Wesham
Encyclopedia
Medlar with Wesham is civil parish
on the Fylde
in Lancashire
, England. It lies within the Borough of Fylde, and had a population of 3,245 in 1,294 households recorded in the 2001 census
.
The parish contains the town of Wesham, adjacent to the larger town of Kirkham
outside the parish. Technically, town status attaches to the whole parish, but in practice it is the settlement of Wesham that is referred to as a "town".
The area within the boundaries of the parish have been populated since early medieval times, prior to the Norman conquest, with separate settlements at Bradkirk, Medlar, Wesham and Mowbreck. There was also a single moted farmstead at Pasture Barn midway between Medlar and Mowbreck. The present bridleway of Mowbreck Lane was the medieval route to Treales.
The modern town of Wesham is only about 160 years old, and developed as the railway expanded to serve the growing popularity of resort towns such as Blackpool
. From the 1920s to the 1950s huge numbers of steam trains plied their way to the coast via the station at .
Situated to the north of the rail station, from ½ a mile to 2½ miles North of Kirkham
, in 1870-72 it had an area of 1971 acres (8 km²) and property worth £3,441. The population in 1851 was 170 but by 1861 was 563. The increase of population arose largely from additional employment in cotton mill
s. At that time the manor of Wesham, with Mowbreck Hall, belonged to J. T. Fazakerley-Westby, Esq. The Hall was a fine edifice of red brick, castellated with stone and contained a domestic Roman Catholic chapel. It was once reputed to be haunted and had at one time been used as a Catholic School, one of whose pupils was Bible scholar George Leo Haydock
.
A large school, used also as a lecture hall, belonging to the Independents, was built at Wesham in 1864 and opened in 1866.. (The premises is now the showroom for Salisburys Electricals Ltd http://www.salisburys.tv/).
A large new workhouse
, to replace the much older one in Kirkham, was erected in 1903-7 designed on a pavilion plan by Charles S Haywood and Fred Harrison. Modern for its time, separate pavilions were provided for mothers and infants, and for infirm females, and also a two-roomed cottage for married couples. The heating and hot water were worked from a central station, under the control of the resident engineer with rotary pumps to assist circulation. The buildings were faced with Accrington
red-pressed bricks, and stone dressings, the work being carried out by a Mr. Sam Wilson, of Lytham St. Annes. During the First World War the buildings were used as a Military Hospital and later became Wesham Park Hospital (specialist geriatric and psychiatric). The buildings which remain today are now the administrative home to North Lancashire NHS Trust
, with the remainder being a much needed brown field
site for the "Willowfields" housing development.
The boundaries of Wesham were established over 100 years ago and did not change until local government changes in 1935 meant that 82 acres (331,842.5 m²) and 48 residents were transferred to Kirkham. Kirham lost only 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of land, but with no loss of residents.
, Church of England
, which is a Grade II listed building, was founded in 1894. The minister is Rev Julie Jones. St Joseph's Roman Catholic was founded in 1885. Both churches have adjacent graveyards and affiliated junior schools nearby. St Joseph's has a Presbytery
attached.
The Primitive Methodist chapel, located nearest to the small town square, was founded in 1895. It has now been converted to private dwellings, but retains its main architectural features including foundation stones.
, with its stone statue of a First World War soldier, which enjoys attractive floral displays throughout the year and a service of remembrance on Remembrance Sunday
. Around it are located the old Fire Station
, the busy Post Office
, the Co-Op
supermarket, the Fish and Chip shop and an Off License. The Post Office recently campaigned successfully to remain open.
Wesham Bakery, now the home of Fox's Biscuits and the largest current commercial concern, was opened in 1957, on the site previously occupied by Phoenix Mill. Near the electrical shop on Garstang Road South is a Chinese restaurant. Other small businesses on Station Road, include a garage/tyre fitters, car sales centre, beautician, sandwich bar, hairdresser, veterinary surgeon, pharmacy and a fast-food outlet. There has been some recent light industrial and small business development in the north of the parish near Junction 3 of the M55 motorway
, where a Premier Inn motel and restaurant are also situated. The area is the base for a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, the only flying HUEY in the UK.
