Morecambe

{{Short description|Town in Lancashire, England}} {{About|the town and parish in Lancashire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Use British English|date=January 2014}} {{Infobox UK place | constituency_westminster = [[Morecambe and Lunesdale]] | shire_district = [[City of Lancaster]] | civil_parish = Morecambe | shire_county = [[Lancashire]] | static_image_name = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 250 | image_style = border:1; | perrow = 2/1/2 | image1 = Morecambe Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 6172119.jpg | caption1 = [[Morecambe Town Hall|Town Hall]] | image2 = Morecambe Antiques and Collectables - geograph.org.uk - 1491028.jpg | caption2 = [[Alhambra Theatre, Morecambe|Alhambra Theatre]] | image3 = The Winter Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 6333677.jpg | caption3 = [[Morecambe Winter Gardens|The Winter Gardens]] | image4 = Eric Morecambe Statue, Morecambe - geograph.org.uk - 7192061.jpg | caption4 = [[Eric Morecambe|Eric Morecambe Statue]] | image5 = Midland Hotel, Morecambe, Lancashire, England-31Aug2010 (5).jpg | caption5 = [[Midland Hotel, Morecambe|Midland Hotel]] }} | static_image_caption = | london_distance = | coordinates = {{coord|54.073|-2.870|display=inline,title}} | population = 34,590 | population_ref = (2021) | type = Town | country = England | region = North West England | os_grid_reference = SD425634 | map_type = Lancashire | post_town = MORECAMBE | postcode_area = LA | postcode_district = LA3, LA4 | dial_code = 01524 | pushpin_map = United Kingdom City of Lancaster#United Kingdom Morecambe#United Kingdom Morecambe Bay | pushpin_map_caption = Location in the City of Lancaster district##Location of town centre in Morecambe##Location on Morecambe Bay }} '''Morecambe''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɔːr|k|ə|m}} {{respell|MOR|kəm}}<ref>{{Citation |last=Wells |first=John C. |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |year=2008 |edition=3rd |publisher=Longman |isbn=9781405881180}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Roach |first=Peter |title=Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary |year=2011 |edition=18th |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521152532}}</ref>) is a [[seaside town]] and [[civil parish]] in the [[City of Lancaster]] district of [[Lancashire]], England, on [[Morecambe Bay]], part of the [[Irish Sea]]. In 2021, the parish had a population of 34,590.<ref>{{Cite web |title=[Map of parishes showing 2021 census data] |url=https://council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/s219467/Appendix%20E.pdf |publisher=Lancashire County Council | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250503103753/https://council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/s219467/Appendix%20E.pdf| archive-date= 3 May 2025| url-status=live |access-date=10 March 2026}}</ref>

==History== In 1846, the [[Morecambe Harbour and Railway]] Company was formed<ref>Awdry, C. (1990), ''Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies'', Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, {{ISBN|1-85260-049-7}}.</ref> to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the fishing village of [[Poulton-le-Sands]],<!--This is not a typo for Bolton-le-Sands--> and a connecting railway. By 1850, the railway linked to [[Skipton]], [[Keighley]] and [[Bradford]] in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], and a settlement began to grow around the harbour and railway to service the port and as a seaside resort. The settlement expanded to absorb Poulton and the villages of [[Bare, Morecambe|Bare]] and [[Torrisholme]]. The settlement started to be referred to as "Morecambe", possibly after the harbour and railway. In 1889, the new name was officially adopted.

Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-20th century. It was home to the largest [[Pontins]] resort in the country. Pontins closed in 1993. While the resort of [[Blackpool]] attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from [[Yorkshire]] (due to its [["Little" North Western Railway|railway connection]]) and [[Scotland]]. Mill workers from Bradford and further afield in West Yorkshire would holiday at Morecambe, with some retiring there. This gave Morecambe the nickname "Bradford on Sea".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Making memories in Morecambe |url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/what-s-on/travel-reviews/making-memories-in-morecambe-1-7466323 |access-date=5 November 2015 |website=www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Morecambe: The holiday hotspot that drew many from factories, mills and schools |url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/tahistory/featuresnostalgiapasttimes/13506492.Morecambe__The_holiday_hotspot_that_drew_many_from_factories__mills_and_schools/ |access-date=5 November 2015 |website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus|date=29 July 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bradford-by-the-Sea salutes the greats |url=http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/what-s-on/bradford-by-the-sea-salutes-the-greats-1-1199180 |access-date=5 November 2015 |website=www.thevisitor.co.uk}}</ref> Between 1956 and 1989, it was the home of the [[Miss Great Britain]] [[beauty contest]].

