Poulton-le-Fylde
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Poulton-le-Fylde (), commonly shortened to Poulton, is a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
in
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
, England, situated on the
coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...
called
the Fylde The Fylde () is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hi ...
. In the
2001 United Kingdom census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
, it had a population of 18,264. There is evidence of human habitation in the area from 12,000 years ago and several archaeological finds from Roman settlement in England have been found in the area. At the time of the
Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...
, Poulton was a small agricultural settlement in the
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...
of
Amounderness The Amounderness Hundred () is one of the six subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire in North West England, but the name is older than the system of hundreds first recorded in the 13th century and might best be described as the name ...
. The church of St Chad was recorded in 1094 when it was endowed to
Lancaster Priory Lancaster Priory, formally the Priory Church of St Mary, is the Church of England parish church of the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and since 1953 has been designated a Grade I listed building ...
. By the post-Medieval period the town had become an important commercial centre for the region with weekly and triannual markets. Goods were imported and exported through two harbours on the
River Wyre The River Wyre is a river in Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, which flows into the Irish Sea at Fleetwood. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) in length. The river is a County Biological Heritage Site and has a sheltered e ...
. In 1837, the town was described as the "metropolis of the Fylde", but its commercial importance waned from the mid-19th century with the development of the nearby coastal towns of
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
and
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...
. Poulton has the administrative centre of the borough of Wyre and is in the parliamentary constituency of
Wyre and Preston North Wyre and Preston North is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in the most recent fifth periodic review of constituencies by the Boundary Commission for England, it elects one ...
. It is part of the Blackpool Urban Area and approximately from Blackpool town centre; there are rail links to Blackpool and
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
, and bus routes to the larger towns and villages of the Fylde. Poulton has a library and two secondary schools;
Baines School Baines School is a secondary school in Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. It was founded through James Baines will in 1717 and is a former grammar school. It was one of three schools set up in Baines' will, the others being at Marton and Th ...
and
Hodgson Academy Hodgson Academy (formerly Hodgson School) is a coeducational secondary school located in Poulton-le-Fylde in the English county of Lancashire. Hodgson was inspected by the office for standards in education (OFSTED) as Outstanding, the best a ...
. There is a
farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
once a month and since October 2011 there has been a weekly market on Mondays in the centre of the town.


