Figure 1.--Here we see a group on the beach beyond the seawall at Clevelys in 1907. I am not sure what they are watching. Click on the image to see the rest of the group, including most of the children. |
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Cleveleys is one of the smaller seaside resorts. It is located along the Fylde Coast of Lancashire. It is located close to the much better known resort of Blackpool. There is no long pier, but a charming promenade along the beach. Here we see a gathering on the beach beyond the seawall in 1907
Cleveleys is one of the smaller seaside resorts. It is located along the Fylde Coast of Lancashire. It is located close to the much better known resort of Blackpool.
The town website tells us, "Many people, residents and holiday-makers alike, seeing the area covered with modern bungalows and houses, believe it to have little history. From a place mentioned in the Doomesday Book this is natural enough. William the Conqueror surveyors recorded 'Torenton'. Cleveleys was formerly called Ritherholm and that name almost certainly derived from the rivulet that flowed into the sea there."
There is no long pier, but a charming promenade along the beach. The towns' website tells us, ... along the promenade you can enjoy the traditional seaside entertainment with amusement arcades and bingo halls, or take the children to Kiddies Corner where they can have hours of fun on all the mini adventure rides. Shoppers will be kept busy in Cleveleys with market stalls and street stores stretching the length of the town. With plenty of bargains there is something to suit all pockets."
The image here shows a group on the beach in 1907. It looks to me like a chilly day. I'm not sure what they are doing on the beach. There could have been an entertainment or peraps this was just a group portrait. If so, we have no idea whay group was involved. A reader tells us, "It could have been a warm day. People wore lots of clothes then despite the temporature. They would have been watching some entertainer on the beach. The children and adults are sitting in deck chairs. This suggest a show. It would not have been a Punch and Judy show otherwise they would be more likely to have sat on the sand. Then again it could have been somebody taking a photograph of them. They might all belong to the same same church group who had gone on a cheap day excursion to Blackpool. Hense the group picture. Also Cleveleys is a part of Blackpool, the posh part. This might have once been a separate fishing village that had grown in size. Both places are in Lancashire. Lancaster is the city in this County Palatine. Lancaster is quite away from Blackpool. It is further up the coast, near Morecombe. The humour is the cap the baby is wearing. This was a joke that a child would have done. This shows the jolly happy nature of the occasion." Another reader writes, "It is quite possible that it was a warm day; not much quarter was given with regard to clothing in those days when out in public, however hot it was. They could be watching a 'Punch and Judy' show or some similar form of entertainment on the beach. Hence the look of boredom on the face of the teenager with the Eton collar." HBC understands people dressed formally at the time, but notice that some of the people here are wearing heavy coats.
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