Southport is a

seaside town A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Sefton The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It was formed on Local Government Act 1972, 1 April 1974, by the amalgamation of the county boroughs of Bootle and Southport, the municipal borough of Crosby, ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

, England. It lies on the

West Lancashire coastal plain The West Lancashire Coastal Plain is a large area in the south west of Lancashire, England. The plain stretches from the Rimrose Valley in Seaforth, near Liverpool on the Mersey, to the south, to Preston on the Ribble, to the north. To the e ...

and the east coast of the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

, approximately north of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and southwest of Preston. At the 2021 census, Southport had a population of 94,421, making it the

eleventh In music theory, an eleventh is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a fourth. A perfect eleventh spans 17 and the augmented eleventh 18 semitones, or 10 steps in a diatonic scale. Since there are only seven degrees in a diaton ...

most populous settlement in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

and the third most populous settlement in the

Liverpool City Region The Liverpool City Region is a combined authority area in North West England. It has six council areas: the five metropolitan boroughs of Merseyside (Liverpool, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Knowsley, Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, St H ...

. The town was founded in 1792 by William Sutton, an innkeeper from Churchtown, who built a bathing house at what is now the south end of Lord Street.''North Meols and Southport – a History'', Chapter 9, Peter Aughton (1988) The area was previously known as South Hawes, and was sparsely populated and dominated by dunes. The area became popular with tourists due to the easy access from the nearby

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

, and by 1848 had a railway connection. The resort increased during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

and contains examples of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...

and

town planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

. Lord Street was developed as a wide, tree-lined shopping street, and attractions such as

Southport Pier Southport Pier is a pleasure pier in Southport, Merseyside, England. Opened in August 1860, it is the oldest iron pier in the country. Its length of makes it the second-longest in Great Britain, after Southend Pier. Although at one time span ...

, which is the second longest seaside pleasure

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

in the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 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 Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, were constructed. A particular feature of the town is the extensive tree planting. This was one of the conditions required by the Hesketh family when they made land available for development in the 19th century. Hesketh Park at the northern end of the town is named after them, having been built on land donated by Rev. Charles Hesketh. Extensive sand dunes stretch for several miles from Woodvale to Birkdale, the south of the town. The

Ainsdale Ainsdale is a village near Southport, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Sefton district, in Merseyside, England, situated three miles south of the centre of Southport. Originally in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lanca ...

dunes have been designated as a national nature reserve and a Ramsar site. Local fauna include the

natterjack toad The natterjack toad (''Epidalea calamita'') is a toad native to sandy and heath (habitat), heathland areas of Europe and the United Kingdom. Adults are in length, and are distinguished from common toads by a yellow line down the middle of the b ...

and the

sand lizard #REDIRECT Sand lizard {{redirect category shell, {{R from alternative capitalisation{{R from move ...

. Southport hosts events, including an annual air show on and over the beach, the largest independent flower show in the UK in Victoria Park, and the British Musical Fireworks Championship. The town is at the centre of England's "Golf Coast", and has hosted

the Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

Etymology

The town gets its name from the South Port Hotel; built around 1797 (see #18th century).

History

10th–17th century

There have been settlements in the area now comprising Southport since 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, and some parts of the town have names of

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

origin. The earliest recorded human activity in the region was during the

Middle Stone Age The Middle Stone Age (or MSA) was a period of African prehistory between the Early Stone Age and the Late Stone Age. It is generally considered to have begun around 280,000 years ago and ended around 50–25,000 years ago. The beginnings of ...

when mesolithic hunter-gatherers were attracted by the abundant

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

and

elk The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...

populations, as well as the availability of fish, shellfish, and woodland.

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

coins have been found at Halsall Moss and Crossens, although the Romans never settled southwest Lancashire. The first objective evidence of an early settlement in the region is in the

, in which the area is called ''Otergimele''. The Domesday Book states that there were 50 huts in Otergimele, housing a population 200. The population was scattered thinly across the region, and it was at the northeast end of Otergimele (present-day Crossens), where blown sand gave way to alluvial deposits from the River Ribble estuary, that a small concentration of people occurred. It was here that a primitive church might have been built, which gave the emerging village its name of Churchtown, the parish being

North Meols North Meols () is a civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers the village of Banks, Lancashire, Banks and the hamlet of Hundred ...

(pronounced "meals"). A church called St Cuthbert's is still at the centre of Churchtown. With a booming fishing industry, the area grew and hamlets became part of the parish of North Meols. From south to north, these villages were South Hawes, Haweside, Little London, Higher

Blowick Blowick is a suburb on the east side of the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. History and etymology Blowick is part of the ancient parish of North Meols and was formerly a detached settlement, on the northern fringe of what is now Southp ...

, Lower Blowick, Rowe-Lane, Churchtown, Marshside,

Crossens Crossens is the northernmost district of the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. Historically part of the ancient parish of North Meols and entirely in Lancashire, most of Crossens was transferred to Merseyside on 1 April 1974, when local ...

, and

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. As banks ...

. As well as Churchtown, there were vicarages in Crossens and Banks. Parts of the parish were almost completely surrounded by water until 1692 when Thomas Fleetwood of

Bank Hall Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is at the centre of a private estate, surrounded by parkland. The hall was built on the site of an older house in 1608 by the Banastres w ...

cut a channel to drain

Martin Mere Martin Mere is a Mere (lake), mere near Burscough, in Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that was, until it was drained, the largest body of fresh water in England. History Martin Mere ...

to the sea. From this point on, attempts at large-scale drainage of Martin Mere and other marshland continued until the 19th century, since when the water has been pumped away. This left behind a legacy of fine agricultural soil and created a booming farming industry.

