Morecambe, England: travel guide to the Lancashire seaside resort, the Art Deco Midland Hotel and Morecambe Bay

Morecambe is a seaside town in Lancashire, in the north-west of England, set on the wide sweep of Morecambe Bay with views across the water to the mountains of the Lake District. A classic British resort with a long promenade and a striking Art Deco landmark, it is enjoying a period of renewal after decades of quieter fortunes.

For travellers searching for Morecambe Lancashire, the Midland Hotel, Morecambe Bay or the Eric Morecambe statue, the town offers nostalgic seaside character, remarkable views and one of the finest pieces of 1930s architecture in Britain.

History

Morecambe grew into a popular resort in the Victorian era, when the railways brought visitors from the Lancashire and Yorkshire mill towns during the traditional Wakes Week holidays. The town flourished again in the 1930s, gaining the Winter Gardens, piers, a lido and a wealth of Art Deco buildings, before package holidays abroad led to a long decline in the later 20th century.

Main sights

The emblem of the town is the Midland Hotel, an elegant curved Streamline Moderne building completed in 1933 for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway to a design by Oliver Hill, with artworks by Eric Gill, Marion Dorn and Eric Ravilious; restored and reopened in 2008, it is once again the pride of the seafront. On the promenade stands the much-loved statue of the comedian Eric Morecambe, who took his stage name from the town and whose memorial was unveiled in 1999. The promenade's TERN Project sculptures celebrate the bay's rich birdlife.

Morecambe Bay and the future

Morecambe Bay is famous for its vast sands, dramatic tides, birdwatching and sunsets over the Lakeland fells. The town is also the planned home of a new Eden Project attraction, intended to build on the success of the original Eden Project in Cornwall and draw visitors with immersive exhibits focused on ecology and education.