Roads and artifacts: 13/01/2013

Milestones, Boundary Markers, Historical Artifacts, Street Furniture, lost roads and buildings.

There are many traces of our ancestors scattered around our landscape. Mile Markers and Boundary stones are there too. The Milestone Society believes that there are approximately 9000 left in the United Kingdom. Some are cherished but others are hidden in hedgerows, some have been unwittingly destroyed by crashes, road equipment or even stolen. Roads have been straightened to make them safer. There are old gateposts still left in place, old buildings, and place names that declare an evocative past. The aim is to capture some of this information at least photographically before it disappears.

Although the Fylde Coast does not have ancient history, the Romans apparently struggled to Kirkham. There have been huge changes in the last two centuries from literally a a few fishermans' and agricultural dwellings, to a full blown tourist and light engineering industry.

More historical information can be found here about the Fylde coast.

It also seems that time has marched on and left what appears to be some very respectable buildings... which just should be used, but seem to have no worth.

Links from this Blog

Nearly-Midnight The genealogy website relating to the family. A tangled web of people all related to one another, explore!
Memorials Website dedicated to War Memorials - The majority in the North of England. Visits to churches, but also memorials in out of the way places.
Robert Clark The Father of Henry Martyn-Clark - A missionary out in the North-West Frontier of India. One of the first Europeans to set foot in Afganistan
Affetside Census A small village north of Bury, Lancashire, I can trace many of my immediate ancesters from there. On the Roman Road, Watling Street
Andrew Martyn-Clark My Father and his part in my World. Also my mother and his parents too.
Henry Martyn-Clark My Great Grandfather, his roots and his achievements. Discusses malaria but also his confrontations with Islam.

Sunday, 13 January 2013

Marton Drive Library, Blackpool

This library was my local library when I was in my 20's. I went in their fairly regularly, frequently a stop with one of the kids in the buggy. There wern't plenty of books but it had quite a goods kid's section and there was a reading room full of old codgers sheltering from the cold. It has looked like this for a couple of years now. Shame nice memories, but there just does not seem to be a future here.

The entrance to the library on Marton drive.
It is halfway between Spen Corner and the Oxford.

The boarded up entrance

THIS STONE WAS LAID BY
ALDERMAN JOHN COLLINS J.P.
MEMBER OF THE BLACKPOOL LIBRARY
AND ART GALLERY COMMITTEE
SINCE NOVEMBER 1900, AND CHAIRMAN
FROM NOVEMBER 1904 TO SEPTEMBER 1918

MAYOR ALDERMAN R.J.TOMLINSON J.P
CHAIRMAN COUNC. JOHN WHITTAKER
16TH SEPTEMBER 1931.

Circular window close up

The Fir Grove end. This is facing down Marton Drive
to the Spen Corner roundabout

Showing the rear of the building.

Another view of the Fir Grove end


From across the road