Silverdale, Lancashire

Coordinates: 54°10′01″N 2°49′37″W / 54.167°N 2.827°W / 54.167; -2.827
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silverdale
Chimney near Jenny Brown's Point
Silverdale is located in the City of Lancaster district
Silverdale
Silverdale
Location in the City of Lancaster district
Silverdale is located in Morecambe Bay
Silverdale
Silverdale
Location on Morecambe Bay
Silverdale is located in Lancashire
Silverdale
Silverdale
Location within Lancashire
Area12.41 km2 (4.79 sq mi) [1]
Population1,519 (2011)
• Density122/km2 (320/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSD460749
Civil parish
  • Silverdale
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCARNFORTH
Postcode districtLA5
Dialling code01524
PoliceLancashire
FireLancashire
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Lancashire
54°10′01″N 2°49′37″W / 54.167°N 2.827°W / 54.167; -2.827

Silverdale is a village and civil parish within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. The village stands on Morecambe Bay, near the border with Cumbria, 4.5 miles (7 km) north west of Carnforth and 8.5 miles (14 km) of Lancaster. The parish had a population of 1,519 recorded in the 2011 census.

Silverdale forms part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The RSPB's Leighton Moss nature reserve is close to the village train station.[2] The National Trust owns several pieces of land in the area.[3] The former Tarmac-owned Trowbarrow quarry is now a SSSI and popular climbing location.[4] The Lancashire Coastal Way footpath goes from Silverdale to Freckleton, and the Cumbria Coastal Way from Silverdale to Gretna.

It is served by nearby Silverdale railway station on the line from Lancaster to Barrow in Furness.

Governance[edit]

Silverdale is in the UK Parliamentary Constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale, represented since 2010 by David Morris (Conservative), who was re-elected with an increased majority in May 2015,[5] a reduced majority in June 2017,[6] and an increased majority in December 2019.[7]

Before Brexit, it was in the North West England European Parliamentary Constituency.

Silverdale has a parish council, the lowest level of local government. In May 2023, six parish councillors were elected unopposed.[8]

The village is in the non-metropolitan district of the City of Lancaster. The Silverdale ward includes the parishes of Yealand Conyers and Yealand Redmayne and has a total population of 2,035.[9] On Lancaster City Council it is represented by one Liberal Democrat councillor, elected for a four-year term in May 2023.[10]

Silverdale is in the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire. On Lancashire County Council it forms part of Lancaster Rural North electoral division, and is represented by one Conservative councillor re-elected for a four-year term in May 2021.[11] It was previously in Lancaster Rural District until its abolition in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.[12]

Geography[edit]

Nearby towns and cities: Lancaster, Carnforth, Kendal, Grange-over-Sands

Nearby villages: Arnside, Warton, Yealand Conyers, Yealand Redmayne, Yealand Storrs

Protected areas[edit]

Silverdale is within the Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB). The parish includes several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), including: Eaves Wood,[13] Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve,[14] Hawes Water[15] (not to be confused with Haweswater reservoir in Cumbria), Jack Scout,[16] Leighton Moss,[17] Silverdale Golf Course,[18] and Trowbarrow Quarry,[19] and the whole of Morecambe Bay is also an SSSI.[20]

Listed buildings[edit]

Main article: Listed buildings in Silverdale, Lancashire

There are 20 listed buildings in Silverdale. The parish church[21] and Slackwood Farmhouse[22] are grade II* listed, while Lindeth Tower, the Silverdale Hotel, the lime kiln in Bottom's Lane, the chimney or tower at Jenny Brown's Point, twelve houses (four with barns) and two sets of entrance piers are grade II listed.[23]

Demography[edit]

The parish had a population of 1,519 recorded in the 2011 census,[1] This was a slight decrease from the 1,545 recorded in the 2001 census.[24] The area of the parish is calculated by the Office for National Statistics as 12.4149 square kilometres (4.7934 sq mi), giving a population density of 120 inhabitants per square kilometre (310/sq mi). The ONS also identifies "Silverdale built-up area", covering the core of the village but not extending east of Bottoms Lane or south of Lindeth Tower, which has a 2011 population of 1,326, an area of 1.015 square kilometres (0.392 sq mi) and a density of 1,310 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,400/sq mi).[25]

