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Heritage

Southport owes its existence to the growing popularity of sea bathing along the Lancashire coast in the late eighteenth century. One of the most popular bathing locations was South Hawes, an area of sand dunes and scattered fishermen's cottages. Here in 1792 William Sutton provided the first summer lodging house for visitors and then in 1798 the South Port Hotel which gave the future town its name. From this small beginning at what is now the south end of Lords' Street the resort began to emerge as Sutton was joined by others catering for the growing number of visitors.

Lord Street dates from the 1820s when the joint Lords of the Manor, the Bold - Houghton and Fleetwood - Hesketh families, laid out a spacious street and began the policy of granting building leases which stipulated that development should not be of an industrial or offensive nature. It was first called Lords' Street after the founding families. The character of Lord Street and the resort however was established during and after the 1840's with the policy of the new landlords, especially Charles Scarisbrick, of encouraging planned residential development. This policy continued by the towns leading citizens, was accompanied by a deliberate attempt to develop the town as a seaside resort for the " refined " and ' well to do '.

By the end of the nineteenth century Southport was well established in its dual role of select residential town and high class resort. Nowhere was this more evident than in Lord Street with its substantial hotels and public buildings, its exclusive shops and dignified public gardens.

The War Memorial built in 1923 and dedicated to those who gave their lives in the First World War, comprises a central obelisk over twenty metres high, flanked by two pavilions of Roman Doric colonnades. Reflective pools in the two adjacent gardens complete the design. The architects were Grayson and Barnish of Liverpool whose design was selected as the best entry in a national competition. Southport was actually one of the first towns to embark upon a scheme for a memorial. The cost, about £30,000 was met by subscriptions from the public after an appeal was launched in 1919. The names of the dead from the Second World War and subsequent conflicts were added to the Colonades in 1992.

The Town Hall was built in 1852/3 on the initiative of the Improvement Commissioners, was designed by local architect Thomas Withnell and built by local builder Thomas Stanley at a cost of £2,249. Again essentially classical, the building displays Grecian Doric and Roman Ionic columns. The portico is 5.5 metres high and the balcony is surmounted by a pediment, containing a design, representing the figures of Justice, Mercy and Truth.

Next to this is the row of shops in the Cambridge Arcade separating the Town Hall from the other Municipal Buildings namely Southport Arts Centre, Atkinson Art Gallery and Library. Cambridge walks which opens out from the arcade providing more shops was developed in 1988 when the back of the Arts Centre and Library were remodelled.

The Cambridge Hall, which is now called The Arts Centre, was designed by Maxwell & Tuke of Manchester and was built in 1872 - 1874. It is an asymmetrical building with one end forming a high clock and the other a turret.

The Atkinson Art Gallery, built in 1876 - 78 also in buff sandstone, was designed by Waddington and sons of Burnley. The corner of this group of buildings which was completed in 1879 was the West Lancashire Bank but is now an extension of the Library

Fronting the Municipal buildings are the Municipal gardens. These, together with Lord Street's other public gardens, were originally privately owned and were taken over by the Improvements Commissioners in the 1860's with the intention of creating a boulevard. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a plan for the garden was prepared by the architect Thomas H Mawson. Some of the classical stone balustrading incorporated in his designs still exists although perhaps the best feature of the gardens in front of the Arts Centre, namely the bandstand with its columns, balustrades and fountains, was dismantled in 1969 despite fierce opposition. However, in 1987 the local branch of Marks & Spencers paid for a new bandstand to celebrate their Centenary year. At that time, Sefton Council would only offer the site in front of the Classic Cinema, now the luxury boulevard hotel Vincent, where the cast iron bandstand was built. It was not until 1999 that the civic gardens were eventually remodelled using some details from Thomas Mawson's original scheme. The gardens were then named Princess Diana Gardens following the tragic death of this popular Princess.