A stroll through the Poulton of the past
Parts of Poulton once looked very different, although some areas of the town look strikingly similar today to these archive photographs.
This 1968 picture shows Blackpool Old Road, with a considerably different appearance than today – where a one-way traffic system now operates. This photo looks towards The Market Place and Queens Square with The Bull right of centre. The building on the left on the corner of the Market Place was Richards the ironmongers, stocking everything a farmer might need, plus domestic items, it later became The Grapevine. Next to it on Blackpool Old Road was the Stocks Press and then the Old England Confectioners. Both were later demolished and eventually the site became home to a computer shop and an insurance brokers. The Bull remains a popular pub, but today there is no sign of the old mill building on the right, which was demolished to make way for road improvements.
Poulton Gala procession can be seen winding through the Market Place in our 1929 picture. The Manchester and County Bank was built on the site of the Cyclist’s Rest at the far end of the square, and was later demolished, creating a view of St Chad’s Church. The rest of the buildings in this photograph can all be seen today, including the old Town Hall which was originally The Bay Horse. The Williams Deacons Bank, which later became the Royal Bank of Scotland, stands on the site of the King’s Arms Inn and the whole of the square is now pedestrianised.
Poulton Teacher Training College campus, part of Preston Polytechnic, in Breck Road, was previously the Cotton Industry Convalescent Home and later the Mary MacArthur Home. It is pictured in 1980 and eventually became the home of Wyre Civic Centre.
Poulton market place is shown again, in 1955.