History


Early history

There is evidence of human habitation in the area around Poulton from 10,000 BC. In 1970, building work in nearby Carleton uncovered the 12,000-year-old skeleton of an elk, along with two bone or antler barbed points close to its hind bones. At the time of the
Roman conquest of Britain The Roman conquest of Britain refers to the conquest of the island of Britain by occupying Roman forces. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by 87 when the Stan ...
in the 1st century AD, the area was inhabited by a
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...
tribe called the
Setantii The Setantii (sometimes read as ''Segantii'') were a possible pre-Roman British people who apparently lived in the western and southern littoral of Lancashire in England. It is thought likely they were a sept or sub-tribe of the Brigantes, who, at ...
. A 4th century
hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
of 400
Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denom ...
was found in the area, near
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
. Other finds have been made in Poulton and
Skippool Skippool is an area of Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, England. It is situated between Little Thornton and Poulton-le-Fylde along the western banks of the River Wyre, about three miles south of its mouth between Fleetwood and Knott End. Th ...
; in addition to coins, these have included a medal of
Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the pa ...
and a
hipposandal The hipposandal (Latin ''soleae ferreae'')
by Dr.
(similar to a horseshoe). Although there is little archaeological evidence of Anglo-Saxon activity in the area following the departure of the Romans, local place names incorporate
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...
elements like ''tūn'' (''farmstead''), suggesting that they were founded in that period. Nearby examples are Thornton, Marton and Carleton. Poulton was recorded in 1086 as ''Poltun''; the name is derived from the Old English words ''pull'' or ''pōl'' + ''tūn'' meaning "farmstead by a pool or creek". In later years, it was recorded variously as ''Pultun'', ''Polton'', ''Potton'', ''Poolton'' and ''Poulton''. The
affix In linguistics, an affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word or word form. Affixes may be derivational, like English ''-ness'' and ''pre-'', or inflectional, like English plural ''-s'' and past tense ''-ed''. They ...
''le-Fylde'' ("in the district called the Fylde") was added in 1842 with the arrival of the Penny Post, to distinguish the town from Poulton-le-Sands, a village that is now part of
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), ...
. Poulton is one of seven ancient parishes of the
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...
of
Amounderness The Amounderness Hundred () is one of the six subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire in North West England, but the name is older than the system of hundreds first recorded in the 13th century and might best be described as the name ...
. Prior to the
Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...
in 1066, Amounderness was in the possession of
Earl Tostig Tostig Godwinson ( 102925 September 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson. After being exiled by his brother, Tostig supported the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, and was killed ...
, the brother of King
Harold II Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the Co ...
. Tostig died at the
Battle of Stamford Bridge The Battle of Stamford Bridge ( ang, Gefeoht æt Stanfordbrycge) took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading No ...
and his lands were subsequently taken over by the
Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
. Between 1069 and 1086
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
gave Amounderness to
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...
Baron Roger the Poitevin. In the ''
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' of 1086 Poulton's area was estimated to contain two
carucate The carucate or carrucate ( lat-med, carrūcāta or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms ...
s of arable land. The survey recorded three churches in Amounderness though not by name. Later documentary evidence suggests that they were probably the churches at Poulton, Kirkham and St Michael's on Wyre. The dedication of Poulton's church to 7th century Anglo-Saxon saint
Chad of Mercia Chad of Mercia (died 2 March 672) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon Catholic monk who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People. He was later canonised ...
lends weight to its pre-conquest foundation, although it is possible that it was built between 1086 and 1094. In 1094, Roger the Poitevin founded the
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
priory of St. Mary at Lancaster, as a cell of the Norman Abbey of St. Martin in
Sées Sées () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. It lies on the river Orne from its source and north-by-northeast of Alençon. Sées station has rail connections to Argentan, Caen and Le Mans. Name The town's name derives ...
. He endowed the priory with the church and land at Poulton. Roger was eventually banished from the country and his lands returned to the possession of the Crown. In 1194 King
Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...
granted the hundred of Amounderness to
Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler Theobald Walter (sometimes Theobald FitzWalter, Theobald Butler, or Theobald Walter le Boteler) was the first Chief Butler of Ireland. He also held the office of Chief Butler of England and was the High Sheriff of Lancashire for 1194. Theobald w ...
, who held it until his death in 1206. In 1268, King Henry III granted the
wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, ...
of Amounderness to his son
Edmund Crouchback Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and Earl of Leicester (16 January 12455 June 1296) nicknamed Edmund Crouchback was a member of the House of Plantagenet. He was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. In his chi ...
, who became the 1st
Earl of Lancaster The title of Earl of Lancaster was created in the Peerage of England in 1267. It was succeeded by the title Duke of Lancaster in 1351, which expired in 1361. (The most recent creation of the ducal title merged with the Crown in 1413.) King Henry ...
around this time. The amount of land in Poulton owned by St. Mary's Priory increased during the 12th and 13th centuries and caused conflict with local landowners over whose land the tenants and monks of the priory had to cross. In 1276, Sir Adam Banastre and his supporters assaulted the
prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be low ...
, Ralph de Truno, as he travelled to Poulton. He and his attendants were taken by Banastre, beaten and imprisoned in Thornton. An investigation into the incident was instigated by the king; no record survives. In 1330, a compromise was made when two roads were built through Banastre's land which enabled the prior and his tenants to travel freely to Poulton. During the 13th and 14th centuries, much of the land at Poulton was given to
Cockersand Abbey Cockersand Abbey is a former abbey and former civil parish near Cockerham in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. It is situated near the mouth of the River Cocker. History It was founded before 1184 as the Hospital of St Ma ...
in Lancaster and rented back to local farm workers. Much of the land in the Fylde was donated either to Cockersand Abbey or
Whalley Abbey Whalley Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Whalley, Lancashire, England. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey was largely demolished and a country house was built on the site. In the 20th century the house was modifie ...
. To efficiently manage and farm these lands, granges were built at
Singleton Singleton may refer to: Sciences, technology Mathematics * Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element * Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing * Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...
and
Staining Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissues), in cytology (microscopic study of cells), and in th ...
. When the
alien priories Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms'' p. ...
(those under control of religious houses abroad) were dissolved in 1415, the church at Poulton was conveyed to the Abbey of Syon in Middlesex. In the 17th century
Civil Wars A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
, townspeople of Poulton fought on both sides, although more men from the Fylde were on the side of the
Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
. No battles occurred in or close to Poulton but the area was affected with the rest of the county by the widespread poverty that resulted from the wars. In 1643 interest was stirred in the parish when a large Spanish vessel dropped anchor off the coast at
Rossall Rossall is a settlement in Lancashire, England and a suburb of the market town of Fleetwood. It is situated on a coastal plain called The Fylde. Blackpool Tramway runs through Rossall, with two stations: Rossall School on Broadway and Rossall ...
. The ship made no movement for several days but fired its guns occasionally. Locals initially feared an invasion, but eventually realised that the crew was in distress and had been signalling for help. The vessel was carrying ammunition for the Parliamentarian forces and the crew had become sick and feeble. The ship was brought by Royalists into the mouth of the River Wyre and the
Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...
marched from across the
River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea ...
. He ordered the ship to be burnt and the Spanish crew to be set free. The port of Poulton played a role in the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and ...
during the 18th century, with at least four slaving voyages setting off from Poulton between 1753 and 1757. In the 18th century it was the custom for the wealthy in Poulton to bury their dead at night, following a lamp-lit procession through town. This tradition lasted until 1810. In 1732, during the procession preceding the funeral of Geoffrey Hornby, strong winds caused sparks to fly from the lighted tapers carried by mourners. The buildings on the west side of the market place, low cottages with
thatched Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
roofs, caught fire and were destroyed. After local fund-raising the houses were eventually replaced with brick buildings with tile roofs.


