1 8 A HANDBOOK FOR SOUTHPORT. 



England Convalescent Home for Children, in Hawkshead- 

 street ; the Governesses' Home, in Alexandra-road ; and the 

 Home for Gentlewomen, in Park-road. 



Though not among the very first of the Lancashire towns 

 to secure to itself the advantages of the railway system, 

 Southport was not long behind. The line from Liverpool to 

 Preston, via Ormskirk and Burscough Junction, opened April 

 2nd, 1849, 8 ave easv access to the north, and a choice of ways 

 to Yorkshire. The line to Liverpool, via Crosby and Waterloo, 

 was opened October ist, 1850. Through communication with 

 Manchester was established, via Wigan, April yth, 1855. A 

 direct line to Preston, called the "West Lancashire," was 

 opened September 4th, 1882 ; this line also provides another 

 route to Blackburn. A new line, called the Southport and 

 Cheshire Lines Extension Railway, connecting Southport with 

 the Midland system, via Aintree, is in course of rapid 

 construction, and will be opened in part before the close of 

 the present year (1883). 



The government of Southport is vested in a mayor, ten 

 aldermen, and thirty councillors. The Charter of Incorpora- 

 tion was issued in 1867. The first election took place June 

 ist, of that year. The burgess roll contains 4,891 names. 



The public Press has been well represented for a long 

 course of years, though with varying fortunes to the different 

 papers. The oldest local newspaper still pursuing "the 

 even tenor of its way" is the Southport Visiter, the first 

 number of which was issued in 1844. The other papers now 

 in course of issue are the Southport News and the Southport 

 Guardian. 



Southport has long been renowned for the number and 