In 2011 98.9% of the residents of the parish were white and 96.8% born in the United Kingdom. Their average age was 50.9 years and their median age 56, compared to figures for City of Lancaster district of 39.21 and 38 years.[1][26]

Culture and community[edit]

The parish church of St John

The Gaskell Memorial Hall in the centre of the village hosts a wide range of activities and events. The Silverdale Village Players[27] perform an annual Pantomime and another production each year, and the Silverdale Handbell Ringers (founded 1906, and formally the Silverdale Church Handbell Ringers) entertain at Christmas. The village has a Women's Institute, affiliated to the "Cumbria-Westmorland" Federation of Women's Institutes although Silverdale was not in Westmorland.[28][29]

The Silverdale Village Institute is a registered charity and provides a building and playing field for public use.[30] In 2013 its committee rejected a proposal for a skatepark on the field.[31] The well-attended 2014 AGM saw a silent demonstration by the village's children in support of a skate park, and a major change in committee membership.[32]

The annual Silverdale and Arnside Art and Craft Trail, when local and visiting artists display their works in many venues in the two villages, takes place each summer.[33]

In February 2012 The Royal Hotel, a public house in a prominent location in the centre of Silverdale, became the subject of a dispute when its new owner announced his intention to use the pub and its gardens as the basis for a residential development. Local opposition led to the original submission being withdrawn. Revised plans were subsequently approved by Lancaster City Council's planning committee[34] and in April 2016 a refurbished Royal Hotel opened its doors to trade once again.[35]

The Royal Hotel pictured in January 2014

Education[edit]

Silverdale Primary School (full name "Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School")[36] is housed in a Victorian building with more recent extensions, and has around 80 pupils.[37] It was graded "Good" in its 2006 Ofsted report and an "Interim Assessment Statement" in 2010 stated that "the school's performance has been maintained", but in its 2012 inspection it was graded as "Satisfactory". In 2013 it again achieved a "Good" rating.[38] There is no secondary school in the village.

Bleasdale School, formerly Bleasdale House School, is a day special school for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties, with 20 pupils aged 2–19.[39] It was graded "Outstanding" in its 2012 Ofsted school inspection report[40] and "Good" in its 2013 Ofsted social care inspection report.[41]

The village has a branch library open 20 hours/week.[42] Its premises were an outbuilding of Bleasdale School, and were an electrician's shop before becoming a library in the 1960s. The library benefitted from a major refurbishment in December 2011,[43][44] was closed on 29 September 2016 despite protests from the village community,[45][46] and reopened on 1 November 2017.[47]

Religious buildings[edit]

St John's Church is the Anglican parish church[48] and a Grade II* listed building, built in 1885-86.[21] The Methodist church was also built in the 19th century. Silverdale is within the Anglican Diocese of Blackburn, the Catholic Diocese of Lancaster and the North Lancashire Methodist Circuit.[49]

Sport[edit]

The village has a bowls club and cricket team. Silverdale golf club, located near the railway station to the east of the village centre, was founded on 10 November 1906 and play started on 6 April 1907. Its original nine-hole course was extended to twelve holes in 1992 and to eighteen holes in 2002.[50]

Silverdale Hoard[edit]

Main article: Silverdale Hoard
Items from the Silverdale Hoard

In September 2011, a metal detectorist unearthed the Silverdale Hoard, an early-10th-century Viking hoard comprising 201 silver coins, jewellery, ingots and hacksilver that had been buried in a lead container in the vicinity of Silverdale.[51] The hoard was bought by Lancashire Museums Service, and was displayed in Lancaster City Museum during 2013 and the Museum of Lancashire, Preston, during 2014.[52]

The Matchless shipwreck[edit]

Main article: Matchless (pleasure yacht)

