Mr Big and a Huge Smokestack

By Harold Cunliffe

It was mentioned in a previous feature that the firm of “Hulbert,” donated an anchor from the stricken ship, the Sirene, which was grounded at Blackpool, to the Free Library in the town of Middleton, near Manchester.

It would transpire that when it came to having business acumen they had a few irons in the fire, so to speak. They were very industrious and talented. One branch of the family took up the business of supplying coal and combined scrap metal merchant. One of the main stables to this branch of the family was situated at the rear of a well-built house, known as “Wood View.” This unlike the stable and business premises is still in existence today occupied by a veterinary practice. As a matter of interest the house is close to where the talented comedian Steve Coogan grew up, which is on the main Manchester New, his former home is located on the same side of the road.

UNDER THE STONE

It has been mentioned previously that traditionally items like coins were placed under corner stones or foundation stones of buildings under construction. Those who work in the demolition business are well aware of these finds. During 1933 the firm of Messrs John Hulbert won the contract to demolish the Swinton Industrial Schools. The work commenced during January, and by September the buildings were taken down to ground level and all that was left to do was to clear the rubble and debris. One of the workmen employed by Hulbert’s was Alfred Sheward, who had located the foundation stone and had removed an inscribed metal plate along with a number of coins. The items were taken to his home. A number of the coins were spent and two were kept as a keep sake. Sheward’s downfall was that he mentioned to Robert Hall, who was also employed on the site, of his find under the stone. Three months later the former owners of the buildings mentioned the foundation stone and the possibility of artefacts being found. Inquiries were made and it was brought to the attention of the police that items had been removed from the site by Sheward. A search of his home revealed some of the items including the plate. In court Sheward stated that he intended to clean the plate and then hand it back to Swinton Town Hall, but three months had passed by. The Chairman of the court stated, “He should tell the truth because his story so far was a bit lame.” This he did and was handed a fine of 20s, (£1.00) or seven days imprisonment. Alfred Sheward said that he could not pay the fine. The Chairman stated, “We will give you one month in which to pay, and if you do not pay you must go to prison.” WIGAN PIER

It would transpire that the Hulbert family provided employment for many people. A family friend, Mike Stringer who lives at Royton, loaned an old photograph of his grandad, who was engaged in demolition work at Wigan Pier which was awarded to scrap metal merchant, John Hulbert. With this in mind it looks like the scrap business was well known throughout Lancashire. The town of Middleton, Manchester is known for its archers, but bowmen came from all over Lancashire. Of the archers which fought at the Battle of Flodden, only one or two would be from the town of Middleton. Should they all be killed then the town would only loose two menfolk, this would prevent the loss of all the men in one town. The name “Stringer” links the family to those who made the strings for the bows, so I was reliably informed. It is interesting to note that during my time as Parks Foreman arrowheads were found in the allotments which are located below the church on the hill which has a wooden steeple. On the opposite side of the church is Jubilee Park, which faces the ancient hostelry, The Old Boars Head. This park was opened in 1889 along with the Brassey Recreation grounds, named after the donor of the land, Lord Brassey who attended the opening ceremony. The Middleton archers would practice their skills on the land facing the church and Old Boars Head each Sunday; this was following them being blessed at a church service. Our archers were protectors, should war break out we would depend upon these skilled men in our fight against the enemy. An interesting object was found in the allotments below the church, which was in the form of a pebble. The rear was convex, being rounded by natural erosion, but the concave side was fascinating. If you placed your finger in the centre of

the hollow and moved it around you could clearly feel the shape of an arrow head, also if the stone was filled with water the shape of an arrow head became visible. I did wonder if this was used for sharpening. It was small enough to carry, and consisted of a type of stone which would put an edge on the tip of a metal arrow. Coincidentally, while writing this item I have archived some items of news from this period. “The Return of the Sunbeam.” Covers the return of the yacht owned by Lord Brassey which had just arrived at Portsmouth from the Mediterranean. The report states that a novel experiment was carried out of a steam yacht with engines not in working order. It is interesting to note in these present challenging times of fuel and climate change, that in 1889 under altered conditions an average rate of speed of six and a half knots was maintained for a total distance of 6,780 miles. I suppose the old ‘clipper’ ships were energy efficient, they moved goods around the world by using power of the wind. HULBERT’S DEPOT

