Southport

For other uses, see Southport (disambiguation).

Southport
Town
Southport Pier, the war memorial, and Marine Way Bridge
Southport is located in Merseyside
Southport
Southport
Location within Merseyside
Population94,421 [1](2021 Census)
DemonymSandgrounder[2]
OS grid referenceSD333170
• London191 mi (307 km)[3] SE
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Districts of the town
List
Post townSouthport
Postcode districtPR8, PR9
Dialling code01704
PoliceMerseyside
FireMerseyside
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Merseyside
53°38′51″N 3°0′19″W / 53.64750°N 3.00528°W / 53.64750; -3.00528

Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Liverpool and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Preston. At the 2021 census, Southport had a population of 94,421, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England and the third most populous settlement in the Liverpool City Region.[4]

The town was founded in 1792 by William Sutton, an innkeeper from Churchtown, who built a bathing house at what is now the south end of Lord Street.[5] The area was previously known as South Hawes, and was sparsely populated and dominated by dunes. The area became popular with tourists due to the easy access from the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and by 1848 had a railway connection. The resort increased during the Victorian era and contains examples of Victorian architecture and town planning. Lord Street was developed as a wide, tree-lined shopping street, and attractions such as Southport Pier, which is the second longest seaside pleasure pier in the British Isles,[6] were constructed. A particular feature of the town is the extensive tree planting. This was one of the conditions required by the Hesketh family when they made land available for development in the 19th century. Hesketh Park at the northern end of the town is named after them, having been built on land donated by Rev. Charles Hesketh.[7]

Extensive sand dunes stretch for several miles from Woodvale to Birkdale, the south of the town. The Ainsdale dunes have been designated as a national nature reserve and a Ramsar site. Local fauna include the natterjack toad and the sand lizard.[8][9] Southport hosts events, including an annual air show on and over the beach,[10] the largest independent flower show in the UK in Victoria Park, and the British Musical Fireworks Championship. The town is at the centre of England's "Golf Coast",[11] and has hosted the Open Championship at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

  1. ^ "Southport is made up of seven wards". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  2. ^ "How do you define a true Sandgrounder?". Southport Visiter. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". boulter.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. ^ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Check Browser Settings". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  5. ^ North Meols and Southport – a History, Chapter 9, Peter Aughton (1988)
  6. ^ "Longest Piers in the British Isles". National Piers Society. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  7. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Southport" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 515.
  8. ^ "Sefton Coast". JNCC. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Unitary Authority: Sefton, Site Name: Sefton Coast" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Southport Air Show Official". Sefton Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2006.
  11. ^ "Welcome to". Englands Golf Coast. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.