19th and 20th centuries

Poulton became an important centre for trade in the area. With harbours on either side of the
River Wyre The River Wyre is a river in Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, which flows into the Irish Sea at Fleetwood. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) in length. The river is a County Biological Heritage Site and has a sheltered e ...
, at Skippool and Wardleys, it was able to import goods from as far away as Russia and North America.
Flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
was imported from Ireland and the
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
, timber came from across the Atlantic and
tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, includ ...
from Russia. Records from 1806 to 1808 show that Poulton imported
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
from
Ulverston Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a f ...
, oats from Ulverston, Kirkcudbright,
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...
,
Wigtown Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. ...
,
Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It i ...
and
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, and coal from
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
. Cheese was exported to the same places. By the 18th century, markets for cattle and cloth were being held in the town in February, April and November, with corn fairs every Monday. It is unclear at what point Poulton began life as a market town; it was never granted a market charter and so markets were held by prescription. The
market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosses ...
probably dates from the 17th century. The
linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
industry was widespread in the Fylde during the 18th century and Poulton's importation of flax was essential. There were large warehouses at Skippool and Wardleys, owned by linen merchants from Kirkham. By the 19th century, craftsmen in Poulton were an important part of the industry. In the early part of the 19th century, there was a significant decline in the craft industries because of increased mechanisation, as well as increased demand for labour. In contrast to neighbouring Kirkham, Poulton appeared to suffer from a lack of enthusiasm for new industrial techniques and opportunities among its industry leaders. Poulton's commercial importance was affected by the growth in the 19th century of two nearby coastal towns. In 1836 the first building was constructed in the new, planned town of
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
, north of Poulton, at the mouth of the River Wyre. Fleetwood was conceived by local landowner and
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) Sir
Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, (9 May 1801 – 12 April 1866) was an English landowner, developer and Member of Parliament, who founded the town of Fleetwood, in Lancashire, England. Born Peter Hesketh, he changed his name ...
as a major port and a link for passengers travelling from London to Scotland. To achieve these ideals, a rail link was needed and the new town soon heralded the arrival of the railway to the area. A line connecting Fleetwood with Preston was completed in 1840, with Poulton as one of the stops. Although Fleetwood immediately superseded Poulton as a port (the
Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
was quickly moved to Fleetwood), Poulton initially benefited commercially from the rail link. The importation of Irish and Scottish cattle through Fleetwood enabled a fortnightly cattle market to be held in Poulton. At the same time,
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...
was developing as a resort and for a few years, visitors travelled by rail to Poulton and then on to Blackpool by horse-drawn
charabanc A charabanc or "char-à-banc" (often pronounced "sharra-bang" in colloquial British English) is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It has "ben ...
s or omnibuses. A line between Poulton and Blackpool was completed in 1846. As Fleetwood and Blackpool's own commercial capabilities developed, and Kirkham's prominence in the linen industry continued to grow, Poulton's importance declined.