Morecambe suffered a decades-long decline after a series of incidents that damaged tourism and the local economy.<ref name="NYT041207">Alan Cowell, [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/world/europe/12memo.html Postcard From Ailing British Coasts: Wish You Were Here], ''The New York Times'', 12 April 2007.</ref> Two [[pier]]s were lost: West End Pier was partly washed away in a storm in November 1977, and the remnants were demolished in 1978; [[Central Pier, Morecambe|Central Pier]], damaged by fire in 1933, was removed in 1992. In 1994, The World of [[Crinkley Bottom]] attraction in Happy Mount Park closed only thirteen weeks after opening. The ensuing [[Mr. Blobby|Blobbygate]] scandal, a financial disaster after projected visitor numbers did not materialise, led to a legal battle between [[City of Lancaster|Lancaster City Council]] and TV star [[Noel Edmonds]], costing North Lancashire taxpayers £2.6 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 23, 2021 |title=Blobbygate: The story of Morecambe's Crinkley Bottom theme park fiasco - LancsLive |url=https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/blobbygate-story-morecambes-crinkley-bottom-19669180 |access-date=January 22, 2022}}</ref> The closures of Bubbles, Morecambe's swimming pool, and the [[Frontierland, Morecambe|Frontierland]] fairground soon followed. Tourism decline in Morecambe in the late 20th century was unusually spectacular, just as its boom had been earlier in the century. This decline was due to various factors, including competition from nearby Blackpool and other Lancastrian resorts.<ref>Jarratt, D. (2019). The development and decline of Morecambe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: a resort caught in the tide. Journal of Tourism History, 11(3), 263–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/1755182X.2019.1643932</ref>

Morecambe was selected by the [[RNLI]] as the location for its first active life-saving hovercraft. (Griffon 470SAR) H-002 "The Hurley Flyer", which became operational on 23 December 2002, was housed in a temporary garage next to the Yacht Club until a permanent building could be designed and built. Work on the latter began in 2008, and it officially opened on 12 June 2010.<ref>Visitor Newspaper,[http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/morecambe-and-district-news/morecambe-hovercraft-gets-new-home-1-1209664], ''Visitor'', 28 July 2008.</ref>

On 5 February 2004, there was a major loss of life in Morecambe Bay when at least 21 [[2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster|Chinese immigrant shellfish harvesters were drowned]] after they became trapped by the incoming tide.<ref name="boyle">{{Cite news |last=Boyle |first=Joe |date=24 March 2006 |title=Death in a cold, strange land |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4582470.stm |access-date=29 July 2021}}</ref>

In December 2017, a local [[general practitioner]] and community health activist claimed that children in Morecambe were suffering from malnourishment and implied that cases of [[rickets]] had been observed as a consequence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 December 2018 |title=Dr Andy Knox tag |url=http://morecambecollective.co.uk/tag/dr-andy-knox/ |website=Morecambe Collective}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=24 December 2018 |title=Health and Society – Can We Make A Difference? Part 2 – politics |url=https://reimagininghealth.com/health-and-society-can-we-make-a-difference-part-2-politics/ |website=Reimagining Health}}</ref><ref name="rickets">{{Cite news |date=13 December 2017 |title=Children in Morecambe 'suffering from rickets due to poverty' |work=Lancaster Guardian |url=https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/children-in-morecambe-suffering-from-rickets-due-to-poverty-1-8907744 |access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> The Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group subsequently sought to correct the GP's claims and clarified the [[etiology]] of vitamin D deficiency in the local population, explaining "rickets is a very rare condition and has multiple causes".<ref>{{Cite web |title=CCG statement – Rickets – Morecambe Bay CCG |url=https://www.morecambebayccg.nhs.uk/news-and-events-2/230-ccg-statement-rickets |access-date=24 December 2018 |website=www.morecambebayccg.nhs.uk}}</ref>

===The "Morecambe Budget"=== [[File:Morecambe-beach.jpg|280px|thumb|Morecambe Beach looking towards the West End]] [[Enoch Powell]] made a speech in Morecambe on 11 October 1968 on the economy, setting out alternative, radical free-market policies that would later be called the Morecambe Budget.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Richards |first=Peter |date=August 2010 |title=Enoch Powell: Libertarian, Tory and Nationalist |url=http://www.individualist.org.uk/publications/ |journal=The Individual |issue=54}}</ref> Powell used the financial year 1968–69 to show how income tax could be halved from 8s 3d to 4s 3d in the pound (basic rate cut from 41% to 21%)<ref>Roy Lewis, ''Enoch Powell: Principle in Politics'' (Cassell, 1979), p. 69.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Heffer |first=Simon |title=[[Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell]] |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |year=1998 |location=London |page=484 |author-link=Simon Heffer}}</ref> and how capital gains tax and [[Selective Employment Tax]] could be abolished without reducing expenditure on defence or the social services. These tax cuts required a saving of £2,855 million, and this would be funded by eradicating losses in the nationalised industries and denationalising the profit-making state concerns; ending all housing subsidies except for those who could not afford their own housing; ending all foreign aid; ending all grants and subsidies in agriculture; ending all assistance to development areas; ending all investment grants;<ref>Robert Shepherd, ''Enoch Powell. A Biography'' (London: Pimlico, 1997), p. 375 -->–6.</ref> abolishing the [[National Economic Development Council]]; and abolishing the Prices and Incomes Board<ref>Heffer, p. 485.</ref> The cuts in taxation would also allow the state to borrow from the public to spend on capital projects such as hospitals and roads and on the firm and humane treatment of criminals.<ref>Heffer, pp. 485–6.</ref>

==Governance== [[File:Morecambe Town Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Morecambe Town Hall]], completed in 1932]] The town is in the [[Morecambe and Lunesdale]] parliamentary constituency; the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|member of parliament]] following the 2024 general election is [[Lizzi Collinge]].