Following the demise of the coal and scrap metal business the house and depot were sold off. The depot was converted in to a garage and M.O.T centre. A few years ago this business closed and the building was demolished with the site used for residential housing. Prior to the demolition yours truly was invited to inspect the building. It would seem that a great deal of thought had been given by the architect. Upon close inspection you could make out the positions of the stables, but even more interesting was the way the meal was transported to the horses. Hulbert’s by the way were well known for their care and attention which was given to their animals, many specimens winning prizes at shows. Within the roof space, the hay loft, were chutes which were numbered. This number corresponded with the stable below. The feed was poured down the square chutes to the animals below. Set into the forecourt were iron rings. These proved to be a mystery, what were they once used for. The best suggestion is that at the time the horses were being loaded, the horse was tethered to this ring to prevent injury by the horse moving while the lorry was being maintained or loaded.

Wheelwrights putting on the hot iron hoop

The former Stables and scrap metal depot JOHN HULBERT

Mr John Hulbert was known as “Mr Big” being one of the most successful businessmen in town, a man who was always on the go, always on the lookout for work and a good deal. He passed away on the 18 February 1924 aged 67 years. His will was made public ten months following his demise. He left a gross estate of £170,160, 3s, 1d. The executors of the will were Mr William Martin Wiggins, (Former Mayor of Middleton, WW1) of The Cottage, Hollingworth, Cheshire, cotton spinner, and Mr Aquils Kenyon of Silverdale, Carlton,

Old Hall Dairy milk float “Milk fit for babies, delivered twice daily”

Poulton-Le-Fylde, engineer. John was the son of a blacksmith who found employment at Rhodes Works. Later he went into the iron trade and it was noted that he excelled in everything he did. He next took up a position at a coal dealership, “Roberts,” who had an office and yard next to the Railway Station, this gave him the inspiration to start up his own position in the coal business, then following the death of Mr Roberts, John took over the business. It was at this point that business took off. It was due to his business acumen that he became successful; he took the risk with business opportunities and in doing so made his mark in Lancashire. His most profitable contract was with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Co., transporting their goods. Horse power was the mode of transport, and with his care and attention to his beast of burden won many prizes. Mr Hulbert acquired a number of farms where he bred horses, eventually being known as the leading gelding man in the country.

Billy pickup and Frank Hulbert admire their work

It was said that the family who owned the scrap metal and coal business were referred to as the “other side of the family,” by the Hulbert’s who were wheelwrights. This family who lived on the opposite side of town were remarkably talented. The first reference I can find of Mr James Hulbert is that he commenced business at the rear of a public house, the Suffield Arms, located on the main road to Rochdale, January 1881.

The next announcement in the business columns of the local newspaper was during August of 1882, which stated that James had taken over the wheelwright business of Dan Parr, in which James had been an apprentice so he had “bought-out” his former employer located at Morton Street, which street is at the rear of the ancient Parish Church. Another building was acquired opposite the wheelwrights’ shop where ice was manufactured. We discover that deliveries of ice were made twice a day to customers around the town. James had two sons, James Junior and Frank who were trained by their father in the art of the wheelwright, and also vehicles. It is stated that the first horse drawn vehicles which were made in town were produced by this family firm.

In 2005 Jean Grimshaw the daughter of Frank Hulbert, remembers growing up in and around the family business. Such was the reputation of this family concern that they had no reason to advertise their trade. The family was so well known that they were never short of work. Their reputation was known by Old Colonel Hopwood (of the Hopwood Hall Estate), who was known to frequently drop into the workshop to have a chat. The demise of the business came about by the demolition of the farms when the fields were used as overspill estates for Manchester City Council.

