BISPHAM, BLACKPOOL

'Bispham, Blackpool' is a village roughly one-and-a-half miles north of Blackpool town centre. The village is part of the borough of Blackpool.

Contents

Village History

Bispham

Blackpool Illuminations

Blackpool Tramway

Local Associations, Clubs & Societies

See also

Notes

External links

Village History

Bispham, known until 1910 as Bispham-with-Norbreck, was originally a village in its own right, in fact pre-dating the town of Blackpool by several hundred years. It is featured in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Biscopham'. Many of the settlements and villages on The Fylde were Anglo-Saxon settlements. Some though were 9th and 10th century Viking place names. The Vikings and Anglo- Saxons seem to have co-existed peacefully with some Anglo-Saxon and Viking place names later being joined together - such as Bispham-with-Norbreck. Both Bispham and Norbreck are separate ares of Blackpool. Although the two do come together annually for the ''Bispham and Norbreck Gala'' held in July of each year. In addition there is a small area known as ''Little Bispham'' which is located near the sea front between Bispham and Norbreck.^[1]
Bispham and Poulton-le-Fylde were the two main populated centres in the Fylde in 1500.^[2] It was in Bispham that the very first mention of "Blackpool" appeared, found in the Register of Bispham Parish Church in 1602 with the christening record of a child born on 22nd September to a couple who lived "''on the bank of the Black Pool''".^[2] Although the village centre (more correctly known as Churchtown) used to be thatched with a number of pre-19th century houses, it was redesigned in the 1960s; only two of the old houses remain. Much of the housing today is of the design style consistent with that of the 1930s to the 1950s.

Bispham

The area is mostly residential, and features two Church of England Parish churches - All Hallows (Bispham Parish Church), All Hallows Road, and Greenlands St. Anne, Salmesbury Avenue - and one Catholic Parish Church, St. Bernadette, Devonshire Road. Bispham Parish Church has an original Norman doorway. Other churches include Beaufort Avenue Methodist Church, Blackpool Community Church, Bispham United Reformed Church, Springfield Greenlands Methodist Church, and Cavendish Road Congregational Church.
All Hallows Church is also known locally as ''Bispham Parish Church'' It is the Mother church of Blackpool.^[4] Greenlands, St Anne has an active healing ministry.

The village has several schools, including

★ 'Primary Schools'
#Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary School
#Kincraig Primary School
#Moor Park Primary School
#Saint Bernadette's Catholic Primary School
#Westcliff Primary School

★ 'Secondary Schools'
#Bispham High School
#Montgomery High School

★ 'Colleges'
#Blackpool and The Fylde College the large main college campus of the college is located on Ashfield Road, Bispham.
Emmerdale actress, Kelsey-Beth Crossley is a pupil at Bispham High School.^[5] Fellow Emmerdale actress, Hayley Tamaddon was a pupil at Montgomery High School.
Moor Park Swimming Pool is located on Bispham Road.
The village has a few attractions, with the tram station and the highest cliffs on the both the Fylde coast and the North West Coast. There are a number of hotels and guest houses mostly around the Seaward end of Red Bank Road. The Red Lion pub also houses a Premier Travel Inn.
Kincraig Ecological Reserve is located on Kincraig Road, with Kincraig lake and a wild fowl population, from which Kincraig Primary School takes its school crest.^[6]

