Find Anchorsholme Park between the seafront and main highway/tramway at the northernmost end of Blackpool seafront.
As you head north towards Blackpool’s boundary with Cleveleys you pass a vintage tram stop (and public toilets) at Little Bispham. From here the coast road (Princes Way) splits from the main highway adjacent to the tramway (Queen’s Promenade). The park is the green area in between.
The address and postcode for the park is Anchorsholme Lane West, Thornton Cleveleys, FY5 1LY. It’s directly opposite Anchorsholme Lane Tram stop, on the line between Blackpool and Cleveleys/Fleetwood.
The New Look Anchorsholme Park
After being closed for several years, the official opening day of the park was Monday 20 July 2020, after completion of United Utilities’ £80 million waste water project. With the safety fencing down, it’s accessible once again to residents and visitors.
Working closely with Blackpool Council parks team, ward councillors and the Friends of the Park, United Utilities’ investment has seen the green space beside the sea at Anchorsholme Park significantly enhanced.
There’s a new café, outdoor seating areas, sports areas, music and a performing arts space for events and activities. The new playground is fully inclusive for all children.
Visit Fylde Coast went along to the opening on Monday 20 July 2020. An amazing park but what a shame that the sun didn’t manage to shine for the event! This video is from the opening event, including information about the new sewage related works and much more –
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We’ve been back again, on a sunny day twelve months later. Things are bedding in and more work has been done on the public amenities. Incredibly, at the time of making this film, a crew were making Andor, a Star Wars spin-off, on the promenade directly opposite!
Amazing Park, amazing facilities
Cllr Paul Galley and Cllr Tony Williams are the local Ward Councillors. They said: “After so much hard work by so many we’re delighted that we can now enjoy the park and its amazing facilities. Including an incredible play area, great cafe and in time (as lock down allows) the use of the sports areas and amphitheatre. Anchorsholme once more has a park that can be used and enjoyed by all the community. It’s a feature we can all be proud of.”
The redevelopment of the park was a key community project. United Utilities’ has upgraded the sewer network in the town so less wastewater escapes into the Irish Sea when it rains heavily. Work includes a huge new underground tank and pumping station under the park. Plus laying a new, longer outfall pipe to carry wastewater further out to sea, away from where people swim.
Steve Wong from United Utilities said: “We are immensely proud of the work we have done, both below and above ground. We’re leaving behind a completely revamped park for everyone to enjoy.”
The official community open day for the park was cancelled because of the pandemic. However, both Blackpool Council and United Utilities are committed to delivering a fantastic community event at some time in the future.
Brew Cafe at Anchorsholme Park
The new Brew café is operated by Blackpool Catering Services. Enjoy a variety of snacks, food, drink and ice-creams in the sit-in cafe or to take-away.
Cafe opening times are:
- Mon-Fri: 09.30-17.30 Mid March – Mid October
- Mon-Fri: 10.00-15.00 Mid October – Mid March
- Weekends: 09.30-18.30 March – October
New Playground at Anchorsholme Park
While the construction works were taking place, Blackpool Council worked with the local community to establish the plans for a new park, including the new café, multi-use games area and improved open space. Blackpool Council and United Utilities funded the playground budget of £240,000.
The new play area aims to be an fully inclusive, accessible place where all children can play, explore and have fun. It’s designed to engage youngsters with special needs and disabilities.
The team is also working towards the park becoming an approved PiPA (Planning Inclusive Play Areas) park. This means inclusivity is designed into all elements of the play area including:
- wheelchair access,
- quiet sensory spaces and equipment
- with special adaptations that make play more accessible to all.
Friends of Anchorsholme Park
There are lots of opportunities for volunteering and get togethers, with the Friends of Anchorsholme Park. If you want to make a difference and have great fun at the same time, get involved!
Re-opening of Anchorsholme Bowling Club
The new Bowling Club in Anchorsholme Park opened in October 2017 with a special event to mark the occasion.
Members of the Club dealt with some challenges during the construction work which was taking place very close to the club at Anchorsholme Park.
There’s so much to offer at the new venue. It’s a great area for outdoor bowls, plus indoor Bowls, whist and dominoes during bad weather. There’s a new kitchen facility, toilets and a large indoor space.
The club has many social events and there’s a great sense of community support and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
It’s suitable for anyone with a disability and the club welcome people to come along and see the new building, and meet new friends.
The site team worked very closely with the club members to create the luxury new home for them. It’s a big improvement on their old club house (below).
How and Why Anchorsholme Park has been Redeveloped
The next photo is an aerial view of Anchorsholme Park in March 2020. Although complete, the park was still closed at the time because of coronavirus restrictions.
We also went to have a snoop and see what we could see in mid March. The answer’s not much! Take a look at our Video Diary of 17.3.20 –
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Works in Anchorsholme Park
Two separate construction projects have been taking place for a few years, using most of the green space at Anchorsholme Park.
- Balfour Beatty has built a new sea wall at Princes Way using the compound nearest to the tram stop as their base.
- United Utilities has carried out £200m of work to improve bathing waters. They’ve been working behind the green fence and on the beach from 2015 to 2020.
In this photo you can see both projects when they were in full swing –
Anchorsholme Park in Days Gone By…
This is how Anchorsholme Park used to look before the diggers moved in… It’s also where the once famous Cleveleys Hydro Hotel was to be found – although that was more where the adjacent ‘pointy-roofed’ houses are nearby.
While you’re here…
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Came across this and very disappointed to see the pitch and putt course has gone. When I heard of the refurbishment I assumed that would remain. ?