On 3 September 1894, the Morecambe pleasure boat Matchless capsized off Jenny Brown's Point on a trip from Morecambe to Grange-over-Sands. 25 holidaymakers from the industrial towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire drowned, the largest loss of lives in a single incident in Morecambe Bay.[53]

Leeds Children's Charity [edit]

The Leeds Children's Charity (LCC) from 1904 to 2016 provided holidays for needy children from Leeds at its Silverdale Holiday Centre, which was to the north of the village centre overlooking Morecambe Bay.[54] (The centre was actually across the county boundary so in Far Arnside, Cumbria, though very strongly associated with Silverdale). The charity was previously named the Leeds Children's Holiday Camp Association (LCHCA), and earlier the Leeds Poor Children's Holiday Camp Association. In its last years about 275 children each year were brought for a free five-day holiday, sometimes having never left Leeds before and seeing cows in fields for the first time. During their stay, they participated in a range of outdoor and indoor activities. The Association is a registered charity, and each year's Lady Mayoress of Leeds serves as its President. Its patrons include Matthew Lewis, the Leeds-born actor best known as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films.[55] It is supported by donations from individuals and organisations in Leeds and Silverdale and elsewhere.

Frances McNeil has written a history of the Holiday Camp, Now I am a Swimmer: Silverdale Holiday Camp, the first 100 years (2004).[56]

In late 2015 it was announced that 2016 would be the final season of children's holidays at the Silverdale centre. The site was sold to the owner of the adjacent Holgates caravan site.[57] The Leeds Children's Charity offered children holidays instead at Lineham Farm, near Leeds, and by 2021 the charity had merged with the Lineham Farm Trust to form a new charity, Leeds Children's Charity at Lineham Farm.[58][59][60]

Notable residents[edit]

The shore, looking north

Silverdale in popular culture[edit]