Before [[Brexit]], it was in the [[North West England European Parliamentary constituency]].

Morecambe is governed by three tiers of local government: * Morecambe Town Council<ref>{{Cite web |title=Morecambe Town Council |url=https://www.morecambe.gov.uk/}}</ref> * [[Lancaster City Council]] (district) * [[Lancashire County Council]]

==Economy== [[File:Circles Morecambe.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|Morecambe Promenade]] Morecambe's main central shopping area incorporates two markets—the Festival Market and the Morecambe Sunday Market—and the Reel Cinema complex.

===Tourism=== {{Unreferenced section|date=April 2026}} [[File:Beach of Morecambe 05.jpg|thumb|Morecambe Sands in summer]] Morecambe Hotel and Tourism Association, which had forty members, has merged with the Bay Tourism Association. At a full meeting of the Morecambe Hotel and Tourism Association on Monday 8 March 2010, it was unanimously resolved that the MHTA would join with Bay Tourism to become one association under the name of the Bay Tourism Association and the MHTA would cease to operate as an association. The BTA works closely with Lancaster Chamber and organises joint promotional ventures with other tourism associations in the region. Recent tourism initiatives have made Morecambe a centre for [[Ornithology|bird watchers]] with the Tern Project enhancing the town's heritage linked to the extensive natural landscape of Morecambe Bay and its diverse wildlife.

===Eden Project Morecambe=== {{main|Eden Project Morecambe}}

In 2018, the Eden Project revealed its design for the Eden Project North (later renamed Eden Project Morecambe)<ref>{{cite web |title=Eden Project Morecambe, UK |url=https://www.edenproject.com/new-edens/eden-project-morecambe-uk |website=Eden Project |access-date=21 August 2023 |language=en}}</ref> on the seafront in Morecambe. There will be biodomes shaped like mussels and a focus on the marine environment.<ref name="edenprojectnorth">{{Cite web |title=New vision for Morecambe's Eden Project revealed |url=https://www.edenproject.com/media/2018/11/new-vision-morecambes-eden-project-revealed |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221230358/https://www.edenproject.com/media/2018/11/new-vision-morecambes-eden-project-revealed |archive-date=2018-12-21}}</ref><ref name="indynorth">{{cite web |date=24 November 2018 |title=Morecambe flexes its mussels: New Eden Project to be shaped like giant shells {{!}} The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/morecambe-eden-project-morecambe-bay-mussl-david-harland-cornwall-a8537126.html |website=[[Independent.co.uk]]}}</ref> [[Grimshaw Architects|Grimshaw]] are the architects for the £80 million project,<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 November 2018 |title=Plans for £80m Eden Project North are unveiled |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/plans-80m-eden-project-north-15458954}}</ref> which is a partnership with the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, [[Lancaster University]], Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council.<ref name=edenprojectnorth/><ref name=indynorth/>

==Education== Morecambe is served by a number of primary, secondary and tertiary educational establishments. These include [[Morecambe Bay Academy]], [[Bay Leadership Academy]], Morecambe Road School and [[Lancaster and Morecambe College]].

==Culture==

===Performing arts=== Morecambe has two large live-music venues: the Platform and More Music. The Platform is a converted Victorian-styled building which used to be [[Morecambe Promenade railway station|the old railway station]]. It also houses the Morecambe [[Tourist Information Centre]]. Morecambe has a number of bands playing in the town's pubs and music venues.

Morecambe is home to community music charity More Music. More Music was established in 1993 and is based in the Hothouse. The Hothouse is now a venue for live gigs.

===Morecambe and Alan Bennett===

The [[Yorkshire]] [[playwright]] and [[author]] [[Alan Bennett]] has enjoyed a long association with Morecambe and has often referred to the town in his work and writing. One of his early TV plays, ''Sunset Across the Bay'' (1975), is about a couple from [[Leeds]] who retire to Morecambe, leaving their old home with the words "Bye bye, mucky Leeds!"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Alan |date=6 September 2006 |title='Untold Stories' by Alan Bennett |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/books/chapters/0409-1st-benn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |access-date=16 April 2014 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> He based the play on memories of the many [[holiday]]s he spent in Morecambe with his parents. In his [[essay]] "Written on the Body", collected in ''Untold Stories'' (2005), he even suggests that his association with the town is pre-natal: "[I]t had been in a boarding house that I was [[Fertilisation|conceived]], sometime over the August [[Bank Holiday]] of 1933 at Morecambe or [[Filey]]."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bennett |first=Alan |title=''Untold Stories'' |publisher=Faber and Faber |year=2005}}</ref> In the same collection, Bennett pays tribute to the Morecambe-born actress [[Thora Hird]] in the essays ''Last of the Sun'', about the final play he wrote for her, and "Thora Hird 1911–2003", a memoir of the work they had done together since the 1960s. Earlier in the book, he discusses his maternal aunt Kathleen, who married in Morecambe and lived there until her death in 1974.