Governance

Historically, Poulton-le-Fylde was one of seven
ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es of the
Amounderness The Amounderness Hundred () is one of the six subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire in North West England, but the name is older than the system of hundreds first recorded in the 13th century and might best be described as the name ...
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...
, an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, with a total area of . The parish included the townships of Poulton, Carleton, Thornton, Hardhorn-With-Newton and Marton. Poulton was governed by a parish council until 1900, when the parish was superseded by Poulton
Urban District Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...
. The urban district council was based at the
old town hall Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
. Today, with respect to
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
es, Poulton is unparished. In 1974, following the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, Poulton Urban District merged with those of
Preesall Preesall is a town, civil parish and electoral ward in Lancashire, England. The parish (until 1910 known as Preesall with Hackensall) covers the eastern bank of the estuary of the River Wyre, including Knott End-on-Sea, Pilling Lane and the vi ...
and Thornton-Cleveleys, the
municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
of Fleetwood and the
rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the a ...
of
Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,268; ...
to form the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
of Wyre. The town has the borough council's administrative centre, with its offices in Poulton Civic Centre. The town is governed locally by a two-tier council system, being a part of both
Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 L ...
and
Wyre Borough Council Wyre may refer to: Places * Wyre, Orkney, an island in Scotland * Borough of Wyre, a local government district in Lancashire, England ** Wyre (UK Parliament constituency) * River Wyre, a river in Lancashire, England * Wyre Forest, a woodland in ...
with both councils having different responsibilities for the area. Elections are held for Lancashire County Council every four years with elections to
Wyre Borough Council Wyre may refer to: Places * Wyre, Orkney, an island in Scotland * Borough of Wyre, a local government district in Lancashire, England ** Wyre (UK Parliament constituency) * River Wyre, a river in Lancashire, England * Wyre Forest, a woodland in ...
also taking place every four years, but two years after the county elections. For borough elections Poulton contains four wards; Breck, Hardhorn, Highcross and Tithebarn. All four wards elect two councillors each to Wyre Borough Council. Poulton-le-Fylde is also a county division for the Lancashire County Council elections which is made up of the majority of the four wards and elects one councillor to the county council. At the most recent borough election in
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
the town's four wards each elected two
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
councillors, including the mayor of Wyre for 2011 David Bannister and the current leader of the council Peter Gibson. At the most recent county election in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
the town elected a
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
councillor, Geoffrey Roper. The town is represented in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
as part of
Wyre and Preston North Wyre and Preston North is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in the most recent fifth periodic review of constituencies by the Boundary Commission for England, it elects one ...
. It elects one MP by the
first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
system of election. Since its creation for the 2010 general election, Wyre and Preston North has been represented at Parliament by
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
MP Ben Wallace. Prior to the 2010 general election, Poulton-le-Fylde was part of the constituency of Lancaster and Wyre.


Geography

At (53.847°, −2.995°), and approximately northwest of London, Poulton-le-Fylde stands above sea level. It is approximately north-east of Blackpool and approximately north-west of
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
. It is situated on
the Fylde The Fylde () is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hi ...
, a
coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...
that is approximately a square peninsula. The town is on flat, slightly raised ground, approximately from the
River Wyre The River Wyre is a river in Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, which flows into the Irish Sea at Fleetwood. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) in length. The river is a County Biological Heritage Site and has a sheltered e ...
and from the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the C ...
. Until the 20th century, the town consisted of only a few streets surrounding the central market place; it became surrounded by housing developments from the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. The Poulton urban area is adjacent to Carleton and Hardhorn, and close to the Blackpool Urban Area. The land to the east of the town is mostly agricultural. The
bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of be ...
of the area consists of Permo-
Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest per ...
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
s and particularly Triassic
mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from '' shale'' by its lack of fissility (parallel layering).Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology.' ...
s. These old rocks lie beneath sea-level and are invisible beneath
drift Drift or Drifts may refer to: Geography * Drift or ford (crossing) of a river * Drift, Kentucky, unincorporated community in the United States * In Cornwall, England: ** Drift, Cornwall, village ** Drift Reservoir, associated with the village ...
made up of
glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
deposits and post-glacial
colluvium Colluvium (also colluvial material or colluvial soil) is a general name for loose, unconsolidated sediments that have been deposited at the base of hillslopes by either rainwash, sheetwash, slow continuous downslope creep, or a variable combinati ...
and
alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. ...
deposits; there is a smaller amount of
peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...
. Poulton has a generally
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
like much of the
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...
, with cool summers and mild winters. There is an annual average rainfall of .


