Bolton-le-Sands
OS Grid ref:- SD483678
The large Lancashire coastal village of Bolton-le-Sands is located about one and a half miles from the town of Carnforth and lies on the shores of Morecambe Bay on the Kent estuary.
The village is mentioned as Bodeltone in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was known as Bolton until the advent of the railways, when the name was changed to Bolton-le-Sands to differentiate from similarly named towns on the same line, such as Bolton which was then a part of Lancashire and then known as Bolton-le-Moors.
In former times Bolton-le-Sands was a fishing village, however, the tidal flow created shifting sands in Morecambe Bay and fishing and the other maritime activities that were carried out were no longer viable.
There are superb views over Morecambe Bay, the Furness coastline and Lake District fells (including, on a clear day, the highest point in England, Scafell Pike).
The Lancaster Canal, constructed in the 1790s passes through the villageand provides pleasant traffic-free towpaths for walking .
Holy Trinity Church, the oldest church in Bolton-le-Sands was founded prior to 1094 and originally dedicated to St Michael. The oldest part of the present building is the tower, which is believed to date from around 1500. The nave and chancel date from the nineteenth century. The famous Lancaster architects Sharpe and Paley rebuilt the chancel in 1847. Between the chancel and the aisle is a sandstone memorial to the memory of a man who died in 1642 with the inscription "It is supposed that he lived above 100 yeares". In the churchyard to the south of the church is a square sandstone cross base with two steps of unknown date, the base is surmounted by a later square block and a twentieth century cross. Other churches in the village are the Roman Catholic St Mary of the Angels and the Christ Church United Reformed Church.
The village has a host of amenities, there are three pubs: The Royal Hotel, The Packet Boat, (which name recalls the days when the Lancaster Canal was opened) and the Blue Anchor (pictured right) which overlooks the old village green site at Crosshill . The Bolton le Sands Primary School dates back to 1637 and was originally built as a grammar school, where the Lancashire author William Stout (1669-1752) received his early education
Morecambe Golf Club overlooks the bay and is just over one mile from the village.
Nearby places of interest
Lancaster Castle founded in the tenth century
Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park, Lancaster was commissioned by James Williamson, Baron Ashton as a tribute to his second wife, Jenny and was built between 1907 and 1909.
Butterfly House, Lancaster
Whalley Abbey- founded by Henry de Lacy, third Earl of Lincoln on the 4th April 1296.
Clitheroe Castle-Norman castle keep and museum, said to be one of the oldest buildings in Lancashire, and one of the smallest keeps in England,