===Art=== Morecambe was the birthplace of the artist [[William Woodhouse (artist)|William Woodhouse]] (1857–1939), who lived all his life in the town and is buried with his wife and daughter at [[St Peter's Church, Heysham|St. Peter's Church]] in the village of [[Heysham]], a little to the south of Morecambe.

===Youth and Community===

Stanley's Youth and Community Centre is based on Stanley Road in the West End of Morecambe. It offers the opportunity for young people aged 8–18 to play music, cook or just use the facilities to catch up with friends. There are also community sessions including community meal, women's group and 'Get Connected' information service.

The Exchange, which was set up in 2015 and is based on West Street in the West End of Morecambe, is a Community Arts [[Community interest company|CIC]], offering free creative workshops to local residents. Promoting creativity as a means of well-being, it serves as a non-profit welcome space for all ages and abilities. In addition to workshops, The Exchange sells the artwork of local residents and hosts events such as the popular Soup Night.

===Cuisine=== Morecambe Bay [[Potted shrimps]] are a well known local delicacy throughout the country and were a favourite dish of [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]]. Boiled in butter with a variety of spices until they are tender, when cooked they are sealed into pots.<ref name="LG">{{cite web |last1=Butler |first1=Debbie |title=Chef reveals how Queen loved famous Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps on toast |url=https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/chef-reveals-how-queen-loved-famous-morecambe-bay-potted-shrimps-on-toast-3841279 |website=Lancaster Guardian |publisher=National World Publishing Ltd. |access-date=10 January 2025 |date=13 September 2022}}</ref>

===Baylight=== Baylight is an annual event established in 2023, with a trail of illuminated artworks on the Promenade for two nights in February and an associated parade.<ref>{{cite web |title=[Official website] |url=https://baylightmorecambe.co.uk/ |website=Baylight Morecambe |access-date=6 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Spectacular new light festival attracted over 10,000 visitors and took Morecambe 'back to its heyday' |url=https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/spectacular-new-light-festival-attracted-over-10000-visitors-and-took-morecambe-back-to-its-heyday-4037431 |access-date=6 February 2025 |work=Lancaster Guardian |date=23 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=28 colourful pictures from weekend's spectacular Morecambe Baylight 2024 festival |url=https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/28-colourful-pictures-from-weekends-spectacular-morecambe-baylight-2024-festival-4523684 |access-date=6 February 2025 |work=Lancaster Guardian |date=19 February 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The 2025 event was supported by financial contributions from both Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council.<ref name=lancs2024dec>{{cite web |title=Morecambe's Baylight festival to return in 2025 following council intervention |url=https://news.lancashire.gov.uk/news/morecambes-baylight-festival-to-return-in-2025-following-council-intervention |website=Lancashire County Council News |access-date=6 February 2025 |date=23 December 2024}}</ref> It was estimated that the 2024 event brought 28,000 visitors to Morecambe, who spend £460,000 in the town.<ref name=lancs2024dec />

==Landmarks==

[[File:Eric Morecambe - geograph.org.uk - 737011.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|The statue in 2008]] Overlooking [[Morecambe Bay]] is a [[Statue of Eric Morecambe]] by [[Graham Ibbeson]]. The bronze sculpture commemorating [[Eric Morecambe]] (1926&ndash;1984), who was born in the town, was unveiled by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] in July 1999.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ward |first1=David |title=Eric gets his place in the sunshine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jul/24/davidward |accessdate=13 June 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=24 July 1999}}</ref> One of Morecambe's landmark buildings is the partially renovated Victoria Pavilion or [[Morecambe Winter Gardens]] which once housed a swimming pool, a theatre, a restaurant, and a ballroom. [[File:Winter Gardens, Morecambe (7910).jpg|thumb|The Winter Gardens]] Replacing the 1928 Victoria Street library, a new library designed by the architect firm of Roger Booth was opened in 1967. Earlier proposals to build a library in Morecambe with Carnegie funding had stalled due to arguments about the rates involved. The library is mentioned by [[Nikolaus Pevsner|Pevsner]] and is one of the few noteworthy buildings, other than churches, that are not connected to the seaside trade. The building is formed by hexagons, with a hyperbolic parabolic roof, creating a distinctive skyline and interior.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Red Rose Collections from Lancashire County Council |url=http://lanternimages.lancashire.gov.uk/index.php?a=advanced&s=gallery&key=XYToxOntzOjU6Ik5PVEVTIjtzOjE3OiJtb3JlY2FtYmUgbGlicmFyeSI7fQ%3D%3D&pp=100/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312050712/http://lanternimages.lancashire.gov.uk/index.php?a=advanced&s=gallery&key=XYToxOntzOjU6Ik5PVEVTIjtzOjE3OiJtb3JlY2FtYmUgbGlicmFyeSI7fQ%3D%3D&pp=100%2F |archive-date=12 March 2009 |access-date=25 February 2017 |publisher=Lanternimages.lancashire.gov.uk}}</ref>