Demography

At the
2001 UK census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
, the urban area of Poulton-le-Fylde had a population of 18,264. The 2001 population density for Wyre was 3.74 per hectare, with a 100 to 90.7 female-to-male ratio. The proportion of residents who classified themselves as White was 98.9%, a figure higher than the average for the North West (94.4%) and England (90.9%). Those classifying themselves as belonging to ethnic minorities were correspondingly lower than the regional and national averages. Of those over 16 years old, 22.5% were single (never married), 46.0% married and 8.49% divorced. Although the proportion of divorced people was similar to that of the North West and England, the rates of those who were married were higher than the regional and national averages (North West: 42.8%; England: 43.5%). The rates of those in Wyre who were single were significantly lower than the national and regional averages (North West: 30.1%; England: 30.2%). Wyre's 45,295 households included 29.1% one-person, 37.3% married couples living together, 6.8% co-habiting couples, and 9.0% single parents with their children; these figures were similar to those of the North West and England. Of those aged 16–74, 31.1% had no academic qualifications, similar to that of 31.9% in all of the North West but higher than 28.9% in all of England. Wyre had a lower percentage of adults with a diploma or degree than the North West as a whole. Of Wyre residents aged 16–74, 15.7% had an educational qualification such as first degree, higher degree, qualified teacher status, qualified medical doctor, qualified dentist, a qualified nurse, midwife, or health visitor, compared to 17.2% in the North West and 19.9% nationwide.


Population change

Typical of rural agricultural settlements, Poulton's population increased by almost 25% through the first two decades of the 19th century. In the decades after 1831, the town's population growth slowed, reflecting Poulton's failure to adapt to the changes of industrial society.


Economy

In the 13th century, Poulton's economy was largely agricultural. Over the next centuries, the town became a commercial centre for the area, importing and exporting goods through harbours on the River Wyre at Skippool and Wardleys. Imports of flax were vital for a local linen industry, particularly in nearby Kirkham, and Poulton craftsmen were part of this industry by the beginning of the 19th century. During the early part of this century the changes brought by the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
led to a decline in the craft industries in Poulton. New methods were not embraced by local producers and the town suffered from its location, far from coalfields and large labour markets. Following the development of the new town and port of
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
from 1836, Poulton's role as a major commerce centre waned. For some time, the town's market remained important as a local supply of goods for growing Fleetwood and Blackpool. Eventually, Poulton was overshadowed by Fleetwood and Blackpool. In his 1837 work on Blackpool, William Thornber called Poulton the "metropolis of the Fylde". This was a time when Poulton was still prominent among its near neighbours; David Foster commented in 1972 that not only was Thornber's description of the town no longer apt, it had ceased to be accurate even from 1850 with the rapid growth of the coastal resorts. Although the unemployment rate in Wyre is higher than that of the North West and England, in 2004 a Market Town Initiative study noted that the level of unemployment in Poulton was lower than the regional and national averages, at 1.41%. Business in the town is centred at the Poulton Industrial Estate. Agriculture is still important locally; in 2001 2.6% of workers in Wyre were employed in agriculture, hunting or forestry (compared to 1.2% in the North West and 1.5% in England).


Culture and community

In 2004 a group appointed by Wyre Borough Council carried out a study of Poulton as part of the
Countryside Agency The Countryside Agency was a statutory body set up in England in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The agency was dissolved in 2006 and its functions dispersed among other bod ...
's Market Town Initiative. Their ''Health Check and Action Plan'' identified "economic, transport & accessibility, environmental and social strengths and weaknesses" of Poulton. The study noted that the town has no cinemas, theatres, museums or galleries and that there was popular demand for a cinema, a weekly market and more independent retailers. There was also concern among residents that there are not enough facilities for young people. Poulton has a library, operated by
Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 L ...
. Poulton's public spaces include the Jean Stansfield Memorial and Vicarage Park, Tithebarn Park and the Cottam Hall Playing Fields. The Jean Stansfield Memorial and Vicarage Park is close to the town centre. It was built in 1955 on the grounds of the town's former vicarage, sold to Poulton Council in 1951. In 1926, the park was enlarged when the parents of Jean Stansfield, a child who had died at the age of 10, donated of land to the town in her memory. The park includes a crown green
bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
and a
skate park A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, qua ...
. Tithebarn Park, north-west of the town centre, was built on the site of a former
railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...
, Poulton Curve. It features grass play areas. The Cottam Hall Playing Fields to the west of the town centre include sports pitches and
allotment Allotment may refer to: * Allotment (Dawes Act), an area of land held by the US Government for the benefit of an individual Native American, under the Dawes Act of 1887 * Allotment (finance), a method by which a company allocates over-subscribed ...
s. There is a
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
ground to the north-east of the town. Poulton includes part of the Wyre Way
footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...
. Poulton Gala is held annually in June and a
farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
is held on the fourth Saturday of every month. In October 2011, Wyre Borough Council introduced the return of a weekly market which takes place in the centre of Poulton every Monday. The town is also where, in the 1970s, the punk group
Skrewdriver Skrewdriver were an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in 1976. Originally a punk band, Skrewdriver changed into a white supremacist rock band after reuniting in the 1980s. Their original ...
was formed. Although initially apolitical, the band went on to become internationally known as a neo-Nazi punk band.


Sport


Poulton F.C.

Poulton F.C., based at Cottam Hall on Blackpool Old Road, play in the West Lancashire Football League Premier Division (the 11th tier of the
English football pyramid The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...
) as of August 2020. The club was founded in 1947 as Poulton Athletic. In 1961, an amalgamation occurred between Poulton Athletic and Poulton United, forming Poulton Town F.C. In 2013, ''Town'' was dropped from its name, becoming today's Poulton F.C.


Fylde Cricket Club

Fylde Cricket Club, founded in the early 19th century, is one of the oldest clubs in Lancashire. Its home ground is commonly known as "The G", based on Moorland Road, close to Hodgson School. Fylde joined the league in 1922. They won the Loxham Cup in the early 1970s and, in the decade that followed, the Shield and the Meyler on several occasions. The second eleven also added to the trophy collection by winning the respective competitions on a number of occasions. They formed third and fourth teams and played in the Fylde League, providing a bridge between junior and senior league cricket. The club's first XI competes in the Palace Shield Premier Division, with a second and Sunday development team also running.


Wyre Cricket Club

The club was formed in 1994 after the break-up of the Over Wyre A and B teams and competed in the Fylde Cricket League. In 1995 the club was renamed again as Thornton International CC because of a name clash with one of Thornton’s football teams. Further changes took place where the club was re-badged again to the current name of Wyre Cricket Club and took residence at Myerscough College in 1996, after Myerscough College built a golf academy on the grounds, the club subsequently moved again to Baines School in Poulton-le-Fylde in 2000 and then to its current home in 2006 to Cottam Hall grounds in Poulton-le-Fylde. Wyre CC left the Fylde Cricket League in 2013 (at the end of the 2014 season the Fylde Cricket League was officially dissolved). The club joined the Palace Shield Cricket League for the 2014 season, the 1st XI won back to back promotions in the first years of joining, some years later the club entered in the 2nd XI into the Palace Shield league. The club also has a mid-week T20 team and competes in the Palace Shield T20 league.


Landmarks

Poulton town centre has been a
Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
since 1979 and 15 buildings and structures in the town have been designated as
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
s by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
for their special architectural, historical or cultural significance. These include two religious buildings, the structures in the market place and several houses. The market place at the centre of Poulton is the width of two streets and is now closed to motor traffic. Lying south of St Chad's Church and surrounded by shops, the square contains the town's war memorial as well as a
market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosses ...
,
stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...
,
whipping post The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...
and fish slabs, from which fish were sold on market days. Although many of the buildings surrounding the marketplace were rebuilt following a fire in the 18th century, a few of the earlier buildings remain. To the south of the marketplace are townhouses that were built for local merchants and professionals.
Public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
s and inns flourished early on in Poulton due to its status as a market town. One of the most important inns was the Golden Ball, which probably dates from the 18th century. It was also the meeting place of the local court, and at the end of the 19th century the town's cattle market was moved behind the pub from the marketplace. The Thatched House pub existed in 1793 and may have been built in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. It was rebuilt in 1910 in the
Mock Tudor Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
style and has been identified as one of the town's "key landmarks" by the Poulton Market Town Initiative. In the 19th century the Ship Inn was a rowdy pub popular with Fleetwood seamen, travelling labourers and locals. In the 1920s it became a
working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class ...
and from 1928 to 2001, a
Conservative club The Association of Conservative Clubs is an organisation associated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It represents and provides support to the largest association of political clubs in the country estimated at 1,100. The Assoc ...
. It is an
Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
building constructed in red brick with red
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
dressings. It has a corner tower and the walls have carvings of ships. Since 2000 it has operated as a café, wine bar and nightclub called the Cube.


