Knott End
Knott End-on-Sea is a village in Lancashire, England, on the southern side of Morecambe Bay, across the Wyre estuary from Fleetwood. Knott End has a pub, the Bourne Arms, county library and golf club. Buses run regularly from Knott End and the ...
. These banks are known as Skippool Creek, an historic docks area now home to mostly run-down vessels. The MV ''Good Hope'', for example, may date from the 1830s. Skippool Creek is a short branch off
Main Dyke
Main Dyke is a water channel running through the Fylde area of Lancashire in England.
The Main Dyke is an outflow of the largely drained Marton Mere, Blackpool, though Marton Mere originally released its waters via Spen Brook in the opposite dir ...
, which empties into the River Wyre in front of Blackpool and Fleetwood Yacht Club.
The B5412 (Skippool Road) passes through Skippool, ending at the roundabout it shares with Mains Lane, Breck Road and
Amounderness Way
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 nam ...
.
''Skippool'' is believed to be a joining of the Old Norse word ''skip'', which means ''ship'', and the
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 settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''pull/pol'', for a slow-moving stream.Skippool - Wyre Archaeology Group It has been written on historical maps as ''Skippon'', ''Skiffe-Pool'' and ''Skip Pool''.''A History of Blackpool, the Fylde and South Wyre'' – Nick Moore (2018), p. 46
History
Skippool, more specifically its creek, was a major trading port for hundreds of years, similarly to that of Wardley's Creek on the other side of the river."History of Skippool" - VisitCleveleys.co.uk It is understood to have been in constant use from the end of the Middle Ages. Goods arrived at the docks from all over the world.
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 brought in from Ireland and the Baltic; timber came from North America; and tallow arrived from Russia. More locally, limestone and oats were transported from Ulverston 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 ...
. Its popularity fell out of favour when Fleetwood's port opened in the 1840s.
A 1610 map gives the name of the river as ''Skippon Flue''. In 1787, another map gives the area the modern spelling of ''Skippool''.
A pub has stood on or near the site of today's Thornton Lodge since around 1824, when it started out as The Crackers Head. It became The White Horse a decade later, then, in 1866, The Brockholes Arms.
A bone mill, called Silcocks, also stood near the docks. Silcocks Cottages, a home on Skippool Road about half a mile to the north, preserves this name.
Sport
Thornton Cleveleys Cricket Club is located in Skippool, on land leased to it by Frederick J. Emery, one of the owners of the now-demolished Edwardian mansion
The Illawalla
Illawalla was an Edwardian single-story building in the Skippool area of Thornton, Lancashire, England. Built in 1902,''Blackpool Times'' article, 21 June, 1902 it was demolished in 1996, after lying derelict for six years, to make way for three ...
, in the early 1950s.
Businesses
Blackpool & Fleetwood Yacht Club is located just beyond the northern end of Wyre Road, which runs along the head of the docks.
Thornton Lodge, a chain pub and restaurant, is located near to the roundabout, just north of the Wyre Road junction.
Notable residences
In addition to the Illawalla, there are three other notable residences on Skippool Road. Ashley Hall (or Ashley House), built in the 1920s, was where select celebrities would stay while they were appearing on
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue, (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an Irish singer and entertainer, best known for his on-stage drag queen, drag persona. He performed in drag and also as himself in theatrical productions, television ...
and Roy Castle.
On the opposite side of the road is Thornton Hall.
On Wyre Road,
The River House
The River House is an historic building in the Skippool area of Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, England. Overlooking the River Wyre, it was built in 1830, originally known as Wyre Bank, later becoming Wyre Bank Hotel and Restaurant.Rudolf Nureyev,
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
The number 75 Preston Bus (which runs hourly between Preston and Fleetwood) is the only route that services Skippool Road.
References in popular culture
In nearby Thornton-Cleveleys, Skippool Creek Brewery was founded in 2016.Skippool Creek Brewery /ref>
Gallery
File:Skippool_Creek.jpeg, The River Wyre from Skippool Creek, looking east to Shard Bridge (right of centre)
File:Skippool field.jpg, Looking across the Wyre to the Bowland Fells, fifteen miles to the east