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Rossall
Rossall maps
Historic maps of Rossall and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Rossall maps
Rossall area books
Displaying 1 of 17 books about Rossall and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Rossall
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Rossall.
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Ockwells....
My grandparents had a van on Ockwells, from 1967 or 68, right on the perimeter road next to ICI. The hum and hiss of the plant sent us to sleeo many times. One Sunday morning,however, we were rudely awakened by a booming noise like an explosion. This is what it was. The 'van' opposite us had gone up! An old gent had gone to the toilets, having put the kettle on the stove, and he went out, the wind blew thru the door and put out the flame on the cooker. Some time later he returned, only to find the kettle stone cold. No problem, light the gas..... which had built up, and bang!
Memories Of Ockwells Caravan Site, Rossall
I spent many many happy years at our family caravan on Ockwells Caravan Site in Rossall, we had the caravan there for quite a few years. I have many many pleasant memories of our annual holiday (last week in July, first week in August). We had an old Willerby caravan that was purchased in the year of my birth (1955). I have spent a lot of time playing in the paddling pool on the caravan site and eating chips from newspaper cones from the chippy on the site, they were simple times but very happy ones. The love of caravans has remained with me and I am still fascinated by vintage British caravans, pictures, photos and any history connected to them.
I was born in Clayton, Manchester in 1955 and moved to Chadderton in 1970, we emigrated as a family to Barrie, Ontario, Canada in 1975 and have been here ever since (I have lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the last 16 years). I was recently back in England... Read more
Lancashire memories
Fleetwood Ferry
My great-grandfather, Thomas Newton Croft, a member of the family that founded the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry, managed it for the local council from c.1896 to his death in 1915. I am told that my grandmother, Alice, used to do cartwheels to entertain the passengers waiting for the boat to come in. The service was re-privatised a few years ago. Being involved in marine business myself I like to refer to it as "the family shipping line"!
Knott End - The Ferry
My grandma's unmarried brother and sisters lived in Knott End. Me and my many cousins - all post-war boom babies - would spend many days there in summer. The biggest buzz of all was when the 'Wyresdale' was operating. How I loved that boat! With its double deck and hissing steam pipes (doomed to meet with a tragic end ..) it was to all of us just like another comment said -'Better than any cruise liner'. A favourite bit of fun at the Knott End ferry slip was to use mussels as bait to catch any number of mangy green crabs that used to live at the water line by the slip, put them all in a bucket, wait for the queue to build up - there were a lot of passengers in the mid 1950s - and release them all in one and giggle profusely as the girls and women all started screaming as the enraged crustations vented their anger at their feet! Ha ha ha - real Just... Read more
Holidays
My mother was born in Fleetwood and lived in Pharos Street, just below the
lighthouse. I was born in Lancaster but I remember having holidays at
Fleetwood when I was a child just after the end of the war. I particularly remember being fascinated by the marionette shows which took place in the gardens near the Pier.
In 1894 my grandmother worked as a Stewardess on the Duke of York when it first
sailed between Fleetwood and Belfast - possibly she was one of the first women
to work on these newly-built steamers.
My Grandfather
My grandfather, John Wilson, is entered as being Captain of Steam Boat Ferry in the 1901 census of Fleetwood. Although the ferry boat pictured does not appear to be steam, this sight must have been very familiar to him and his family who lived in nearby Pharos Street.
Wartime Fleetwood
My father was a police officer and we lived in Victoria Street, next door to the market. Our house, No 19, is now a cafe and sometimes I have a coffee there when I visit.
Fleetwood was buzzing during the war. Seamen, sailors, soldiers and Americans. Lots of money was about and lots of drinking went on. Plenty of work for policemen. I went to Chaucer Road School. My teacher was Dorothy Bennett. I was her star singer at concerts in the Marine Hall. I went to chapel and Sunday School at Wesley, which has now been demolished. Then it was packed with young people. We came to Fleetwood from Kirkham. I went back there to Grammar School. In 1945 we moved to Poulton le Fylde and lived in the Police Station in the town square. I played rugby for Thornton Cleveleys and cricket for Fylde. I worked at Norbreck before joining the Tank Regiment in 1948 and ever since 1950 I was a teacher in Burnley. Moving to Fleetwood... Read more