During my interview with Jean, she commented that she lived above the family’s ice works. “It was an extremely noisy environment in which to live,” she commented. “If the machines broke down at night, it was like an alarm clock going off in reverse, dad would have to jump out of bed and rush off to see what the trouble was.”

An example of the caravans produced by Hulbert’s

INCH BIGGER

Mrs Grimshaw loaned a photographic album at the time of the interview which documented the magnificent vehicles which had been produced at the works. A copy was made of the contents of the album. It is interesting to note that one photograph shows a wheel being made by her father and uncle. The iron hoop which fits on to the wooden wheel is one inch smaller than the actual wheel. When the hoop is heated it expands, then when placed on the wheel cold water is poured over the hoop which shrink fits the hoop or tyre at which point becomes very firmly attached. Hulbert’s closed around 1965. As always, I am keen to seek artefacts, but sadly all the tools and wooden profiles were destroyed. Thanks to the generosity of Mrs Grimshaw we now have a photographic archive and to add to this, ephemera is gained from local studies to document this business for posterity.

Morton St with the wheelwrights shop in the background

If you are the person responsible for the day to day running of the Recreation Department in a Lancashire town, at times you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty, especially when short of staff due to holidays. It must have been one day during summertime that I found myself having to mow the bowling green at a place called Rhodes, which is located in a valley mid way between Middleton and Heaton Park.

This area was very well known at one time due to its landmark, this being the iconic Schwabe chimney. It was at one period the largest brick structure in Europe. Directly in the shadow of this huge chimney was the Victorian Rhodes Bowling Green. At the time I was mowing the fine turf, walking up and down the green with the mowing machine, covering a distance of five miles, I had the pleasure of the visiting Swifts.

These birds are amazing in the way they swoop at speed very close to the ground along the green scooping up insects. They manage to maintain this high speed as they fly very low, and then accelerate away too. These birds would encircle the chimney, flying round and round elevating and descending as they capture more insects. I had never been close one of these birds until one day a pair of them almost collided as they swooped on the bowling green. The poor thing was helpless as it flapped its huge wings trying to take off.

A man who was walking his dog advised me to put it out of its misery, “It will only die if a cat spots it, they can’t take off from the ground, they fall out of a tree or building to start their flight” he commented.

It was worth a little effort to see if I could rescue the bird. Using a pair of step ladders I managed to throw the bird into the air, where at first it took a dive then regained its flight, and the last vision I remember was of it zig zagging along the bowling green and back into freedom.

