Blackpool Guest Houses

Shoreline seduction

Historian and Labour MP Gordon Marsden describes his love of coastal resorts, recalls a chat with Barack Obama and reveals why he is not comfortable being called a "saint".

Gordon Marsden has always liked to be beside the seaside.

Labour's MP for Blackpool South, who also has a house in Brighton, is a lifelong fan of the bracing walks and brassy days out offered by British coastal resorts.

One of the 57-year-old's fondest childhood memories is of his mother's prowess in the amusement arcade.

"I was born and brought up in Manchester. I got taken to Blackpool on holiday in the 1960s and 1970s," he said.

"Mum used to be really good at using those grabbing machines they have where, if you can operate the claw properly, you win a prize."

Laden with cuddly toys and other spoils of mother's frequent successes, the working-class family's time in Blackpool was a rare chance for leisure.

Trips to the Fylde coast are no longer so relaxing.

Fourteen years ago, Mr Marsden, an Oxford-educated historian, was elected as one of the MPs for Blackpool, which has some of the most deprived wards in England.

He brings something of his previous careers as an Open University lecturer and editor of History Today magazine to describing the resort's predicament.

"Historically seaside towns prospered with an enormous explosion of travel by working-class people, the majority of it in the Victorian era and into the 20th Century.

"In Blackpool a whole street of guesthouses would be taken over by workers from one factory for part of the summer.

"But that's all disappeared, with the rise of more foreign travel and other alternatives.

"[Former US Secretary of State] Dean Acheson once said Britain had lost an empire and still needed to find a role. The British seaside is in a similar position."

During Mr Marsden's 14 years in Parliament, Blackpool and other resorts have gained a reputation among some as run-down frontier towns, dominated by boozy hen and stag dos.

"A minority of people who come to the town behave badly," Mr Marsden said. "The decision we need to make is how you keep Blackpool as vibrant as it has been for 100 years, but also to recognise the needs of families.

"It's about delivering quality. It's how you can continue a tradition of being brash and lively without being tacky. It's possible, as you can see in Las Vegas.

Some Tips on Buying a Blackpool Guest House. | Vouchers and News ...

There are some shrewd property deals to be done in Blackpool at the moment as for many years the town has seen a decline in visitor numbers, subsequently many owners are looking to sell and may well be ready to strike a good deal.

It is vitally important to do some research before you buy. Blackpool has a number of ‘niche’ markets, such as stags and hens, pensioners, families and business visitors. You will need to establish what market sectors you will be aiming at. It is also important to learn as much as you can about the area you are intending to buy into. For example one area of Blackpool has seen a virtual blight due to it being earmarked for a large scale visitor project. A snow dome has been mentioned along with a circus type visitor attraction but as this was all tied into the ‘Super Casino’ bid which failed in 2007 funding for such lavish projects has never materialised. Subsequently the area in question has suffered from years of non-investment and has deteriorated to such a state the local taxi drivers call it Beirut. Did I mention research a must for any potential buyer into this business.

Blackpool has a number of Estate Agents in the Commercial Property market and still tend to ‘value’ properties very much on their location. In the past this has served well as clearly any value placed upon a business which is run from a static location will be worth more if it is placed in a favourable position. For example Bed and Breakfasts on Station Road in South Shore are seen to be worth more than those on say Withnell Road or Dean Street. Both these streets are adjacent to Station Road and similarly they run from Lytham Road down to the Promenade, there is however a subtle difference.

Station Road up until 1916 had a railway station at the Lytham Road junction (hence the name) visitors to Blackpool would alight the many trains that arrived and walk down Station Road in order to reach the Promenade and the sea. Consequently those B&B’s that were sited on this road stood to engage in much more ‘walk up trade’ that the adjacent streets. Clearly on this basis accommodation provider properties for sale in this street were worth more than those in the adjacent streets.

The fact that the Station closed (actually moved a few hundred metres to Waterloo Road) in 1916 and the ‘walk up trade’ no longer exists in this fashion has gone straight over the head of the local agents as they still insist that the street commands a premium. Be aware of this and if any particular street seems more expensive than the one next to it ask the estate agent why.

New statesman

Great Britain

The Rough Guide to Britain

The British seaside, holidays and resorts in the twentieth century

Geography matters Scotland