We stayed overnight at Morecambe in the north of England on our way down to the south of England and after a horrible drive to get there we went out for a wee walk to stretch our legs. As you can see the weather isn’t too bad it had brightened up after the heavy rain and mist which accompanied us most of the way there. I find it quite scary on motorways in weather like that and there seemed to be hardly any ordinary cars on the road, lorries were everywhere. They aren’t good for the environment – or my nerves.
I took this photo from the end of Morecambe pier, looking back to the town. Morecambe Bay is huge and dangerous, my brother and I nearly came to grief there as kids in the summer of 1969, the water comes at you from all directions and before you realise it – it has engulfed you.
This one was taken from the same position at the end of the pier but looking in the opposite direction. The hills in the distance are those of the Lake District of Wordsworth fame but when we drove through that area earlier the weather was too bad to stop and most of the hills were hardly visible at all through the mist and rain.
In recent years the esplanade has been buffed up and one of the decorative themes is these metal cormorants, they seem to be everywhere, they look quite comical really.
The main reason why we were stopping at Morecambe was so that Jack could take more photos of the Midland Hotel, it’s a bit of an art deco icon and he’s keen on that sort of thing. Mind you, I like it too, it’s all very Agatha Christie and Poirot-ish. It’s the sort of place that you stay in for a treat though, an anniversary maybe so we didn’t stay there although we plan to soon. Afternoon tea was on our agenda this time but we didn’t manage that either as the journey there took longer than we expected. Actually, Morecambe was so dead I’ve got a feeling that that sort of thing doesn’t begin until the ‘high’ season at Easter so we were probably too early for afternoon tea.
Apart from the newly done up sea front the town of Morecambe is in a sadly dilapidated state, like most seaside towns. It bears no resemblence to what it was when I was a wee girl, I remember it as being all rock shops and fresh sea food stalls, ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hats and fudge shops. There was absolutely nothing like that, in fact there was nothing much at all.
Jack took these photos of The Midland on our previous visit.
Such is the mixture of architecture on streets in Britain that I can be photographing a Tudor or medieval building and he’s taking one of an art deco cinema, Burton’s or Woolworths store. I’m sure people think it’s a bit mad. Art Deco is one of those love it or hate it things – what’s your opinion?
I love Art Deco and the hotel reminds me of Hercule Poirot, you could almost see him shuffling out of there, moustache twitching!
I would love to have afternoon tea there! Mind you I would have afternoon tea almost anywhere!
Do they have the statue of Eric Morecambe there? Or am I thinking of somewhere else?
Jo,
I agree, although I’m really a coffee person rather than tea. There is a statue of Eric Morecambe there but it had quite a lot of people around it so I didn’t photograph it, I meant to go back later but forgot.
A little bit of Art Deco is OK but I think it’s a bit bare and I do prefer older architecture.
Did you take a photo of Eric Morecambe’s statue?
Margaret,
I really like Art Deco as long as it is in good condition. It looks terrible if it’s shabby. No photo of Eric Morecambe I’m afraid, he had too many admirers around him!
I love Art Deco too! As well as the architecture I love the ornaments and furniture. I’ve never been to Morecambe, but afternoon tea at the hotel sounds a good reason to visit! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.
Evee,
I wish I had bought the furniture when it was super cheap in the 1970s when we got married. I could kick myself now when I see the prices. I love the ornaments and glassware too, so sleek.
Art Deco is an elegant style [check out the town of Napier, NZ, partly rebuilt after its 1931 earthquake]. I grew up in what I now realise was an Art Deco ‘Spanish-style’ house and so the theme signifies ‘home’ to me. It needs to be kept in appropriate colours, never garish. I’m fascinated to hear about the treacherous sands and tides in Morecambe Bay: I can picture how easily one might get caught.
Valerie,
Thanks for the Napier NZ info. It looks fabulous. I agree that Art Deco looks best when the colours are pastels, and ice-cream-ish rather than garish. It must have been great growing up in an Art Deco house but I suppose it was just normal for you. The flat roofed houses here are often a problem, I don’t think they’re perfect for our damp weather, not that there are many such houses about.
There was a terrible tragedy at Morecambe Bay in 2004, you can read about it here.
I remember hearing about that tragedy at the time. Poor souls.
Glad you liked the info about Napier.