93-744: Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside , England. It lies on the West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea , approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Liverpool and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Preston . At the 2021 census , Southport had a population of 94,421, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England and
186-676: A national nature reserve and a Ramsar site. Local fauna include the natterjack toad and the sand lizard . 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 at
279-523: A channel to drain 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. In the late 18th century, it was becoming fashionable for the well-to-do to desert inland spa towns and visit
372-596: 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 Liverpool area. The government again directed the Local Government Commission for England to make a review in December 1996 (after it had finished the work on
465-562: A month, until broken by J.G. Parry-Thomas . Southport elected their first ever Labour MP in the 2024 general election . On 29 July 2024, three girls aged 6, 7 and 9 were murdered in a stabbing incident , with eight children and two adults left injured. A violent riot the following day in response to the stabbings organised by far-right groups left 53 police officers injured, with eight sustaining serious injuries. Multiple police vehicles were burned and destroyed and shops were raided. In 2024 Southport elected its first ever Labour MP since
558-488: 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. Southport grew quickly in the 19th century as it gained a reputation for being a more refined seaside resort than its neighbour Blackpool . Southport had a head start compared to all the other places on the Lancashire coast because it had easy access to
651-529: 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 (pronounced "meals"). A church called St Cuthbert's
744-531: A railway connection. The resort increased during the Victorian era and contains examples of Victorian architecture and town planning . Lord Street was developed as a wide, tree-lined shopping street, and attractions such as Southport Pier , which is the second longest seaside pleasure pier in the British Isles , were constructed. A particular feature of the town is the extensive tree planting. This
837-655: A seaside resort dedicated to tourism with a large fishing fleet of recreational charter boats. Seaside resorts on the Flemish coast of West-Vlaanderen exist at the famous Knokke , Ostend and also De Panne and coastal towns along the North Sea served by the coastal tramway Kusttram run by De Lijn . There are many seaside resorts on the jagged coastline of Croatia and its several islands, including: With three long coastlines, France has many seaside resorts on its various coasts; for specific towns in each region, see
930-597: A unique architectural style called resort architecture . The coast of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania alone has an overall length of 2000 km and is nicknamed German Riviera . Heiligendamm in Mecklenburg , established in 1793, is the oldest seaside resort in Germany and continental Europe . Most important coastal areas with seaside resorts in Germany: Selection of German seaside resorts along
1023-479: 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
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#17327875254091116-604: A visit being considered as treatment for chest complaints. Owing to its generally better climate, the south coast has many seaside towns, the most being in Sussex . In the later 20th century, the popularity of the British seaside resort declined for the same reason that it first flourished: advances in transport. The greater accessibility of foreign holiday destinations, through package holidays and, more recently, European low-cost airlines , makes it easier to holiday abroad. Despite
1209-576: Is governed by the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region , 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. Southport is located within the historic county of Lancashire , and was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1866. It became a county borough independent of the administrative county of Lancashire in 1905, having reached
1302-459: Is a civil parish and electoral ward in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire , England. The parish covers the village of Banks and the hamlet of Hundred End . The population of the parish/ward at the 2011 census was 4,146. Historically the parish covered a wider area including much of what is now Southport . According to the 2001 census the population of North Meols was 3,793, and 3,730 of those people were white. Only 60 people in
1395-470: Is a city, town , village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast . Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements such as in the German Seebad . Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists , it may be called a beach resort . Seaside resorts have existed since antiquity. In Roman times,
