Lytham St.Annes Coat of Arms

 
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Lytham St.Annes, Lancashire, England
 

 

Guide to Lytham, 1907

Lytham



THIS is a picturesque and pleasant residential town, and a watering place very popular amongst the fashionable and genteel class of visitors. It is situate at the mouth of the Ribble, 5½ miles S.W. from Kirkham, 7 S. from Blackpool (rail distance), and S miles N.E. from Southport by sea. Under the Local Government Act, 1894, the powers of this body were transferred to the Urban District Council, under whose control still greater improvements have been effected. The town is divided into four wards, viz. :—North-East Ward. North-West Ward, South-East Ward, and South-West Ward, each ward returning three members. Lytham is in the Blackpool parliamentary division, and in the Fylde county council division and Union.

Lytham Market Hall c1905The Market House, which was opened 19th June, 1848, cost in its erection £1,400. The Gas Works were established in 1847. The annual consumption is about 68,000,000 cubic feet. There :are 2,100 consumers, and 600 public lamps. Mr. Arthur Halliwell, manager. Lytham is abundantly supplied with excellent water from a reservoir at Weeton, which is in connection with that at Grisedale, a distance of 22 miles from the town. The works belong to the Fylde Water Board, who purchased the water works from the Fylde Waterworks Company in 1898, and of which the Lytham Urban Council is one of the constituent authorities.


Lytham Railway Station c1900

The present railway station was opened for traffic in 1874, and is a great convenience to the public. The Lytham Branch line from the Preston and Wyre Railway was opened 16th February, 1846, and the cost of its construction was £50,000. The line from Lytham to Blackpool was opened 6th April, 1863, and the capital required for its construction, including the cost of a station, was £60,000.



Lytham Pier c1904

 

An IRON PIER was constructed in 1864-5, at a cost of £5.890. The Pier was re-constructed in 1892, at a cost of over £12,000.


 

 

Lytham Baths, Assembly Rooms & Council Offices c1903The BATHS and ASSEMBLY ROOM is a fine building, with a square tower, erected in 1862, at a cost of £6,700. The water for the baths is pumped from the sea by a powerful steam engine, and is filtered and freed from impurities.

Lytham Windmill c1905

 

The LIFEBOAT HOUSE stands near the " Old Windmill,'' which is a prominent object in view ; and here also is the CUSTOM HOUSE, built in the form of a square tower.




The COTTAGE HOSPITAL, instituted for the relief of the poor when suffering from sickness or accident, was built and furnished by the late John -Talbot Clifton, Esq., at a cost of £1,300. It was opened in 1871, and is supported by voluntary contributions.
Lytham Hospital in the early 1900s
It was enlarged in 1882-3 at a cost of nearly £700. The accommodation consists of 25 beds, some of which are always available for patients outside the five miles radius at an inclusive fee of 12s. 6d. per week. A new ward, in memory of the late Dr. L. Fisher, has been subscribed for, and several additions and alterations have been effected at a cost of £600. Dr. J. C. Fisher, lion. secretary ; J. Lomax, assistant secretary ; Miss Barwick, matron.

The SEA SIDE HOME for City Children was established in 1883.

The LYTHAM INSTITUTE, Clifton Street, was opened in September, 1878, the cost of its erection being about £3,000, raised by voluntary subscriptions. It is a neat Gothic building, and contains billiard, reading, and lecture rooms, and a library of 3,500 volumes. Technical and Art Classes are also successfully conducted. An addition to the Institute, in commemoration of the late Queen's Diamond Jubilee, of a new wing was opened by His Grace the Duke of Norfolk on September 13th, 1898, the foundation stone being laid by Sir Matthew White Ridley on the 8th of January, 1898. The site, valued at £250, and on which several cottages formerly stood, was presented by J. T. Clifton, Esq. The addition includes a fine reading room, gymnasium, and additional class-rooms, the cost being £1,500. The architect was Mr. T. C. Grimble, and the contractor Mr. George Myers. The reading room is well supplied with all the current papers and periodicals, and the Institute is open also to visitors at a small weekly subscription.

The CONSERVATIVE CLUB, Hastings Place, was opened June, 1905. It has at present a membership of 210.

The band playing in Lowther Gardens c1905

 

LOWTHER PARK GARDENS present a very ornamental and tasteful appearance. They contain 12 acres, and have been laid out at a cost of £2,000.


 

The lovers of botany may enjoy themselves among the sandhills with the many beautiful specimens which grow there in profusion. The LIGHTHOUSE is situated between Lytham and St.Annes, and was erected in 1864. It replaced the old lighthouse which was washed away in the storm of 1863.



The Midland Bank, Lytham, 1906

The London City and Midland Banking Co., the Lancaster Banking Co., the Manchester and County Bank, and the Williams Deacons Bank have each a branch in the town.