On Church Road is a popular used Community Centre
. Adjoining are the outdoor Bowling Club
and the newly re-built Scout Hut
. The centre is used by, amongst others, Wesham Road Runners, Medlar and Wesham Town Council, Wesham Community Pride Trust and Blackpool and The Fylde College
and is used as the town's electoral Polling Station
. On Fleetwood Road there is a modern Fire Station and adjoining Ambulance Station.
The town also has a recreation field, equipped with a newly-built skateboard park, on Fleetwood Road, where football is regularly played by local teams. A doorstep green has recently been created on Derby Road near the former Fylde Borough Council offices. There are public allotments between St. Joseph's churchyard and the recreation ground.
The town has three busy public houses - The Lane Ends, The Stanley Arms and The Royal Oak Hotel. There are three Biological Heritage Sites at Medlar Ditch, Medlar Meadows and Wesham Marsh.
The town's annual Club Day is held in early June, jointly with Kirkham
. The day involves the various churches and their chosen "Rose Queens", together with biblical tableau floats, civic dignitaries and brass bands, walking in procession through the town in the morning. In 2011 Club Day was held on Saturday 11 June.
In January 2011, as part of a £6m savings review by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust, the purpose-built 40-bed rehabilitation unit for the elderly on Mowbreck Lane, which had been built in 2001, was closed.
Regular bus services are provided by the Ribble
branch of Stagecoach Buses
.
In March 2011 the railway station
, which the town shares with Kirkham, was given a makeover with a major modernisation and refurbishment of the staircase.
The Mayor
is Theresa McGardle and her deputy is Margaret Rawcliffe. The Town Clerk is Jean Priestley and the other coucillors are David Ogden (Chairman), Linda Nulty, Alan Clayton, Martin Howarth, Peter Ball, Mark Ementon and Stuart Harrison.
After a comprehensive questionnaire survey of all Wesham residents, a parish plan was published in November 2008.
adjacent to the former Wesham Park Hospital (permission for which was granted only on appeal), the second with 208 houses on brownfield land on part of the hospital site itself and a third with 109 houses on greenfield land between Fleetwood Road and Weeton Road. The building work at the two most recent sites has yet to be completed.
An application was made in 2008 for outline planning permission for a development of up to 264 houses on another greenfield site, adjacent to the Biological Heritage Site at Wesham Marsh, north of Mowbreck Lane. The application was made by land-owner Metacre, a company owned by Blackpool Tower
owner Trevor Hemmings, and caused much controversy amongst many existing residents, being viewed as a real threat to the rural character of the town. A pressure group was formed, several well-attended public meetings were held and a petition signed by over 90% of households was delivered. A Landscape Character Assessment has been carried out by the Lancashire branch of CPRE and an ecological survey has revealed the presence of the Natterjack Toad
and the Great Crested Newt
.
At the public meeting of the Fylde Borough Council Development Control Committee on 17 March 2010, the plan was unanimously rejected. In May 2010 the developer appealed against the decision, bringing the proposal before the Government Planning Inspector. The matter was the subject of a Public Inquiry
which ran between 14 and 22 September 2010 at the United Reformed Church
at Lytham St Annes
. The appellant was represented by high-profile barrister Roger Lancaster. On 23 March 2011, it was announced that the appeal should be dismissed and planning permission refused.
, formerly Kirkham and Wesham, play in the North West Counties League, after being promoted from the West Lancashire League
in 2007. On May 11, 2008 the team travelled to Wembley Stadium
to challenge Lowestoft Town in the final for the FA Vase
. They returned victorious. On May 12 here was a victory procession through the town, with the team on an open-top bus, from Kirkham Market Square to Wesham Fire Station and back again, followed by a celebratory party in the Kirkham Community Centre car park. Thousands of spectators lined the route to cheer home the victorious team.
and Lancashire Evening Post
, and the weekly Kirkham and Fylde Express.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
on the Fylde
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It lies within the Borough of Fylde, and had a population of 3,245 in 1,294 households recorded in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
The parish contains the town of Wesham, adjacent to the larger town of Kirkham
Kirkham, Lancashire
Kirkham, or as it once was known, Kirkam-in-Amounderness is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston and adjacent to the smaller town of Wesham. It owes its existence to Carr Hill upon which it was built and which was the location...
outside the parish. Technically, town status attaches to the whole parish, but in practice it is the settlement of Wesham that is referred to as a "town".
