Remembering when the mills closed and the beaches filled up

Visitors to Preston during the last fortnight of July in the middle of the 20th century often described it as a ghost town.

- writes Keith Johnson.

A mass exodus of local folk to the seaside resorts of Lancashire and beyond was an annual occurrence. It was commonly known as the 'Wakes Weeks' period when mill, factory and office alike closed down and the workers took a well-earned rest from the daily toil.

In 1905 a significant change took place in Preston when the traditional Wakes Week was formally established. Throughout the local industry it was agreed that an operatives holiday should be observed lasting the entire second week of August. For a number of years the weather in August had not been particularly good, but the sun certainly shone on the holidaymakers of 1905.

That year the booking office at Preston Station had never known anything quite like it, with Blackpool the main destination, either for the day, or the week in a boarding house, followed by Morecambe, Fleetwood and Southport, whilst those with more money to spend headed for the Isle of Man or the Lake District. The days of sandcastle building, seashell collecting and a paddle in the sea on the crowded beaches would all be on offer in the years ahead, as would afternoon tea in a posh cafe with a boiled ham sandwich and a fancy cake.