18th century

In the late 18th century, it was becoming fashionable for the well-to-do to desert inland spa towns and visit the seaside to bathe in the salt sea waters. At that time, doctors recommended bathing in the sea to help cure aches and pains. In 1792, William Sutton, the landlord of the ''Black Bull Inn'' in Churchtown (now the ''Hesketh Arms'') and known to locals as "The Old Duke", realised the importance of the newly created canal systems across the UK and set up a bathing house in the virtually uninhabited dunes at South Hawes by the seaside just four miles (6 km) away from the newly constructed

and two miles southwest of Churchtown. When a widow from

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

built a cottage nearby in 1797 for seasonal lodgers, Sutton quickly built a new inn on the site of the bathing house which he called the South Port Hotel, moving to live there the following season. There was no port, but "Southport" soon became the name of the town. The locals thought him mad and referred to the building as the ''Duke's Folly'', but Sutton arranged transport links from the canal that ran through

Scarisbrick Scarisbrick () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Lancashire, England. The A570 road, A570, the main road between Ormskirk and Southport, runs through Scarisbrick, and much of the village lies along it. As a result ...

, four miles from the hotel, and trade was remarkably good. The hotel survived until 1854, when it was demolished to make way for traffic at the end of Lord Street, but its presence and the impact of its founder are marked by a plaque in the vicinity, by the name of one street at the intersection, namely Duke Street, and by a hotel on Duke Street which bears the legacy name of Dukes Folly Hotel.

19th century

Southport grew quickly in the 19th century as it gained a reputation for being a more refined seaside resort than its neighbour

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

. Southport had a head start compared to all the other places on the Lancashire coast because it had easy access to the canal system. Other seaside bathing areas could not really get going until the railways were built some years later. The Leeds and Liverpool canal brought people from Liverpool, Manchester, Bolton and Wigan amongst others. By 1820 Southport had over 20,000 visitors per year. Southport Pier 1

Southport Pier is referred to as the first true "pleasure pier", being one of the earliest pier structures to be erected using iron. A design from James Brunlees was approved at a cost of £8,700 and on 4 August 1859 a large crowd witnessed the driving home of the first support pile. The opening of the pier was celebrated on 2 August 1860. Southport lifeboat disaster memorial 1

On the night of 9 December 1886, the worst lifeboat disaster in the history of the UK occurred off the shores of Southport. A cargo ship called the ''Mexico'' was on its way to South America when it found itself in difficulty. Lifeboats from

Lytham Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the The Fylde, Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population of the built-up area at the 2021 United Kingdom census, ...

, St. Annes and Southport set off to try to rescue those aboard the vessel. The crews battled against storm-force winds as they rowed towards the casualty. The entire crew from the St. Anne's boat was lost and all but two of the Southport crew were too. In all, 28 lifeboatmen lost their lives on that night, leaving many widows and fatherless children. A memorial was erected in Duke Street Cemetery and there is a permanent display in the museum at The Atkinson on Lord Street. There is also a memorial inside the Lifeboat house, now operated by the

Southport Offshore Rescue Trust Southport Offshore Rescue Trust (SORT) is the registered charity that runs the Southport Lifeboat Station, Southport Lifeboat, an independent marine and land based search and rescue organisation on the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Sefton coa ...

. ''Mexico'' was just one of many shipwrecks in the Southport area.

20th century

From 1894 to 1912 Birkdale and the adjoining village of Ainsdale were separate from Southport and administered by Birkdale

Urban District An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

Council before becoming part of the county borough of Southport in 1912. This was a huge expansion of the town. In 1914, a very short romance story between a "2 park road Southport" private soldier and French lady took place in Valenciennes in north France during early

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as described by Andrée Ducatez's ''Journal''. In 1925, the RNLI abandoned the station at Southport and left the town with no lifeboat. In the late 1980s, after a series of tragedies, local families from Southport raised the funds to buy a new lifeboat for the town, stationed at the old RNLI lifeboat house. The lifeboat, operated by the

, is completely

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

from the RNLI and receives no money from them. It relies entirely on donations from the general public. On 21 March 1926,

Henry Segrave Sir Henry O'Neal de Hane Segrave (22 September 1896 – 13 June 1930) was an early British pioneer in land speed and water speed records. Segrave, who set three land and one water record, was the first person to hold both titles simultaneou ...

set the

land speed record The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de M ...

in his 4-litre Sunbeam Tiger Ladybird on the sands at Southport at . This record lasted for just over a month, until broken by J.G. Parry-Thomas.

21st century

Southport elected their first ever Labour MP in the

2024 general election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2024 United Nations Security Council election * 2024 national electoral calendar * 2024 local electo ...

. On 29 July 2024, three girls aged 6, 7 and 9 were murdered in a mass stabbing at a dance workshop on Hart Street, with eight children and two adults left injured. The next day a vigil was held for the victims. Later that evening,

riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

broke out and a mosque near Hart Street was attacked after social media posts spread incorrect rumours about an Islamist link to the murders. Cars, including a police vehicle, were set on fire. More than fifty police officers were injured. Rioters travelled to Southport from other areas and included far-right supporters. A shop was looted and members of the community came together to help the shopkeeper and clean up the streets. Following the murders, thousands attended vigils and laid floral tributes to the victims in Town Hall Gardens. In June 2025, the families of the three murdered girls visited

Downing Street Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...

to show the prime minister plans for a regeneration of the Gardens. The prime minister pledged £5 million towards the project, with the

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is the combined authority of the Liverpool City Region in England. Its jurisdiction includes the City of Liverpool local authority area, the Metropolitan Boroughs of Knowsley, St Helens, S ...

and Sefton Council having both allocated £2.5 million towards it.

Governance

In 2024 Southport elected its first ever Labour MP since the creation of the constituency in the 1880s, with Labour politician Patrick Hurley succeeding Conservative incumbent Damien Moore. Prior to that, Liberal Democrat John Pugh was the MP for Southport, holding the seat for 16 years until his retirement in the 2017 General election. Southport, as part of the

, one of the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region. It is governed by the

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region The mayor of the Liverpool City Region (also styled as ''metro mayor)'' is the directly elected mayor of the Liverpool City Region, who is responsible for regional governance over a number of issues, the Mayor has powers devolved to them from t ...