Lytham Parish Church c1903The PARISH CHURCH, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, was rebuilt in 1778, on the site of the ancient fabric which existed as early as the 12th century. This is evident from the terms of the grant made in the reign of Richard I. (1188), by Richard Fitz Roger, who gave to the monks of Durham all his lands of Lytham, with the church of that town, that they might form a Benedictine cell there to the honour of the Blessed Virgin and St. Cuthbert, which was accordingly done. The first stone of the present edifice was laid in 1834. It is a plain substantial building, with square tower, the Tudor style predominating The windows are of stained glass. There are several marble monuments to members of the Clifton family, with the monogram R.I.P. to each inscription.

Rev. Canon Henry B. Hawkins, M.A.The church also contains a large number of hand-some monuments and objects of interest, among these being the oak choir screens erected in memory of the late Dr. L. Fisher. Lord Justice Holker is interred here, and also most of the crew of the St. Annes lifeboat, who were drowned in the lifeboat disaster when proceeding to the wreck of the Mexico in 1886. In the tower are eight fine-toned bells. There are 1,020 sittings, of which 220 are free. The benefice is a vicarage, of the annual value of £401, in the patronage of J. Talbot Clifton, Esq., and held by the Rev. Canon Henry B. Hawkins, M.A.




St.John's Church, Lytham c1905ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, erected in 1849, at the east end of the town, and enlarged in 1857, is a handsome stone building in the Early English style, and was built at a cost of £4,000. In 1875 a peal of bells was placed in the steeple. Two handsome brasses were placed in the chancel in 1888, to the memory of the late Baroness Grey de Ruthyn, one recording the erection of the window over the altar to her memory, and the other recording the enlargement of the organ to the same memory. A handsome lych-gate has recently been erected in memory of the late vicar, Rev. T. G. Smart, M.A. Nearly £5,000 has been recently raised and expended upon the church. There are 800 sittings, of which 266 are free. The benefice is a vicarage, of the annual value of £266, in the patronage of J. Talbot Clifton, Esq., and held by the Rev. John Gilbertson-Pritchard, B.A.



ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, in Clifton Street, is a Gothic
edifice, opened in 1839, and is calculated to accommodate 500 persons. during recent years several important alterations have been effected. In 1875-6 new sacristies and confessionals were constructed. In 1877 three new beautiful altars were erected, the high altar being generously subscribed for by the congregation, in memory of the late Rev. Joseph Walmsley, who was the pastor here for 44 years. St.Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Lytham c1904The Lady altar was the gift of John Turner, Esq. ; and St. Joseph's altar was the gift of the late John Mercer, Esq., of Alston Hall. In 1878 the church tower 78 feet in height, was built at the expense of the late John Talbot Clifton, Esq., who contributed £1,000 for its erection. The church has been thoroughly restored, and its arcading of pictures and stations round the interior is very artistic. The whole work was from designs by Messrs. Pugin. During 1893 the old benches gave place to new ones of a very elegant design. On August 26th, 1894, a peal of six bells were erected in the tower, and in October of the same year eight stained-glass windows were erected, being an offering from Mr. John Singleton, and his wife, Ellen Singleton, of Lytham. Two more were erected, one in the Lady chapel and the other in St. Joseph's chapel. The whole of the Windows were supplied by Mayer & Co. A handsome lych-gate was erected during 1898 by the present rector. It is built of English oak, standing in a base of Accrington brick, surmounted by Aspatria stone, and is from the designs of Messrs. Pugin and Pugin. The church has recently been decorated in a most artistic style. The schools were rebuilt during the year 1902, from designs by Mr. T. C. Grimble, architect, and are now thoroughly equipped in the most approved style. The main school is divided in class-rooms communicating with each other. A new- infant school with separate room for-babies has also been added. The rectory was renovated during the year 1899, and now is a handsome and commodious building. Very Rev. James Canon Taylor (rector), Revs. John Almond, Joseph Leo
Prescott. The Catholic population is 1,100.

At Saltcotes is a CATHOLIC CEMETERY, acres in extent, laid out with much taste. It was opened in 1892. It is enclosed by a substantial brick wall, and in the centre stands a mortuary chapel. The ground was secured by the efforts of Canon James Taylor, from J. T. Clifton, Esq., for a period of 999 years, at a nominal rent of £1 per year.


The CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, Bannister Street, was erected in 1862, and is a neat Gothic stone building with graceful spire. The WESLEYAN CHAPEL. Park Street, is a commodious building with stone front, erected in 1868. A new church, situate in Albert Street, con-nected with this body, was erected in 1907 at a cost of £3,000.




