On a bright frosty morning 12 members of the Rambling Group headed up the M6 to Lytham. Destination was Lytham Hall. This is described as the finest Georgian house in Lancashire and was once the home of the Clifton family, spanning over 4 centuries. It is a grade 1 listed building and is of significant interest both locally and nationally. The site and its 80 acres of parkland were once the site of a Benedictine priory dating back to the 12th century.
Having made a quick pit stop at ” the facilities” we spent around an hour wandering through the beautiful parkland admiring the plentiful snowdrops which were spread across the ground and then meandered around some of the fishing lakes and the newly constructed mound. This gave us a great aerial view of the house and the parterre garden which looked quite bare in its winter state. Leaving the grounds we walked through a very well kept housing estate and walked around a mile to the seafront at Lytham. The bright clear day afforded great views across the bay and we were able to make out landmarks in Southport in the far distance. Having had a quick refreshment break on a strategically placed wall we strolled along the seafront to one of Lytham’s best known landmarks, the Windmill and the Old Lifeboat House which contain a seasonal museum with a series of exhibits focussed on the “History of Mills and Milling”, the “Great Lifeboat Disaster” and the “Heritage of Lytham St Annes and the Fylde Area”.The Museum, which annually attracts over 20,000 visitors from all parts of the world, was established in 1989 by Lytham Heritage Group and is run voluntarily by the Group’s members and houses exhibitions and displays spread over 5 floors, including a full size pulling and sailing lifeboat from 1901, explanations of the milling processes and a history of the Grade II listed buildings. The basement apparently shows a tableau of life in Victorian Lytham. Sadly it was closed today so we were limited to the exterior views. Retracing our steps we stopped to admire the White Church at Ansell, which we were reliably informed sell coffee and bacon rolls each Thursday morning! Such a shame we didn’t know that earlier! Crossing back into the Lytham Hall parkland we admired yet another lake surrounded by further swathes of snowdrops and then made our way through the Garden Centre to the cafe for welcome refreshments before starting the journey home. Thanks to Hilary and Joan for undertaking the recce and leading a very lovely scenic ramble. For anyone who hasn’t visited the house and gardens before, we would highly recommend that you put it on your bucket list! We intend to make a return trip if only for the coffee and bacon rolls!