North Shore Golf Club is located at the edge of Bispham with most of the course in Bispham. The course is a links type course. Bispham Rock Gardens is at the top of Knowle Hill on Devonshire Road and runs downhill toward the back of Bispham High School, with views from the top toward the Pendle Hills and Beacon Fell.
Bispham Hospital is a purpose built 40 Bed Rehabilitation Unit for care and rehabilitation of elderly patients as part of Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
The main road at the hub of the village, Red Bank Road, houses a number of high street stores such as Sainsbury's, the supermarket store. The main shopping area in Bispham is split into two distinct parts. Firstly, from the top of Red Bank Road half way down toward Bispham Fire station which contains a mixture of local and tourist businesses and a relatively large number of restaurants, including Chinese, English, Indian, Italian, and Thai, as well as a number of takeaways. The second shopping area is based around what is known locally as "''The Village''" which is the area beyond Devonshire Road roundabout behind Bispham Police Station, where the shops are sited around a large outdoor car park.
Pubs in Bispham include the Old England, the Red Lion, the Bispham Hotel and the Squirrel Hotel. There are also two Wine Bars, Oscars in ''the village'' and Maddisons on Red Bank Road.
The Miners Convalescent Home on Queens Promenade, built by Bradshaw Gass & Hope 1925-27, and opened by the Prince of Wales on 28 June, 1927,^[1] is a Grade II listed building. The home has been converted into luxury homes by housebuilders Persimmon Homes and is now known as Admiral Point, with 47 apartments and 112 apartments and homes around the grounds
^[8], with two new six storey apartment blocks built flanking the main building, with housing behind the main building.^[9] In February 2006 it was revealed that sales of apartments in, what the company described as "the jewel in the crown" at Admiral Point had helped Persimmon Homes to record profits, such was the popularity of the new properties in the Grade II listed building.^[10] In October 2005 it was stated that several Premiership footballers including Robbie Fowler, Jonathan Macken, Mads Timm and former player, Lee Sharpe are all said to own apartments at Admiral Point.
Bispham was also the home of British independent sports car manufacturer, TVR, and one of the main employers in Bispham, before production ceased in 2007 under owner Nikolai Smolenski. In May 2007 it was announced that Midlands based businessman, William Riley was proposing to bring back car production to Bispham, with two cars planned for production at a new purpose built factory, which would be on Bispham Technology Park, the MG XPower SV and another Premium MG X-Power roadster and coupe.^[11] On 27 July 2007 Blackpool Council announced that the sports car production would begin within a matter of weeks, initially at part of the former TVR factory; with the company eventually moving to a purpose built factory which had already been leased from the council by William Riley.^[12] Bispham Technology Park is a growing, modern, Office and Retail Park.
Coronation Street actress, Violet Carson, OBE lived in Bispham until her death in 1983. She is buried at Bispham Parish Church.

Blackpool Illuminations

Red Bank Road is at the Northern end of the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations. The area at Bispham Cliffs contains the famous tableaux displays, where there is a pathway for holidaymakers and locals to view the tableaux close up. Some of the tableaux have sound and visual content that can only be viewed and heard by walking by them.

Blackpool Tramway

A double-decker balloon tram on the promenade at Bispham

Blackpool tramway runs along the length of the sea front at Bispham. And until 1963 there was the Bispham Tram Depot on Red Bank Road. Built in 1898, it had room to house 36 trams on six tracks, after being extended in 1914 by the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway Company. A substation was built to the side of depot. The depot was used to receive pantograph cars in 1928 and Brush cars in 1940. The depot closed on 27 October 1963 but used as a store, ''Alpic Cash & Carry'' until the mid 1970s. The building was eventually demolished to make place for a Sainsbury's supermarket. The Depots headstone was installed at Crich's National Tramway Museum.

Local Associations, Clubs & Societies

★ Bispham Community Association

★ Bispham Conservative Club

★ BJFF - Bispham Junior Football Federation

★ Bispham Photographic Society

★ Blackpool Rangers Junior Football Club

★ St.Bernadette's Players - Local Bispham Amateur Dramatics Society

See also

★ Amounderness

★ Bispham High School Arts College

★ Blackpool

★ Blackpool tramway

★ Montgomery High School, Blackpool

Notes

1. Blackpool History
2. Blackpool history
3. Blackpool history
4. [1] Bispham Parish Church
5. Teenager makes TV soap debut
6. Kincraig School
7. Blackpool History
8.
Premier league homes
9.
New name for famous old seafront landmark
10.
Prom flats sale delight
11.
Car deal so close
12.
ar production set to begin again in Blackpool

External links

★ ''Bispham Community Centre''

★ ''Bispham Endowed School''

★ ''Bispham High School''

★ ''Greenlands St.Anne Parish Church''

★ ''Kincraig Primary School''

★ ''Montgomery High School''

★ ''St.Bernadette's Catholic Primary School''