1488-694: Is administered for public services by both Sefton Borough Council and West Lancashire District Council. For more local matters, there is also the North Southport Area Committee and the North Meols Parish Council. The main community centre for the district is the Banks Leisure Centre, located just off Southport New Road in Banks. There was one listed buildings in the parish, Greaves Hall . This
1581-611: Is also a memorial inside the Lifeboat house, now operated by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust . Mexico was just one of many shipwrecks in the Southport area . From 1894 to 1912 Birkdale and the adjoining village of Ainsdale were separate from Southport and administered by Birkdale Urban District Council before becoming part of the county borough of Southport in 1912. This was a huge expansion of
1674-557: Is an example of that. Later, Queen Victoria 's long-standing patronage of the Isle of Wight and Ramsgate in Kent ensured that a seaside residence was considered a highly fashionable possession for those wealthy enough to afford more than one home. The extension of this form of leisure to the middle and working classes began with the development of the railways in the 1840s; they offered cheap travel to fast-growing resort towns. In particular,
1767-530: Is not always true; for example Broadstairs in Kent has retained much of its old world charm with Punch and Judy and donkey rides and still remains popular, being only one hour from the M25 . Brighton has also seen a fall in visitor numbers in recent years. The city has also experienced a rise in homelessness, especially noticeable on the city streets and in green spaces where tents have been erected. North Meols North Meols ( / ˈ m iː l z / )
1860-616: 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 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,
1953-422: 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
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#17327875254092046-805: Is particularly known for its beaches. All seaside resorts in Jordan are located in Aqaba , the only seaport in Jordan. Seaside resorts of Aqaba include Ayla Oasis and Marsa Zayed in the Tala Bay region. Many seaside resorts are located in Gyeongsang , Jeolla , Chungcheong , Gangwon , Gyeonggi , Incheon , Ulsan and Busan . The following are the main resort towns in Malta : Mexican resorts are popular with many North American residents, with Mexico being
2139-553: 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 , Lower Blowick, Rowe-Lane, Churchtown, Marshside , Crossens , and 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 cut
2232-600: The Baltic Sea coastline: At the North Sea coastline: Greece, renowned as a summer destination, features a large amount of seaside resorts. Some of them include: India has a long coastline and hence has numerous beaches and resort towns. Beaches were already a popular tourist destination for the kings and the masses alike especially in South India where the Dravidian Empires built large temples near
2325-490: The Baltic Sea . The opening of the resort in Brighton and its reception of royal patronage from King George IV extended the seaside as a resort for health and pleasure to the much larger London market, and the beach became a centre for upper-class pleasure and frivolity. This trend was praised and artistically elevated by the new romantic ideal of the picturesque landscape; Jane Austen 's unfinished novel Sanditon
2418-764: The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador . Spanish resorts are popular with many European and world residents. Notable resorts on the mainland and islands include: Some examples of Ukrainian seaside resort towns are: The United Kingdom saw the popularisation of seaside resorts , and nowhere was this more seen than in Blackpool . Blackpool catered for workers from across industrial Northern England , who packed its beaches and promenade . Other northern seaside towns (for example Bridlington , Cleethorpes , Morecambe , Scarborough , Skegness , and Southport ) shared in
2511-662: The Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea . Most tourists come from the United States and European countries. Other resorts include: Italy is known for its seaside resorts, visited both by Italian and European tourists. Many of these resorts have a history of tourism which dates back to the 19th century. Resorts include (among many others): There are seaside resorts in Honshu , Shikoku , and Kyushu , but Okinawa
2604-657: The North Pier in Blackpool was completed, rapidly becoming a centre of attraction for elite visitors. Central Pier was completed in 1868, with a theatre and a large open-air dance floor. Many popular beach resorts were equipped with bathing machines , because even the all-covering beachwear of the period was considered immodest. By the end of the century the English coastline had over 100 large resort towns, some with populations exceeding 50,000. The development of
2697-683: The Royal Birkdale Golf Club . The town gets its name from the South Port Hotel; built around 1797 (see #18th century ). There have been settlements in the area now comprising Southport since the Domesday Book , and some parts of the town have names of Viking origin. The earliest recorded human activity in the region was during the Middle Stone Age when mesolithic hunter-gatherers were attracted by
