While many local historians have documented individual aspects of the Fylde Coast’s past, few have created a resource as extensive and enduring as Robert Haley. Through his books and the Amounderness website, Haley has spent decades preserving the history of Blackpool, Lytham St Annes, Fleetwood, Poulton-le-Fylde and the wider Amounderness region, making an extraordinary collection of historical material freely available to researchers, residents and visitors alike.
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Among his best-known publications are Lytham St Anne’s: A Pictorial History and Images of England – Lytham St Annes, both of which use historic photographs to chart the growth and development of the town. His work has become a valuable reference for local historians, heritage organisations and anyone interested in understanding the area’s rich past.
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Images of England – Lytham St. Annes takes the reader on a tour of the two towns with each chapter covering a different district, including many rare and unusual pictures. These are supported by informative, lively captions relating the history of the area.This fascinating collection of over 200 old photographs of Lytham and St.Annes provides a wonderfully nostalgic look at these sister towns on Lancashire’s Fylde coast. In their heyday these towns, famous for their gardens, mansions, spacious streets and luxurious hotels, attracted some of the wealthiest people in the country.Businessmen commuted daily into Manchester, retired industrialists played golf and the rich sent their children to be educated here. This was also a coast of many contrasts and extremes; the resorts also welcomed some of the poorest people in the country. Each year, charities brought thousands of children from the slums of the industrial towns of the North here to holiday camps and homes. This book will appeal to all that know and love these two attractive Fylde towns, whether it be as a home or as a place they come back to year after year.
Perhaps Haley’s greatest achievement is Amounderness.co.uk, a website that has evolved into one of the most comprehensive online archives dedicated to the Fylde Coast. Far more than a collection of articles, it brings together thousands of pages of local history, rare photographs, historic maps, guidebooks, newspapers, parish records and original publications, covering subjects ranging from Blackpool’s tourism industry and transport network to wartime history, architecture, education and everyday life. The breadth of the archive reflects decades of careful research and an unwavering commitment to preserving the region’s heritage.
Rather than placing himself at the centre of his work, Robert Haley has allowed the history of the Fylde Coast to take precedence. His research is characterised by the use of original sources, contemporary documents and carefully curated images, enabling readers to explore the evidence for themselves. This meticulous approach has earned the Amounderness archive a reputation as one of the region’s most valuable historical resources.
Although relatively little has been published about Robert Haley personally, the lasting impact of his work is unmistakable. By preserving and sharing thousands of pieces of local history that might otherwise have been forgotten, he has created a resource that continues to inform, inspire and support generations of researchers. His contribution has helped ensure that the stories of the Fylde Coast remain accessible to all, securing his place among the area’s most important modern historians.
