Throughout the summer we’ll be taking the pulse of our most famous traditional seaside towns, examining the efforts being made to regenerate them and getting a feel for whether they’re still worth visiting. This week David Atkinson investigates Southport.
Some call it the Paris of the North; others to Birkenhead by sea. The seaside resort of Southport, on the Sefton coastline north of Liverpool, was a stylish retreat for noble pursuits in its Victorian heyday. Lord Street boasted an elegant tree-lined boulevard, shady gardens and glass-domed arcades. III, who was exiled in the United Kingdom. No wonder the Champs-Elysees changed its layout after Napoleon’s visit in 1838.
Mais sacré bleu! The town recently hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after Pontins abruptly closed its Southport holiday park. Telegraph Travel Meanwhile, writer Chris Moss ranked Southport as the 14th worst seaside town in the UK.
Walking in the footsteps of Napoleon III, I find a somewhat sad combination of rich heritage and faded grandeur. Lord Street’s Victorian buildings still make a statement, as seen in Fortunino Matania’s jazz-age promotional posters for Southport (on display at the Atkinson). Queen Victoria’s statue remains magnificent, and the art deco Mermaid Fountain in St George’s Place still swims with gushing frogs. But they all need some love.
The resort first attracted visitors in the late 1700s when sea bathing on the Sefton coast became popular. By the 1840s this was where wealthy Lancastrian industrialists could breathe the salty air. The big draws these days are the Southport Flower Show in August (celebrating its centenary this summer) and the British Musical Fireworks Championships in September.
However, there are green shoots of regeneration, with plans to renovate the art deco former Garrick Theater into a 109-room hotel, spa and theatre. Local independents are opening in backstreets and there are plans for a coastal renaissance. don’t move mon emperor! There is work in progress in Southport.
What is it really like?
Southport feels like a resort waiting for something; preferably not another Poundland which is the first thing you see when you leave the train station. But exploring the back streets has its reward. Personally, I could happily spend an afternoon wandering around Victorian arcades. Built in 1898, the two-storey Wayfarers Arcade is a work of wrought iron and glass; Cambridge Arcade has been restored to its 1850s glory with a glass canopy protecting local businesses such as Mersey micropub Tap and Bottle.
A craft beer bar and bottle shop, the sign outside reads “Good enough for John Cooper Clarke and that guy over there.” Country file (Not John Craven)”. I was also won over by Quicksilver Music near Southport Market, a gold mine for vintage records.
A base at the Waterfront Southport Hotel in Marine Lake (twice the B&B price) offers views of the transforming waterfront, where plans are afoot to transform the closed Southport Theater and Convention Center into the Marine Lakeside Events Center (MLEC). For the 2027 season. The Lakeside Inn, which claims to be England’s smallest pub, may need some paint, but a sunset stroll around the lake can offer a glimpse of Southport’s future.
The wider coastline also has a lot to offer; Anthony Gormley Another place Art installation at Crosby Beach. The 33-kilometre long Sefton beach was built by King George III. It forms part of the St. Charles Coast Path; The dunes and woodland here are a little-known haven for rare species such as toads, sand lizards and red squirrels. Nearby Royal Birkdale Golf Club will host the Open Championship in July 2026.
What’s not to like?
Many people wonder: where is the beach? It’s located across the Sea Bridge, but there are even more impressive big-sky views and surf-washed dunes further down the beach.
On the other side of Marine Lake, the southern end of the promenade, dominated by Pleasureland amusement park and Splash World water park, is a far cry from Victorian days when one of Britain’s leading health resorts was dotted with hydropathic hotels. . In 1860, mayor Samuel Boothroyd called for the town to be promoted as a “resort for forbidden visitors” to promote it. I doubt what you have in mind are the scattered daytime pink swan pedalos on the lake in the King’s Gardens.
Old Victorian baths also need a new owner and some TLC. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Chapel Street isn’t the most auspicious gateway into the city, with its bland chain stores and vape shops. It’s a shame because Southport, five minutes from London Square, is opening itself up to reveal heritage buildings that once carried like cachet.
Do this…
While Atkinson is better known as the city’s cultural hub, with its impressive combination of theatre, gallery and museum, the Southport Bijou Cinema was my personal choice. A charming community cinema located in an easy-to-miss alleyway behind Sainsburys. The former Victorian postmaster’s house is now equipped with a 75-seat cinema showing classic and arthouse films, as well as a cozy cafe-bar with vintage posters of old films. nosferatu And Casablanca, among others. Evening screenings, weekend matinees and live music await you.
Eat this…
Forget the fish and chips tsunami and head to Southport’s revamped market hall (open Wed-Sun) for street food, drinks and live music all day. Locals appreciate Cake Corner for Mexican and Greek street food, as well as waffles and crepes. It is dog friendly and the function room hosts community events.
The Grand on Lord Street captures something of the property’s art deco heyday and brings together Mersey chic with an all-day dining menu of cocktails, afternoon teas and small plates (three for £15) and live jazz. There is a good mix of ages and plans for further expansion.
But don’t do this…
Southport Pier may be the oldest iron pier in the country, but it is now closed. The cost of repairing the Grade II-listed wooden structure has soared amid reports that it is “rotting from the inside”. Charlie Chaplin once walked the boards here, but the entertainment venues at the end of the pier have been temporarily closed. Outside the barriers are the Pier Restaurant, with its unappetizing menu of donuts and candy, and the Marine Lake Café, where Elvis music hums at the lonely tables. Sefton Council hopes to reopen the pier in 2025, but in the meantime at least the Hall of Mirrors next door to Funland is free to visit.
From a local
Lloyd Houghton is a civil servant and returned to the Southport area six years ago after working in Manchester. He said: “Southport has needed an injection for a while. It’s still waiting for a post-Covid bounce back. We want it to be good as we grew up here. When new places open we support them, we want them to be successful but we need to see more investment in the borough.”
From a tourist
Maxine Sara was visiting Southport from Bolton with her partner and their dog. They are regular visitors and were just taking a short break. He said: “It’s a good base for dog walking and we can see some new, independent shops coming in, but it’s not changing for the better. “We took a taxi back to the hotel from Wetherspoons last night as it felt a bit dark and dreary to get back as so many shops were closed. ”
be there
Southport is at the end of the railway line and Merseyrail connections take 45 minutes from Liverpool Moorfields. Drive from the M6 and M58 follow the A570 towards Southport.
