Warton, Fylde

History

In 1835 Warton was a township in the parish of Kirkham. For probate purposes, prior to 1858, Warton was in the Archdeaconry of Richmond, in the Diocese of Chester.

In his 1870 Gazetteer, Wilson reports that the chapelry of Warton also included the Freckleton township, and comprised 6,598 acres, with a population 1,325 and 270 houses. The property is described as being "much subdivided". Cotton spinning and the manufacture of sacking, sailcloth, and cordage were the main occupations.There were two churches, both described as "good". There were also two Methodist chapels.

One of the last sunk post mills in England was situated at the end of Mill Lane. The mill is reflected in the name of the modern nearby street Post Lane, where a new housing development has been proposed.

St Paul's Church

The first church, Holy Trinity on Church Road, was built in 1722 and consecrated in 1725. Originally built as a chapel of ease to Kirkham, it eventually became a parish church with its own vicar.

The present church has a sanctuary chair bearing the initials WS and MS and dated 1611. As it was William Shaw, who died in 1720, and who donated the land for the old church to be built on, it is possible that the initials are those of some of his ancestors.

In his 1870 Gazetteer, Wilson reports that the living was a vicarage in the diocese of Manchester with a value of £350, the patron being Christ Church in Oxford.

The present church, now dedicated to St Paul, was built in 1886. A selection of celebratory events took place for the 125th Anniversary of the church, over the weekend of 25 and 26 June 2011, including an organ recital. The church is linked with a Lutheran church in Timmerlah in the Diocese of Braunschweig in Northern Germany.

During the hours of darkness the church is floodlit. The present vicar is Rev. Mike Hartley.

On 4 August 2014 the church hosted a photographic exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I.

Parish council

Bryning-with-Warton Parish Council is one of fifteen such councils that serves the Borough of Fylde.

Air Training Corps

Warton is home to the 967 (BAE Warton Squadron) Air Training Corps, nicknamed the Warton Wanderers. It is a member of the Cumbria and Lancashire Wing of the ATC.

Education

Bryning-with-Warton St Paul's Church of England Primary School is located on Lytham Road (A584). St Paul's was established in 1821 and is a Voluntary Aided Church of England primary school. Holy Family Catholic Primary School is also located on Lytham Road.

Amenities

Warton Library was situated at 156 Lytham Road The library premises closed in 2010 but has since been re-furbished and is used as staging point for police community support officers. On 8 February 2013 the premises re-opened as a community library offering a book exchange service every Wednesday and Saturday.

The village has two public houses. The Birley Arms is located on Bryning Lane. The Birley family were 19th century flax and cotton mill-owners in nearby Kirkham. In October 2012 the public house formerly named the Pickwick Tavern became the Clifton Arms at Warton. In addition to the two public houses there is a social club, the Chequers, located on Harbour Lane. There is also a Co-op foodstore on Harbour Lane and a Tesco Express on Lytham Road. The village Post Office closed in July 2012 and the premises is now a florist and gift-shop. In June 2015 a Post Office counter was opened in McColls, which is open from 6am to 10pm daily. The village has a number of garages including Townsend and Sons on Lytham Road. The village also attracts many tourists from the populous caravan and holiday parks in the area including Oaklands Caravan Park situated on Lytham Road which is owned by the U.K. Leisure Parks group.

Sport

Warton is home to AFC Fylde old ground who are a football club currently playing in the National League North. Their ground, Kellamergh Park, is located on Bryning Lane.