AN EXPERT IN SMOKESTACKS

All the time I was maintaining this bowling green little did I realise that I had a witness. A man was watching the mowing operation from a height of around 200 foot. His main observation was made while he enjoyed a cigarette. The man in question was Fred Dibnah. At this period the factory chimney was no longer in use and the cost of maintaining it was a burden, the owner eventually sold it for a £5 note. The mill owner decided to have a survey carried out, and called upon Fred and his assistant, Donald to inspect it. For a number of days Fred would arrive in his Land Rover to ladder the chimney, all 358 foot. Near the top however the brickwork stands out then returns to the cap. Ladders could be seen to lean outwards, which gave a feeling of a danger of slipping off the rungs via gravity to anyone climbing them. The maintenance of the green was complete, then during the machine cleaning process a man with substantial work boots entered the bowling green, “How do, is there anywhere where I might have a @&%%,” he enquired, “The Gents are over there mate,” I informed him. Once he had relieved himself he commented that the job of mowing the green looked a bit boring, a monotonous job, he said, “I can hear your machine clearly from up above, but walking up and down with that machine all day is a bit boring.” I then stated that it was far less dangerous than what he was doing. I asked him about the ladder which elevated outwards which was around 300 foot above the ground, I enquired if his feet came off the ladder due to gravity when leaning outward, Mr Dibnah stated that he took a short rest before ascending the outward facing ladder, then he set off at a decent speed, in which the gravity was maintained when climbing verticle. If he was to stop then gravity would pull against his feet. It all sounded hair raising to me. The following day the ladders reached the top of the chimney in which we eagerly awaited what Fred would do next, it was stated that you could drive a horse and cart around the top of this chimney, such was its width. It must have been of a decent width, because we watched in amazement as Fred climbed on to the top of the chimney and casually walked around its circumference a few times, (I would have been on my hands and knees), then with the inspection done, he started to remove his ladders. The inspection revealed that the chimney was located in an awkward spot, right next to the main road which would mean that its demolition would have to be carried out by removing the bricks by hand. Plus Fred was not happy with the base; “It has a rather strange foundation” he commented. Digging deep into our archive we find a number of reports and articles. We discover that a local builder, not a chimney specialist, Mr John Ashton of Blackley was given the contract to build the chimney in 1846 that did an amazing job. The foundations were excavated by Mr John Garner, who was the superintendent of the reservoir dept. Due to the nature of the ground it took him sixteen weeks to accomplish the work of removing almost forty foot of earth. The facts relating to the former landmark and tourist attraction are that the base was gravel, no stone flags or cement was used. The huge chimney could be seen for miles around, standing at 358ft. 6in. from bottom to top, the inside diameter at the top was 9ft. 3in. with the entrance at the flue being 22ft in diameter. In total it was estimated that one and a half million bricks were used. At the top of the chimney was an iron cap, this weighed 13 tons 7cwt. The mystery is, how did Mr Ashton manage to lift this cap to the top of the chimney? My theory was that it was raised as they built the chimney. A number of reports state that it took Mr Ashton only 16 weeks to build the chimney, so with the same period to excavate the foundations, it took only 32 weeks from start to finish. I would have estimated a time scale of say two years to build. This is a subject which warrants future research. No doubt there would have been a grand topping out ceremony at the time of the first firing. Mr Salis Schwabe was known to many people, both here and abroad. It is documented that his friend, Frederic Francois Chopin visited Rhodes to view this marvel in 1848 when he came to Manchester to perform at the Gentlemen’s Concert Hall in Mosley Street. Was the chimney completed at this time? Chopin was the guest of Salis who at this period lived at Holland House, Crumpsall, now demolished. At the Heaton Park Golf Club a little information gave you an advantage upon your competitor. It was known by regulars that when you were at a certain green, if you aimed your shot at the Schwabe chimney in the distance, the golf ball will land on the required green, which was out of view from the teeing off position.

Rhodes chimney demolished by Benny Lancaster

The Schwabe Works Fire Brigade Plus, on warm summer evenings when at my daughter’s, I have a walk after tea and take a stroll past this house.” My reply came as a surprise to her, I informed the elderly lady that I knew the chap very well who lived at the house she was explaining, the one with hanging baskets and is the on the corner. “Really,” she exclaimed. Oh yes I have known him for many years, he is a lovely old gentleman you know. In fact, the next time your passing knock on his door, he will be delighted to chat to you. The only thing which I find sad is the ‘Old Man’ reference, which the man is me! I can’t wait to see the expression on her face when she knocks on my door.

AWARD WINNING

THE HOT HOUSE

A regular competitor at the bowling green was Alderman Arthur Emmerson. At the time that I knew him he was well into his retirement. Arthur was a really nice gentleman. One day when I was inspecting the green Arthur requested some advice of a horticultural nature regarding the plants he was growing in his greenhouse. Naturally with him being a member of the council I agreed to accompany him to his greenhouse. The greenhouse was an extension of his garage, upon entering felt warm. Next we proceeded to the glasshouse which was considerably warmer. I enquired if he had a power supply to these buildings, “No,” he replied, “You see, the heat you can feel comes from underground. Both my garage and glasshouse are positioned over the underground flues to Schwabe’s chimney. So I enjoy free heat.” But all this came to an end once the chimney was no longer in use. Part of the Manchester Old Road never became covered in snow or ice during winter when the Lancashire boilers were in use. A strip of road was heated from below and was clear of the effects of the winter weather was clearly visible. Frank Cosgrove lived above the village of Rhodes, and took many interesting photographs of the chimney. Frank was the last employee at the Schwabe works when it closed. At this time it was owned by the Calico Printers Association. Mr Cosgrove who was close to retirement was given the position of watchman. He related that in one room the items of the former fire brigade were still in place. On a line of hooks hung the brass firemen’s helmets. These are highly collectable today. Frank it transpires was very well liked in the village, he had a lovely persona. Should he hear of a child being born out of wedlock, he would say that he or she had, “Slid down the wrong side of the rainbow.”

