Thornton Cleveleys Past Facebook Group

Photos and memories from your own childhood, and that of your grandparents. You’ll find it all in Thornton Cleveleys Past Facebook Group. It’s the much loved local group started by local history enthusiasts in 2011.

We’ve been talking to Andy Ball, one of the original founders of the group, and finding out more. This is Andy’s story.

How Thornton Cleveleys Past Facebook Group Began

Steve Simey, a friend of mine, approached me in early 2011 to see if we could follow in the footsteps of the popular Fleetwood’s Past group and start a similar one for Cleveleys.  

I’d had a long standing interest in history in general and a particular interest in our local history. This probably stems from my dad, who was a stamp and postcard dealer in the 1970’s and 80’s.

I still get  excited when I uncover a picture we haven’t previously seen. Whether it’s an old social history scene from the Edwardian era or a picture from our youth when we were pubbing and clubbing in the early 80’s.

Maybe it’s a scene from the Cleveleys Hotel which closed in 1983. Or The Illawalla which closed around 1987, ahhh the memories!

I’d previously been heavily involved in a local forum/website called Thornton Through Time. For the previous two years I’d been advertising in my taxi for any images and stories that my passengers had to share, and had come up with some crackers.

Fascinating Photos

I’d unearthed personal gala photos and similar from many of my elderly passengers, parents and grandparents. The sort of pictures that had never appeared in any books.

So when Steve asked about starting what was originally called the ‘Cleveleys Past’ group I was more than happy to help. After a few months it was decided that it might be better to include the much older Thornton, so we changed the name to ‘Thornton Cleveleys Past’.

Numbers began to rise steadily as we added friends from the previous forum. All of whom contributed greatly to the rise and rise of this much loved group.

Members and friends from all over the world

People joined from far and wide. Members, who are now friends, come from Australia, the USA, the Channel Islands, and all over the UK. They’re all ex Thornton Cleveleys people who used to call this great town their home. All have, and still do, contribute on a daily basis.

Over the years we’ve made some pretty amazing photographic discoveries. Including the full ICI picture archive from 1920-70, kindly loaned to us by an ex ICI employee. It includes nearly 700 images, many previously unseen. These include the area around ICI (Burn Naze), works parties, aerial pictures of the developing ICI, works committees, sporting occasions, children’s christmas parties, and day trips.

It’s an amazing feeling to know that we have found these photos. Members who may have never seen pictures of their grandparents can now see them in their younger days. It personally gives me the greatest of pleasure.

Members have contributed some pictures of great rarity, including ones going back as far as the 1880’s of local buildings. Look at Victoria Road (then Ramper Road). This photo dates from 1891 – it was hardly more than a dirt track at the time.

Then there’s the forerunner of Cleveleys Hydro, Eryngo Lodge. Complete with its 18 hole golf course, it was on the land that is now Huntingdon / Alconbury / Buckden / Chatteris, stretching through to what is now Anchorsholme park.

Get togethers

In July 2012 the first Thornton Cleveleys Past get-together was held at the Sandyforth Arms at Thornton. A historic building in its own right, 40 members attended, from as far away as Australia. We had a slideshow on the big screen TV. A great day and evening was had by all, and we also raised a good amount of money for a local charity as well.

The group has also explored the origins of the name ‘Cleveleys’. Formerly Ritherham or Ritherhome as Cleveleys was previously called. It was supposed to have existed only from the 1870’s to 80’s due to the name of the owner of Cleveleys first inn, who ran day trips from Blackpool.

However, thanks to one of our members it has been pointed out that ‘Cleveleys’ goes back a great deal further and was being advertised back in 1783. The advertisement mentioned at the left is from the Manchester Mercury dated 4th April 1783. Ritherham probably dates back a great deal further.

Join the Thornton Cleveleys Past Facebook Group

Membership continues to grow on a daily basis and currently stands at 13,500. If anyone reading this would like to join or has any pictures that they would like to contribute to this ever growing group, you can join at this link

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThorntonCleveleysPast/

Andy adds: if I could just thank the following people, without whom this group would not be what it is today:

STEVE SIMEY (FOUNDER)
EMMA KAY (ADMIN)
JAMES SCOTT (MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR, sadly now deceased)
MICHAEL MALLON (CONTRIBUTOR)
NICK MOORE (CONTRIBUTOR)
BILL MOORCROFT(CONTRIBUTOR)
MELANIE JONES (INSPIRATION)
PHIL BARKER (MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR, sadly now deceased)
BRIAN HUGHES (CONTRIBUTOR)
MICHELLE HARRIS (CONTRIBUTOR)

Plus every member who has added anything to this site, be it by commenting or providing pictures. Thank you!

And thank you for taking the time to read this,

Kind regards, Andy Ball

Find out More

We’ve also covered quite a bit of local history here on the Visit Cleveleys website.

Take a look at the history section, it’s full of interesting things. There’s also an overview of the history of Cleveleys here.