St. ANNE'S

 PARK to PARK

Nosey Parkers :- Danny, Jim, John, Anthony, Mark.

A most unusual occurrence !  A ticket dispenser on a car park that was simplicity itself to use. Well done St Anne's council.

Having parked so easily we set off to find a cafe for our start the day brew. John recommended one he had used before saying it was excellent. It wasn't ! The coffee was awful.

We moved on to visit an antiques emporium which Danny told us had been used to film parts of such TV shows as "Bargain Hunt"  and  Antiques Roadshow". It was rather impressive.

Just inside we spotted guitars. One of which John thought was the same model as his first guitar many years ago.  No.  It was a "Hofner Congressman" his had been a "Hofner Senator" Both were F hole, archtop acoustics .  Jazz rather than folk guitars. Sorry... my passion. I can almost smell your boredom so I shall move on.

Mike on the other hand was more interested in a juke box and the discs it contained. Mostly sixties numbers.

Just across the road was the park which together with easy car parking  led to the title of this blog.

The gates should have been a clue to it being a wonderful Tardis of a park.

The first thing to attract our attention was the very impressive war memorial.

We continued our exploration of this fascinating little park. "Multum in Parvo" was the appropriate term to describe it. (Colloquially "A lot in a Little".)

Danny, who had been here before, led us to the pretty little Lake. Here we decided to have our Butties. Jim, on the opposite bank, is  I think, taking photos and using his phone ?

The park offered lots of benches to choose from.  All well maintained or new.  There were also lots of litter bins ( see previous photo ) keeping the grounds neat and tidy. The whole place was a credit to St Anne's council and the volunteer workers.

Lunch demolished we continued our mini-tour of the park.

"I beg your pardon. I never promised you a rose garden." (Lynn Anderson song) Well somebody did and here it is. Another delightful piece of the park.

Every few yards brought us to something interesting to stop and enjoy.

And of course regular readers will know that bridges are like magnets to Meanderthals . We always pose (pause) for a "Bridge Photo.😊👍

Hardly able to drag ourselves away we did eventually return past the war memorial and out of the "Ashton Gardens"

Out of the gardens and after quick search we found some public toilets (Elderly gentlemen yu know) near to the railway station.

Some steps led up to the High Street where Danny suggested NO  insisted we should not simply follow the high street but leave it to follow a parallel street towards the pier. ( This was fine as we had no set plan for the day and suggestions from anyone were invited and welcomed.)

Well done again Danny it was a fascinating street. NOT a chain store or a regular high Street shop in sight👽😟😕

Even to the doggy fraternity (or sorority ?) Yes I do mean you bitches !

There were sites (sights ? ) too numerous to include before we arrived at the beach

As we arrived at the promenade a strip of sunshine on the horizon revealed a very faint outline of the Welsh Hills.  Very difficult  to photograph. If you close your eyes, cross your fingers and make a wish you might imagine you too can see them.

'onest we could see them. but we didn't have cameras with lenses powerful enough to pick them out.   ͢

The side of St. Anne's  pier.   How much more interesting and exciting can our day get ???

Can't visit St Anne's without paying our respects to LES can we.

Didn't realise that Les was so tall 😉

Finished our flask in the comfortable shelters surrounding Les' statue.  

Jim, who had come in his own car, departed BEFORE we took the photos.  Then back to the car and an early return to Preston with jobs to be done at home.

SEE YOU SOON

JW

FLEETWOOD

 SINGING the BLUES 3 Miles

GAINSBOROUGH GUYS :- Anthony, Danny, Mike, John.

Arriving in Fleetwood, Mike neatly pulled into a parking spot right next to your writer's favourite work of sculptural art. 

A young mum with the kids waving to Dad as he leaves or returns from the sea.

The dog also looks eagerly towards the distant boat.

All kitted up against the cold blustery wind we set off to follow the fishy trail to our first BLUE PLAQUE.

Mike had done his homework well and explained how the three lights (see blue plaque) guided boats safely into the harbour.

Here's Mike pointing out the buoys and lights leading into the Wyre.

Just across the road was the North Euston Hotel the site of our next BLUE PLAQUE.

