Author: Ed

Blackpool’s Ray Allen Brings KFC to Britain

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Born in Blackpool in 1927, Ray Allen originally aspired to study medicine, as he enjoyed physics and chemistry at secondary school. However, he changed his mind after failing the compulsory language component of the university entrance exam. His future plans were further delayed when he was called up to serve in the Second World War, joining the Royal Navy at the age of 18. Owing to his scientific background, he was trained as a radar technician and stationed at the naval base at Lossiemouth in Scotland, rising to the rank of Petty Officer within a few months. After leaving the…

The Carnegie Library Opens in Lytham St Annes

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The Carnegie Library is in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. The foundation stone of St. Anne’s Library was laid in August 1904 and the building was officially opened on 10 January 1906. The land was given by the St. Anne’s on the Sea Land and Building Company, and Andrew Carnegie paid for the building itself. This was the first library in the town. Until 2016, there was also a library at Lytham. The library was administered by the St Anne’s on the Sea Urban District until 1922 when the Urban District Council amalgamated with Lytham UDC to form the municipal borough…

The Old Lifeboat House in Lytham St. Annes

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The old Lifeboat House in Lytham St. Annes, marked by a blue plaque from the Lytham St. Annes Civic Society, which served as a lifeboat station from 1881 to 1925. It was the base for the “Laura Janet” lifeboat, which notably launched to assist the German barque “Mexico” in 1886. The “Mexico” disaster resulted in the loss of all 13 crew members from the St. Annes lifeboat and 14 from the Southport lifeboat, making it the RNLI’s worst loss of life in a single incident. The blue plaque commemorates the station’s history, highlighting the 45 lives saved from the house…

St Annes Church Parish Rooms

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St. Anne’s Parish Rooms, adjacent to St. Anne’s Parish Church in Lytham St. Annes, were built in 1911 to serve as a community space for church-related activities and various local groups. The church itself, initially a chapel of ease to St. Cuthbert’s in Lytham, was commissioned by Lady Clifton in the early 1870s and named in memory of her aunt, Anne. The town of St. Annes grew up around the church, taking its name from it. The church was built to serve the growing population of the hamlet of Heyhouses, which was a few miles walk from St. Cuthbert’s in…

Sir John Alcock Attends Heyhouses Endowed Church of England School

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Captain Sir John William Alcock KBE DSC (5 November 1892 – 19 December 1919) was a British Royal Navy and later Royal Air Force officer who, with navigator Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, piloted the first non-stop transatlantic flight from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland in June 1919. He died in a flying accident in France in December later that same year. Portrait of Captain Sir John William Alcock. Circa 1919 John Alcock was born on 5 November 1892, perhaps in the coach-house adjoining Basford House on Seymour Grove, Firswood, Manchester, England. His family lived for eight years in Lytham….

Sir Nigel Gresley Marries Ethel Fullagar at St Annes Parish Church

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Sir (Herbert) Nigel Gresley (19th June 1876 – 5th April 1941) was one of Britain’s most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway. He was an apprentice at The Horwich ‘Loco’ works and later became a locomotive foreman in Blackpool. He met Ethel Frances Fullagar in Blackpool in 1899 and married her at St Annes Parish Church in October 1901. The plaque, funded by St Annes town council, commemorates the marriage. He was knighted in 1936. Gresley was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in…

Marli Harwood Signs With Island Records

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Marli Harwood (born Marilena Buck, 13 March 1975 in Lytham St Annes) also known as Marli Buck, is a British singer and songwriter. A piano and guitar player, she is of Eritrean, Italian, Welsh and English extraction. In 1995, she was signed by Chris Blackwell to his Island Records label. During the recording of her debut album, Blackwell decided to sell Island Records, and Harwood’s album was never released. In 2002, Harwood appeared on Fame Academy, and finished eighth in the series. She then recorded several albums with various major record labels, which remained unreleased or promoted. In 2010, the…

Brian Woods Starts an Independent Production Company

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Brian Edwards (born 16 March 1963 in Lytham St Annes) is a BAFTA award-winning British documentary filmmaker, who founded and currently runs True Vision, an independent production company, which concentrates mainly on human rights-related subjects. Woods was educated at Cambridge University, where he read Natural Sciences at Fitzwilliam College. In 1993 he started his first independent production company that evolved into True Vision in the fullness of time. This link and the red VISIT WEBSITE button below will take you to True Vision’s website where you can see the full list of films the company has produced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc6nkQuCCxU Through the…

Cheryl Fergison First Appears in Eastenders

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Cheryl El Jamouni (born 27 August 1965 in London), known professionally as Cheryl Fergison, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Heather Trott in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role in which she starred in from 2007 until 2012. Fergison moved to the Fylde Coast eight years ago (2017) and now lives in Cleveleys with her husband and son. In January 2025 she told her 54.6k followers on social media that she would be singing at the opening night of Dragon Lounge, 120 Victoria Road West, Cleveleys – formerly the Great Fortune House, which…

Peter Gunn Appears in Brassed Off!

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Peter Gunn, born 13 February 1963 in Lytham St Annes, is an English actor who’s appeared in several TV series and films. He has been married to Julie L. Livesey since July 2000 and they have two sons, George and Tom. On British television, perhaps Gunn is best known as the character Len Cosgrove in the BBC series Born and Bred as well as dozens of guest-starring and recurring roles in other television series and films such as: Brassed Off! (1996), Frost, Heartburn Hotel, and Sunshine. To American audiences, he may be better known for Blue Juice (1995), EverAfter (1998), Hannah…