Morecambe ( ) is a

seaside town A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

City of Lancaster The City of Lancaster, or simply ''Lancaster'' (), is a non-metropolitan district, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, Lanca ...

district of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England, on

Morecambe Bay Morecambe Bay is an estuary in north-west England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second largest ga ...

, part of the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768.

Name

The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), when he refers to the "æstury of Moricambe". It next appears four years later in ''Antiquities of Furness'', where the bay is described as "the Bay of Morecambe". That name is derived from the Roman name ''Moriancabris Æsturis'' shown on maps prepared for them by ''Claudius Ptolemœus'' (

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

) from his original Greek maps. At this distance in time it is impossible to say if the name was originally derived from an earlier language (e.g.

Celtic language The Celtic languages ( ) are a branch of the Indo-European language family, descended from the hypothetical Proto-Celtic language. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, following Paul-Yves ...

) or from Greek. The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

version describes the fourth inlet north from

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

on the west coast of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

as Moriancabris Æsturis. Translated, this gives a more accurate description than the present name of

as the Latin refers to multiple estuaries on a curved sea, not a bay, as then the word sinus or gulf would have been used. The name appeared in March 1862 on a steam locomotive built for the

South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway The South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway (SD&LUR) built a railway line linking the Stockton and Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (the West Coast Main Line) at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainm ...

, which could indicate it was already in unofficial use for the area. It was not until 1889 that the necessary legislation was passed to officially name the area Morecambe, comprising the hamlets of Poulton, Bare and

Torrisholme Torrisholme is a suburb of Morecambe, Lancashire, on the North West coast of England. In the 2001 census, the Torrisholme Ward had a population of 6,758 living in 3,118 households, decreasing marginally to 6,755 at the 2011 Census. Torrisholme ...

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

for the purposes of the Census of 1841 but shown as separate townships in the previous Census of 1831). In 1894, the

Urban District Council In England and Wales, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local government responsibilities with a county council. ...

was formed, thus freeing Morecambe completely from its governance by the

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

of Lancaster until 1974 when Lancaster again took charge. Before the creation of Morecambe, Poulton acquired two suffixes, "le Sands" and briefly "by Sands". The reason for these additions stems from the dearth of names of townships in earlier times with the same name recurring over again. In the days before free movement of people, this was not so important. As travel became easier through first the turnpikes and later the railways, it became necessary to differentiate between the various towns with the same name, hence the additions. On 3 August 1928, the name changed again when the

Corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

of Morecambe amalgamated with

Heysham Heysham ( ) is a coastal village in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations. History Of historic ...

Urban District Council to form the

Municipal Borough of Morecambe and Heysham Morecambe and Heysham was a municipal borough in Lancashire, England. It was formed in 1928 by the merging of Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe ...

History

In 1846, the

Morecambe Harbour and Railway 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 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

Company was formed to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the fishing village of

Poulton-le-Sands Poulton-le-Sands is one of three small villages that combined to create Morecambe, Lancashire, England, the other two being Torrisholme and Bare. A local board of health was established in 1852, which, taking its name from Morecambe Bay, became ...

, and a connecting railway. By 1850, the railway linked to

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds ...

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

and

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, 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

. 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 Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It was acquired by Britannia Hotels in 2011. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment at reso ...

resort in the country. Pontins closed in 1993. While the resort of

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

(due to its railway connection) and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. 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 Miss Great Britain is a national beauty contest held annually in Britain since 1945. It is Britain's longest-running beauty pageant. History Following World War Two, a number of seaside resorts around the United Kingdom introduced beauty cont ...

beauty contest A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes so ...

. Morecambe suffered a decades-long decline after a series of incidents that damaged tourism and the local economy.Alan Cowell
Postcard From Ailing British Coasts: Wish You Were Here
''The New York Times'', 12 April 2007. Two

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

s 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 Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English businessman, and former television presenter, radio DJ, writer and producer. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, pres ...

