Fleetwood Museum

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Fleetwood Museum
Fleetwood Maritime Museum.jpg
Location Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
Coordinates 53°55′29″N3°00′21″W / 53.9247°N 3.0058°W / 53.9247; -3.0058 Coordinates: 53°55′29″N3°00′21″W / 53.9247°N 3.0058°W / 53.9247; -3.0058
Built1836
Architect Decimus Burton
Architectural style(s) Neoclassical style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameWyre Borough Treasurer's and Borough Housing Departments
Designated31 March 1978
Reference no. 1072398
Location map United Kingdom Fleetwood.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Fleetwood Museum in Fleetwood

Fleetwood Museum is a local history and maritime museum in the English seaside town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. The museum was originally the town's Customs House and, completed in 1836, was one of the first buildings constructed in Fleetwood. Like much of the town it was designed by architect Decimus Burton. The building became the local town hall and is now a maritime museum. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by Historic England.

Contents

History

Fleetwood was planned by local landowner Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood who employed Decimus Burton to lay out the town and design many of the buildings. [1] Hesketh-Fleetwood intended his town to be a major port and Burton designed the Customs House as one of the first buildings, completed in 1836. [2] [3] In 1876 it became the private residence of Alexander Carson, who extended the building to the north, and named it "Wyre Holm"; [2] [4] the customs offices were transferred to another building on the same terrace. [5] The building became Fleetwood's Town Hall in 1889. [6] The building continued to serve as the meeting place of Fleetwood Urban District Council from its formation in 1894, and remained as such after the area was advanced to the status of municipal borough in 1933, but ceased to be the local seat of government after the formation of the enlarged Wyre Borough Council at Poulton-le-Fylde in 1974. [7] It subsequently served as the offices of the Borough Treasurer and the Borough Housing Director of Wyre Borough Council [1] before, for a short time, being occupied by a private school and in 1992, becoming Fleetwood Museum. [4]

On 31 March 1978, Historic England designated the building a Grade II listed building. [1] The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest". [8]

Architecture

Fleetwood Museum is on two storeys. [6] It is built of sandstone, rendered with roughcast lime plaster. [9] The front façade has eight ranges of sash windows. [1] The building is accessed from the front through two porticos. Both entrances are at the top of stone staircases and flanked by columns—the south entrance by round Doric columns and the north entrance by square columns. [6] [9] Between the two staircases there are iron railings with spear-shaped finials. [9]

At the roof line there is a parapet with ornamental iron decoration and corner finials. [6] Below the parapet there is a blocking course and a moulded cornice. [1]

Harriet

The fishing smack Harriet, built in Fleetwood in 1893, was moved to the museum in 1998. It is housed in a purpose-built building behind the main museum building. It is registered as a member of the National Historic Fleet. [10]

Threatened and actual closures

The Fleetwood Museum Trust is a charity established in 2006, with the stated aim "to save Fleetwood Museum from closure". [11]

In November 2015 it was announced that Lancashire County Council would withdraw funding from five of its museums: Fleetwood Museum, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Judges' Lodgings, Museum of Lancashire and Queen Street Mill, because of what the leader of the council described as "the financial challenges facing the county council as we deal with relentless cuts to central government funding combined with rising demand for our services". [12] [13] They were initially to close at the end of March 2016 but that month were reprieved until September 2016. [14] [15] Local supporters are opposing the closure, [16] and Fleetwood Town Council agreed in January 2016 to "register an expression of interest" in funding the future of the museum. [17]

The Museum closed on 30 September 2016, along with the other four Lancashire museums mentioned above, except for pre-booked school groups. As of 8 October 2016 the Fleetwood Museum Trust website stated: [18]

Lancashire County Council is withdrawing funding for the museum and is currently looking into a community group taking over the running of the museum. Fleetwood Museum Trust and Fleetwood Town Council are in negotiations with Lancashire County Council in this respect and are hoping to re-open the museum for the new season on 1st April 2017.