Danny taking a close look at the plaque and other information plates on the hotel walls.

Many years ago Queen Victoria boarded a train in London (Euston ?) Here, from Fleetwood, she boarded a ship which took her to Ardrossan in Scotland and then onwards by train to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Danny rightly suggested that Ardrossan was in the Clyde estuary making the sea trip quite lengthy.

These letters and symbols carved into the stone would suggest that the War Office had some dealings with the NORTH EUSTON HOTEL (?)

Leaving the North Euston behind we could see not far ahead of us the next recipient of a Blue Plaque. The PHAROS. Nothing to do with Egyptian Royalty  but named after the Greek Island of Pharos on which the first lighthouse was built.   It became one of Seven Wonders of the ancient world and the name now simply means a lighthouse.

And there it is but before reaching we crossed the tram tracks another iconic feature of this corner of the Fylde coastline.

Here's one passing us as we walk through the town.

Back to the Pharos.

As we examined the Pharos Danny marvelled at the huge number of Sandstone blocks which had been carved on a "curve".

No longer in use but this shelter is still an attractive piece of historical architectural structure.

And so.... on to our next Blue Plaque....

Your writer (JW) was standing virtually underneath this lamp post when he asked " Where's the Museum ?" 

His chuckling companions chorused " Look up John"   " OH !"

A large, round, tubby object. No John ............ not you.... the mine.

"DECIMUS" whose name kept cropping up as we explored Fleetwood. We wondered if he was, perhaps, the tenth child of a large family

There was little evidence, through the town, of the real, historical, importance of the fishing industry. Strangely this anchor was almost hidden away in a small, car park, garden.

BUT WHERE'S THE BOAT ???

Mike was quite saddened that the bustling town where he worked through his apprenticeship and beyond was now, by comparison,  almost a Ghost Town.

At this point Mike confessed that there was only one "Hostelry" in the town he had not visited in his earlier years.    Yes ....well.....  NO COMMENT

Well here's a sea.  A sea of lavender and the lads seem to be drowning in it. No worries there's a lifeboat close by as you will see in a moment.

Lunchtime and we settled for a sheltered, sunny spot in Euston Gardens across the road on one side from the North Euston and on the other side the parked car.

The Sandstone "Blocks upon which we were sitting were in fact a dedication to the town's lifeboats,

The words in the stone were from a popular, relevant well loved hymn.

"Oh hear us when we cry to Thee 

for those in peril on the sea"

A close look at the carvings on the stone will reveal an early form of lifeboat with a team of men rowing out to sea.

 Peter Hesketh

On a plinth in Euston gardens is a statue of one of the Hesketh family (Very much local bigwigs)

Between his feet is a RABBIT ! He is pointing down at it as if , like a dog, he is saying "Down Bunnikins down"

I think he must have scared the fluffy creature as it has soiled the plinth.

After a cursory glance at some of the information boards in the gardens we continued to our next blue plaque.

The market became well known during the 70's and 80's and drew shoppers from a wide area of Lancashire and beyond.

Our search for blue plaques continues as we headed towards the "Mount". but before getting there we passed what Mike referred to as 

"The Four Faced Liar" A clock that didn't always tell the correct time .😒

It was correct as we passed it today 😊

As we paused by this church a passer by told us he was a retired "Brickie" and that the stonework on this church was superb......so there.

On the end of a terrace we passed was this wonderful picture. Just like 

Vera Duckworth , the Coronation Street character, I do love a good "Muriel".... Don't you ?

The Mural, "The Wake of Generations",  was created by artist Christian Fenn and Hayley Garner as part of the "Big Heart Project".

We approached this church down a side street, The windows appeared blacked out and it had an air of dereliction about. On turning the corner to the front of the church, What a surprise to find this beautiful well maintained church,

From here we crossed the road and went gently uphill to the "Mount",

The views from the mount

The Marine Hall where JW performed several times with the 

"John Towers Big Band" (Swing Jazz)

Away on the horizon can be seen the Heysham Nuclear Facility.

And so down from the Mount where Mike generously hurried away to bring the car and pick us up to go home.

So farewell Fleetwood.

 No doubt we shall return for other walks

THE END

JW