Southport Beach
1 sound
Enjoyed by families for many generations, Southport Beach has what some call a ‘shy tide’. For most of the day it is made up of sand dunes with sea water often too far out to see with the naked eye. It is home to many different species of wading birds which you can watch and hear from both the beach and pier. It is voted one of the cleaner beaches in the UK with locals and out-of-towners taking equal responsibility for any upkeep. Visitors can picnic on the sands, look for shells and paddle in the tide pools, and in the summer, there are lifeguards for those brave enough to attempt a swim in the cool Irish Sea.
Mr Chapman talks here about enjoying trips to Southport in his youth and being very lucky in seeing the sea here for the first time. This recording was made in 1981 with field recordings of Southport Beach in the background taken exactly 40 years later in 2021. His time in Southport would have been in the first quarter of the 20th century.
Recording ref - UAP014/109 S1-S2 (BOLTONOH/69) – T. A. Chapman - ©️ Bolton Library and Museum Services
Image ref - NSP*/54 - Bathing at Southport Beach, 1900 - ©️ Sefton Libraries Information Services courtesy of Sefton Looking Back - Image Archive
