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Morecambe

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Morecambe [ˈmɔːkəm] is a resort town within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. As of 2003 it has a resident population of about 45,000. It faces into Morecambe Bay.

Morecambe and nearby village Heysham have a combined population of 51,400.

Geography and administration

The town is in the Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency and is governed by Lancashire County Council, Lancaster City Council and a planned Morecambe Town Council.

History

In 1889 the villages of Bare, Poulton-le-Sands and Torrisholme collectively became known as Morecambe, and those areas of Morecambe are still known by their original names.

Morecambe has had a proud history as a thriving seaside resort in the mid-twentieth century. Whilst Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire and Scotland. Between 1956 and 1989 it was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest. And was regarded one of the best seaside destinations in the UK.

However, Morecambe has suffered a decline in recent years. It once had two piers, but both are now gone: Central Pier was struck by fire and West End Pier was washed away in a storm. In 1994, The World of Crinkley Bottom attraction in Happy Mount Park closed only 13 weeks after its opening. The ensuing 'Blobbygate' scandal led to a legal battle between Lancaster City Council and TV star Noel Edmonds. The closures of Bubbles, Morecambe's indoor waterworld, and Frontierland, its Pleasure Beach, soon followed. However, Morecambe is now an 'up and coming town, lead strongly by the regenerating west end,' with some investment in the area and house prices rising. Both The Times and the Daily Telegraph ran two-page features on Morecambe's revival around Easter 2006. After falling into abeyance in the mid-1980s, the Miss Morecambe beauty contest was revived in 2006 by Margee Ltd., a local fashion store, founded in 1933 - the same year that the Midland Hotel opened its doors. Morecambe has a thriving community of Polish expatriates who have entered the local employment market in recent years.

Morecambe was selected by the RNLI as the location for their first operational hovercraft (Griffon 470SAR) H-002 "The Hurley Flyer" which was made operational on 23rd December 2002. Despite this fact the 5 February 2004 saw a major loss of life in Morecambe Bay when Chinese immigrant shellfish harvesters were inundated by incoming tides, resulting in multiple fatalities.

Landmarks

One of Morecambe's most famous landmarks is a statue commemorating one of its most famous sons, Eric Morecambe. It was created by sculptor Graham Ibbeson.

Morecambe is home to the Midland Hotel, an important art deco luxury hotel which still contains pieces by luminaries such as Eric Gill. It is currently undergoing a £7 m restoration, headed by Manchester company Urban Splash. The company intends to restore the hotel to its former glory and open it for business in spring 2008. It is to include new additions such an outdoor swimming pool as shown in the building's new design.

Another famous landmark is the partially renovated Victoria Pavilion, otherwise popularly known as Morecambe Winter Gardens. This was once a venue for swimming baths, grand theatre, restaurant and ballroom and even became a training camp at various times in its life.

Morecambe Library was opened in 1967, and was designed by the office of the county architect, Roger Booth. It replaced the library on Victoria Street which opened in 1928. There had been earler proposals to build a library in Morecambe with Carnegie funding, but arguments about the rates involved stalled the project; instead, one of the Aldermen spent his money on building the Clock Tower on the seafront. The library is mentioned by Pevsner, and is one of the few buildings not connected to the seaside trade to get a mention apart from churches. The building is formed by hexagons, with a parabolic roof, creating a distinctive skyline and * interior

Morecambe once boasted a fairground which finally became Frontierland and closed in 1999. The only remaining landmark left on the site is the Polo Tower. The future of the remaining land remains uncertain.

Sport

Morecambe F.C.(AKA The Shrimps) are the leading local football team and on 20 May 2007 won the Conference National playoffs to earn promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history. As of 2007-08, they are playing League Two.

Transport

Morecambe railway station has a regular rail service from , with some trains running directly from and . Trains also run to Heysham, where they connect with the ferry service to the Isle of Man. There is another railway station at Bare Lane, serving the suburb of Bare. Services are operated by Northern Rail.

Bus services in the area are operated mainly by Stagecoach Lancaster, services link the town with Lancaster where connections to Keswick, Preston, Blackpool and further are available. Regular services up to every 10 minutes (numbers 3/3A/4) operate along the promenade to Heysham and to Lancaster University whilst services 2 and 2A operate up to every 10 minutes from Euston Road to both Heysham and Lancaster University. Services 6 and 6A operate via Westgate (where most caravan holiday parks are) to the ASDA supermarket and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre. Service 5 operates to Overton and Carnforth. Many services (2/2A/3/3A/4) operate using Low Floor Easy Access Vehicles suitable for wheelchair users and prams/pushchairs, whilst other services use older buses. Other local services are operated by Battersby's Coaches.

Twin towns

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Points of interest

References

External links



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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 19:44:12 PDT (GMT -0700)
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