, and the combined authority, which is responsible for areas of transport, trade and strategic governance of devolved powers in the town and wider Sefton Borough.

Lancashire (1866–1971)

Southport is located within the historic county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and was incorporated as a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1866. It became a county borough independent of the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until 1973 in Northern Ireland, 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. They are now abolished, although most Northern ...

of Lancashire in 1905, having reached the minimum 50,000 population (the 1911 census gave a figure of 51,643). The Birkdale Urban District, including the parishes of Birkdale and Ainsdale was added to Southport in 1912. The county borough had its headquarters at Southport Town Hall.

Merseyside (1971-present)

Induction into the county of Merseyside

Under the 1971 Local Government White Paper, presented in February 1971, Southport would have lost its county borough status, becoming a

non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of Districts of England, local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''s ...

within Lancashire. Rather than accept this fate and lose its separate education and social services departments, Southport Corporation lobbied for inclusion in the nearby planned

metropolitan county Metropolitan counties are a Subdivisions of England, subdivision of England which were originally used for Local government in England, local government. There are six metropolitan counties: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyn ...

of Merseyside, to join with

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. It is pa ...

and other units to form a district with the 250,000 required population. It was duly included in the

. A recurring local political issue has been the cross-party movement campaigning for Southport to leave Sefton and form its own

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

, perhaps adjoined to the neighbouring

West Lancashire West Lancashire is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Ormskirk, and the largest town is Skelmersdale. The district borders Fylde to the north, over the Ribble Estuary; South Ribbl ...

authority. Support for this has been seen amongst Liberal Democrat councillors, and also within the Southport Conservative Party. Southport born Kevin Laroux Wood stood in the 1983 general election for the Southport Constituency. He was supported by a team of people who raised the funds needed and formed the "Southport Back in Lancashire Party". Posters were distributed and articles published in the ''Visiter'' newspaper. Although was not elected as MP, it put the issue firmly on the local agenda which continues to this day. In the same period in 1980, a

Private Member's Bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

proposed restoring Southport to Lancashire, and renaming the residue of Sefton to the Metropolitan Borough of Bootle. The

Local Government Boundary Commission for England The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is a parliamentary body established by statute to conduct boundary, electoral and structural reviews of local government areas in England. The LGBCE is independent of government and po ...

conducted a review of the area in 1987, which attracted 10,000 messages, of which "70% were

pro forma The term ''pro forma'' (Latin for "as a matter of form" or "for the sake of form") is most often used to describe a practice or document that is provided as a courtesy or satisfies minimum requirements, conforms to a norm or doctrine and tend ...

". In 1990, the LGBC made suggestions that Southport, Ainsdale and Birkdale should be made a district of Lancashire: the final recommendations in 1991 "concluded that public opinion was more evenly divided than initially thought", and also that eastward transport links with Lancashire were poor compared to those southward to the

area.

Metropolitan Borough of Sefton

The government again directed the Local Government Commission for England to make a review in December 1996 (after it had finished the work on the creation of unitary authorities), commencing in January 1997. This review was constrained by the legal inability of the commission to recommend that the current Sefton-West Lancashire border be altered. In a MORI poll conducted at the behest of the LGCE, 65% of Southport residents supported the campaign, compared to 37% in the borough as a whole. Local MPs

Matthew Banks Matthew Gordon-Banks (born 21 June 1961) is a British former Conservative Party politician who was elected in 1992 as the Member of Parliament for Southport, but lost his seat in 1997. Gordon-Banks left the Conservative Party in 2004 to join ...

and Ronnie Fearn (MPs for Southport at various times) supported making Southport a unitary authority, with Banks wishing to see it tied to Lancashire ceremonially, but Fearn wishing to see it remain, as a separate borough, in Merseyside. The commission noted that Southport would have a relatively low population for a unitary authority, even including Formby (89,300 or 114,700), and that it was worried about the viability of a south Sefton authority without Southport, and therefore recommended the status quo be kept. The commission suggested the use of

area committee Many large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees or area boards, which involve local people and organisations in decisions affecting council spending within their area. They cover a geographical are ...

s for the various parts of the borough and also that Southport could become a

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

. Another request made in 2004 was turned down, the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

must request such a review. In 2002, a local independent party calling themselves the Southport Party was established, with many members supporting a policy of "Southport out of Sefton." Three council seats were won in the 2002 local elections, including that of the leader of Sefton Council, Liberal Democrat Councillor, David Bamber. At the following election there were no gains and a drop in the number of votes for the party. At the all out election in 2004, one of their councillors stood down, whilst the other two lost their seats. To date, there have been no further moves to change Sefton's boundaries, but the Boundary Commission indicated in 2004 that a future review is possible. From 2014 the Borough of Sefton became one of the six boroughs of the

Geography

The closest cities are Preston to the north east and

to the south. Existing on the

West Lancashire Coastal Plain The West Lancashire Coastal Plain is a large area in the south west of Lancashire, England. The plain stretches from the Rimrose Valley in Seaforth, near Liverpool on the Mersey, to the south, to Preston on the Ribble, to the north. To the e ...

, most of the town is only slightly above sea level and thus parts of Southport used to be susceptible to

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

. Marine Drive was regularly closed due to flooding from

high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

s, but in February 1997, new

sea defences Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...

started being constructed and in 2002 the whole project was completed. Southport has a

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring ...

like most of the UK. Due to its position by the coast, Southport rarely sees substantial

snowfall Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

and temperatures rarely fall below so it does not have frequent

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...

s. Southport generally has moderate precipitation, unlike the rest of western UK. The coast-to-coast Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) stretches the breadth of northern England – from Southport in the west to Hornsea in the east. The TPT is a route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders linking the North and Irish seas and passing through the Pennines. It runs alongside rivers and canals and through some of the most historic towns and cities in the North of England.