At the same date Lancashire County Council's website stated that "Negotiations are underway with a potential new operator." [19]

The museum reopened on 14 April 2017. As of 3 June 2017 Lancashire County Council's website stated that:

The county council will manage the museum until the formal transfer to Fleetwood Museum Trust as the new operator is completed, expected to be no later than the start of June. [20]

The museum was open in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but as of June 2020 it had not reopened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [21] It reopened in May 2021. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

Lancashire County of England

Lancashire is a county in North West England. Lancashire is a historic, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county and the county boundaries differ between these different forms. Its county town is Lancaster. The non-metropolitan county was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and is administered by the Lancashire County Council and twelve district councils. Its administrative centre is Preston. The ceremonial county also includes the districts of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen, with a population of 1,449,300 and an area of 1,189 square miles (3,080 km2).

Borough of Wyre Borough in England

Wyre is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The population of the non-metropolitan district at the 2011 census was 107,749. The district borders the unitary authority area of Blackpool as well as the districts of Lancaster, Ribble Valley, Fylde and Preston. The council is based in Poulton-le-Fylde. The district is named after the River Wyre, which runs through the district. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 and was a merger of the municipal borough of Fleetwood, along with Poulton-le-Fylde, Preesall, Garstang and Thornton-Cleveleys urban districts and various rural districts.

Poulton-le-Fylde Human settlement in England

Poulton-le-Fylde, commonly shortened to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,264. There is evidence of human habitation in the area from 12,000 years ago and several archaeological finds from Roman settlement in England have been found in the area. At the time of the Norman conquest, Poulton was a small agricultural settlement in the hundred of Amounderness. The church of St Chad was recorded in 1094 when it was endowed to Lancaster Priory. By the post-Medieval period the town had become an important commercial centre for the region with weekly and triannual markets. Goods were imported and exported through two harbours on the River Wyre. In 1837, the town was described as the "metropolis of the Fylde", but its commercial importance waned from the mid-19th century with the development of the nearby coastal towns of Fleetwood and Blackpool.

Fleetwood Town in Lancashire, England

Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census.

Thornton, Lancashire Human settlement in England

Thornton is a village in the Borough of Wyre, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Blackpool and 2 miles (3 km) south of Fleetwood. The civil parish of Thornton became an urban district in 1900, and was renamed Thornton-Cleveleys in 1927. In 2011 the Thornton Built-up area sub division had a population of 18,941.

Thornton-Cleveleys is a conurbation consisting of the village of Thornton and the town of Cleveleys. The two settlements formed a joint urban district from 1927 until 1974, before becoming part of Wyre. The two settlements constitute part of the Blackpool Urban Area.

Preesall Human settlement in England

Preesall is a town, civil parish and electoral ward in Lancashire, England. The parish covers the eastern bank of the estuary of the River Wyre, including Knott End-on-Sea, Pilling Lane and the village of Preesall itself. The parish of Preesall had a population of 5,314 recorded in the 2001 census, rising to 5,694 at the 2011 census.

Rossall is a settlement in Lancashire, England and a suburb of the market town of Fleetwood. It is situated on a coastal plain called The Fylde. Blackpool Tramway runs through Rossall, with two stations: Rossall School on Broadway and Rossall Square on South strand.

Hambleton, Lancashire Human settlement in England

Hambleton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Lancashire. It is situated on a coastal plain called the Fylde and in an area east of the River Wyre known locally as Over Wyre. Hambleton lies approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north-east of its post town, Poulton-le-Fylde, and about 7 miles (11 km) north-east of the seaside resort of Blackpool. In the 2001 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 2,678, increasing to 2,744 at the 2011 census.

The Fylde is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile-long (21-kilometre) square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hills to the east which approximates to a section of the M6 motorway and West Coast Main Line.

Great Eccleston Human settlement in England

Great Eccleston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Lancashire, situated on a coastal plain called the Fylde. The village lies to the south of the River Wyre and the A586 road, approximately 10 miles (16 km) upstream from the port of Fleetwood. At the 2001 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 1,473, rising slightly to 1,486 at the Census 2011.

Pharos Lighthouse, Fleetwood Lighthouse

The Pharos Lighthouse is a 93-foot (28 m) tall Runcorn red sandstone lighthouse situated in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The lighthouse was designed in 1839 by Decimus Burton and Capt H.M. Denham. Burton has been commissioned three years previously by Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood as the architect of the new town of Fleetwood. Construction was completed in 1840. Unusually for a functioning British lighthouse, it stands in the middle of a residential street. Though officially named the 'Upper Lighthouse', it has been known as the 'Pharos' since its construction, after the celebrated ancient lighthouse Pharos of Alexandria.

Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood English politician

Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, was an English landowner, developer and Member of Parliament, who founded the town of Fleetwood, in Lancashire, England. Born Peter Hesketh, he changed his name by Royal assent to Hesketh-Fleetwood, incorporating the name of his ancestors, and was later created Baronet Fleetwood. Predeceased by an older brother, he inherited estates in west Lancashire in 1824. Inspired by the transport developments of the early 19th century, he decided to bring the railway to the Lancashire coast and develop a holiday resort and port. He hired architect Decimus Burton to design his new town, which he named Fleetwood; construction began in 1836. Hesketh-Fleetwood was instrumental in the formation of the Preston and Wyre Railway Company and with his financial support, a railway line was built between Preston and Fleetwood which opened in 1840.

Beach Lighthouse, Fleetwood Sandstone lighthouse in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England

The Beach Lighthouse is a 44-foot (13 m) tall sandstone lighthouse in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England.

St Chads Church, Poulton-le-Fylde Church in Lancashire, England

St Chad's Church is an Anglican church in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. A church on the site was built no later than the 11th century and may have existed prior to the Norman conquest of England. The tower dates from the 17th century, and much of the remainder of the building from a major renovation in the 18th century, although some of the fabric of the original structure remains. Further renovation and additions took place in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

Listed buildings in Fleetwood

Fleetwood is a fishing and market town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde coast. All of the 44 listed buildings are recorded in the National Heritage List for England at Grade II.

St Peters Church, Fleetwood Church in Lancashire, England

St Peter's Church is in the seaside town of Fleetwood, Lancashire, England, situated on the Fylde coast. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn. It was completed in 1841, to a design by Decimus Burton. Burton had been employed by Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood in 1836 to lay out the new planned town of Fleetwood. It is protected as a Grade II listed building.

Marsh Mill

Marsh Mill is an 18th-century tower windmill in Thornton, Lancashire, England. It was built in 1794 by Ralph Slater for local landowner Bold Hesketh. It functioned as a corn mill until the 1920s and has been fully restored. It is a good example of a complete English windmill and has been designated a Grade II* listed building.

North Euston Hotel

The North Euston Hotel is a hotel in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. It was built 1840–41, to a design by Decimus Burton. During the second half of the 19th century, the building was used by the War Department as a School of Musketry; by the end of the century it had reverted to its original purpose. The hotel has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage.

Marsh Farmhouse

Marsh Farmhouse is an historic building in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, England. Built in 1803, it is a Grade II listed building. It is located to the southeast of today's Amounderness Way roundabout at Victoria Road West.

References

Footnotes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic England, "Wyre Borough Treasurer's and Borough Housing Departments (1072398)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 20 June 2011
  2. 1 2 "Fleetwood Museum — A Voyage of Discovery", lancashire.gov.uk, Lancashire County Council, archived from the original on 22 July 2011, retrieved 20 June 2011
  3. ↑ Curtis (1994), p. 36
  4. 1 2 Curtis & Ramsbottom (1993), p. 45
  5. ↑ Porter (1876), p. 225
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hartwell (2009), pp. 296–297
  7. ↑ "Fleetwood MB/UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Listed Buildings", National Heritage List for England, English Heritage, archived from the original on 24 January 2013, retrieved 10 July 2011
  9. 1 2 3 Taylor & Payne (2008), p. 43
  10. ↑ "Harriet - National Historic Fleet". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Fleetwood Museum Trust: Charity Framework". Charity Commission. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  12. ↑ Kirby, Dean (11 March 2016). "North of England 'at risk of becoming cultural wasteland' with museums hit by austerity measures". The Independent. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "Lancashire County Council confirms cuts to job and services". BBC News. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Reprieve for Lancashire's under-threat council museums". BBC News. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Sullivan, Nicola. "Five Lancashire Museums in last chance saloon". Museums Association. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "Trust vows to save Fleetwood Museum". Fleetwood Weekly News. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  17. ↑ "Fleetwood Museum - Save our Museum". Visit Fleetwood. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "Welcome to Fleetwood Museum". Fleetwood Museum Trust. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "Museums". Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  20. ↑ "Museums". Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  21. ↑ "Fleetwood Museum – Keeping Fleetwood History Alive". Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020. Our 2020 opening has been delayed until further notice
  22. ↑ "Fleetwood Museum – Keeping Fleetwood History Alive" . Retrieved 12 September 2021.
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