Two fairgrounds existed in the town: a small one to the north of the railway station, which closed down in the 1980s, and a larger one to the south of the station, which ultimately became [[Frontierland, Morecambe|Frontierland]] and closed in 1999. The last remaining landmark on the site was the Polo Tower, left standing only because of the contract for the phone mast on top.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Glen |date=5 October 2007 |title=Polo no-no |url=http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/morecambe-news/Polo-nono.3253782.jp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423014919/http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/morecambe-news/Polo-nono.3253782.jp |archive-date=23 April 2008 |access-date=17 June 2008 |website=The Visitor |publisher=[[Johnston Press]]}}</ref> In July 2008, the local council ordered a clean-up of the Polo Tower, and it was demolished in July 2017.

Near the promenade is the [[Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial]] commemorating the men of Morecambe who lost their lives in the two [[world war]]s and the [[Korean War]].<ref name="UKNIWM">[http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.3332/fromUkniwmSearch/1 Morecambe and Heysham War Memorial.] United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. UKNIWM Ref: 3332. Retrieved 16 August 2012.</ref> The memorial differs from most as it lists the First World War as 1914 to 1919 rather than 1914 to 1918.

In March 2019 a [[Time and Tide Bell]] designed by [[Marcus Vergette]] was installed beside the [[Stone Jetty]] as part of a national public art project.<ref name="bell">{{Cite web |date=27 February 2018 |title=Time and Tide Bell |url=http://morecambeartistcolony.org/time-tide-bell/ |access-date=11 April 2019 |publisher=Morecambe Artists Colony}}</ref><ref name="time">{{Cite web |title=Home page |url=http://www.timeandtidebell.org/ |access-date=11 April 2019 |publisher=Time and Tide Bell}}</ref>

===Midland Hotel=== [[File:Midland Hotel, Morecambe, in evening sunlight.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|[[Midland Hotel, Morecambe|Midland Hotel]] in 2008 after restoration]] The [[Midland Hotel, Morecambe|Midland Hotel]] is an [[art deco]] hotel on the seafront. It contains interior design and art pieces by artist [[Eric Gill]]. In 2009 it underwent a £7m restoration, headed by Manchester company [[Urban Splash]]. The hotel re-opened for business in June 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's been a decade now since we completed our restoration of the Midland Hotel |url=https://www.urbansplash.co.uk/blog/reflecting-on-our-restoration-of-an-art-deco-icon}}</ref> In March 2011 the [[Freehold (law)|freehold]] of the building was sold by Urban Splash to Lancashire-based 'The Lancaster Foundation'. {{clear left}}

==Sport==

===Football=== [[File:ENG-PAN (10).jpg|thumb|Morecambe football fans at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] in Russia]] On 20 May 2007 [[Morecambe F.C.]] (known as 'the Shrimps') won the [[Conference National]] playoffs to earn promotion to the [[Football League]] for the first time in their history. They had a successful first season in the Football League and in the [[2009–10 in English football|2009–10]] season they reached the play-offs, only to lose 7–2 on aggregate to eventual winners [[Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.|Dagenham & Redbridge]]. At the end of the 2009–10 season the club moved from [[Christie Park (Morecambe)|Christie Park]] to a new home, the [[Globe Arena (football stadium)|Globe Arena]]. The old stadium was demolished to make way for a [[Sainsbury's]] supermarket. On 31 May 2021, Morecambe won the League Two [[2021 EFL League Two play-off final|play-off final]] at [[Wembley Stadium]], beating [[Newport County A.F.C.|Newport County]] 1–0 after extra time to win promotion to League One for the first time in their history. They were relegated back to League Two in 2023, and, two seasons later, they were relegated again, bringing their 18-year stay in the EFL to an end. Set to play in the [[National League (English football)|National League]] for the [[2025–26 National League|2025–26 season]], they were briefly suspended from the competition in July 2025 due to financial and ownership issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/national-league-statement-morecambe-fc-83855|title=National League Statement: Morecambe FC|website=www.thenationalleague.org.uk|date=28 July 2025|accessdate=28 July 2025}}</ref><ref name=BBC28Jul2025>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crlz899y883o|title=Morecambe suspended from the National League|publisher=BBC Sport|date=28 July 2025|accessdate=28 July 2025}}</ref>

