Villages and towns around rural Fylde
There’s many pretty villages, country lanes, duck ponds, open spaces, a canal, country inns and traditional pubs worth exploring. The villages and towns are well worth visiting whether on two or four wheels, or even four hooves! The seaside is extremely popular in the summer and you’ll find an extensive dunes area north of St Annes towards Blackpool.
Ansdell and Fairhaven
Ansdell and Fairhaven are located between St Annes on the Sea and Lytham on the Fylde Coast. Ansdell was named after the famous painter Richard Ansdell and has a range of independent shops, train station (supported by a great Friends group), library , post office and places to eat. Fairhaven has a golf course and nearby there’s Fairhaven Lake and Gardens which has recently undergone a multi million pound restoration and features the Spitfire memorial, tennis, bowls, watersports centre, refurbished popular Fairhaven Café, RSPB Discovery Centre , Adventure Golf Course , swan pedalos and pleasure boats for hire (seasonal).
The sea defences at Church Scar, Granny’s Bay and Fairhaven have all been transformed and there’s the coastal path with spectacular views over the Ribble Estuary towards Southport and North Wales.
Elswick
Elswick is a small rural farming community located in the heart of the Fylde countryside and a short drive from the A585. Great pride is taken in the village which has won numerous In Bloom awards. Agriculture is the main employer, and in the centre of Elswick village you’ll find the Ship Inn on the High Street, which is now a refurbished contemporary gastro-pub. The village has numerous amenities including a village hall and sports pitches. For more information about Elswick, click here.
Freckleton
Freckleton is located close to Warton Airfield, owned by BAE Systems. The name of the village appears in the Domesday Book as “Frecheltun” and is said to derive from ‘Farmstead of a man called Frecla’. Until the 1920s Freckleton had a tollgate and travellers to Lytham and Preston had to pay a toll to use the turnpike road. In World War Two, American personnel from the neighbouring Warton Aerodrome resided in the village. The Freckleton Air Disaster happened on 23 August 1944, when an aircraft attempting to land at Warton during stormy weather crashed onto Freckleton’s Holy Trinity School. Sixty-one people lost their lives, including thirty-eight infants, their two teachers, and the three air crew, as well as several residents and US personnel in a snack bar across the road from the school. Annual commemorations still take place, attended by residents and US veterans. As well as the memorial garden, the village has plenty of shops and eateries. For more information about Freckleton, click here.
Kirkham
In his 1878 History of the Fylde of Lancashire, John Porter described Kirkham as “.. probably the earliest inhabited locality in the Fylde district”. The town is pre Roman in its origin with a name originating from the Danish “Kirk” (church) and “ham” (Saxon for settlement or home). In the Domesday book of 1086 it appears under the name of Chicheham. At one time the town had eleven mills, the last to be built being Progress Mill in 1915.
Kirkham is very much the heart of rural Fylde and there are several hostelries and eateries including Book Bean & Ice Cream (which has welcomed many celebrities for book signings) and many amenities including a library, railway station (Kirkham and Wesham), market, independently owned shops and church. For more information about Kirkham, click here.
Kirkham is currently undergoing a regeneration project with new public performance space.
The multi award winning Ribby Hall Village is nearby.
Lytham and St Annes on the Sea
Two coastal towns often referred to collectively as Lytham St Annes, these are two towns closely linked, but each with a distinct identity. St Anne’s on the Sea has a wide beach, sand dunes, Victorian pier, modern beach huts, many top quality hotels, Promenade, many shops, busy town centre, parks and open spaces and is a very popular family destination, but popular all year round for visitors of all ages. Just down the road Lytham has the iconic windmill, the listed Lytham Hall with its Georgian origins, many restaurants, Lytham Green, Lytham Heritage Centre, Lowther Pavilion Theatre and Gardens to name but a few. There’s four very renowned and popular golf courses to choose from too. Both towns offer dramatic views across the Ribble Estuary towards Southport and North Wales and there’s plenty of golf courses and wide open spaces to explore.
Singleton
Recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Singletun, it has very much maintained its village identity. For food there’s the popular Miller Arms public house or for something special, call into Singleton Lodge Country House Hotel. Nearby there’s the River Barn, a bespoke wedding venue. The historic fire station was built in 1882 and housed a horse drawn fire engine and was manned by local volunteers. In the event of a fire the first job was to catch the horse that was grazing in a nearby field. The fire station became redundant in 1946 but is stall a focal point of the village. For more information about the history of Singleton Village, click here.
Warton
Warton is best known for its airfield, Warton Aerodrome which is a manufacturing base for BAE Systems for the Typhoon fighter jet. The Church, now dedicated to St Paul, was built in 1886. The Birley Arms is located on Bryning Lane. The Birley family were 19th century flax and cotton mill-owners in nearby Kirkham. There’s eateries in and around Warton including Whelans for fish and chips and the Clifton Arms public house. For more information about Warton, click here.
Wesham
Wesham is the smaller neighbour to adjacent Kirkham and is a relatively newer town having grown up in the Victorian era with the growth of the railway (Kirkham and Wesham Railway Station). Wesham is home to AFC Fylde based at the impressive Mill Farm Sports Village and Wesham town centre has a war memorial, shops and local amenities. It is also home to the UK’s only flying Huey UH-1 helicopter. Wesham is home to Fox’s biscuits who make the “Rocky” Bar and “Party Rings”. For more information about Wesham, click here.
Wrea Green
A regular winner of Lancashire’s best kept village, a part of the village of Wrea Green existed before the Domesday Book with the name of Ricksby. It has the largest village green in the county and to distinguish it further from the other Wray (near Lancaster), the name “Wrea Green” was born in 1848–49. Watch the ducks in the pond (locally known as ‘the Dub’), or in the summer pull up a chair or picnic and watch a game of cricket. There’s the popular Club Day event in the summer which brings colour and spectacle. For a spot of lunch you have a choice of options from the Villa Hotel to Dizzy Ducks to the Grapes. For more information about Wrea Green, click here.