2790-569: 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 and Ronnie Fearn (MPs for Southport at various times) supported making Southport
2883-457: The 1720s; it had been a popular spa town since a stream of acidic water was discovered running from one of the cliffs to the south of the town in the 17th century. The first rolling bathing machines were introduced by 1735. In 1793, Heiligendamm in Mecklenburg , Germany was founded as the first seaside resort of the European continent, which successfully attracted Europe's aristocracy to
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2976-658: 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 national conference as well as the regional Labour Party conference. The Liberal Democrats held their federal Spring conference here in March 2018. Southport
3069-467: The 18th-20th centuries. In the past the resorts have received mostly domestic tourism, however, since the 1990s, following the opening of Polish borders, the international tourism has grown considerably. Notable resorts include: Many European and world tourists visit Portuguese resorts, particularly those on the Algarve and Madeira . Notable resorts include: The Romanian Black Sea resorts stretch from
3162-713: 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 , 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
3255-564: The 19th century. This left behind a legacy of fine agricultural soil, which is still exploited to this day – the primary industry in the area is farming, especially of flowers and vegetables. To this day, the northern part of the district retains a lot of its rural character, with the only large-scale development being the construction of a large number of new homes in Banks. The southern districts, although now fully incorporated into Southport have also not been fully urbanised; Churchtown retains its attractive centre and extensive botanic gardens, and
3348-400: 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
3441-805: 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 Liverpool City Region Combined Authority . The closest cities are Preston 20 km (12 miles) to the north east and Liverpool 27 km (17 miles) to the south. Existing on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain , most of the town is only slightly above sea level and thus parts of Southport used to be susceptible to flooding . Marine Drive
3534-921: The Danube Delta in the north down to the Romanian-Bulgarian border in the south, along 275 kilometers of coastline. Notable seaside resorts in South America include Búzios , Camboriú , Florianópolis , Fortaleza , Recife and Salvador in Brazil ; Mar del Plata in Argentina ; Piriapolis and Punta del Este in Uruguay ; Easter Island and Viña del Mar in Chile ; Barranquilla and Cartagena in Colombia ; and Guayaquil , Salinas and
3627-517: The East of Ireland developed after the introduction of rail travel. The Dublin and Kingstown Railway introduced day-trippers from Dublin to Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire ) in South Dublin , and the coastal town became Ireland's first seaside resort. Other South Dublin towns and villages such as Sandycove , Dalkey and Killiney grew as seaside resorts when the rail network was expanded. Since
3720-709: The Firth of Clyde have continued to prosper as middle-class commuter towns . Some resorts, especially those more southerly such as Hastings , Worthing , Eastbourne , Bournemouth , and Brighton were built as new towns or extended by local landowners to appeal to wealthier holidaymakers. Others came about due to their proximity to large urban areas of population, such as Southend-on-Sea , which became increasingly popular with residents of London once rail links were established to it allowing day trips from London. The sunshine and sea air were seen by Victorians as beneficial for health, and resorts such as Ventnor owed their growth to
3813-620: The Hesketh Golf Club, Hillside Golf Club and Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club . One of Southport's main attractions for many years was Pleasureland , a fairground established in 1912. It was owned by the Thompson Family , and was closed in September 2006. A replacement fairground on the same site, provisionally named New Pleasureland , opened in July 2007. An earlier permanent funfair, Peter Pan's Playground, closed in
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3906-609: The North of England. The United Kingdom Census 2001 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
3999-781: 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
4092-539: The US Atlantic coastline, enticing northern upper-class families south to subtropical Florida. The Florida East Coast Railway brought northern tourists to St. Augustine in greater numbers, and by 1887 Flagler began to build two large ornate hotels in St. Augustine, the 540-room Ponce de Leon Hotel and the Hotel Alcazar , and bought the Casa Monica Hotel the next year. Continental European attitudes towards gambling and nudity tended to be more lax than in Britain, and British and French entrepreneurs were quick to exploit
4185-435: The abundant red deer and elk populations, as well as the availability of fish, shellfish, and woodland. Roman 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 Domesday Book , in which the area is called Otergimele . The Domesday Book states that there were 50 huts in Otergimele, housing