, costing North Lancashire taxpayers £2.6 million. The closures of Bubbles, Morecambe's swimming pool, and the

Frontierland Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company, Disney around the world. Themed to the American frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and Settler, pioneers, ...

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 The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 ...

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 A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...

and community health activist claimed that children in Morecambe were suffering from malnourishment and implied that cases of

rickets Rickets, scientific nomenclature: rachitis (from Greek , meaning 'in or of the spine'), is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children and may have either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stun ...

had been observed as a consequence. The Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group subsequently sought to correct the GP's claims and clarified the

etiology Etiology (; alternatively spelled aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek word ''()'', meaning "giving a reason for" (). More completely, etiology is the study of the causes, origins ...

of vitamin D deficiency in the local population, explaining "rickets is a very rare condition and has multiple causes".

The "Morecambe Budget"

Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell (16 June 19128 February 1998) was a British politician, scholar and writer. He served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Wolverhampton South West for the Conservative Party (UK), Conserv ...

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 Selective Employment Tax (SET) was a weekly payroll tax in the United Kingdom. It was levied against employers at a flat rate of per man, and per woman. SET was intended to subsidise manufacturing industry from the proceeds of the services ind ...

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 The National Economic Development Council (NEDC) was an economic planning forum set up in 1962 in the United Kingdom to bring together management, trades unions and government – a form of tripartism – in an attempt to address Britain's relativ ...

; 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.

Governance

The town is in the Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency; the Member of parliament following the 2024 general election is Lizzi Collinge Before

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, it was in the

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

European Parliamentary Constituency. Morecambe is governed by three tiers of Local Government: * Morecambe Town Council, * Lancaster City Council (District), *

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

Economy

Morecambe's main central shopping area incorporates two markets—the Festival Market and the Morecambe Sunday Market—and the Reel Cinema complex.

Tourism

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 Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescope, ...

with the Tern Project enhancing the town's heritage linked to the extensive natural landscape of Morecambe Bay and its diverse wildlife.

Eden Project Morecambe

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 Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council.

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.

Culture

Performing arts

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 A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...

. 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.

Morecambe and Alan Bennett

The

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. He has received numerous awards and honours including four BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2005 he received the Socie ...

has enjoyed a long association with Morecambe and has often referred to the town in his work and writing. One of his early TV plays, ''Sunset Across the Bay'' (1975), is about a couple from

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

who retire to Morecambe, leaving their old home with the words "Bye bye, mucky Leeds!" He based the play on memories of the many

holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

s he spent in Morecambe with his parents. In his

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

"Written on the Body", collected in ''Untold Stories'' (2005), he even suggests that his association with the town is pre-natal: " had been in a boarding house that I was conceived, sometime over the August Bank Holiday of 1933 at Morecambe or

Filey Filey () is a seaside town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located between Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough and Bridlington on Filey Bay. Although it was a fishing village, it has a large ...

." In the same collection, Bennett pays tribute to the Morecambe-born actress

Thora Hird Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 films, as well as many television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution. Hird w ...

in the essays ''Last of the Sun'', about the final play he wrote for her, and "Thora Hird 1911–2003", a memoir of the work they had done together since the 1960s. Earlier in the book, he discusses his maternal aunt Kathleen, who married in Morecambe and lived there until her death in 1974.

Art

Morecambe was the birthplace of the artist William Woodhouse (1857–1939), who lived all his life in the town and is buried with his wife and daughter at St. Peter's Church in the village of

, a little to the south of Morecambe.

Youth and Community

Stanley's Youth and Community Centre is based on Stanley Road in the West End of Morecambe. It offers the opportunity for young people aged 8–18 to play music, cook or just use the facilities to catch up with friends. There are also community sessions including community meal, women's group and 'Get Connected' information service. The Exchange, which was set up in 2015 and is based on West Street in the West End of Morecambe, is a Community Arts

CIC CIC may refer to: Organizations Canada * Cadet Instructors Cadre, a part of the Canadian Armed Forces * Canadian Infantry Corps, renamed in 1947 to Royal Canadian Infantry Corps * Canadian International Council * Canadian Islamic Congress * Chemi ...

, offering free creative workshops to local residents. Promoting creativity as a means of well-being, it serves as a non-profit welcome space for all ages and abilities. In addition to workshops, The Exchange sells the artwork of local residents and hosts events such as the popular Soup Night.

Cuisine

Morecambe Bay

Potted shrimps Potted shrimps is a traditional English dish made with brown shrimp flavored with nutmeg and baked in butter. The butter acts as a preservative, and cayenne pepper may also be used. Regarded as a delicacy, it is traditionally eaten with bread. ...

are a well known local delicacy throughout the country and were a favourite dish of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Boiled in butter with a variety of spices until they are tender, when cooked they are sealed into pots.

Baylight

Baylight is an annual event established in 2023, with a trail of illuminated artworks on the Promenade for two nights in February and an associated parade. The 2025 event was supported by financial contributions from both Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council. It was estimated that the 2024 event brought 28,000 visitors to Morecambe, who spend £460,000 in the town.

Landmarks

Overlooking

is a Statue of Eric Morecambe by Graham Ibbeson. The bronze sculpture commemorating

Eric Morecambe John Eric Bartholomew (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's de ...

(1926–1984), who was born in the town, was unveiled by

in July 1999. One of Morecambe's landmark buildings is the partially renovated Victoria Pavilion or Morecambe Winter Gardens which once housed a swimming pool, a theatre, a restaurant, and a ballroom. Replacing the 1928 Victoria Street library, a new library designed by the architect firm of Roger Booth was opened in 1967. Earlier proposals to build a library in Morecambe with Carnegie funding had stalled due to arguments about the rates involved. The library is mentioned by Pevsner and is one of the few noteworthy buildings, other than churches, that are not connected to the seaside trade. The building is formed by hexagons, with a hyperbolic parabolic roof, creating a distinctive skyline and interior. Two fairgrounds existed in the town: a small one to the north of the railway station, which closed down in the 1980s, and a larger one to the south of the station, which ultimately became

and closed in 1999. The last remaining landmark on the site was the Polo Tower, left standing only because of the contract for the phone mast on top. In July 2008, the local council ordered a clean-up of the Polo Tower, and it was demolished in July 2017. Near the promenade is the

Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial The Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial stands on the Promenade at Morecambe, Lancashire, England.world war A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

s and the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

.Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial.
United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. UKNIWM Ref: 3332. Retrieved 16 August 2012. The memorial differs from most as it lists the First World War as 1914 to 1919 rather than 1914 to 1918. In March 2019 a

Time and Tide Bell ''Time and Tide Bell'' is an art project made up of bells, designed by UK sculptor Marcus Vergette and Australian bell designer Neil McLachlan, installed at coastal locations in the UK. The first one was placed at Appledore, Torridge, Appledor ...

Marcus Vergette Marcus Vergette MRSS (born 1961) is a sculptor based in the UK, much of whose recent work involves bells. He is also a double bass player and composer. Early life and education Vergette was born in Carbondale, Illinois. He studied at Portsmou ...

was installed beside the Stone Jetty as part of a national public art project.

Midland Hotel

The Midland Hotel is an

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

hotel on the seafront. It contains interior design and art pieces by artist

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...

. In 2009 it underwent a £7m restoration, headed by Manchester company

Urban Splash Urban Splash is a UK-based Real estate development, property development business. It was founded in 1993 by chairman Tom Bloxham and creative director Jonathan Falkingham. Headquartered in Castlefield, Manchester, it also has regional bases in ...

. The hotel re-opened for business in June 2008. In March 2011 the freehold of the building was sold by Urban Splash to Lancashire-based 'The Lancaster Foundation'.

Sport

Football

On 20 May 2007

Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is a professional association football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire, England. The team currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1 ...

(known as 'the Shrimps') won the

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

playoffs to earn promotion to the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

for the first time in their history. As of 2021–22, they played in League One. They had a successful first season in the Football League and in the 2009–10 season they reached the play-offs, only to lose 7–2, on aggregate, to eventual winners Dagenham & Redbridge. At the end of the 2009–10 season the team moved from its Christie Park ground to a brand new home, the

Globe Arena Avicii Arena, originally known as the Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as the Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; ), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockholm ...

. The old ground and stadium were demolished to make way for a

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

supermarket. On 31 May 2021, Morecambe F.C. won the League Two play-off final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, beating Newport County 1-0 after extra time to win promotion to League One for the first time in their history. They competed in League 1 before being relegated in 2023 back to League 2. Two seasons later in 2025, they were relegated again back down to non-league football and will play in the National League for the 2025/26 season which brings their 18-year stay in the EFL to an end.

Rugby league

When the

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

occurred in 1895, the now defunct team of Morecambe RFC joined the Northern Rugby Football Union (now

Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in England. Founded in 1895 as the Northern Rugby Football Union following 22 clubs resigning from the Rugby Football Union, it changed its name in 1922 to the Rugby Footb ...

) in its second season. Morecambe played for eight of the ten seasons from the 1896–97 season through to the end of 1905–06 season. Morecambe finished 14th of 14 in its first three seasons of the Lancashire Senior Competition, withdrew for the 1899–1900 and 1900–01 seasons, finished 11th of 13 in the Lancashire Senior Competition, then finished 17th of 18, 16th of 17, 13th of 14 in Division-2, and finally 30th of 31 in the recombined league, after which Morecambe withdrew from the Northern Rugby Football Union. The town still hosts a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

team, with Heysham Atoms playing from their Trimpell Sports and Social Club base. The Atoms finished joint top of division three in the North West Counties in 2012.

Boxing

World Heavyweight Boxing Champion

Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...

lives in Morecambe and owns a gym in the town. Morecambe is also home to Commonwealth Featherweight Champion, Isaac Lowe, who beat Marco McCullough in the 8th round with in one minute and 56 seconds on the Frampton Vs Quigg Under-card.

Running

A 5 km

parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...

event takes place every Saturday morning on the Promenade. The first event was held in April 2019.

Transport

Rail

The present-day Morecambe station opened in 1994, replacing an older station once known as , built by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

on its North Western Line from

in Yorkshire. A former station at , built by the rival

London & North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

, was closed in 1963. Regular rail services are provided to and from , with some trains running direct from and . Trains also run to

, where they connect with the

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

service to the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. A further railway station at Bare Lane serves the suburb of Bare. As of 2021

Northern Trains Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...

were given a contract by the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

to run services for three years, with an optional extension of a further two years. The contract was updated in 2022, to run until 1 March 2025.

Bus

Bus services in the area are operated mainly by

Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire operates both local and regional bus services in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, England, as well as Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, which ...

& other local companies. Direct services link the town with

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

and

Bowness-on-Windermere Bowness-on-Windermere is a town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Windermere and Bowness, in the Westmorland and Furness district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It lies next to Lake Windermere and the town of Wind ...

via

Carnforth Carnforth is a market town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of Morecambe Bay. The parish of Carnforth had a population of 5,560 in the 2011 census, an increase from the 5,350 reco ...

Milnthorpe Milnthorpe is a village, civil parish, and former market town in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. It is south of Kendal. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Westmorland and on the A6 road (England), A6, the v ...

and

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

(755), Lancaster with connections to Keswick via

Ambleside Ambleside is a town in the civil parish of Lakes and the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Westmorland and located in the Lake District National Park, the town sits at the ...

and Grasmere (

555 Year 555 ( DLV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 555 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming y ...

(5, 55, 755), and, all via

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,26 ...

