Marshside is a suburb of the town of

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

, England. It is part of the ancient parish of

North Meols North Meols is a civil parish and electoral ward in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers the village of Banks and the hamlet of Hundred End. The population of the parish/ward at the 2011 census was 4,146. His ...

and was formerly a detached settlement, on the northern fringe of what is now Southport. Marshside's most notable features are neighbours: the SSSI and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

on the opposite side of Marine Drive. The sandwinning plant closed in early 2007. Whilst operational, it extracted thousands of tonnes of Southport sand per year for use in industry. The nature reserve is managed by the RSPB and provides food and accommodation to many native and migratory birds. Marshside's traditional industry was shrimping, and the practice still continues to a diminished degree today. Marshside has four schools: Marshside Primary School, St Patrick's Primary School, Larkfield Primary School (between Larkfield Lane and Preston New Road) and Stanley High School (on Fleetwood Road). The last of these is the largest, with around 800 pupils between the ages of 11 and 16. Marshside has surprisingly few pubs (compared with neighbouring Churchtown), possibly in part due to the strong tradition of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

in the former village. However, there is the Shrimper on Fylde Road (next to

The Co-operative Food Co-op Food is a brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group in the United Kingdom. Prior to reintroducing the brand in 2016, the group used " The Co-operative" branding, which is still used by a number of consumers' co- ...

). The Shrimper is a food-serving pub and part of a large chain. A notable feature is a fish & chip shop built on to the back of the building in the car park, although this is no longer operational, but that has been replaced with a new fish and chip shop, otherwise known as Fylde Fish Bar next to

and Fylde Road Pharmacy. St Patrick's Parish Club on Marshside Road is another establishment licensed to serve alcohol. Situated at the back of the old church, the members club is open throughout the week. The only other place to serve alcohol in Marshside is the Fleetwood Hesketh Sports & Social Club, on Fylde Road. Built on land acquired from the

Meols Hall Meols Hall is a historical manor house in Churchtown, Merseyside, dating from the 12th century with a 16th-century tithe barn restored for wedding receptions and ceremonies. History Meols Hall dates back to the late 12th century when the mano ...

estate in Churchtown, this private members club has various sports teams including football,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, crown green and indoor bowls,

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...

, and snooker. Marshside is also home to the only brass band in Southport. The main modern industry in Marshside is situated on the estate behind the Shrimper pub, housed in a number of metal-clad buildings. There is a bakery and a publisher's warehouse amongst others. In the early twentieth century, Marshside had its own completely unique dialect feature, involving a parasitic

nasal consonant In phonetics, a nasal, also called a nasal occlusive or nasal stop in contrast with an oral stop or nasalized consonant, is an occlusive consonant produced with a lowered velum, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. The vast major ...

, occurring after certain final consonants, mostly plosives, in words at the end of a sense group, and before the plural inflexion medially and at the end of a sense group.

References

External links

North Meols Civic Society: Marshside Fog Bell

A visit to the RSPB Marshside reserve in a personal 'blog' (November 2006)

Marshside Brass Band
{{SSSIs Merseyside Southport Towns and villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton