SQUIRES GATE AND BEYOND

Ribble had a bus depot in the eastern suburbs of Blackpool and here is the yard sometime around 1975.

At Marton, in Blackpool's outer edges is Marton, with a great pub, The Saddle Inn.

Messrs Catteral & Swarbrick are delivering beer here in the 1920s.

Back towards the sea shore and we find the L&Y and LNWR joint station at Blackpool South.

Blackpool South is now the terminus of what is now a branch line.

The Corporation trams used to pass South station.

The trams also ran along Lytham Road, passing the Royal Oak pub, still open - but no real ale.

Back to the coast once again, to the Pleasure Beach stop of the Blackpool trams.

The Pleasure Beach once had a miniature railway.

The Pleasure Beach complex now houses that railway - and a monorail.

The Blackpool trams now terminate at Starr Gate.

Just inland is Squires Gate. Blackpool 'Palace' car 13 is seen at the Squires Gate terminus of the Lytham Road route circa 1918.

Squires Gate is the home of Blackpool Airport. Here are a couple of pictures from the early 1970s.

Now it's 1982 and here's a more modern aircraft.

This ex London Transport RF type was used internally at the airport.

Fylde Borough Transport's main depot was at Squires Gate.

An ex Hull Leyland Atlantean passes by.

Ribble MS also served Squires Gate.

Further south is the town of St Annes. Here is the Promenade and the gardens.

An old view of the pier.

St Annes railway station is still open, but no staff there these days.

There was once a miniature railway at St Annes.

The Lytham St Annes trams served both towns - and connected with the Blackpool system.

Fylde's blue buses could be seen in St Annes.

Blackpool's buses also served St Annes.

Coastal Coaches run a few tendered services in the area. This is St Annes Square.

Now for some beer. The Trawl Boat is the town's Wetherspoons.

There's also Number Fifteen (aka Fifteens), a free house with good beers.

Lytham will be our next stop, but in the next post. Follow the route here.

CENTRAL BLACKPOOL/BLACKPOOL CENTRAL

 One of these might come in handy today.

The ketch "High Seas" on the high sea off central Blackpool.

A postcard from old Blackpool.

One of the latest trams passes the tower.

Looking south from the tower.

The central promenade was rebuilt in the early 20th century, using steam power on a temporary railway.

The sea front in 2014.

Heritage tram 187 south of the tower.

Blackpool Transport provide many of the bus sevices in town.

Fylde Borough Transport also ran buses here.

Stagecoach took over Ribble services in the town.

A 'Progress' twin-car tram se passes Manchester Square, where the branch to the depot veers off.

Tram 661's trolley head has fallen off as it entered Rigby Road.

There was a coach station beside Rigby Road, served by various NBC subsidiaries, though Ribble was the main operator.

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Others included East Midland and Southdown.

Now for a look at Rigby Road depot. Here's car no. 1.

More heritage trams at the depot. The top one's from Bolton.

Blackpool's buses were also housed in the Rigby Road complex.

The Auctioneer was a Wetherspoon's pub nearby, on Lytham Road. It has since been sold, had a name change and no longer serves real ale.

Another 'Spoons, the Layton Rakes, on Market Street, is still serving pints.

Sadly, the Empress, a Thwaite's house, was closed in 2014.

Churchill's, on Topping Street, has a decent beer selection. It can get busy.

Gillespies is now a sports bar and has only keg beers.

Central station, the exterior circa 1910.

L&YR excursions aplenty at Blackpool Central. All now gone!

The area around what was Central station became dedicated to coach parking. Here are a few examples found there in the early 1980s, from Fords's of Ackworth, Warrington Transport, Midland Red Express and Yeowart's of Whitehaven.

That's it for now. The next post will see us heading into the suburbs and the south.