Religion

St Chad's Church, the
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
, is in the centre of town, bordering the marketplace. It has been designated a Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
. The current structure dates largely from the mid-18th century when the previous church was demolished, although the tower is from the 17th century. The church is constructed of stone and has a
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
roof. A round Norman-style
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
was added in 1868. The churchyard, mainly to the south and east of the building, is noted for its display of crocuses in the spring. After the
English Reformation The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
there remained a strong
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
influence in the parish, with worship particularly focused in
Singleton Singleton may refer to: Sciences, technology Mathematics * Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element * Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing * Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...
. In the late 16th century there were 13 houses in the parish that were known to shelter
seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
s. In 1583, the family of Cardinal William Allen, a prominent opponent of the Reformation, were holding three or four masses daily at their home at nearby
Rossall Rossall is a settlement in Lancashire, England and a suburb of the market town of Fleetwood. It is situated on a coastal plain called The Fylde. Blackpool Tramway runs through Rossall, with two stations: Rossall School on Broadway and Rossall ...
. In the early 19th century, a Roman Catholic chapel was built in the town of Poulton. St John the Evangelist's was built in the north of the town on Breck Road. The building, with its attached presbytery is constructed of rendered brick with a slate roof and has been designated a Grade II listed building. Tradition has it that at some time during the 19th century, the vicar of St. Chad's donated to that church a particularly "papist"
vestment Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; th ...
. The chapel was replaced by a larger church built a few metres to the south in 1912. The new building, constructed of rock-faced red
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
in a stripped Romanesque style, was designed by
Cuthbert Pugin Cuthbert Welby Pugin (2 June 1840 – 25 March 1928) was an English architect and businessman. Life and career He was the son of Augustus Pugin and his second wife, Louisa Burton, making him Pugin's fourth child and second son. He was the brother ...
of
Pugin & Pugin Pugin & Pugin (fl. 1851– c. 1958) was a London-based family firm of church architects, founded in the Westminster office of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812–1852). The firm was succeeded by his sons Cuthbert Welby Pugin (1840–1928) an ...
. The first establishment of Nonconformists in Poulton were the Methodists, in 1784. The group met in a room behind the King's Arms and initially suffered persecution from other locals. They built a chapel in what is now Church Street in 1819, the second Methodist chapel to be built on the Fylde. The chapel was enlarged in 1861 and 1909 and finally demolished in 1970, replaced by a new chapel in Queen Street. The
Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
established a chapel in the town in 1809. Its use was intermittent and at one point the building was used as a warehouse. A new chapel was built in 1899. In the 2001 census 83.06% of respondents in Wyre gave their religion as Christianity. This is higher than the average for the North West (78.01%) and England (71.74). Muslim residents made up 0.18% of respondents in Wyre, 0.15% were Buddhist, 0.14% were Hindu, 0.10% were Jewish and 0.05% were Sikh; these figures are all lower than the regional and national averages. A further 9.40% of people in the borough stated that they had no religion, also a lower figure than the regional and national averages.


Transport

The development in the first half of the 19th century of Fleetwood led to the arrival of the railway in the Fylde. The Preston & Wyre Railway and Dock Company was formed to connect Fleetwood to Preston and the Preston and Wyre Railway line was completed in 1840.
Poulton-le-Fylde railway station Poulton-le-Fylde railway station serves the town of Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is managed by Northern Trains, but also served by Avanti West Coast and is northwest of Preston. History The original station was about north ...
, on the line between Kirkham and
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...
was originally situated at the bottom of the Breck, the road leading north out of Poulton. A branch connecting Poulton to Blackpool opened in 1846, meeting the existing line in a triangular junction with very tight curves towards Blackpool. By 1892, plans were underway to realign the tracks and rebuild the station at the top of the Breck. The fears of local people were realised in 1893 when a train travelling too fast derailed at the bend, killing three people. The new station was built in 1896. A
railway halt A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...
called Poulton Curve was built in 1923 and was in use for trains between Fleetwood and Blackpool until 1952. Today, Poulton is a stop on the
Caldervale Line The Calder Valley line (also previously known as the Caldervale line) is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail rou ...
and the
Blackpool Branch Line The Blackpool branch lines are two railway branch lines running from the West Coast Main Line at Preston to Blackpool: The main branch which is double track and electrified, runs to Blackpool North station (Blackpool's main passenger statio ...
. It lies between Kirkham and Wesham (towards
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
) and Layton (towards Blackpool North). The Fleetwood Branch Line closed to passengers in 1970; in 2009, a report by the
Association of Train Operating Companies The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), previously the Association of Train Operating Companies, is the British rail industry membership body that brings together passenger and freight rail companies, Network Rail and High Speed 2. History From 24 Oc ...
suggested that there would be a "strong business case" to reopen the line. Poulton is approximately west of the
M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
and is linked to it by the M55 at Greenhalgh. There are
A roads A roads may be *motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian). * main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B and sometimes lower c ...
to Fleetwood, Blackpool, Preston, Garstang and Lancaster. The town is served by four bus companies; ,
Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...
, Coastal Coaches and
Cumfybus Cumfybus is a bus company based in Southport, Merseyside. Its operations were small scale throughout the 1990s, but it has expanded significantly since its incorporation as a limited company in 2002, and in 2010 had a fleet of nearly 100 buses. ...
provide links to the Fylde's coastal towns as well as villages across the River Wyre and Preston. Poulton was previously served by
Blackpool Airport Blackpool Airport is an airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport and Blackpool International Airport. Ownership of the ai ...
, approximately away. However, the airport no longer has any commercial service and is instead served by the larger
Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport in Liverpool, England, on the estuary of the River Mersey south-east of Liverpool city centre. Scheduled domestic, European, North African and Middle Eastern services are operat ...
and
Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...
.