Ah! Those halcyon summer days! I used to play in the sewage on the beach; paddle in it, sink in it, wallow in the stuff. Great big lenses of putrid grey slime would be thrown up by the tide and lurk just beneath the surface of the sand. My sister Jayne got stuck in it up to her knees once and I was so scared for my own life I just legged it and left her stuck there as the tide was coming in. In my more daring moments, I would stick my head through the stinky vents in the promenade wall and gaze into the poisonous depths below (in those days it was left to your common sense not to fall to your death through the broken wooden slats and to resist pushing your mates 30 feet or more for a laugh). Next to the sewage pipe I caught shrimps in a 10p kids net and even a cod (rod and reel). I cooked and ate them all. Didn’t do me any harm and I might point out that I haven’t had CoVid yet! Gareth ‘O’ and I tried to burst open a rusty old tube with caps on either end, on top of the old sewage pipe itself. We couldn’t get it open to see what was inside so we just dumped it back in the shallow waves next to the pipe. When my Chopper was stolen from outside Derby Baths a week later, we went to report the facts of the matter, as you do, when you’re eleven and saw a poster in the police station window. There was our capped tube: World War II ordnance. I believe the police are stll looking for it. I can’t imagine the sh*t storm it would have caused had it gone off.
Me and Paul ‘L’ dug out a den on Anchorsholme Park’s adjacent sandy plot when the townhouses were being built, and a young motorcyclist fell through into it and broke his leg (it was his own fault – he shouldn’t have been scrambling there) nonetheless I feel better confessing after 40 odd years.
Hang on a minute? Where’s my concrete whale gone? I tried to stand up in its mouth one summer after a brief growth spurt and knocked myself unconscious. I’d have paid good money to have that whale transported to my present home. And where have the trampolines gone? I guess I’ll never get to repeat my amazing backflip: the one where I friction burned from my bottom lip to the underside of my chin, clapped my backside against the back of my head (no mean feat) and nearly broke my back in the process. And all in 5 minutes for just 5p!
I can’t wait to get down there with my golf clubs again. I can’t drive for toffee but my God what a great difference that place made to my short game. Doesn’t matter if the pitch ’n’ putt course is gone. To be honest it’s probably flatter now than it’s ever been and I won’t have to pay a penny! I can dig my own holes. And there’s a water feature to include now too.
‘Absolutely beautiful’ might be ever so slightly overegging it, but I can’t sign off without tipping a nod to the professionalism of the lady who made the film. “I can’t hear what he’s saying but basically he’s just opening the park”… is nothing short of classic reporting. Channel 4 beckons! Second only to ‘Small earthquake in Japan; not many killed’
The video reminded me how much I miss my childhood, my old mates, Anchorsholme Park and the wind and rain in July.
No really, I do!
Lol, if I could have got a little nearer (because of Covid) and been able to hear (because of the wind) I’d have been able to hear what he was saying! A microphone would have been a big help too!! Your comment made me laugh – thanks!
Omg laughing my head off at your account of the old Anchorsholme park days,I totally have similar experiences good old days indeed .Fantastic memories indeed but put in such a funny way ,thanks for sharing 🙂
Visited this weekend, couldn’t see any bike stands, could definitely do with a few. A good space though. Nice takeaway brew. Also a toilet for 40p (decent facility)
The playground and games pitches are a great facility for kids and young people. It will no doubt prove to be very popular with young families. More seating would be useful for parents to watch their children in the playground. The seating around the amphitheatre is also limited so bring your own chairs if you need to sit down.
I am also very concerned about the ‘pond’ being a drowning hazard for young children. Parents please beware.
There are many retired people living on the area but for older residents there is a pathway, the cafe and a reduced number of private bowling greens. Talking to an older couple they said they missed the lovely flower beds they used to enjoy, the golf course which was very popular with visitors and the fantastic views over the Irish Sea all of which have disappeared in favour of grass mounds and drainage trenches.
They felt that 5 years ago we were promised the earth. They felt we certainly got that in abundance with a beautifully ‘landscaped’ spoil heap.
In summary the kids have some fabulous new facilities which are great for young families but the older folk have lost much and gained little to replace the old park facilities.
We live opposite the park, and have been more than happy with the way that the works have continued over the years. We do have a few concerns which have been aired at meeting etc., the kiddies play area designated outside the cafe was an excellent idea, however, regardless of concerns, it has now become a bit of a theme park, and much larger than first indicated on the plans. A large amount of the Cleveley’s population are enderly and this renovation of the park area would have been an excellent opportunity to do something for this sector of people, and not just for the young, (example quiet seating areas with lovely, flower beds) and more trees and shrubs added for the benefit of the wildlife and environment. Which was suggested several times by me at the many consultation meetings.
Hi Nicola, you can see the extent of the works, which is why most of the existing park was lost. I’m sure that, over the passage of time, planting will be reintroduced again. The priority has to be making the Fylde Coast safe from flooding, and now you’ve got a lovely park which local residents can shape and make their own.
Does the new park have a car park
It doesn’t have a dedicated car park, but there is long-stay pay and display parking at the adjacent Princes Way.
There’s nothing like having to pay to park to put people off visiting … well done … NOT
the new park looks brilliant – quiet space for all to enjoy –
What about a return of the pitch and putt golf course? There is nothing in Blackpool since the old course closed.
It would be nice to have seen a Social club on this site where there could be entertainment at weekends Facilities for private parties and local meeting groups
I think the bowling club and cafe are both intended to be used for this kind of purpose. We’ll have to see when it opens!