Glimpse history through old images of Morecambe, Lancashire, in the North West of England, UK.
Morecambe Pier
Enjoy a video bringing the history of Morecambe Pier to life. See what the pier looking like in its heyday, and a photo of the seafront before work had even started on the Victorian visitor attraction.
Using old photos, film, and pictures, the images take us back in time to the highs and lows of this important part of Morecambe’s history, in a truly engaging way.
Morecambe Central Pier: A Journey Through Time! – The Time Travel Artist on YouTube
Morecambe Carnival 1926
The streets were heavily crowded for the 1926 carnival, which featured horse drawn vehicles, early motor vehicles, many children and adults in costumes, along with the occasional pet dog, harlequin on bicycle, or serious policeman on the alert for crime.
Occasionally you can see some buildings or attractions in the background.
Morecambe Carnival & Merrier Than Ever & Cuts (1926) – British Pathé on YouTube
New Road 1929
A new Coastal Road was started in 1929 at Morecambe by Lord Derby, who cut the first sod. It was funded by a Government relief scheme.
The digitaries, arriving in a posh car, shake hands with a few men whose medals suggest they were Great War veterans.
TRANSPORT: New Morecambe Road opened by Lord Derby (1929) – British Pathé on YouTube
Morecambe Bay Swim 1937
1937 saw the 30th annual 12 mile sea race from Grange to Morecambe. The swimmers included two women, and Mr J. Harrison Brown who won the race.
At the end of the short newsreel, you get a nice view of Morecambe’s beach and seafront.
Morecambe Bay Swimming (1937)- British Pathé on YouTube
Gale Damage 1939
Gale winds caused problems around Britain in 1939, including at Morecambe, where the tide rose by 30 feet and 40 yards of the promenade were washed away.
Gale Damage In Lancashire (1939) – British Pathé on YouTube
Balldancers 1947
In 1947, the professional ballroom dancing championships at Morecambe’s Floral Hall was won by Doreen Freeman and Victor Barrett, of London.
Morecambe Aka Pathe Front Page (1947) – British Pathé on YouTube
Beauty Contest 1953
Each year, a beauty contest was held in the Morecambe Stadium or Winter Gardens. By the 1960s, the venue hosted the Miss Great Britain finals. The presence of famous comedians shows how much money was invested in this event.
The newsreel cameras seem to have flocked to this event each year. I’ve chosen this one as the thumbnail shows how many people tuned out, and what the venue looked like.
Beauty On Parade (1953) – British Pathé on YouTube
Royal Visit 1955
Queen Elizabeth II’s two-day visit to Lancashire in 1955 started at Morecambe station, where she was greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Derby.
Lost of people lined the streets to see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they made their way to Lancaster. From there the Royal Tour visited Preston, Hutton, Southport, Blackpool, Blackburn, and Burnley.
Royal Tour Of Lancashire (1955)- British Pathé on YouTube
Oceanarium 1966
Morecambe’s oceanarium at Marineland was inspired by the facilities on offer in the USA, but was quite a novel idea in the UK back in the 1960s. It was the first in Britain, and possibly the first in Europe.
Marineland’s three daily sea circus shows featured trained dolphins, performing sea lions and costumed chimpanzees. There was also a seal tank allowing visitors to watch swimming underwater, a penguin tank, crocodile beach and flamingo pool.
In the first season, up to 2,000 visitors a day arrived. But already by the second season the novelty had worn off, and we can see the sparse audience watching the filmed show.
The Morecambe Corporation then helped financially, allowing Marineland to relaunch and bring in new dolphins, but it struggled against increasing awareness by the general public that these types of premises are not a good environment for captive mammals.
Morecambe Oceanarium (1966)- British Pathé on YouTube
Morecambe Buses 1990
The focus is, of course, the buses. But they travel along a street packed with cars, pedestrians, buildings and businesses.
MORECAMBE BUSES 1990 – DaveSpencer32
