The north-west seaside resort of Southport can trace its origins back to
1792 when William Sutton, a pub landlord from Churchtown, built a
bathing house in a sparsely populated area a few miles down the coast.
Although widely mocked at the time, Sutton realised the potential for a
resort close to the newly constructed Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Within
thirty years Southport, as it was renamed, was attracting over 20,000
visitors annually. In this book, Margaret Brecknell celebrates the
town's significant events and achievements, together with its notable
local people from across the centuries. Southport was viewed as more
upmarket than its emerging rival, Blackpool. Among those attracted here
were 'The Greatest Showman' P. T. Barnum and the future French Emperor
Napoleon III. Southport later hosted some of the twentieth century's
best-known entertainers including Charlie Chaplin and The Beatles. In
the 1970s, the legendary Grand National winner Red Rum was trained on
Southport Beach. With people increasingly choosing to holiday abroad,
Southport has reinvented itself as a destination for day trippers. In
recent years, a large-scale rejuvenation project has taken place near
the seafront with the aim of restoring some of the resort's most popular
attractions, such as the Victorian pier, to their former glory.
Southport has much to celebrate in its past, but can also look forward
to the future with renewed confidence. Illustrated throughout, this book
will appeal to residents, visitors and all those with links to this
seaside town.
