Skippool Sign

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. 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, 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.

''Skippool'' is believed to be a joining of the Old Norse word ''skip'', which means ''ship'', and the Old English ''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 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. 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, 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's North Pier. These include Danny La Rue and Roy Castle.

On the opposite side of the road is Thornton Hall.

On Wyre Road, The River House was built in the late 1830s. It was once a restaurant frequented by the likes of Rudolf Nureyev, George Harrison and prominent politicians."Glynn Ward takes us on a photographic journey around Skippool Creek"
- ''Lancashire Life'', 8 February 2013 It was run by members of the Scott family.

Transport

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
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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

References

External links

Blackpool & Fleetwood Yacht Club's official websiteSkippool's page at VisitCleveleys.co.uk
- Thornton Action Group
"Good Hope at Skippool Creek”
- YouTube, May 10, 2012
"The Forgotten Port at Skippool Creek , Stannah Tramper Trail"
- YouTube, October 27, 2017

{{Lancashire

Geography of the Borough of Wyre
The Fylde