Demography

The

United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th Census in the United Kingdom, UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organise ...

showed a resident population for Southport of 90,336. Approximately 19,000 were aged 16 or under, 60,000 were aged 16–74, and 10,000 aged 75 and over. According to the 2001 census, 96% of Southport's population claim they have been born in the UK. The population of Southport began to rapidly increase during the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era. From then the population has been stable with minor decline in some areas of the town.

Economy

Tourism

As a seaside town Southport has a history of leisure and recreation and is still dependent on tourism. The town went into decline when cheap air travel arrived in the 1960s and people chose to holiday abroad due to competitive prices and more reliable weather. However, the town kept afloat with people coming to spend the day by the seaside on bank holidays and weekends. The town has diversified with annual events, shopping and conferences. In 2011, Southport was named the fourteenth-most popular coastal resort in the country, benefiting from a 23% rise in money spent in the resort in that year. Part of the resort's progress is a result of the money invested in Southport over recent years. * Southport Airshow, the north west's biggest airshow, held in the summer *

Southport Flower Show Southport Flower Show, held at Victoria Park in Southport, is the largest independent flower show in the United Kingdom. It was originally started in 1924 by the local council, but since 1986 has been operated by Southport Flower Show company, ...

* British Musical Fireworks Championships * Southport International Jazz Festival * Southport Food and Drink Festival * Southport Rocks * Southport 24 Hour Race, A sailing race that sees boats racing continuously for 24 hours even in extreme weather conditions. Entries have included Olympic gold medallists and teams from the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

and France, and even the US and Australia. It is regarded as one of the hardest endurance races in the world. *

Tidy Boys IDEAL Weekender Tidy may refer to: * HTML Tidy, a computer program for fixing HTML errors * PerlTidy, a computer program for nicely reformatting Perl source code * ''Tidy'' (album), a 1996 album by Kinnie Starr * Tidy (surname) *TIDY, software for managing proper ...

Business

While Southport has a dependence on tourism the town is also home to businesses both in the private and public sector. Some manufacturing facilities were situated in the town, most notably Chewits were manufactured in the town from 1965 to 2006, only closing to move production to

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. Manufacturing has diminished in the last few decades and only a few sites are still in production in the town today. Lord Street is the main shopping street of Southport. It is one of the great shopping streets of Northern England and is said to be the inspiration for the tree-lined boulevards of Paris. In the 2000s Chapel Street was pedestrianised and is home to famous brands. Southport also has an indoor market situated on King Street and Market Street as well as a farmers' market held on the last Thursday of every month on Chapel Street. Southport has hosted conferences since at least the 1880s when the Royal Institution met in the town. The former Southport Theatre & Convention Centre closed in 2020 and a planning permission application for a new Marine Lake Events Centre was submitted at the end of June 2022. It has hosted the

United Kingdom Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...

national conference as well as the regional Labour Party conference. The Liberal Democrats held their federal Spring conference here in March 2018.

England's Golf Coast

Southport is often called ''England's Golfing Capital'' because it is at the centre of England's Golf Coast. Royal Birkdale Golf Club is one of the clubs in the

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

rotation for both men and women. The club has hosted the men's championship ten times since 1954, most recently in July 2017, and has hosted the women's tournament five times, including 2010. Southport's other courses include the 9-hole Southport Old Links in High Park, the Hesketh Golf Club, Hillside Golf Club and

Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club is an 18-hole championship golf course in North West England, situated near the Merseyside (formerly Lancashire) towns of Southport and Ainsdale, north of Liverpool. The course is near the coast of the Irish Sea, ...

Attractions

One of Southport's main attractions for many years was Pleasureland, a fairground established in 1912. It was owned by the

Thompson Family This is a family tree of the Thomson family. The male head of the family holds the hereditary title of Baron Thomson of Fleet in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 2006, this has been David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet (born 1957), on ...

, and was closed in September 2006. A replacement fairground on the same site, provisionally named

New Pleasureland Adventure Coast Southport is an amusement park located in Southport, Merseyside, England. The park originally operated from 1913 to 2006 as Pleasureland Theme Park under the ownership of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach company. In 2007, the park r ...

, opened in July 2007. An earlier permanent funfair, Peter Pan's Playground, closed in the 1980s and is now the site of part of the Ocean Plaza shopping development. A former landmark of Pleasureland was the Looping Star roller coaster, which was on site from 1985 to 1987. It featured in the video for the pop single ''Wonderful Life'', by Liverpool band

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, which was also shot at other parts of the Sefton and North West coastline. On 24 April 2009 a serious fire occurred at the oldest attraction within New Pleasureland. Called ''The River Caves'', it was completely destroyed in this

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

attack, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the fire. Southport Model Railway Village is situated in Kings Gardens opposite the Royal Clifton Hotel and near the Marine Lake Bridge. The Model Railway Village opened in May 1996 and was created by Ray and Jean Jones. The Jones family still run the attraction today. The Model Railway Village season extends from April to the end of October. The season has extended into weekend openings during November, February and March, weather permitting. An earlier model village, the Land of the Little People, was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the aborted Winter Gardens/SIBEC shopping development. Its site is now occupied by a Morrison's supermarket. Other attractions in Southport include Splash World, an indoor

water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...

situated on the back of the Dunes swimming pool which opened in June 2007.

Meols Hall Meols Hall is a historical manor house in Churchtown, Merseyside, dating from the 12th century with a 16th-century tithe barn restored for wedding receptions and ceremonies. History Meols Hall dates back to the late 12th century when the manor ...

, a manor house, home of the Hesketh family, is open to the public for a limited period each year. Its history back to the Domesday Book. The British Lawnmower Museum is based in Shakespeare Street, a short distance outside the town centre. The Power Station, that was the base of the town's former radio station

Dune FM Dune FM was an Independent Local Radio station serving Southport, Sefton and surrounding areas between 1997 and 2012. Origins Dune FM originally broadcast two RSL temporary licences in 1993. The first RSL was broadcast from makeshift stud ...