4278-403: The back of the Dunes swimming pool which opened in June 2007. Meols Hall , 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 , on
4371-400: The beach as a popular leisure resort from the mid-19th century was the first manifestation of what is now the global tourist industry. The first seaside resorts were opened in the 18th century for the aristocracy, who began to frequent the seaside as well as the then fashionable spa towns, for recreation and health. One of the earliest such seaside resorts was Scarborough in Yorkshire during
4464-423: The branch line to the small seaside town of Blackpool from Poulton-le-Fylde led to a sustained economic and demographic boom. A sudden influx of visitors arriving by rail motivated entrepreneurs to build accommodation and create new attractions, leading to more visitors and rapid growth throughout the 1850s and 1860s. The growth was intensified by the practice among the Lancashire cotton mill owners of closing
4557-443: 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 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
4650-411: 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 Metropolitan Borough of Sefton , one of the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region. . It
4743-407: The development of Beach Resorts where Europeans used to visit during the harsh and cold winter of Europe. The archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are also famous for beach resorts. Other beach resorts in India includes: The 'Irish Riviera' on the South Coast of Ireland features the seaside resorts of Youghal , Ardmore , Dungarvan , Cóbh and Ballycotton , all set close to
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#17327875254094836-410: The early 20th century. By the 1970s cheap and affordable air travel was the catalyst for the growth of a global tourism market. Since the late 20th century, recreational fishing and leisure boat pursuits have become very lucrative, and traditional fishing villages are often well positioned to take advantage of this. Destin, Florida , for instance, has evolved from an artisanal fishing village into
4929-418: The edge of Victoria Park, which itself is home to the Southport Flower Show . See also Listed buildings in Southport 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: Seaside resort A seaside resort
5022-429: 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 situated on
5115-430: The factories for a week every year to service and repair machinery. These became known as wakes weeks . Each town's mills would close for a different week, allowing Blackpool to manage a steady and reliable stream of visitors over a prolonged period in the summer. A prominent feature of the resort was the promenade and the pleasure piers , where an eclectic variety of performances vied for the people's attention. In 1863,
5208-453: The following articles: Germany is known for its traditional seaside resorts on the Baltic Sea and the North Sea coasts, mainly established in the 19th century. In German they are called Seebad ("Sea Spa") or Seeheilbad , sometimes with Ostsee- or Nordsee- as prefixes for the respective coastline. The most prestigious resorts can be found along the Baltic coastline, including the islands of Rugia and Usedom . They often feature
5301-486: The funds to buy a new lifeboat for the town, stationed at the old RNLI lifeboat house. The lifeboat, operated by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust , is completely independent from the RNLI and receives no money from them. It relies entirely on donations from the general public. On 21 March 1926, Henry Segrave set the land speed record in his 4-litre Sunbeam Tiger Ladybird on the sands at Southport at 152.33 mph (245.15 km/h). This record lasted for just over
5394-475: The local dialect. This is also found in other dialects with strong Norse connections, especially the dialect of Shetland. Compare, however with Meols pronounced as "mells", on the nearby Wirral . Historically, North Meols has been centred on St. Cuthbert's Church in Churchtown, although there were vicarages in Crossens, Banks and Birkdale. Parts of the parish were almost completely surrounded by water until large scale drainage of Martin Mere and other marshland in
5487-410: The loyalty of returning holidaymakers, resorts such as Blackpool have struggled to compete against the hotter weather of Southern Europe and the sunbelt in the United States . Now, many symbols of the traditional British resort ( holiday camps , end-of-the-pier shows and saucy postcards ) are regarded by some as drab and outdated; the skies are imagined to be overcast and the beach windswept. This
5580-478: The marshes to the west of Crossens and Marshside have been preserved for their wildlife. North Meols was previously home to the West Lancashire Railway , fully opened in 1878, which ran between Southport and Preston. Low passenger numbers later led to its decline and its closure was assured by the Beeching Axe in 1964. The main transport link through the area is now the A565 road Southport New Road, which runs from Southport north-east to Preston . North Meols