History
- "Historically the village of Wesham is reputed to have come to the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem by the gift of Cicely, daughter of Roger de Gernet. The Lancasters subsequently gave it to the Abbey of Cockersand. On the dissolution of monasteries, the land seems to have been granted or sold to the family of Westby. In the reign of Philip and Mary, William Westbye held "Medlarghe," "Wessham," and other property in the area, and his descendants long continued to reside at what was Mowbreck Hall, now lost. Bradkirk, in the township, was owned as a manor in the reign of Edward III by a family of the same name, and was their residence for centuries. The estate later became the property of Hugh Hornby, Esq., of Ribby Hall, by purchase from a Mr. Kearsley."
The area within the boundaries of the parish have been populated since early medieval times, prior to the Norman conquest, with separate settlements at Bradkirk, Medlar, Wesham and Mowbreck. There was also a single moted farmstead at Pasture Barn midway between Medlar and Mowbreck. The present bridleway of Mowbreck Lane was the medieval route to Treales.
The modern town of Wesham is only about 160 years old, and developed as the railway expanded to serve the growing popularity of resort towns such as Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. From the 1920s to the 1950s huge numbers of steam trains plied their way to the coast via the station at .
Situated to the north of the rail station, from ½ a mile to 2½ miles North of Kirkham
Kirkham, Lancashire
Kirkham, or as it once was known, Kirkam-in-Amounderness is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston and adjacent to the smaller town of Wesham. It owes its existence to Carr Hill upon which it was built and which was the location...
, in 1870-72 it had an area of 1971 acres (8 km²) and property worth £3,441. The population in 1851 was 170 but by 1861 was 563. The increase of population arose largely from additional employment in cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s. At that time the manor of Wesham, with Mowbreck Hall, belonged to J. T. Fazakerley-Westby, Esq. The Hall was a fine edifice of red brick, castellated with stone and contained a domestic Roman Catholic chapel. It was once reputed to be haunted and had at one time been used as a Catholic School, one of whose pupils was Bible scholar George Leo Haydock
George Leo Haydock
George Leo Haydock , scion of an ancient English Catholic Recusant family, was a priest, pastor and Bible scholar. His edition of the Douay Bible with extended commentary, originally published in 1811, became the most popular English Catholic Bible of the 19th century on both sides of the Atlantic...
.
A large school, used also as a lecture hall, belonging to the Independents, was built at Wesham in 1864 and opened in 1866.. (The premises is now the showroom for Salisburys Electricals Ltd http://www.salisburys.tv/).
A large new workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
, to replace the much older one in Kirkham, was erected in 1903-7 designed on a pavilion plan by Charles S Haywood and Fred Harrison. Modern for its time, separate pavilions were provided for mothers and infants, and for infirm females, and also a two-roomed cottage for married couples. The heating and hot water were worked from a central station, under the control of the resident engineer with rotary pumps to assist circulation. The buildings were faced with Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
red-pressed bricks, and stone dressings, the work being carried out by a Mr. Sam Wilson, of Lytham St. Annes. During the First World War the buildings were used as a Military Hospital and later became Wesham Park Hospital (specialist geriatric and psychiatric). The buildings which remain today are now the administrative home to North Lancashire NHS Trust
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
, with the remainder being a much needed brown field
Brown Field
Brown Field Municipal Airport is located in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, southeast of Downtown San Diego and named in honor of Commander Melville S. Brown, USN, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1936. Its primary runway is long....
site for the "Willowfields" housing development.
The boundaries of Wesham were established over 100 years ago and did not change until local government changes in 1935 meant that 82 acres (331,842.5 m²) and 48 residents were transferred to Kirkham. Kirham lost only 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of land, but with no loss of residents.