, on the edge of Victoria Park, which itself is home to the

Architecture

''See also

Listed buildings in Southport Southport is a seaside town in Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Sefton, Merseyside, England. It contains 175 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, three are listed a ...

'' Southport has many unique buildings and features, many of which are privately owned Victorian villas and houses and the town centre shops are of architectural interest. The most notable buildings, gardens and places of architectural interest are: * Lakeside Miniature Railway *

, formerly home of the Southport Pier Tramway *

Marine Way Bridge The Marine Way Bridge is cable-stayed in Southport, England. The bridge was designed by Babtie (now part of Jacobs) with architect Nicol Russell Studios and was built by Balfour Beatty to replace a cast iron bridge that closed in 1990. With ...

* Lord Street * Southport Model Railway Village * Promenade Hospital, renovated as luxury flats and renamed Marine Gate Mansions * Ribble Building, built as a railway station then adapted for use as a bus station, part of the site was redeveloped as a supermarket and the remainder converted to a hotel and 24hr gym *

Smedley Hydro Smedley Hydro is a former Victorian hydropathic spa and hotel in Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside, England. The building has been used as a college, hydropathic spa, and hotel and is currently the home of the General Register Office for England ...

A former Victorian Hydropathic Health Spa, now under ownership of the Home Office for the UK's Birth, Deaths and Marriages * Botanic Gardens * Hesketh Park * Park Crescent, Hesketh Park No.29 has one of the oldest existing residential garages in the UK dating from about 1899, although both house and garage have been converted to flats. * Rosefield Hall on Hesketh Road, built 1908, former home of

Maurice de Forest Maurice Arnold de Forest (9 January 1879 – 6 October 1968) was an American-born British politician. He briefly served as a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician in the United Kingdom. He was born in France to poor American circus performers a ...

and used as a hospital during World War II *

* Round House *

Wayfarers Arcade Wayfarers Arcade (previously the Leyland Arcade and Burton Arcade) is a Grade II listed structure located in the seaside town of Southport, Merseyside on the famous boulevard of Lord Street in the town centre. The arcade is a near untouched buil ...

The Atkinson The Atkinson is a building on the east side of Lord Street extending round the corner into Eastbank Street, Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, England. The building is a combination of two former buildings, the original Atkinson Art Gallery and ...

* St Cuthbert's Church * St George's United Reformed Church, Lord Street * Emmanuel Parish Church, Cambridge Road, which has an organ, installed in 1914, built by Harrisons of Durham * Holy Trinity Church, founded before 1898 *

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Statue – originally moved from the Town Hall Gardens to Nevill Street junction to the Promenade and again to the pedestrianised side of Nevill Street. *

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

, a former theatre, cinema and bingo hall, built in 1932 in Art Deco style Also of architectural interest, but not existing, are: * Kingsway Night Club – demolished in 2010 following an arson attack * Steamport Museum (housed inside the former 27C locomotive shed, demolished in late 2000) – site now occupied by Central 12 shopping complex) *

Palace Hotel, Birkdale The Birkdale Palace Hotel was a luxury hotel located in the Lancashire coastal resort of Birkdale, Southport, Birkdale, Southport, on the north-west coast of England. The building towered over the surrounding area for over a hundred years befor ...

(a large Victorian hotel – demolished in 1969 * Southport General Infirmary – demolished in 2008–09 with only a wing of the infirmary remaining as it is being used for mental health services

Transport

Road

Southport is the second-largest town in Britain with no direct dual-carriageway link to the national motorway network (after Eastbourne: 2011 census). Due to its position by the coast, Southport is a

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical r ...

and as such can only be approached in a limited number of directions by road. The main roads entering Southport are: * A565 (from Preston to the northeast, from the A59 Liverpool – Preston – York) * A570 (from

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Ormski ...

and St Helens to the southeast) * A565 (from Liverpool and

Formby Formby is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under ...

to the south) The nearest motorway connections are: *from the southeast – junction 3 of the M58 (via the A570, twelve miles) *from the south – junction 7 of the M57 (via the A565, fourteen miles) *from the northeast – junction 1 of the M65 / junction 29 of the M6 (via the A59 and A582, nineteen miles) Marine Way Bridge

An east-west bypass for the A570 at Ormskirk is planned to relieve congestion on Southport's main access route to the motorway network, although the effectiveness of the proposals are still under debate. Several areas within Southport town centre have undergone major road redevelopment; the largest scheme was the construction of the

(opened May 2004), which connects the Lord Street shopping district with the new seafront developments. The high structure is thought to have cost in the region of £5 million. Also one of the main shopping areas in the town, Chapel Street, has undergone a pedestrianisation scheme to be similar to parts of Liverpool city centre.

Bus

Due to the limited number of directions by road, many of the services operated in Southport are from one place south to one place north or east of Southport. The main operator is

Arriva North West Arriva North WestCompanies House extract company no 1990871

, that operates two (previously four) services to

, and two to

and

Skelmersdale Skelmersdale is a town in the West Lancashire district of England. It sits on the River Tawd, west of Wigan, north-east of Liverpool and south-west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. In 2006, it had a population of 38,813. The town is known l ...

via

, Scarisbrick and Pinfold/Burscough. Arriva also operate three regular, local services, as well as a twice a day variation of service 46 (46B), six circular services around

, and used to operate one seasonal service (serving Pontins to the south of the town).

Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group and is headquartered in Liverpool. History Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire can trace i ...

( Preston Depot) operates three services in Southport, the 2 (Preston – Southport), the X2 (Preston – Southport – Liverpool) and the 347 (

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

– Rufford – Southport).

Cumfybus Cumfybus is a bus company based in Southport, Merseyside. History Cumfybus was founded in 1986 by Marshall and Patricia Vickers As time went on, depots were opened in Aintree, Southport, Kirkby and on the Wirral (initially at Birkenhead b ...

operate three regular, local services. Huyton Travel (HTL Buses), operate one service, the 152 (

St Helens, Merseyside St Helens () is a town in Merseyside, England, with a population of 117,308. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens which had a population of 183,200 at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 Census. The town i ...

– Ormskirk – Southport)

Rail

Southport railway station Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station is the terminal of the electricified Southport branch of the Northern Line (Merseyrail), Northern Line of the electric Merseyrail network and the diesel-o ...

has a frequent service of trains to Liverpool, operated by

Merseyrail Merseyrail is a commuter rail network which serves Merseyside and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire in the North West England, North West of England. Merseyrail serves 69 Railway station, stations, 67 of which it manages, across two lin ...

and a regular service to

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, Manchester and

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

. In addition, there are stations at , and on the Liverpool line, part of the

network, and at on the Manchester line. The Liverpool line was originally built by the

Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway The Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway was a British railway company, which opened a line in 1848 between Southport and Waterloo, extending into Liverpool in 1850. The company was acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1855. T ...

in 1848, to a temporary terminus at , this line was extended to in 1851. It was followed on 9 April 1855 by the

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

and

East Lancashire Railway The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway line in North West England which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, , Summerseat and Ramsbott ...

(who had jointly taken over the

Manchester and Southport Railway The Manchester and Southport Railway in England was formed by an Act of 22 July 1847 to link Manchester and Southport. Before the line opened it was acquired jointly by the L&YR and the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) on 3 July 1854. Wigan are ...

before it became operational) with a line from to a terminus at , with later stations at and . Chapel Street and London Street were adjacent and all operations were transferred to Chapel Street in 1857. Formerly, Southport was served by three further railway lines: * From 1882, the

West Lancashire Railway The West Lancashire Railway (WLR) ran northeast from Southport to Preston in northwest England. History The Act of Parliament that established the company received Royal Assent on 17 August 1871. The first sod was cut by Alderman Samuel Sw ...

operated from Southport Derby Road station (also known as Southport Central) to Preston Fishergate Hill. It had stations in Southport at Ash Street, , , and . This line was shut in 1964, and nowadays, Southport and Preston are linked only by the (largely dual-carriageway) A565 and A59 roads. * In 1884, another line from Southport to Liverpool was opened: the

Cheshire Lines Committee The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated of track in the then counties of Lancashire and ...

's Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway extended the CLC's

North Liverpool Extension Line The North Liverpool Extension Line was a railway line in Liverpool, England in operation between 1879 and 1972. It was at one stage intended to become the eastern section of the Merseyrail Outer Loop, an Circle route, orbital line circling th ...

from Liverpool Central to Southport Lord Street. It had stations in Southport at and . * The West Lancashire Railway sponsored the

Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway The Liverpool, Southport and Preston, Lancashire, Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from to . It co ...

to provide a connection to the CLC line, joining it at Altcar and Hillhouse. It had stations in Southport at Butts Lane and

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

. These lines ultimately proved uncompetitive, and the Southport services were withdrawn in 1952. In July 1897, both the West Lancashire and the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railways were absorbed into the

(L&Y). The L&Y had a large terminus at Southport Chapel Street and could see no sense in operating two termini at very close proximity. In 1901, the L&Y completed a remodelling of the approach lines to Central to allow trains to divert onto the Manchester to Southport line and into Southport Chapel Street Station. Southport Central was closed to passengers and it became a goods depot eventually amalgamating with Chapel Street depot. It survived intact well into the 1970s. On

can be found the now closed Southport Pier Tramway which used to transport passengers from the Promenade to the pier head over on a gauge. This closed in 2016 because of the effect on the pier of the weight of the trams. The Lakeside Miniature Railway passes under the pier, carrying passengers along the western side of the marine lake. The line claims to be the oldest continuously running gauge railway in the world.

Education

There are several schools in the town. The all-girls Greenbank High School is situated next to the Royal Birkdale Golf Club, and is a certified Specialist Language school. Actress

Miranda Richardson Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Richardson began her career in 1979 and made her West End theatre, West ...

was educated at the school. Its brother school is the all-boys Birkdale High School, which specialises in mathematics. There are several other high schools in the town, including

Meols Cop High School Meols Cop High School (often abbreviated to MCHS) is a coeducational secondary school located in Southport, Merseyside, England. The school was opened in 1941 and originally consisted of two separate single sex secondary modern schools. One hal ...

, Stanley High School, which is a specialist sports school (whose former students include comedian

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...

and chef

Marcus Wareing Marcus Wareing (born 29 June 1970) is an English celebrity chef who was Chef-Owner of the one- Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus until its permanent closure in December 2023. Since 2014, Wareing has been a judge on '' MasterChef: The Professiona ...

), and Christ the King High School.

Independent schools

The town's last remaining independent preparatory school, Sunnymede School, which was in Westcliffe Road, Birkdale closed in 2010 due to a lack of pupils. In the past the town had more independent schools which included Tower Dene, Brighthelmston School (girls) and University School (boys). Kingswood College (originally St Wyburn's) is now housed outside Southport at

Scarisbrick Hall Scarisbrick Hall is a country house situated just to the south-east of the village of Scarisbrick in Lancashire, England. It is currently home to Scarisbrick Hall School. Parts of the present building, which is considered to be one of the fi ...

Further education

The town has two

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

colleges: Southport College, situated near to the town centre, and King George V College (KGV), located on Scarisbrick New Road in the

area of the town. Courses at Southport College include

Diplomas A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

NVQ National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are practical work-based awards in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland that are achieved through training and assessment. The regulatory framework supporting NVQs was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by th ...

s, BTECs and

Access course The Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma is a U.K. qualification which prepares students — usually 19+ — for study as an undergraduate at university. The diploma is designed for people who would like to study in higher education but who l ...

s. In addition, Southport College offers some higher education courses in conjunction with the

University of Central Lancashire The University of Lancashire (previously abbreviated UCLan) is a public university based in the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. It has its roots in ''The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge'', founded in 1828. Previously k ...

Edge Hill University Edge Hill University is a campus-based public university in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. The university, which originally opened in 1885 as Edge Hill College, was the first non-denominational teacher training college for women in England, befo ...

and

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This ...

