A history of Lytham
Going back into the distant history of Lytham and the Fylde it can be traced to the descendants of the Vikings travelling through from Dublin to York and those who settled in the area.
This trade route proved very popular and as a consequence made the local ruler very rich himself. Unfortunately he had no sons so he bequeathed his land at Lytham to the monks of Durham Priory.
For over three centuries the Benedictine monks lived in Lytham Priory, which over the years moved around the area eventually settling on the site where Lytham Hall is today. They dealt with their own estate and leased farms on a relatively small scale considering the amount of land they held. It reached from Lytham up to what is today the south end of Blackpool. The downside was that approximately a quarter of the land was sand dunes that were useless to grow any crops on.
The dissolution of the monasteries changed everything and the priory passed through the hands of several landowners before being acquired by Cuthbert Clifton of Westby in 1606 and passed down through his descendants for the next 350 years.
Starr Grass was planted in the dunes which making them sturdier and remains so today. The land was developed more with ditches and dykes to control the water flow better. As the land improved more farms appeared which over the years created more wealth for the Clifton generations and in 1750-64 Lytham Hall was rebuilt in the Georgian style we see today.
In the 1700s, along with many seaside towns, Lytham gained a reputation as a health resort. Taking sea water cures and sea bathing becoming the latest fashion, this was expanded further in the 1840s when the railway first arrived making travel much easier and the number of visitors increased the demand for hotels and accommodation. The little village had grown into a popular seaside resort.
At this time it was recognised by the increase in visitors that some areas of the town were in desperate need of cleaning up. Organisation, sanitation and basic amenities were required in a town that was growing so quickly. Local Commissioners built their Market Hall in the centre of town and from there developed the sewerage, the road layout and paving as well as the building of hotels, shops and houses for the next three decades. In 1894 they became the Lytham Urban District Council who continued their work.
Prior to 1860s the Clifton Estates and the Improvement Commissioners were responsible for virtually all of the town’s development, but from then on the law changed giving limited companies wider allowances in what they could do with a full range of success - or not.
Lytham Baths & Assembly Rooms were built to provide salt water bathing and indoor entertainment but were not quite successful enough and were taken over by the Clifton Estate. The Pier Company promoted the Promenade and built the jetty with visiting boats but the business failed twice before 1900.
In 1861 the railway through to Blackpool was begun but that too failed and it was bought by L & Y and LNWR in 1871. They owned the other line from Preston and they joined the two lines so by 1874 it was a continuous line from Preston through Lytham to Blackpool.
With business in Lytham struggling, progress slowed down and all interest grew in St.Annes. The only new building during this period were the addition of Lowther Gardens in 1878 and the Pier Pavilion in 1892 the rest being residential expansion towards Ansdell.
This is where the potential for a new town was seen waiting to be built further up the coast amongst the empty sand dunes.
1872 was when the Clifton Estates decided to make their move. The area to the west of the new railway was known as West End, huge bleak sand dunes with nobody living amongst them except the lighthouse keeper and a gamekeeper. If they could tame this land, they could make a fortune. Clifton Drive was constructed which ran parallel to the coast, then St.Annes Road running inland to Headroomgate to meet at the new church. St.Annes Parish Church was completed in 1874.
That same year Elijah Hargreaves arrived in town from Rossendale and saw the same great potential. Along with a group of businessmen they set up the St.Annes Land & Building Company to help build the town from the sand up. Other support companies were also formed such as hotels, brick and tile works. All went well initially but the early 1880s saw the beginning of a national building slump and rental values fell. Many companies went bust in St.Annes but the Land & Building Company was saved by William J Porritt’s funds and they continued to build through the slump and come out the other end looking even brighter.
In 1878 St.Annes got its own local commissioners who ran the town’s logistics from electrics, fire station, refuse, laying out the road system and even the paddling pool. Like Lytham the board was renamed the Urban District Council in 1894 and the two joined together with Lytham in 1922 to make a single borough. Some would say with some reluctance on both sides. In April 1974 local government was reorganised once again and Lytham St.Annes and South Fylde were amalgamated into Fylde Borough.
The last Clifton, Mr Henry de Vere Clifton died in 1979 after spending the Clifton family fortune. His father was one of the biggest landowners in the country. Over the years Henry had spent an enormous portion of it. He had sold the ground rents and the properties and then Lytham Hall itself to Guardian Royal Insurance. His final connection to Lytham ended when he sold his title to a local in 1978.