5673-574: 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 . Under the 1971 Local Government White Paper, presented in February 1971, Southport would have lost its county borough status, becoming a non-metropolitan district within Lancashire. Rather than accept this fate and lose its separate education and social services departments, Southport Corporation lobbied for inclusion in
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#17327875254095766-407: 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 , 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
5859-514: The nearby planned metropolitan county of Merseyside, to join with Bootle and other units to form a district with the 250,000 required population. It was duly included in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton . A recurring local political issue has been the cross-party movement campaigning for Southport to leave Sefton and form its own unitary authority , perhaps adjoined to the neighbouring West Lancashire authority. Support for this has been seen amongst Liberal Democrat councillors, and also within
5952-452: The north coast, with its two beaches and a world-famous golf course, Royal Portrush Golf Club . Other Ulster seaside resorts are Newcastle , located on the east coast at the foot of the Mourne Mountains; Ballycastle ; Portstewart ; Rathmullan ; Bundoran and Bangor . Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland and the marina has on occasion been awarded the Blue Flag for attention to environmental issues. The main seaside towns in
6045-441: The opening of Bray Daly Station in 1852, the County Wicklow coastal town of Bray has become the largest seaside resort on the East Coast of Ireland. The town of Greystones , five miles south of Bray, also grew as a seaside resort when the railway line was extended in 1855. Other seaside resorts include Courtown and Rosslare Strand in County Wexford . Ulster has a number of seaside resorts, such as Portrush , situated on
6138-409: The population has been stable with minor decline in some areas of the town. 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
6231-445: The possibilities. In 1863, the Prince of Monaco , Charles III and François Blanc , a French businessman, arranged for steamships and carriages to take visitors from Nice to Monaco, where large luxury hotels, gardens and casinos were built. The place was renamed Monte Carlo . Commercial seabathing also spread to other areas of the United States and parts of the British Empire such as Australia , where surfing became popular in
6324-410: The rest of western UK. The coast-to-coast Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) stretches the breadth of northern England – 215 miles (346 km) 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
6417-521: The royalty of Europe, including Queen Victoria and King Edward VII . In the United States , early seaside resorts in the late 1800s catered to the wealthy, including city businessmen. Cape May, New Jersey became one of the first coastal resorts in the United States, when regular steamboat traffic on the Delaware River began after the War of 1812. Early visitors to Cape May included Henry Clay in 1847, and Abraham Lincoln in 1849. By 1880, Henry Flagler had extended several rail lines southward down
6510-414: The rural villages of Banks , Far Banks and Hundred End , Mere Brow and Holmes in West Lancashire . It was bounded to the south by the Martin Mere wetland. Dating from before the Norman conquest , this area of small farming and fishing villages was originally known as Otegrimeles, from the Norse word "melr", meaning sand-dunes. The present pronunciation "mee-als" stems from Old Norse influences on
6603-417: The same period in 1980, a Private Member's Bill proposed restoring Southport to Lancashire, and renaming the residue of Sefton to the Metropolitan Borough of Bootle. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England conducted a review of the area in 1987, which attracted 10,000 messages, of which "70% were pro forma ". In 1990, the LGBC made suggestions that Southport, Ainsdale and Birkdale should be made
6696-402: The seashore. Beaches are also associated with Hindu rituals where pilgrims from different parts of India go for worshipping rituals. The sun rise and Sunset are also associated with Hindu traditions which are considered sacred my many Hindu communities and there are festivals to celebrate the sunset and sunrise. A major example of such festivals is Chhath Puja . The British Raj also contributed in
6789-409: The seaside just four miles (6 km) away from the newly constructed Leeds and Liverpool Canal and two miles southwest of Churchtown. When a widow from Wigan 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
6882-412: 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. While Southport has a dependence on tourism
6975-568: The seaside resort abroad was stimulated by the well-developed English love of the beach. The French Riviera on the Mediterranean Sea had already become a destination for the British upper class by the end of the 18th century. In 1864, the first railway to Nice was completed, making the Riviera accessible to visitors from all over Europe. By 1874, foreign residents in Nice, mostly British, numbered 25,000. The coastline became renowned for attracting
7068-602: 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