, Preston (40/41), Blackpool (42). Regular services up to every 15 minutes (numbers 41/100) operate along the promenade to Heysham and to

, a bus route also runs from the bus station via

and then fast to

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

(number 2X), while service 1 and 1A operate up to every 10 minutes from Euston Road to both Heysham and Lancaster University. Services 6 and 6A operate via Westgate (where most caravan holiday parks are) to the

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

supermarket and Salt Ayre Leisure Centre. Service 5 operates to Overton and

. Most services (2X/4/6/6A/40/41/42/100/555/755) operate using Low Floor Easy Access Vehicles suitable for wheelchair users and prams/pushchairs.

Morecambe in popular culture

* Morecambe and the neighbouring village of

are the setting of the

Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...

novel ''The Weird Shadow over Morecambe'', published by the writer Edmund Glasby in 2014. The title of the book is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's story "

The Shadow over Innsmouth ''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' is a Horror fiction, horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in November – December 1931 in literature, 1931. It forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos, using its motif of a malign undersea civilizatio ...

", which is also set in a seaside town. * Morecambe was mentioned in an episode of the prison-set television comedy ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

'' first broadcast in 1973: "... Fletcher's old woman said she wasn't returning, cos she was going to live with that Maltese ponce in Morecambe.". * The 1960 film ''

The Entertainer ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', starring

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

and

Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier (; 28 October 1929 – 16 January 2025), commonly known as Dame Joan Plowright, was an English actress whose career spanned over six decades. She received several accolades including two Golden Globe Awards, an ...

, was filmed on location in the town. Morecambe-born actress

co-starred. * ''Sunset across the Bay'' is a play by

written in 1975 for the BBC Play for Today strand, set and filmed in Morecambe. * Morecambe is extensively written about in

Bill Bryson William McGuire Bryson ( ; born 8 December 1951) is an American-British journalist and author. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has be ...

's ''

Notes from a Small Island ''Notes from a Small Island'' is a humorous travel book on Great Britain by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995. Overview Bryson wrote ''Notes from a Small Island'' when he decided to move back to his native United States, but ...

''. (1995). * The ITV series, '' The Bay'', is set and filmed in Morecambe. Series 1 was first aired in March 2019 and Series 2 was first aired in January 2021. Series 3, filmed in and around Morecambe, was first aired in January 2022. *Morecambe is the setting for the first half of Sarah Hall's book, ''The Electric Michelangelo''. * Morecambe features in ''The Acoustics of Morecambe Bay'', a music theatre piece by Peter McGarr which evokes the sound contrast between bay and town.

Notable people

''See '' * Emma Atkins - actress *

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

- rapper, lived there for some time as a child with his aunt *

Dave Chisnall David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twelve; he reached a peak ranking of world number five in ...

- professional darts player lives in Morecambe. *

- boxer (World Heavyweight Champion 2015–16, 2020–24) lives in Morecambe. * Paul Hayes - antiques expert, TV personality *

Wayne Hemingway Wayne Andrew Hemingway (born 19 January 1961) is an English designer and co-founder of Red or Dead. He is also on the Design Council Trustee Board and having been with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) for a ...

- designer, founder of Red or Dead and Northern Soul DJ * Graham Hicks - strongman * Dame Thora Hird - actress * Isaac Lowe - Commonwealth boxing champion * John McGuinness - motorcycle racer * Albert Modley - Yorkshire comedian *

- comedian, who took his stage name from the town's name * Radford family - UK's largest family, consisting of Sue and Noel Radford, who as of June 2022 have 22 children and 12 grandchildren * Peter J. Ratcliffe - Nobel prize-winning biologist *Harrison Woodruff - famously short boxer who is 5 ft 11 inches

Climate

Notes

References

External links

Morecambe Visitor Information

Bay Tourism Association

Morecambe Newspaper
Morecambe's weekly newspaper and local resources.
Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen newspaper
News and sport updated daily
Morecambe Library
{{Authority control Geography of the City of Lancaster Towns in Lancashire Seaside resorts in Lancashire Morecambe Bay Beaches of Lancashire Civil parishes in Lancashire Populated coastal places in Lancashire