  • The 2006 novel Sixpence in her Shoe by Frances McNeil is set partly in Silverdale in the 1920s, with particular reference to the Leeds Children's Holiday Camp.[68]
  • In October 2013, the BBC Two television natural history series Autumnwatch was broadcast over four nights from Leighton Moss RSPB reserve at Silverdale.[69]
  • A model of the village, including the "Pepperpot" (Queen Victoria Jubilee monument) and the village centre, features in Aquilo's 2021 video "Out in LA"; the Gaskell Memorial Hall is lifted away and replaced by the "101 Diner".[70]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Silverdale Parish (1170215054)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Leighton Moss". RSPB. Archived from the original on 6 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  3. ^ "Arnside and Silverdale". National Trust. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  4. ^ Arnside and Silverdale AONB Countryside Management Service. "Trowbarrow: the history, geology, wild life and rock climbs of Trowbarrow" (PDF). p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Parliamentary elections". Lancaster City Council. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Morecambe and Lunesdale Constituency - Thursday, 8th June 2017". Election results for Morecambe and Lunesdale. Lancaster City Council. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Election results for Morecambe and Lunesdale, 12 December 2019". Lancaster City Council. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Notice of uncontested election: Election of Parish Councillors for Silverdale Parish Council on Thursday 4 May 2023" (PDF). Lancaster City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Ward population 2011". Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  10. ^ "2023 Local Election Results". Lancaster City Council. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Lancaster Rural North - Divisional result". Election Results. Lancashire County Council. 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Lancaster RD: Relationships and changes". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Eaves Wood SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Gait Barrows SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Hawes Water SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  16. ^ "Jack Scout SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  17. ^ "Leighton Moss SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Silverdale Golf Course SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Trowbarrow Quarry SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  20. ^ "Morecambe Bay SSSI citation" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  21. ^ a b Historic England. "Church of St John (1362446)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  22. ^ Historic England. "Slackwood Farmhouse (1362468)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  23. ^ "Search the list". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 30 June 2021. To see list for the parish, select "Advanced Search", type "Silverdale" in "Parish (Civil/Non-Civil)" box, and select the Lancashire option.
  24. ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Silverdale Parish (30UH027)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  25. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Silverdale built-up area (E34003836)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 June 2021. Includes map identifying the built-up area
  26. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Lancaster Local Authority (E07000121)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Silverdale Village Players". Silverdale Village Players website. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  28. ^ "Silverdale WI". Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Silverdale". National Federation of Women's Institutes. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  30. ^ "Silverdale Village Institute". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  31. ^ "Skatepark plan runs into village opposition". Lancaster Guardian. 27 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  32. ^ Murphy, Tom (23 April 2014). "Silent protest over skatepark at Silverdale". The Westmorland Gazette. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  33. ^ "Silverdale and Arnside Art and Craft Trail". Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  34. ^ "Planners vote through 'homes at hotel' scheme in Silverdale". Lancaster Guardian. 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  35. ^ Kitchen, Rachel (2 March 2016). "Future looks bright for Silverdale pub after £300,000 investment". Westmorland Gazette. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  36. ^ "Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School". Department for Education website. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  37. ^ "Silverdale C of E Primary School". Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  38. ^ "Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School". Ofsted website. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  39. ^ "Bleasdale School website". Archived from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  40. ^ "Bleasdale School: 119861". Ofsted. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  41. ^ "Bleasdale School: SC058077". Ofsted. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  42. ^ "Silverdale library". Lancashire County Council. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  43. ^ "History of Silverdale". Lancashire County Council :County Library and Information Service. Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  44. ^ "Silverdale Library". Lancashire County Council. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016. Archived page showing previous library service
  45. ^ Kitchen, Rachel (29 September 2016). "Silverdale library finally shelved this week as eleventh-hour hopes dashed". Westmorland Gazette. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  46. ^ "Silverdale Library". Lancashire County Council. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  47. ^ Garnett, Rachel (2 November 2017). "Silverdale celebrates happy ending for library". Westmorland Gazette. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  48. ^ "Silverdale, St John". A church near you. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  49. ^ "Silverdale". North Lancashire Methodist Circuit. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  50. ^ "The Club: History". Silverdale Golf Club. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  51. ^ "Silverdale Viking hoard examined by British Museum". BBC News. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  52. ^ "The Silverdale Viking Silver Hoard". Lancashire Museums. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  53. ^ Williams, Simon (2013). The Matchless tragedy: the Morecambe boating disaster of 1894. Mourholme Local History Society. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-9534298-5-1.
  54. ^ "History". Leeds Children's Charity. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  55. ^ "Patrons". Leeds Children's Charity. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  56. ^ McNeil, Frances (2004). Now I am a swimmer: Silverdale Holiday Camp, the first 100 years. Pavan Press. ISBN 0-9525547-2-0.
  57. ^ "Leeds Children's Charity to run one last season at its centre near Silverdale". Leeds Children's Charity. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  58. ^ "Welcome to Lineham Farm". Lineham Farm Trust. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  59. ^ "Our History". Leeds Children’s Charity. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  60. ^ "Leeds Children's Charity at Lineham Farm, registered charity no. 1177062". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  61. ^ Brinnand, Emily (29 April 2013). "Aquilo – New Band Up North #24". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  62. ^ "Aquilo". Glastonbury. BBC. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  63. ^ Carey, Leo (20 September 2004). "The Genuine Article: the strange case of Kyril Bonfiglioli". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  64. ^ "4 bedroom detached house for sale [Yewbarrow]". Rightmove. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  65. ^ Wilson, John (2005). "(Introduction to "What birds know about music" talk by Cowie)". Lancaster and District Birdwatching Society. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  66. ^ "Willie Riley". Willie Riley website. David M. Copeland. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  67. ^ Victoria Wood to open Potter Places Treasure Trail Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, The Westmorland Gazette, 19 July 2011, Accessed 5 October 2014.
  68. ^ McNeil, Frances (2006). Sixpence in her shoe. London: Orion. ISBN 0-7528-6852-7.
  69. ^ "Episode guide 2013". Autumnwatch. BBC Two. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  70. ^ "Aquilo - Out in LA (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Silverdale, Lancashire.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silverdale,_Lancashire&oldid=1220213712"