Blackpool and the Fylde College

On the 7th of February 2012, the college had an official visit by H.R.H. Edward The Earl of Wessex. I can not recall an official visit by royalty before although it seems that other members of the royal family have visited the college as students.

Edward, the Duke of Wessex about to meet the principal Pauline Waterhouse O.B.E.

There are other photographs in the Datastore here

Hidden away at the top of the stairs in the main building are two plaques dating back to the beginnings of the college. At the time the college was known as "Blackpool Technical College"  Who knows how many staff and students have walked past these two plaques and not even noticed them let alone even read them. Of course I can include myself in this, as I have even attended twice!
There are some more photos of the college now after the rebuild and modernisation in the Datastore too.
This is the information on the plaques.

BLACKPOOL TECHNICAL COLLEGE

DEDICATION 22ND NOV 1937

BY THE REV C.W. MACREADY.B.A. AND REV J.J.L.CLAYTON

MEMBERS OF THE EDUCATION COMMITEE 1936-37

ALD W.S. ASHTON J.P.  MAYOR

COUNR. W.R.DUCKWORTH J.P. M.P. CHAIRMAN

COUNR.D.J.BAILEY. J.P.  VICE-CHAIRMAN

ALD. J. COLLINS J.P.  ALD.T.P.FLETCHER. J.P.  ALD.T.G.LUMB J.P.  ALD. J. POTTER. J.P.  COUNR.W.DUGDALE  COUNR. F.W.HALTON   COUNR. J.HILL.  COUNR. E.HOLT. J.P.  COUNR. F.I.NICKSON  COUNR. MABEL A.QUALE  COUNR J.ANDERSON JUNR.  COUNR. J.B.SINGLETON COUNR. E SMITH COUNR. J.SMITH
COUNR. H.A.THICKETT. J.P.  COUNR.C.WILKINSON  MISS M.E.GARNER  MRS. F.W.HALTON. J.P.  MRS. L.J.HILLMAN  MRS.L.NEWSOME  MRS. L.STANSFIELD  REV.F.A.FARLEY M.A. B.D.  REV C.W.MACREADY. B.A.  REV. FATHER OLDHAM.S.J.  SIR CUTHBERT GRUNDY J.P.  DOCTOR J.HARRIS  MR. A.P.ANDERSON BSc.  MR S. DAWSON  MR. G FOX J.P.  MR. G, HUMAN

J.C. ROBINSON F.R.I.B.A  ARCHITECT
F.E. HARRISON. M.C. M.A.  DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

The second plaque referring to the opening on the same day faces the dedication plaque. Many of the names are the same.
This is the information:

BLACKPOOL TECHNICAL COLLEGE

OFFICIAL OPENING 22ND NOV: 1937

BY THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE

EARL OF CRAWFORD AND BALCARRES

K.T. P.C. LL.D. D.C.L. LITT.D. F.R.I.B.A. F.S.A. F.R.S.

GOVERNORS OF THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE 1936-37
COUNR. F, I, NICKSON  CHAIRMAN
MR. GEORGE FOX, J,P,  VICE-CHAIRMAN
COUNR. J.B. SINGLETON CHAIRMAN SITES AND BUILDINGS SUB-COMMITEE

GOVERNORS REPRESENTING BLACKPOOL EDUCATION COMMITEE
ALD. W.S.ASHTON J.P. ALD. T.P.FLETCHER J.P.  COUNR.D.J.BAILEY.J.P. COUNR. W.R. DUCKWORTH J.P. M.P. COUNR. F.W. HALTON  COUNR. J.HILL COUNR. MABEL A.QUALE  COUNR. H.A. THICKETT J.P.  MISS M.E. GARNER MRS L.J.HILLMAN  MR G.HUMAN

GOVERNORS REPRESENTING LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
ALD. C.F.CRITCHLEY J.P. ALD.G.M.ROBERTSON J.P. MRS.H.BADDERLEY J.P. MISS J HODGSON

Wm. JONES F.COLL. H. A.M.C. PRINCIPAL

H. BANKS. M.I.M.  & CY.E.

BOROUGH ENGINEER AND SURVEYOR

The college was built in 1936 to 1937 by Potts, Son and Hennings, They also built the town hall as well as Raikes Parade, which was another part of the college. These architects were very busy in the north of England. Edward Potts was well known for designing Mills.

Buried away in a corridor out of the way there are 4 framed pieces. 2 are photos  and 2 are old timetables. Seems a pity to let them either disappear into a skip. or into somebodies study.

The Foundation Stone laying

Outwardly little has changed
Even the telephone box is the same, more cars too,
but almost the same.

Some of the subjects are no longer taught!

I think the prices of courses are pretty much the same too!

This is an image of the St Anne's Campus. It did seem to be used for mainly night schools and practice by the "Big Band" The college sold it under a previous administration. Much of the college buildings were sold and then flattened for building. This is one of the few that actually remain.

This photograph shows the front of the old Blackpool Grammar School. It is now part of Blackpool and the Fylde college. Called South Building it is now largely devoted to mature students as well as Higher Education. Extensively remodeled over the years at least twice when I was there. Many of the Further Education courses have gone to Bispham campus.The South Building entrance is literally 60 yards from the rear of the main building. Built in 1912, the Grammar School predated the college by 25 years.

There is a selection of  photographs from this area of the campus here as well as Fleetwood.
 Many people may not be aware that the college also has training facilities in the port of Fleetwood itself. There are also pictures added to the data store of the inflatable as well as the radar station. The website of the college is here also

St Pauls Church, Marton, Blackpool.

It was a Saturday morning, I had gone to have the tyres changed on the car and I decided that I could do the walk down Preston New Road, visit the memorial and head back. However Blackpool away from the seafront is just like any suburban town and has a wealth of history just waiting to found. I went down Preston Old road instead, took photos in Marton Burial Ground, unusually there does not seem to be a church "looking after" it , found a boundary marker that I didn't know existed, took photos of the "Boars Head", and the hall opposite. There are some older cottages there too - they also ended up in the memory card too. Turned onto Whitegate drive at the "Saddle" pub, which is the longest permanently licensed pub in Blackpool. There is a shot up Preston Old Road from here.

The inscription

St Pauls Memorial

John Picken Dixon

The Outside of the Church

The inside of the church

The church is set back from the road and there is a pleasant clump of trees in front of the church. The memorial is set in front of the grass and is on the corner of a side road and Whitegate Drive. I walked around the church, there are some quite unusual features. The bell tower is set very low. There are no gravestones to be found. There is a tasteful foundation stone set in the church wall commemorating the founder of the church, John Picken Dixon. A biography is found here. The biography states that some members of the family are buried in the crypt at the church. The founder and his family have had a very illustrious career as an industrialist as well as having a huge influence in Blackpool and in particular, Marton.  It is quite a large size and is made of fine red brick, very much a traditional build - It is quite a modern church, but the surprises lie within. No pews - Apparently there was quite a bit of resistance from some members of the congregation. Looks good though! There were some ladies setting up for a Saturday coffee morning, on remarking there was very little in the way of ornamentation she showed me through the offices.

Cookson Memorial

Cookson Memorial

Metal Plaque inside Church

The memorial plaques to the first incumbent and his family. All three plaques are dedicated to the Cookson family whose origins clearly hark back to South Lakeland. A church definitely worth a visit! There is the compete list of the names on the memorial here as well as some more pictures of the church