Morecambe, United Kingdom
Morecambe is a town of 51,644 people in England, United Kingdom, founded in 1889.
Why visit Morecambe
Townapedia lists 26 museums and landmarks, 28 parks and trails, 226 places to eat, 43 places to stay and 19 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Winter Gardens, Grand Theatre, Lancaster Castle and Lancaster Maritime Museum.
Weather in Morecambe
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Morecambe
Morecambe is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2021, the parish had a population of 34,590.
From the Wikipedia article Morecambe (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Morecambe on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Morecambe
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Things to do19
Grand Theatre
Cinema and theater · 2.9 mi
Theatre in Lancaster, England
Lune Aqueduct
Bridge · 2.9 mi
Navigable aqueduct in Lancashire, England
Morecambe Winter Gardens
Cinema and theater · 0.5 mi
Theatre/entertainment venue in Morecambe, England
Alhambra Theatre
Cinema and theater · 0.8 mi
Former theatre and cinema in Morecambe, England, later cabaret and discotheque, then converted to shops and flats
Carlisle Bridge
Bridge · 2.3 mi
Railway bridge in Lancaster, United Kingdom
Frontierland, Morecambe
Monument and historic site · 0.6 mi
Former Amusement Park
7 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks26
Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 0.5 mi
War memorial in Morecambe, Lancashire, England, UK
Heysham hogback
Monument and historic site · 2.2 mi
Viking period grave marker in Lancashire, England
Judges' Lodgings
Museum · 2.6 mi
Museum in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Lancaster City Museum
Museum · 2.8 mi
Museum in Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Queen Victoria Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.9 mi
Memorial in Lancaster, England
War Memorial, Lancaster Cemetery
Monument and historic site · 3.6 mi
War memorial in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, UK
14 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds28
Williamson Park
Park · 3.6 mi
Park in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, UK
Storey Gardens
Park · 2.6 mi
Enter through the café at the Storey, and go up the stairs in the backyard.
Meeting House Lane
16 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes226
Quite Simply French
Restaurant · French · 2.4 mi
27a St George's Quay, Lancaster
Mo-Th 17:30-21:00; Fr,Sa 12:00-13:30,17:30-21:30; Su...
Shackleton's
Bar and pub · 1.1 mi
43 Princes Crescent, Morecambe
We,Th 16:00-22:00; Fr 14:00-22:00; Sa,Su 12:00-22:00
The Eric Bartholomew
Bar and pub · 0.4 mi
10-18 Euston Road, Morecambe
Mo-Su 08:00-24:00, Fr,Sa 08:00-01:00
214 more on the map.
History
In 1846, the Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company was formed to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the fishing village of Poulton-le-Sands, and a connecting railway. By 1850, the railway linked to Skipton, Keighley and Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and a settlement began to grow around the harbour and railway to service the port and as a seaside resort. The settlement expanded to absorb Poulton and the villages of Bare and Torrisholme. The settlement started to be referred to as "Morecambe", possibly after the harbour and railway. In 1889, the new name was officially adopted.
Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. It was home to the largest Pontins resort in the country. Pontins closed in 1993. While the resort of Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire (due to its railway connection) and Scotland. Mill workers from Bradford and further afield in West Yorkshire would holiday at Morecambe, with some retiring there. This gave Morecambe the nickname "Bradford on Sea". Between 1956 and 1989, it was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest.
Read more of the history
Morecambe suffered a decades-long decline after a series of incidents that damaged tourism and the local economy. Two piers were lost: West End Pier was partly washed away in a storm in November 1977, and the remnants were demolished in 1978; Central Pier, damaged by fire in 1933, was removed in 1992. In 1994, The World of Crinkley Bottom attraction in Happy Mount Park closed only thirteen weeks after opening. The ensuing Blobbygate scandal, a financial disaster after projected visitor numbers did not materialise, led to a legal battle between Lancaster City Council and TV star Noel Edmonds, costing North Lancashire taxpayers £2.6 million. The closures of Bubbles, Morecambe's swimming pool, and the Frontierland fairground soon followed. Tourism decline in Morecambe in the late 20th century was unusually spectacular, just as its boom had been earlier in the century. This decline was due to various factors, including competition from nearby Blackpool and other Lancastrian resorts.
Morecambe was selected by the RNLI as the location for its first active life-saving hovercraft. (Griffon 470SAR) H-002 "The Hurley Flyer", which became operational on 23 December 2002, was housed in a temporary garage next to the Yacht Club until a permanent building could be designed and built. Work on the latter began in 2008, and it officially opened on 12 June 2010.
On 5 February 2004, there was a major loss of life in Morecambe Bay when at least 21 Chinese immigrant shellfish harvesters were drowned after they became trapped by the incoming tide.
In December 2017, a local general practitioner and community health activist claimed that children in Morecambe were suffering from malnourishment and implied that cases of rickets had been observed as a consequence. The Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group subsequently sought to correct the GP's claims and clarified the etiology of vitamin D deficiency in the local population, explaining "rickets is a very rare condition and has multiple causes".
Enoch Powell made a speech in Morecambe on 11 October 1968 on the economy, setting out alternative, radical free-market policies that would later be called the Morecambe Budget. Powell used the financial year 1968–69 to show how income tax could be halved from 8s 3d to 4s 3d in the pound (basic rate cut from 41% to 21%) and how capital gains tax and Selective Employment Tax could be abolished without reducing expenditure on defence or the social services. These tax cuts required a saving of £2,855 million, and this would be funded by eradicating losses in the nationalised industries and denationalising the profit-making state concerns; ending all housing subsidies except for those who could not afford their own housing; ending all foreign aid; ending all grants and subsidies in agriculture; ending all assistance to development areas; ending all investment grants; abolishing the National Economic Development Council; and abolishing the Prices and Incomes Board The cuts in taxation would also allow the state to borrow from the public to spend on capital projects such as hospitals and roads and on the firm and humane treatment of criminals.