Education

Poulton has two secondary schools, the oldest of which dates from the 18th century. In 1717, local
woollen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...
merchant James Baines left money in his will to found three free schools in the parish; in Poulton, Marton and Thornton. All three still exist.
Baines School Baines School is a secondary school in Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. It was founded through James Baines will in 1717 and is a former grammar school. It was one of three schools set up in Baines' will, the others being at Marton and Th ...
in Poulton was rebuilt in 1828 and closed temporarily in the late 19th century, reopening as Baines Endowed School. Today it is a
voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...
non-denominational comprehensive secondary school. It has 1,008 pupils aged 11–18 and was rated as "good" in its 2007
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, incl ...
report.
Hodgson Academy Hodgson Academy (formerly Hodgson School) is a coeducational secondary school located in Poulton-le-Fylde in the English county of Lancashire. Hodgson was inspected by the office for standards in education (OFSTED) as Outstanding, the best a ...
(formerly Hodgson School) is a comprehensive secondary school that opened in 1932. It has 1,108 pupils aged 11–16 and in 2008 was rated by Ofsted as "outstanding". The school converted to academy status in 2011. There are four primary schools in the town; Breck Primary School, St John's Catholic Primary School, Carr Head Primary School and St Chad's Church of England Primary School. All were rated either "good" or "outstanding" in their most recent Ofsted inspections.


Public services

Poulton's
water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...
and
sewerage Sewerage (or sewage system) is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff (stormwater, meltwater, rainwater) using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drainage, drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, a ...
facilities are provided by
United Utilities United Utilities Group plc (UU), the United Kingdom's largest listed water company, was founded in 1995 as a result of the merger of North West Water and NORWEB. The group manages the regulated water and waste water network in North West Engla ...
. The
distribution network operator A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution networ ...
for electricity is
Electricity North West Electricity North West is a British electricity distribution network operator, responsible for the administration and maintenance of the network, that distributes electricity to the North West of England excluding Merseyside and parts of Cheshi ...
. Home Office policing is provided by
Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston. , the force has 3,088 police officers ...
. There was previously one police station in Poulton, which closed in January 2018.
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
s are provided by
NHS North West NHS North West was a strategic health authority (SHA) of the National Health Service in England. It operated in the North West region, which is coterminous with the local government office region. When created in 2006 it had regional oversight ...
and
primary care Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care ...
is delivered by the NHS North Lancashire Primary Care Trust. In 2004, the Poulton Market Town Initiative noted 11 general practices in the town (including Carleton).
Secondary care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
is provided by the Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Acute medical cases are handled by Victoria Hospital in Blackpool and the North West Ambulance Service provides emergency patient transport.


See also

* List of people from Poulton-le-Fylde *
List of places in Lancashire This is a list of places within the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It refers to the present-day boundaries of Lancashire, which came into effect in 1974. A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q ...


References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Poulton-le-Fylde Historical and Civic Society
– John Porter (1876) {{DEFAULTSORT:Poulton-Le-Fylde Towns in Lancashire Market towns in Lancashire Unparished areas in Lancashire Geography of the Borough of Wyre