===Rugby league=== {{unreferenced section|date=April 2026}} When the [[rugby football]] [[History of rugby league#The schism in England|schism]] occurred in 1895, [[List of defunct rugby league clubs#England|the now defunct]] team of [[Morecambe RFC]] joined the Northern Rugby Football Union (now [[Rugby Football League]]) in its second season. Morecambe played for eight of the ten seasons from the [[1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1896–97]] season through to the end of [[1905–06 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1905–06]] season. Morecambe finished 14th of 14 in its first three seasons of the Lancashire Senior Competition, withdrew for the [[1899–1900 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1899–1900]] and [[1900–01 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1900–01]] seasons, finished 11th of 13 in the Lancashire Senior Competition, then finished 17th of 18, 16th of 17, 13th of 14 in Division-2, and finally 30th of 31 in the recombined league, after which Morecambe withdrew from the Northern Rugby Football Union.

The town still hosts a [[rugby league]] team, with Heysham Atoms playing from their Trimpell Sports and Social Club base. The Atoms finished joint top of division three in the North West Counties in 2012.

=== Boxing === World Heavyweight Boxing Champion [[Tyson Fury]] used to live in Morecambe but is now resident on the Isle of Man. He still owns a gym in the town. Morecambe is also home to Commonwealth Featherweight Champion, [[Isaac Lowe]], who beat [[Marco McCullough]] in the 8th round with in one minute and 56 seconds on the Frampton Vs Quigg Under-card.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 February 2016 |title=Isaac Lowe lifts Commonwealth featherweight title with stunning stoppage win |url=http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/sport/boxing/isaac-lowe-lifts-commonwealth-featherweight-title-with-stunning-stoppage-win-1-7753698 |access-date=25 February 2017 |publisher=The visitor}}</ref>

===Running=== A 5&nbsp;km [[parkrun]] event takes place every Saturday morning on the Promenade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Morecambe Prom parkrun |url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/morecambeprom/ |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref> The first event was held in April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Morecambe Prom parkrun Event History |url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/morecambeprom/results/eventhistory/ |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>

==Transport== {{Geographic Location |title = '''Destinations from Morecambe''' |Northwest = [[Morecambe Bay]], [[Grange-over-Sands]] |North = [[Hest Bank]], [[Carnforth]], [[Kendal]] |Northeast = [[Bolton-le-Sands]], [[Nether Kellet]] |West = [[Morecambe Bay]], [[Barrow-in-Furness]] |Centre = Morecambe |East = [[Halton, Lancashire|Halton]] |Southwest = [[Heysham]] |South = [[Middleton, Lancashire|Middleton]], [[Overton, Lancashire|Overton]], [[Sunderland, Lancashire|Sunderland]] |Southeast = [[Lancaster, England|Lancaster]], [[Forest of Bowland]] }}

===Rail=== {{Location map+|United Kingdom Morecambe |caption=[[File:Red pog.svg|10px]] '''Railway station'''<br />[[File:Pink pog.svg|8px]] ''Site of former railway station'' |float=right |width=300 |places = {{Location map~|United Kingdom Morecambe|lat=54.070|long=-2.870|label_size=85|position=bottom|label=&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''{{stnlnk|Morecambe}}'''|marksize=10}} {{Location map~|United Kingdom Morecambe|lat=54.0746|long=-2.8353|label_size=85|position=bottom|label='''{{stnlnk|Bare Lane}}'''|marksize=10}} {{Location map~|United Kingdom Morecambe|lat=54.0712|long=-2.8747|label_size=85|position=left|label=''{{stnlnk|Morecambe Promenade}}''|mark=Pink pog.svg}} {{Location map~|United Kingdom Morecambe|lat=54.0707|long=-2.8623|label_size=85|position=top|label=''[[Morecambe Euston Road railway station|Morecambe<br />Euston<br />Road]]''|mark=Pink pog.svg}} {{Location map~|United Kingdom Morecambe|lat=54.0744|long=-2.8785|label_size=85|position=top|label=''{{stnlnk|Morecambe Harbour}}''|mark=Pink pog.svg}} {{Location map~|United Kingdom Morecambe|lat=54.0710|long=-2.8557|label_size=85|position=right|label=''{{stnlnk|Morecambe Poulton Lane}}''|mark=Pink pog.svg}} }}