Lytham Hall c1905LYTHAM HALL, the seat of the Clifton family, is a stately mansion, about half-a-mile north-west of Lytham. It was erected by Thomas Clifton in 1764, replacing a more ancient hail built by Sir Cuthbert Clifton, who became owner of the estate in 1606. The park and gardens are open to visitors, on their obtaining a ticket at the estate office. A small sum is charged, which is devoted to the support of the Cottage Hospital.




 Old Cottages st Ansdell c1903

New houses under construction at Ansdell c1907ANSDELL and FAIRHAVEN are important suburbs of Lytham, developed under the auspices of the Fairhaven Estate Co., Limited, who purchased 30 acres of land at the west end for building purposes, and who have made a large marine lake at Fairhaven. Ansdell is a station on the line between Lytham and Blackpool.

 Old cottages,Regent Avenue, (near the present Crematorium) Heyhouses c1904

 

HEYHOUSES and SALT-COATES are two hamlets in the parish, the former about two miles west, and the latter one mile east of Lytham.

  

The population of the parish in 1861 was 3,194 ; 1871, 3,904 ; 1881, 4,122 ; 1891. 4,656 ; and in 1901, 7,185. The rateable value is £65,630 10s., and the area of the township is 2,236 acres. Two annual fairs were established here in 1850, to be held on the second Tuesday in April and the second Tuesday in October.


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LYTHAM URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.
Chairman, W. F. Holden, J.P. ; vice-chairman, E. R. Lightwood. J.P. ; J. Ainscough, T. V. Barker, J. Stother, T. Butcher, J. Cockshutt, J. W. Craig, H. E. Dixon, H. Eastwood, J. S. Slitter, and W. Wignall.
Urban. District Council Officials.—C. A. Myers, clerk ; Arthur J. Price, C.E., surveyor ; Evan Holding, accountant and assistant overseer ; J. C. Fisher M.A., M.B., B.C.L., medical officer of health ; Harold Yates, sanitary inspector ; A. Halliwell, gas manager ; W. Henderson, treasurer ; Robert Ashworth, collector. Tel. 56.

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, OFFICES, &c.

Ansdell Institute, Commonside ; H. B. Marsh, sec.
Baths, Central beach ; J. W. Aspden, manager
Cheetham Hill Institute, Holiday Home, 10 Albert street
Conservative Club ; J. Talbot Clifton, Esq., President ; J. T. Fair, Esq., chairman ; R. Poole, Esq., hon. treasurer ; Major P. E. P. Crawford, Esq., hon. sec.
Convalescent Home for Sisters of Mercy, 64 Westby street
Cottage Hospital, East beach ; J. Cecil Fisher, hon. sec. ; J. Lomax, asst.. sec ; Miss Barwick, matron. Tel. 61
Cottage Home (Whitworth), 4 Church road ; Miss Holdsworth, matron
Fylde Water Board, Westby street. Tel. 52.
Home of Rest, St. Mary the Virgin (Wantage), 11 Lowther terrace
Jacson Convalescent Home (branch of the Harris Orphanage (Preston) Seaside Home), 2&4 Warton street ; Lt.-Col. T. R. Jolly, V.D., governor
Life Boat Station, The Beach; C. A. Myers, hon. sec. ; W. G. Parkinson, coxswain
Lytham Yacht Club, Central beach ; A H. Poole, secretary
Lytham Choral Union; W. F. Holden, conductor
Lytham Fire Brigade, Chapel street ; E. Tipping, supt. Tel. 60
Lytham Urban District Council Office, Diconson terrace ; C. A. Myers, clerk. Tel. 56
Lytham Estate Office ; T. Fair & Son, agents. Tel. 51
Lytham Institute, Clifton street ; Allon Wilson, sec. ; G. Tattersall, steward
Lytham Pier and Pavilion Co. (1895), Limited ; J. H. Harrison, manager and secretary
National Telephone Co., Ltd., 7 Queen street. Tel. 30
Nursing Home, Park gate, Woodville terrace ; Miss J. Bellhouse, matron. Tel. 21x
Police Station, Bannister street ; Clots. Scott. police inspector. Tel. 71
REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, & MARRIAGES ; Robert Wareing, 17 Church road
Ridgeway Coursing Club, 5 Lowther ter; John W. Mugliston, sec. Tel. 0170
Seaside Home for City Children, 2 & 4 Warton st ; Mrs. M. Goode, matron
Sisters of the Holy Cross & Passion, 31 East beach
St. Vincent de Paul Convalescent Home. 16 East beach ; Miss Mary Brophy, Westby street ; J. Salisbury, secretary


Post. Money Order, and Telegraph Office, Clifton street ; J. Barlow, postmaster. Letters arrive at 6-45 a.m., 1-50 p.m. and 5-15 p.m. ; and are dispatched at. 6-0 a.m., 10-0 a.m., 11-15 a.m., 2-0 p.m., 4-10 p.m., 6-45 p.m.. 8-0 p.m., and 9-45 p.m.