THE OLD MAN

Last year as the nation came out of a second lockdown those who are keen gardeners were on the lookout for plant bargains. In the centre of our Lancashire town stands a branch of one of the leading supermarkets. Outside on display were a number of trollies loaded with decent bedding plants. I must admit to being in a state of total concentration when searching for plants on these trays, mainly concentrating upon the choosing of the best plants in which to propagate more plants, “how many cuttings can I take?” Gardeners enjoy having plants for free via taking cuttings. A lovely elderly lady engaged me in conversation; this is typical of an old grower, keen to share tips. Next she made a comment which made me take note. “If you want to see a beautiful garden, full of colourful planters and hanging baskets, you need to go and look at a garden at;” then gave directions upon how I could witness this garden at the home of the ‘old gentleman ‘who lived at the property for years. “My daughter lives near this man,” she commented, “I usually take a route to my daughter’s house which takes me past his house.

Some years ago I was fortunate to win the “In Bloom,” competition for the household garden section. Naturally the competition was in association with the Rochdale Observer Group, with Mr Richard Catlow being the managing director. I had become known to Richard during my time as Parks Foreman when we promoted outdoor events. It was only natural that the newspapers would want to gain as much reading material as possible. My collection of vintage garden tools and lawn mowers which were displayed at flower shows were mentioned which set the journalists at the local newspaper into action. A small number of reports were published, which brought in a number of requests. The local radio station wanted to have a chat, BBC Gardeners World wanted to do a fly on the wall type programme. But the title of a newspaper article was to provide me an entertaining party piece. I had glanced through the weekly newspaper and spotted the title, “Gardener Unearths an Aunt,” which I decided to read at a later date.

I wish I had taken time to read it, because it was regarding a relative of mine. An elderly aunt, who was once married to my uncle Harry, a florist by trade, had read the story of my horticultural award and had made contact with the newspaper, commenting that she had memories of me playing in their flower shop at Newton Heath as a child, watching several women making the floral decorations. The title of “Unearthing an Aunt,” was brilliant really, but did give visions of me doing a bit of actual digging.

WE ARE THE RNLI

THE CHARITY THAT SAVES LIVES AT SEA

Morecambe RNLI’s Hurley Flyer Credit: Colin Midwinter

Hoylake RNLI’s Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood Credit: MS Photographic

There are 238 RNLI lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland’s shores, of which seven are situated in Lancashire and on the Wirral peninsula. Whilst all RNLI lifeboat stations follow the same RNLI ethos, their modus operandi is more individual, specific to their topography and geographical setting.

As such, rescue craft are chosen for each lifeboat station to best respond to the nature of the potential risk in that area. In the north west of England, we have a wide range of risks and possible taskings; from offshore gas fields and ocean-going ships, to sailboards, mudflats and missing persons. The RNLI are able to call on many different types of resource to cover each area of concern

Take Lancashire’s most northerly lifeboat station, Morecambe RNLI. In actual fact, there are two lifeboat stations based in the town, both housing

TO DONATE OR SUPPORT THE RNLI GO TO: https://rnli.org.uk/support-us

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity registered in England and Wales (209603), Scotland (SC037736), the Republic of Ireland (20003326) and the Bailiwick of Jersey (14)

completely different rescue craft. The RNLI volunteers at Morecambe cover the northerly section of Morecambe Bay, including a huge area of sand and mudflats. The sandbanks and mudflats are criss-crossed with hundreds of gullies, some deeper than many anticipate, meaning casualties are often cut off by one of the fastest and highest tidal ranges in the world.