Churches
The town has two churches. Christ ChurchChrist Church, Wesham
Christ Church is an Anglican church in Wesham, a small town in the English county of Lancashire. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. It was built 1893–94 by Paley, Austin and Paley...
, Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, which is a Grade II listed building, was founded in 1894. The minister is Rev Julie Jones. St Joseph's Roman Catholic was founded in 1885. Both churches have adjacent graveyards and affiliated junior schools nearby. St Joseph's has a Presbytery
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
attached.
The Primitive Methodist chapel, located nearest to the small town square, was founded in 1895. It has now been converted to private dwellings, but retains its main architectural features including foundation stones.
Industry and amenities
At the centre of the town is the small War MemorialWar memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
, with its stone statue of a First World War soldier, which enjoys attractive floral displays throughout the year and a service of remembrance on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
. Around it are located the old Fire Station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
, the busy Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, the Co-Op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
supermarket, the Fish and Chip shop and an Off License. The Post Office recently campaigned successfully to remain open.
Wesham Bakery, now the home of Fox's Biscuits and the largest current commercial concern, was opened in 1957, on the site previously occupied by Phoenix Mill. Near the electrical shop on Garstang Road South is a Chinese restaurant. Other small businesses on Station Road, include a garage/tyre fitters, car sales centre, beautician, sandwich bar, hairdresser, veterinary surgeon, pharmacy and a fast-food outlet. There has been some recent light industrial and small business development in the north of the parish near Junction 3 of the M55 motorway
M55 motorway
The M55 is a motorway in Lancashire, England, which can also be referred to as the Preston Northern Bypass. It connects the seaside resort of Blackpool to the M6 at Preston. It is 11.4 miles in length.-Route:...
, where a Premier Inn motel and restaurant are also situated. The area is the base for a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, the only flying HUEY in the UK.
On Church Road is a popular used Community Centre
Community centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
. Adjoining are the outdoor Bowling Club
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
and the newly re-built Scout Hut
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
. The centre is used by, amongst others, Wesham Road Runners, Medlar and Wesham Town Council, Wesham Community Pride Trust and Blackpool and The Fylde College
Blackpool and The Fylde College
Blackpool and The Fylde College is a university college linked to the University of Lancaster.It has 49 buildings spread over the towns of Blackpool, St Annes, Bispham and three locations in Fleetwood. The college brands itself an "associate college of Lancaster University".The College offers...
and is used as the town's electoral Polling Station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
. On Fleetwood Road there is a modern Fire Station and adjoining Ambulance Station.
The town also has a recreation field, equipped with a newly-built skateboard park, on Fleetwood Road, where football is regularly played by local teams. A doorstep green has recently been created on Derby Road near the former Fylde Borough Council offices. There are public allotments between St. Joseph's churchyard and the recreation ground.
The town has three busy public houses - The Lane Ends, The Stanley Arms and The Royal Oak Hotel. There are three Biological Heritage Sites at Medlar Ditch, Medlar Meadows and Wesham Marsh.
The town's annual Club Day is held in early June, jointly with Kirkham
Kirkham, Lancashire
Kirkham, or as it once was known, Kirkam-in-Amounderness is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston and adjacent to the smaller town of Wesham. It owes its existence to Carr Hill upon which it was built and which was the location...
. The day involves the various churches and their chosen "Rose Queens", together with biblical tableau floats, civic dignitaries and brass bands, walking in procession through the town in the morning. In 2011 Club Day was held on Saturday 11 June.
In January 2011, as part of a £6m savings review by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust, the purpose-built 40-bed rehabilitation unit for the elderly on Mowbreck Lane, which had been built in 2001, was closed.
Regular bus services are provided by the Ribble
Ribble Motor Services
Ribble Motor Services was a large regional bus operator in the North West of England, based in Preston. The company was started in 1919, and grew to be the largest operator in the region, with a territory stretching from Carlisle to south Lancashire...
branch of Stagecoach Buses
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
.