The present-day [[Morecambe railway station|Morecambe station]] opened in 1994, replacing an older station once known as {{stnlnk|Morecambe Promenade}}, built by the [[Midland Railway]] on its [["Little" North Western Railway|North Western Line]] from [[Skipton]] in Yorkshire. A former station at {{stnlnk|Morecambe Euston Road}}, built by the rival [[London & North Western Railway]], was closed in 1963. Regular rail services are provided to and from {{stnlnk|Lancaster}}, with some trains running direct from {{stnlnk|Preston}} and {{stnlnk|Leeds}}. Trains also run to [[Heysham Port railway station|Heysham]], where they connect with the [[ferry]] service to the [[Isle of Man]]. A further railway station at [[Bare Lane railway station|Bare Lane]] serves the suburb of [[Bare, Lancashire|Bare]]. As of 2021 [[Northern Trains]] were given a contract by the [[Department for Transport]] to run services for three years, with an optional extension of a further two years.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine |title=Northern's commitment to transformation |magazine=Modern Railways |publisher=Key Publishing |place=Stamford |issue=893 |date=February 2023 |pages=62–67 }}</ref> The contract was updated in 2022, to run until 1 March 2025.<ref name = 2022contract >{{cite web | url = https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1119251/dolr-holdings-northern-trains-services-contract.pdf | title = DfT OLR Holdings Limited and Northern Trains Limited 2022: services contract | date = 24 February 2022 | publisher = Department for Transport | access-date = 10 January 2025}}</ref>

===Bus=== Bus services in the area are operated mainly by [[Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire]] & other local companies. Direct services link the town with [[Windermere]] and [[Bowness-on-Windermere]] via [[Carnforth]], [[Milnthorpe]] and [[Kendal]] (755), Lancaster with connections to [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] via [[Carnforth]], [[Milnthorpe]], [[Kendal]], [[Windermere]], [[Ambleside]] and [[Grasmere (village)|Grasmere]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lancaster Network Change Jan 2019 |url=https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/lancaster-network-change-jan-2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121338/https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/lancaster-network-change-jan-2019 |archive-date=19 January 2019 |access-date=18 January 2019}}</ref>

==Morecambe in popular culture== * Morecambe and the neighbouring village of [[Heysham]] are the setting of the [[Cthulhu Mythos]] novel ''The Weird Shadow over Morecambe'', published by the writer Edmund Glasby in 2014.<ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Morecambe-Linford-Mystery-Library/dp/1444822292/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8] ''The Weird Shadow over Morecambe'' at Amazon.co.uk</ref> The title of the book is a reference to [[H.P. Lovecraft]]'s story "[[The Shadow over Innsmouth]]", which is also set in a seaside town. * Morecambe was mentioned in an episode of the prison-set television comedy ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]'' first broadcast in 1973: "...&nbsp; Fletcher's old woman said she wasn't returning, cos she was going to live with that Maltese ponce in Morecambe.".<ref>[http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=porridge-1973&episode=s02e01] "Morecambe" mentioned in ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]''</ref> * The ITV series, ''[[The Bay (TV series)|The Bay]]'', is set and filmed in Morecambe. Series 1 was first aired in March 2019 and Series 2 was first aired in January 2021. Series 3, filmed in and around Morecambe, was first aired in January 2022. *Morecambe is the setting for the first half of Sarah Hall's book, ''The Electric Michelangelo''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Poster |first=Jem |date=2004-03-27 |title=Written in skin |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/mar/27/featuresreviews.guardianreview24 |access-date=2023-11-11 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Notable people== [[File:Dame Thora Hird Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|110px|[[Dame Thora Hird]] 1974]] [[File:EricMorecambe1963.jpg|thumb|110px|[[Eric Morecambe]], 1963]] [[File:Tyson Fury at Place Bell, Laval Quebec, Canada - Dec 16 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|110px|[[Tyson Fury]], 2017]] *[[Albert Modley]] (1901–1979), English variety entertainer and comedian *[[Janette Scott]] (born 1938), actress *[[Dame Thora Hird]] (1911–2003), actress *[[Eric Morecambe]] (1926–1984), comedian, took his stage name from the town's name *[[Patrick Kelly (archbishop of Liverpool)|Patrick Kelly]] (born 1938), Roman Catholic [[Archbishop of Liverpool]], 1996–2013 *[[Helen Worth]] (born 1951), actress, portrayed ''[[Gail Platt]]'' in the ITV soap opera ''[[Coronation Street]]'' *[[Peter J. Ratcliffe|Sir Peter John Ratcliffe]] (born 1954), physician-scientist, trained as a [[nephrologist]] *[[Wayne Hemingway]] (born 1961), designer, founder of [[Red or Dead]] and Northern Soul DJ *[[Geraldine Smith (politician)|Geraldine Smith]] (born 1961), politician, [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] for [[Morecambe and Lunesdale]], 1997 to 2010 *[[Paul Hayes (antiques expert)|Paul Hayes]] (born 1970), antiques expert, TV personality *[[Busta Rhymes]] (born 1972), rapper, lived there for some time as a child with his aunt<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.beyondradio.co.uk/news/local-news/busta-rhymes-in-morecambe-the-truth/ | title=Busta Rhymes in Morecambe: The Truth }}</ref> *[[Cherylee Houston]] (born 1974), actress, ''[[Izzy Armstrong]]'' in ''[[Coronation Street]]'' *[[Emma Atkins]] (born 1975), actress, ''[[Charity Dingle]]'' in ''[[Emmerdale]]'' *[[Lisa O'Hare]] (born 1983), actress *[[The Heartbreaks]] (2009–2015), alternative rock band