Morecambe RNLI operates with the work horse of the RNLI fleet, the D class in-shore lifeboat, Margaret Mary Timpaney, and it is ideally suited to rescue people when there is sufficient water in the Bay. But if the tide is out, lifeboats, however small, are not suitable and unable to reach casualties. So, back in 2002, it was decided to introduce a new search and rescue vessel to the RNLI fleet - the hovercraft. Morecambe RNLI is one of only four RNLI lifeboat stations that has a hovercraft in service.

The hovercraft is able to cross sand and mud flats to reach casualties and can operate in areas inaccessible to more conventional rescue craft. Such is the difference between the lifeboat and the hovercraft, the former has a Helm in charge, whilst the latter has a Commander. After all, the hovercraft literally flies across the landscape. This allows the volunteers to reach casualties quicker by taking a more direct route across both land and sea. Morecambe RNLI’s hovercraft, the Hurley Flyer, has now been operational for over 20 years. Back in 2004, the Hurley Flyer, with the late Commander Harry Roberts in control, was heavily involved in the cockle-pickers tragedy, along with the station’s in-shore lifeboat. The volunteers received a framed letter of thanks from RNLI Chairman, Peter Nicholson for their service on that awful and tragic night.

However, Morecambe RNLI isn’t the only RNLI lifeboat station to house an operational rescue hovercraft. The Hurley Spirit has been in operation with the volunteers at Hoylake RNLI since 2017 and covers the mainly silted-up Dee estuary and includes the famous Hilbre Island bird observatory. Hoylake RNLI volunteers are often called to assist people who accidentally find themselves cut off from shore after misjudging the fast-flowing tides. Hoylake RNLI volunteers also operate the new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood, as the lifeboat station covers an area that includes the busy shipping lanes, in and out of Liverpool, in the southern Irish Sea. Such was the importance of Hoylake RNLI’s position, it received one of the earliest Shannon class lifeboats, 13-06, the sixth in the fleet.

Hoylake RNLI is one of the oldest lifeboat stations on the coasts of the UK and was established in 1803 by the Mersey Dock and Harbour board. The lifeboat station joined the RNLI in 1894.

Hoylake RNLI has two flank stations, who serve different parts of the Wirral peninsula. New Brighton RNLI now operates a B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Charles Dibdin, the fastest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. The volunteers at New Brighton have the difficult task of covering the river Mersey, one of the busiest ports in the UK. In addition to the volume of shipping traffic, it also has to contend with an extremely fast flowing tide, channelled by the narrowing of the river at Seacombe. The mighty Atlantic 85 is ideally suited to powering against fast tidal flows and being able to reach casualties as soon as possible. 

New Brighton RNLI’s Charles Dibdin Credit: New Brighton RNLI

West Kirby RNLI’s Seahorse Credit: David Edmunds

Lytham St Anne’s RNLI volunteers with with Barbara Anne and Moam Credit: Gregg Wolstenholme

WE ARE THE RNLI

THE CHARITY THAT SAVES LIVES AT SEA

 New Brighton RNLI was established in 1863. It was decided by the RNLI that a lifeboat station at the seaside resort, could reach casualties at sea quicker than the Liverpool Docks and Harbour Board’s lifeboat, based in Liverpool.

Hoylake RNLI’s other flank station is West Kirby RNLI. Here, the volunteers operate the D class lifeboat, Seahorse, ideally suited to the difficult conditions within the Dee estuary and around Hilbre Island, when tides are in flood.

West Kirby RNLI is one of the newer RNLI lifeboat stations, established in the famous World Cup year of 1966. Their casualties aren’t restricted to people though. In 1989 they were awarded a Bronze medal by the animal charity, RSPCA, for rescuing two horses, trapped deep in the Dee’s silted mud banks.

On the Fylde, the RNLI has three lifeboat stations; Lytham St Anne’s RNLI in the south, Fleetwood RNLI station to the north and the busiest lifeboat station in Lancashire, Blackpool RNLI near

TO DONATE OR SUPPORT THE RNLI GO TO: https://rnli.org.uk/support-us

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity registered in England and Wales (209603), Scotland (SC037736), the Republic of Ireland (20003326) and the Bailiwick of Jersey (14)

Central Pier. In 2021, the volunteers from Blackpool RNLI responded to 71 callouts.

