Hest Bank

Station Road led down to the railway station, now long gone. They called the main railway line from Crewe to Glasgow the West Coast Main Line, but here at Hest Bank is the only spot where you can actually see the coast and the sea beyond. Hest Bank is the name used for the whole settlement. Three forms of transport have cut through the area at various times: the main Roman road, later the A6, the Lancaster Canal, and the railways, all bringing prosperity and extra work to the area. The railway was so busy a century ago that a footbridge was built so that visitors did not have to wait to cross the line to get to the beach. We can see this bridge in our picture at the bottom of the road.
An extract from from"Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham Pocket Album".

Hest was part of Bolton-le-Sands, and was a hamlet near Morecambe Bay. Hest Bank was the seaward side of the village, right at the southern side of the mouth of the River Kent. At one time, the area was referred to as Slyne with Hest. The Lancaster Canal Act was passed in 1792; the canal from Kendal to Carnforth opened first in 1797, and then this section opened, Bolton-le-Sands via Hest Bank to Lancaster. As soon as the canal opened, it proved an easier and more comfortable way of travelling and moving goods than along the poor roads that existed at the time.
An extract from from"Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham Pocket Album".

This is the junction of Coastal Road and Station Road, with ‘Halt’ signs painted on the road and squared T-shaped traffic signs gently controlling what little traffic there was. There are no yellow lines, no posts everywhere with instructions and restrictions—oh, it was such a gentle time for motor travel. The name Hest comes from ‘hyrst’ (a copse or wood), and the name was first recorded in 1184.
An extract from from"Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham Pocket Album".

The southern part of Morecambe was always referred to as the West End. Here we see the exclusive part of Morecambe. Our view takes in Werwick’s Revolving Tower and shows what working-class people did for their week’s holiday: they sat and relaxed and took in the sea air.
An extract from from"Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham Pocket Album".

The old Town Hall was erected around 1781 on the site of an earlier town hall. Major Thomas Jarratt was the designer of the building, which opened in 1783. Market Square is the open area in front of the Town Hall, and Market Street runs to the left. The locals liked the large Tuscan portico and its four plain columns. The cupola and top were designed by Thomas Harrison, and were added just after the building opened. Harrison also designed Skerton Bridge. The total cost of the building was £2,054 13s 7d, including a £20 bonus that Mr Dickinson, one of the builders, had thought due to him.
An extract from from"Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham Pocket Album".