From the History section of Morecambe on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Morecambe
Economy
Morecambe's main central shopping area incorporates two markets—the Festival Market and the Morecambe Sunday Market—and the Reel Cinema complex.
Morecambe Hotel and Tourism Association, which had forty members, has merged with the Bay Tourism Association. At a full meeting of the Morecambe Hotel and Tourism Association on Monday 8 March 2010, it was unanimously resolved that the MHTA would join with Bay Tourism to become one association under the name of the Bay Tourism Association and the MHTA would cease to operate as an association. The BTA works closely with Lancaster Chamber and organises joint promotional ventures with other tourism associations in the region. Recent tourism initiatives have made Morecambe a centre for bird watchers with the Tern Project enhancing the town's heritage linked to the extensive natural landscape of Morecambe Bay and its diverse wildlife.
In 2018, the Eden Project revealed its design for the Eden Project North (later renamed Eden Project Morecambe) on the seafront in Morecambe. There will be biodomes shaped like mussels and a focus on the marine environment. Grimshaw are the architects for the £80 million project, which is a partnership with the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, Lancaster University, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council.
Arts and culture
Morecambe has two large live-music venues: the Platform and More Music. The Platform is a converted Victorian-styled building which used to be the old railway station. It also houses the Morecambe Tourist Information Centre. Morecambe has a number of bands playing in the town's pubs and music venues.
Morecambe is home to community music charity More Music. More Music was established in 1993 and is based in the Hothouse. The Hothouse is now a venue for live gigs.
Education
Morecambe is served by a number of primary, secondary and tertiary educational establishments. These include Morecambe Bay Academy, Bay Leadership Academy, Morecambe Road School and Lancaster and Morecambe College.
From the Wikipedia article Morecambe, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Morecambe
Peter J. RatcliffeBritish biologist & Nobel laureate in medicinePhoto: Secretaría de Ciencia, Tecnología e..., CC BY 2.5 ar
Owen SmithWelsh politician and MPPhoto: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0
Thora HirdBritish actress (1911–2003)Photo: Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0
John McGuinnessBritish motorcycle racerPhoto: en:User:Agljones, CC BY-SA 3.0
Wayne HemingwayBritish fashion designerPhoto: Andreas Dantz from Bremen, Deutschland, CC BY 2.0- Eric MorecambeBritish comedian (1926-1984)
- Janette ScottFilm actress
- Patrick Altham KellyEnglish Roman Catholic Archbishop
- Janine DuvitskiBritish actress
- Emma AtkinsEnglish actress
- Cherylee HoustonBritish actress
- Derek FellAmerican writer
Born in Morecambe, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay43
Churches and places of worship53
Morecambe Parish Church
Church · Anglican · 0.5 mi
Church Street, Morecambe
Shopping41
Gas and EV charging6
Schools, colleges and libraries31
Poulton-le-Sands Church of England Primary School
School · Anglican · 0.4 mi
Church Street, Morecambe
Slyne-with-Hest, St Luke's, Church of England Primary School
School · Anglican · 2.5 mi
Shady Lane, Lancaster
Healthcare15
Map of Morecambe
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Walney Aerodrome (BWF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Heysham 2 mi southwest, about 3 min by car
- Fleetwood 12 mi southwest, about 19 min by car
- Ulverston 13 mi northwest, about 21 min by car
- Thornton-Cleveleys 15 mi southwest, about 24 min by car
- Cleveleys 15 mi southwest, about 24 min by car
- Poulton-le-Fylde 17 mi south, about 27 min by car
- Kendal 18 mi north, about 30 min by car
- Blackpool 19 mi southwest, about 31 min by car
- Preston 22 mi south, about 35 min by car
- Clitheroe 23 mi southeast, about 38 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Morecambe
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Morecambe beach - 2023-12-31, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bridge strike ELR MSM Morecambe, Secretlondon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lancaster Grand Theatre, Peter Bond, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lancaster Canal Lune Aqueduct, Stevekraken, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Skerton Bridge, Lancaster, England - North Side, Maxine Armstrong, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Judges' Lodgings and Covell Cross, Lancaster 2025-06-16, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lancaster City Museum - 2024-01-03, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Queen Victoria Memorial, Lancaster, Jhsteel, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Christ Church, Lancaster, Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Holy Trinity Church, Bolton-le-Sands, Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lancaster Cathedral, November 2023, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Morecambe WInter Gardens, Phantom56798, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Holy Trinity Church, Morecambe, Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lancaster Castle - 2023-03-25, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Barnabas Church Morecambe - panoramio, flipflopnick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Quaker Meeting House, Lancaster 2025-06-16, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Luke's Church, Skerton, Ian Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Old Custom House in Lancaster, Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 15 and 17 Castle Hill, Lancaster, Peter I. Vardy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Midland Hotel, Morecambe (5540676959), Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0
- St Patrick's Chapel, Heysham, Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Winter Gardens, Morecambe (7910), Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palladium Cinema, The wub, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lune Millennium Bridge Panorama, David Pickavant from Lancaster, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dukes playhouse - panoramio, flipflopnick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial - view from NW, Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Heysham hogback 2 - 2022-12-31, The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park, Lancaster, Jhsteel, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, mappo2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ocean_life, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, skifans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tonys999, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tonys999, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, skifans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, dezza, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tonys999, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, skifans, CC BY-SA 4.0
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