Blackpool RNLI was established in 1864 and the sheer volume of visitors ensured the volunteers were always kept busy. But it wasn’t just holiday-makers in difficulties around the town’s beaches that kept the lifeboats active. In 1897, Lord Nelson’s old flagship, Foudroyant, was at the resort for exhibition purposes and was totally wrecked in heavy seas and gale force winds. Weather typical of a Bank Holiday! The 20 people on board the Foudroyant were recused by the Watson class lifeboat, Samuel Fletcher of Manchester, the second lifeboat at Blackpool RNLI to carry that name. The first Samuel Fletcher of Manchester was involved in successfully rescuing the 17 crew and ship’s dog, from the Abana, which ran aground near Cleveleys. The three-ton lifeboat had to be hauled from central Blackpool to Little Bispham by horses, before she was launched into heavy seas. The wreck of the Abana is still visible today at low tide near Little Bispham.

Today, Blackpool RNLI operate with their two recent arrivals, the D class in-shore lifeboats, Phyllis Rowan and Blackpool Endeavour, as well the B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat, William and Eleanor.

Lytham St Anne’s RNLI shares a dual lifeboat station operation, similar to Morecambe RNLI’s. Originally, both Lytham and St Anne’s operated separately, but the name was changed in 1935, in line with the two town’s amalgamation in 1922. However, at the time there was only one lifeboat and that was in Lytham, as the St Anne’s lifeboat station had been closed in 1925.

But good news was to follow in 1999, following successful trials with a carriage launched Mersey class lifeboat in St Anne’s, when it was announced that a new lifeboat station would be built near St Anne’s pier. Today, the building is home to a new Shannon class allweather lifeboat, Barbara Anne whilst the D class lifeboat, Moam, operates from Central Beach, Lytham, near the original boathouse.

However, Lytham St Anne’s RNLI has perhaps the saddest and most shocking incident of the Fylde’s RNLI history.

In 1886, the Lytham lifeboat was launched, along with lifeboats from Southport and St Anne’s, to the barque, Mexico, from Hamburg. It was never established exactly what happened to the St Anne’s lifeboat, but it washed ashore, upside down, the following day. All 13crew perished. Southport’s lifeboat is thought to have reached the Mexico, before it too, capsized. 14 of the 16-crew perished. Thankfully, the Lytham lifeboat survived, despite being swamped with water, and successfully managed to rescue the crew of 12.

Donations for the dependants of the volunteers that drowned that fateful and tragic night eventually reached an incredible £31,000, such was the shock of the tragedy. Contributions included those received from HM Queen Victoria and Emperor of Germany.

Fleetwood RNLI, originally established in 1859, found their local volunteers from the town’s fishing fleet, all well versed in seamanship and willing to help their friends and relatives, in many cases, when in distress. Fleetwood is in fact, the recognised receiving port in the eastern part of the Irish Sea, should a major incident occur. All casualties would be processed by the emergency services through the Fleetwood lifeboat station. Thankfully, major incidents are few and far between.

Today, Fleetwood RNLI operate with both the D class in-shore lifeboat, Harbet and the Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, Kenneth James Pierpoint which not only covers the area into Morecambe Bay as far as Heysham, but halfway between our coast and the Isle of Man, including some of the many wind farms seen from our shores.

Lancashire and the North West are well covered by the saving lives at sea charity and the RNLI ensures its volunteers and equipment are well suited for the job required. Through a thorough training and maintenance schedule, the safety of the volunteers is the RNLI’s priority. More importantly, we are fortunate to have fantastic support from our local communities, both financial and practical, which helps the RNLI continue its life saving work. I know all volunteers with the RNLI really appreciate it and we thank each and every one for that support. n

Fleetwood RNLI’s Kenneth James Pierpoint and Harbet Credit: Rob Baines