In March 2011 the railway station
Kirkham and Wesham railway station
The Lancashire towns of Kirkham and Wesham, in England, are served by one railway station, Kirkham and Wesham. It is managed by Northern Rail, who operate most of the passenger services that call there .-Description:There are two platforms, and fairly obvious signs of the former size of the station...
, which the town shares with Kirkham, was given a makeover with a major modernisation and refurbishment of the staircase.
Governance
The town is actively represented on Fylde Borough Council by councillors Alan Clayton and Linda Nulty (both Independent).The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is Theresa McGardle and her deputy is Margaret Rawcliffe. The Town Clerk is Jean Priestley and the other coucillors are David Ogden (Chairman), Linda Nulty, Alan Clayton, Martin Howarth, Peter Ball, Mark Ementon and Stuart Harrison.
After a comprehensive questionnaire survey of all Wesham residents, a parish plan was published in November 2008.
Urban development
In recent years the town has seen three large housing developments: the first on greenfield landGreenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
adjacent to the former Wesham Park Hospital (permission for which was granted only on appeal), the second with 208 houses on brownfield land on part of the hospital site itself and a third with 109 houses on greenfield land between Fleetwood Road and Weeton Road. The building work at the two most recent sites has yet to be completed.
An application was made in 2008 for outline planning permission for a development of up to 264 houses on another greenfield site, adjacent to the Biological Heritage Site at Wesham Marsh, north of Mowbreck Lane. The application was made by land-owner Metacre, a company owned by Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
owner Trevor Hemmings, and caused much controversy amongst many existing residents, being viewed as a real threat to the rural character of the town. A pressure group was formed, several well-attended public meetings were held and a petition signed by over 90% of households was delivered. A Landscape Character Assessment has been carried out by the Lancashire branch of CPRE and an ecological survey has revealed the presence of the Natterjack Toad
Natterjack Toad
The Natterjack Toad is a toad native to sandy and heathland areas of Europe. Adults are 60–70 mm in length and are distinguished from Common Toads by a yellow line down the middle of the back...
and the Great Crested Newt
Great Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
.
At the public meeting of the Fylde Borough Council Development Control Committee on 17 March 2010, the plan was unanimously rejected. In May 2010 the developer appealed against the decision, bringing the proposal before the Government Planning Inspector. The matter was the subject of a Public Inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
which ran between 14 and 22 September 2010 at the United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
at Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...
. The appellant was represented by high-profile barrister Roger Lancaster. On 23 March 2011, it was announced that the appeal should be dismissed and planning permission refused.
Football Club
The town's football team A.F.C. FyldeA.F.C. Fylde
A.F.C. Fylde is a football club based at Warton in the Borough of Fylde in the English county of Lancashire. The club were known as Kirkham & Wesham F.C. until the end of the 2007-08 season...
, formerly Kirkham and Wesham, play in the North West Counties League, after being promoted from the West Lancashire League
West Lancashire Football League
The West Lancashire Football League is a football competition based in northern England, consisting of five divisions - three for first teams , and two for reserve teams...
in 2007. On May 11, 2008 the team travelled to Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
to challenge Lowestoft Town in the final for the FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
. They returned victorious. On May 12 here was a victory procession through the town, with the team on an open-top bus, from Kirkham Market Square to Wesham Fire Station and back again, followed by a celebratory party in the Kirkham Community Centre car park. Thousands of spectators lined the route to cheer home the victorious team.
Media
The town is served by its own free weekly newspaper, The Kirkham and Wesham Advertiser. The local newspapers are the two dailies, the Blackpool GazetteBlackpool Gazette
The Blackpool Gazette is an English evening newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast...
and Lancashire Evening Post
Lancashire Evening Post
The Lancashire Evening Post is a daily newspaper based in Fulwood, a suburb of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. According to the British Library, its first edition was published on 18 October 1886...
, and the weekly Kirkham and Fylde Express.
Listed buildings
The following buildings and structures are all listed Grade II:- Bradkirk Hall Farmhouse, Weeton Road (bearing the date plaque EH:1754)
- Christ Church, Church Road
- War Memorial with surrounding railings, Garstang Road South