. King George V College offers both

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

and

Business And Technology Education Council The Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) is a provider of secondary school leaving qualifications and further education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. While the 'T' in BTEC stood for Technical, according to th ...

(BTEC). It opened as King George V Sixth Form College in 1979, and replaced the former King George V Grammar School for Boys, which occupied the same site from 1926 until its demolition in stages during the 1980s as the college was fully opened. In 2013, the college was the best performing state-funded college in an 18-mile radius of KGV. However, by 2015 Ofsted reported that it 'Requires improvement'. In 2016, Ofsted again rated it poorly, and a government report suggesting merging it with nearby Southport College.

Media

Newspapers

The independently owned ''Champion'' newspaper was a free weekly paper that ceased publishing in August 2022, while ''The Mid-week Visiter'' and ''The

Southport Visiter The ''Southport Visiter'' is a weekly paid-for print newspaper covering Southport, Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1844 as a single sheet listing visitors to the seaside town. It is now owned by Reach Regionals, formerly Trinity Mirror, ...

'' (part of

Reach plc Reach plc (known as Trinity Mirror between 1999 and 2018) is a British newspaper, magazine and digital publisher. It is one of the UK's biggest newspaper groups, publishing 240 regional papers in addition to the national ''Daily Mirror'', '' ...

's ''Sefton & West Lancs Media Mix'' titles) are free and paid-for newspapers respectively. The town also falls within the circulation areas of three regional hard copy newspapers; ''The

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...

'', ''The

Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Reach plc, Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, wi ...

'' and ''The

Lancashire Evening Post The ''Lancashire Post'' is a daily newspaper based in Fulwood, a suburb of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. Until 14 January 2017 it was known as the ''Lancashire Evening Post''. According to the British Library The British Library ...

''. Southport is also covered by several local and regional magazines, like ''

Lancashire Life ''Lancashire Life'' is a British monthly regional magazine, first published in 1947, devoted to the English county palatine of Lancashire. The magazine is part of Newsquest Media Group. It covers lifestyle topics including motoring, property, fo ...

''. The local Ranger Service, which is part of Sefton MBC, runs a quarterly free magazine called ''Coastlines''. Old Southport newspapers now out of print are as follows: ''Independent'' 1861–1920s; ''Liverpool & Southport News'' 1861–1872; ''Southport News'' (West Lancs) 1881–1885; ''Southport Standard'' 1885–1899; ''Southport Guardian'' 1882–1953; – "Published from" date only ''Southport Journal'' 1904–1932; ''Southport Star''; and ''Southport Advertiser''. The area also has online media sites, including the UK's first

online newspaper An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the electronic publishing, online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical literature, periodical. Goin ...

, the ''

Southport Reporter ''Southport Reporter'' is an online newspaper started by Patrick Trollope. It was the UK's first online-only regional newspaper. It is based in Southport on Merseyside, and was quickly recognised by the National Union of Journalists as well as ...

'', as well as Internet forums and blog sites.

Broadcasting

The town's commercial radio station

closed during August 2012. Coast 107.9 was since launched and continued to broadcast online. Southport is covered by several local and regional radio stations, including Dune Radio,

Hits Radio Liverpool Hits Radio Liverpool, formerly Radio City, is an Independent Local Radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Radio, Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Merseyside, Cheshire and parts of north Wales. As of ...

(formerly Radio City),

Hits Radio Lancashire Hits Radio Lancashire, formerly Rock FM, is an Independent Local Radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Radio, Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Lancashire, North West England. As of March 2025, the s ...

(formerly Rock FM),

Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West is an Independent Local Radio station based in Liverpool, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Merseyside, Cheshire and ...

, Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire,

BBC Radio Merseyside BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC's local radio station serving Merseyside, North and West Cheshire and West Lancashire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds, from studios on Hanover Street in Liverpool. According to RAJAR, t ...

and

BBC Radio Lancashire BBC Radio Lancashire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Lancashire. Originally launched as BBC Radio Blackburn, in 1981 it expanded to cover the whole county and was renamed BBC Radio Lancashire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB ...

. Mighty Radio is Southport's only local community FM radio station broadcasting on 107.9MHz FM and online. It was established in 2012, after the towns former station closed. Mighty Radio was given a trial

restricted service licence A UK Restricted Service Licence (often called an RSL) is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. Licences are granted by the broadcasting authority Ofcom ...

in 2012. In December 2018, OFCOM awarded Mighty Radio with their FM licence. Showcasing local talent through their presenters, they provide the town with local news from Radio News Hub hourly from 07:00 to 19:00 seven days a week with local headlines. The station supports local and national charities. Southport is situated within the television regions of

BBC North West BBC North West is the BBC English Regions, BBC English Region serving Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, as well as parts of North Yorkshire (western Craven District, Craven), Derbyshire (western High Peak, Derbyshire, High ...

and ITV's

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

Sports

Football

Southport is home to Southport F.C. who have played at the

Haig Avenue Haig Avenue (originally known as Ash Lane) is a football stadium in Blowick, Southport, Merseyside, England, that holds 6,008 people (1,537 seated, 4,471 standing). Since its opening in 1905 it has been the home ground of Southport. Location T ...

ground since 1905. The club entered

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

in 1921 and became a founder member of the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

. In 1978 the club was voted out of the Football League following three consecutive 23rd (out of 24) placed finishes, and was replaced by

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

. Southport were the last club to leave the Football League through the re-election process. Automatic relegation from the Fourth Division was introduced in 1986–1987. They are in the

National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...

, the sixth tier of English football. They were previously in the National League after winning the Conference North in 2009–2010 campaign.

