40 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF BLACKPOOL AND DISTRICT 



abroad. The trade in flax with Russia gave rise to a factory for sacking, sack 

 cloth and sheeting, with flax dressing and twine spinning in 1816. After the 

 middle of the nineteenth century, however, the port of Skippool could no 

 longer compete with the facilities for ocean traffic now afforded by Fleetwood, 

 so that Poulton's commerce declined, and thereby the town lost its significance. 



The open aspect of the Fylde allows the westerlies to sweep unhindered 

 inland, and imparts to the coast a freshness and clarity of atmosphere particularly 

 associated with Blackpool. Here are other elements — firm sands, cliffs, 

 accessibility to drinking water (tapped from the Bowland Hill drainage), and 

 proximity to the industrial population of Lancashire — all essential factors of 

 the success of a holiday resort. The undrained mosslands and bad roads 

 prohibited development, however, until the nineteenth century. Speed's 

 old map shows the site to be a large pool half-a-mile in width, situated half 

 a mile from the coast. It was drained by a small stream from which " Black 

 Pool Town " derived its name. A member of the Tyldesley family built a 

 residence here at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and attention was 

 first drawn to the spot by the arrangements he was making for hiding the 

 Young Pretender. The name " Blackpool " first appeared on a map by 

 Kitchener in 1750, while Bowen's map of 1771 shows a little towered house to 

 the north of the Black Pool. The local gentry were the first to use the village 

 as a resort after the racing at Langton Hall, and in 1 783 a regular coach service 

 from Manchester was established. Those who had successfully sought refuge 

 here from the cholera scourge of 1831 testified to the healthiness of its site, 

 suitability of accommodation and the attraction of its sea front. There were no 

 less than 1831 visitors in 1837. 



The success of Blackpool has encouraged other centres along the coast 

 to attract holiday visitors, and a continuous line of habitations from Lytham 

 to Fleetwood is no remote possibility Lytham St. Annes is largely residential 

 in character, though at one time a large pool existed to the east of Lytham, 

 which was utilised as a dock by large ships prevented from reaching Preston 

 owing to the state of the Ribble. The growth of the long sandy ' stanners ' 

 left by the tides affords a very gradually sloping beach, while the sandy sub- 

 soil of the interior forms an excellent foundation for golf courses. The site 

 of the town on sand is also said to assist rapid evaporation, which, preventing 

 damp, makes it attractive to invalids. Its growth has been specially noticeable 

 since the beginning of the present century. With less than 8,000 people in 

 1891 it has risen to over 25,000 in 1921. 



Fleetwood may be cited as another example of 'mushroom 'growth along 

 this littoral. Although it attracts a fair share of the holiday traffic, its 

 commercial undertakings have been more prominent. A hundred years ago 

 the district was a virgin tract of sandy waste. The advantages of its site for a 

 dock within the Wyre mouth, where a deep channel connects it with Morecambe 

 Bay, were first recognised by Sir Peter Fleetwood, who, as Lord of the Manor, 

 was responsible for the formation of the Preston and Wyre Railway, Harbour 

 and Dock Company. A harbour was constructed and linked by rail to 

 Preston, and by 1841 the town had assumed considerable proportions. Trade 

 with Belfast in cattle was followed by connections with South Africa (guano), 

 Russia (flax), the Baltic countries (timber), and the U.S.A. (cotton). The 



