucess from regeneration of the Midland Hotel there is renewed hope for The Winter Gardens. The Morecambe Winter Gardens was built as The Victoria Pavilion theatre in 1897, its central promenade location is within sight of The Midland Hotel, both are Grade 2* listed buildings.