Rugby

Southport is home to a rugby union club, Southport Rugby Football Club, who play their home matches at Waterloo Road in Hillside. Southport RFC's first XV plays in

North 2 West North 2 West is a regional English rugby union league at the seventh tier of club rugby union for teams from Cheshire, Cumbria, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The division was introduced for the 2019-20 season to form a new lea ...

in the Rugby Football Union Northern Division, and the club fields sides at all age levels, Senior: First XV, Second XV, Third XV, veterans, Ladies, U18 Colts; Junior: U13s to U17 Colts; Mini: U6s to U12s. Founded as Southport Football Club on 29 November 1872, it is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world. The first president of the club was Samuel Swire, the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Southport. In line with the origins of the modern game, the club was composed of old public school boys, and was formed with the intention of ''improving the physical development of our young townsmen.'' The driving force behind the formation of the club was Dr George Coombe (later

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

George Augustus Pilkington) of Southport Infirmary. Notable former players include, Samuel Perry, England International, Gordon Rimmer, former England International, and British Lion and * Bob Burdell,

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...

and Lancashire.

Golf

The Royal Birkdale Golf Club situated in the dunes to the south of the town is one of the venues on

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

rotation and has hosted two

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

s. Nearby

is also a two time Ryder Cup venue and both Hillside Golf Club and Hesketh Golf Club host major events as well as being final open qualifying courses. Smaller links courses also surround the town.

Kite surfing

Ainsdale Beach, south of the town, is popular for kite sports, including kite-surfing.

Speed record

In 1925,

set a world

of on the beach, driving a Sunbeam Tiger. His association is commemorated by the name of a public house on Lord Street.

Water

Marine Lake lies nestled between the town centre and the sea and is used for water-sports including water-skiing, sailing and rowing. The lake is home to the West Lancashire Yacht Club and Southport Sailing Club, both of which organise

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...

racing. The annual Southport 24 Hour Race, organised by the West Lancashire Yacht Club, is an endurance race of national standing, with an average turnout of 60 to 80 boats. In 2006, the event marked its 40th anniversary.

Cycling

The flat and scenic route alongside the beach is popular with cyclists, and is the start of the

Trans Pennine Trail The Trans Pennine Trail is a long-distance path running from coast to coast across Northern England on a mixture of surfaced paths, with some short on-road sections, and with gentle gradients (it runs largely along disused railway lines and c ...

, a

cycle route Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in ...

running across the north of the country to

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

in North Yorkshire, through

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

and on to

Hornsea Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull and Hornsea Railway in 186 ...

on the east coast. In June 2008, Cycling England announced Southport as one of the 11 new cycling towns, which shared £47 million from the government to be spent solely on cycling schemes in the towns. Southport's Cycling Towns programme aims to encourage tourism and leisure cycling, create regeneration opportunities and significantly increase cycling to school. There are now many cycle lanes in Southport and more are planned, to encourage cycling in the town.

Speedway Racing

An article in the Northern Daily Telegraph for 22 September 1929 reports that a proposed meeting at Kew Speedway had been halted due to the intervention of the Auto Cycle Union. (ACU) The proprietor of the venture was Mr Farrar. It is not known if the track was amended and if any events took place.

Notable people

Marc Almond Peter Mark Almond (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop/ new wave duo Soft Cell. He has a distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has had a diverse career as a ...

, singer and songwriter, founding member of

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball (electronic musician), David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit versio ...

. * Bruce Anderson (1905-1979), baritone opera singer and actor, SABC English language radio service reporter in East and North Afrrica during World War 2. *

Ronnie Fearn, Baron Fearn Ronald Cyril Fearn, Baron Fearn, (6 February 1931 – 24 January 2022) was a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was born and died in Southport. Early life Fearn was born in 1931 in Southport, the son of James (a master decorator) and Mar ...

(1931–2022), politician, MP for Southport, and Peer. *

Låpsley Holly Lapsley Fletcher (born 7 August 1996), known by the stage name Låpsley, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Her debut album '' Long Way Home'' was released on 4 March 2016. Early life Låpsley was born in York. Her m ...

, singer and songwriter *

, comedian and actor * Keith Pring, footballer for Southport FC from 1969 - 71 * Jackie Rimmer, footballer, played for Southport FC. *

Michael Rimmer Michael Alan Rimmer (born 3 February 1986, in Southport) is an English middle-distance runner. He was born in Southport. Originally a member of Southport Waterloo AC, he changed clubs to rivals Liverpool Pembroke Sefton, who he still now races ...

, 800-metre athlete *

Stuart Rimmer Stuart Alan Rimmer (born 12 October 1964) is an English former footballer who is Chester City's record goalscorer. He scored 134 Football League goals in two spells for Chester, and also represented seven other clubs during his professional car ...

, footballer * William Rimmer, composer and conductor *

Tony Rodwell Anthony Rodwell (born 26 August 1962) is an English former professional association football, footballer. His preferred position was on the Midfielder#Winger, right wing. Prior to turning professional, Southport-born Rodwell played for Southpo ...

, footballer * G. B. Samuelson, pioneer of British cinema *

Shaun Teale Shaun Teale (born 10 March 1964) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. He played as a defender from 1983 until 2004 and was notably part of the League Cup winning team of Aston Villa in 1994.He also played in the ...

, footballer for Southport FC *

, celebrity chef

Famous animals and entities

Red Rum Red Rum (3 May 1965 – 18 October 1995) was an Irish champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser. He achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1 ...

, record-breaking racehorse and three-time winner of the

Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, northeast of Liverpool city centre. In 2011 the parish had a p ...

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

* ''

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

'', a comic for boys, started in Southport * Gomez, indie rock band originating from Southport *

Ron Asheton Ronald Franklin Asheton (July 17, 1948 – Wiktionary:circa, c. January 6, 2009) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the band along with Iggy Pop and his brot ...

, founder member of

The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

. Decided on a music career after visiting

The Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a music venue on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened on 16 January 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The club beca ...

during a stay in Southport.

References

External links

Official Southport Tourism site
{{authority control Towns in Merseyside Seaside resorts in England Towns and villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton Populated coastal places in Merseyside Beaches of Merseyside Unparished areas in Merseyside Former civil parishes in Merseyside