=== Sport === *[[Joe Walton (footballer, born 1881)|Joe Walton]] (1881–1962), footballer, played 211 games *[[Jack Bartholomew]] (1888–1965), rugby league footballer, played 309 games *[[Jamie McGowan (footballer, born 1970)|Jamie McGowan]] (born 1970), footballer, played over 310 games in the [[Football in Scotland|Scottish leagues]] *[[John McGuinness (motorcycle racer)|John McGuinness]] (born 1972), motorcycle racer, specialist at the [[Isle of Man TT]] *[[Dave Chisnall]] (born 1980), professional darts player with the [[Professional Darts Corporation|PDC]], lives in Morecambe<ref name="Interview">{{Cite web |title=Dave Chisnall has sights set on world title |url=http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/local/dave-chisnall-has-sights-set-on-world-title-1-4753116 |access-date=9 September 2013 |publisher=The Visitor}}</ref> *[[Graham Hicks]] (born 1985), an English strongman and [[Powerlifting|powerlifter]] *[[Garry Hunter]] (born 1985), footballer who played 277 games for [[Morecambe F.C.|Morecambe]] *[[Tyson Fury]] (born 1988), boxer (World Heavyweight Champion 2015–16, 2020–24) lived in Morecambe *[[Isaac Lowe]] (born 1994), Commonwealth [[Featherweight]] boxing champion<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hello |date=20 February 2016 |title=Trainer Jimmy Harrington: Isaac Lowe will do Morecambe proud |url=http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/sport/trainer-jimmy-harrington-isaac-lowe-will-do-morecambe-proud-1-7737730 |access-date=25 February 2017 |publisher=The visitor}}</ref>

==Climate== {{Lancaster weatherbox}}

==See also== {{portal|Lancashire}} *[[Listed buildings in Morecambe]]

== Notes == {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite book |last1=Hatch |first1=J. |title=Morecambe, Lancaster & District (souvenir of the Conference of the National Union of Teachers, 1909) |last2=Kaye C. |last3=MacGregor J.A. |last4=Sumner W. |publisher=Henry Frowde / Hodder & Stoughton |year=1909 |location=Warwick Square, E.C. |page=266}} * {{Cite book |last=Quick |first=R.C. |title=The History of Morecambe and Heysham |year=1962 |location=Morecambe |page=160}} * {{Cite book |last=Potter |first=T.F. |title=The Growth of Morecambe |publisher=The Visitor |year=1976 |location=Morecambe |page=56}} * {{Cite book |last=Stocker |first=David |title=Potted Tales (Recollections and Views of Morecambe Bay Fishermen) |publisher=Local Studies No.8, Lancaster City Museums |year=1988 |location=Lancaster}} * {{Cite book |last=Bingham |first=Roger K. |title=Lost Resort ? The Flow and Ebb of Morecambe |publisher=Cicerone Press |year=1990 |isbn=1-85284-071-4 |location=Milnthorpe, Cumbria |page=320}} * {{Cite book |last1=Bracewell |first1=Michael |title=I Know Where I'm Going: A Guide To Morecambe & Heysham |last2=Linder |publisher=Book Works |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-870699-61-7 |page=96}} * {{Cite book |last=Hayes |first=Cliff |title=Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham (Francis Frith's pocket album) |publisher=Frith Book Company Ltd. |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-85937-731-4 |page=100}} * {{Cite book |url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/archaeologyandheritage/historictowns/index.asp |title=Lancashire Historic Town Survey Programme : MORECAMBE - Historic Town Assessment Report |date=1 February 2006 |publisher=Lancashire County Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011151652/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/archaeologyandheritage/historictowns/index.asp |archive-date=11 October 2008 |url-status=dead}} * {{Cite book |last1=Guise |first1=Barry |title=The Midland Hotel: Morecambe's White Hope |last2=Brook Pam |publisher=Palatine Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-874181-55-2}} * {{Cite book |last=Bryson |first=Bill |title=Notes From A Small Island |pages=271–277}}

==External links== {{Commons}} {{Wikivoyage}} * [http://www.baytourism.co.uk/ Bay Tourism Association] * [http://www.thevisitor.co.uk Morecambe Newspaper] Morecambe's weekly newspaper and local resources. * [http://www.thelancasterandmorecambecitizen.co.uk ''Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen'' newspaper] News and sport updated daily

{{City of Lancaster settlements}} {{Lancashire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Morecambe| ]] [[Category:Geography of the City of Lancaster]] [[Category:Towns in Lancashire]] [[Category:Seaside resorts in Lancashire]] [[Category:Morecambe Bay]] [[Category:Beaches of Lancashire]] [[Category:Civil parishes in Lancashire]] [[Category:Populated coastal places in Lancashire]]