7161-670: The second most visited country in the Americas. Notable resorts on the mainland and the Baja Gold Coast and Peninsula include: There are many seaside resorts on the Dutch coast, chiefly in the provinces of North Holland , South Holland and Zeeland , as well as on the West Frisian Islands . A selection includes: Poland's coast on the Baltic Sea includes many traditional seaside resorts established throughout
7254-627: The ships bringing the trade could berth. Another area notable for its seaside resorts was (and is) the Firth of Clyde , outside Glasgow. Glaswegians would take a ferry "doon the watter" from the city, down the River Clyde , to the Firth's islands and peninsulas and beyond, such as Cowal , Bute , Arran , and Kintyre . Resorts include Rothesay , Lamlash , Whiting Bay , Dunoon , Tighnabruaich , Carrick Castle , Helensburgh , Largs , Millport and Campbeltown . In contrast to many resorts, some on
7347-614: The south coast of Ireland . Youghal has been a favoured holiday destination for over 100 years, situated on the banks of the River Blackwater as it reaches the sea. Dungarvan is a seaside market town beneath the mountains in the centre of the Irish south coast. Kinsale is often described as a food lover's and yachting town, with a diverse range of restaurants, as well as a large and active creative community with numerous art galleries and record and book shops. Seaside resorts in
7440-600: The status quo be kept. The commission suggested the use of area committees for the various parts of the borough and also that Southport could become a civil parish . Another request made in 2004 was turned down, the Electoral Commission 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
7533-623: The success of this new concept, especially from trade during wakes weeks . The concept spread rapidly to other British coastal towns, including several on the coast of North Wales , notably Rhyl , and Llandudno , the largest resort in Wales and known as "The Queen of the Welsh Resorts", from as early as 1864. As the 19th century progressed, British working class day-trippers travelled on organised trips such as railway excursions , or by steamer , for which long piers were erected so that
7626-514: The third most populous settlement in the Liverpool City Region . 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 . 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 , and by 1848 had
7719-428: 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 . 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
7812-691: The town of Baiae by the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy was a resort for those who were sufficiently prosperous. Barcola by the Adriatic Sea in northern Italy with its Roman luxury villas is considered a special example of ancient leisure culture by the sea. Mersea Island in Essex , England was a seaside holiday destination for wealthy ancient Romans living in Colchester . The development of
7905-519: 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 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
7998-543: 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
8091-443: The village were from other ethnicity. By the 2011 census the population had risen to 4,146. The civil parish is based on an ancient parish located to the north and east of the town of Southport, which straddled what is now the border between the counties of Merseyside and Lancashire . North Meols included Crossens , Marshside and Churchtown in the north of Southport , and then extended east towards Preston to encompass
8184-633: The west of Ireland are in County Clare ; the largest are Lahinch and Kilkee . Lahinch is a popular surfing location. Like British resorts, many seaside towns in Ireland have turned to other entertainment industries. Larger resorts such as Bray or Portrush host air shows , while most resorts host summer festivals. Israel is a major tourist area. Tourism in Israel is one of the major sources of income, with beautiful beaches, such as those found on
8277-549: 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. 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 , St. Annes and Southport set off to try to rescue those aboard
8370-483: Was built in 1900 as a country house , and was used later as a hospital. It was in Tudor Revival style, and was a timber-framed building with rendered infill on a brick plinth . It had tiled roofs and many gables . The building was listed at Grade II, the lowest of the three grades of listing, which is applied to buildings that are "of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them". However
8463-683: Was completely destroyed in this arson 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
8556-455: 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 dunes have been designated as
8649-513: Was regularly closed due to flooding from high tides , but in February 1997, new sea defences started being constructed and in 2002 the whole project was completed. Southport has a maritime climate like most of the UK. Due to its position by the coast, Southport rarely sees substantial snowfall and temperatures rarely fall below −5 °C (23 °F) so it does not have frequent frosts . Southport generally has moderate precipitation, unlike
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