'It has a future as well as a past' Historic building begins new chapter on Lancashire high street
There a new bar on Kirkham’s high street following a sympathetic restoration of an historic building.
“This building is part of Kirkham’s story.”
The 1860 Sports bar, coffee lounge and bistro has officially opened its doors to the public following a s a successful soft opening at the historic Grade II listed landmark on Poulton Street in Kirkham.
The bar is named 1860 in celebration of the year from which the distinctive building dates.
Fylde Council purchased the Former Girls Charity School at 52-64 Poulton Street in March 2022 and has overseen a programme of restoration work, led by Project Architects DC&MG Associates, to preserve the building’s historic character and original architectural features.
The former TSB bank on Poulton Street was originally a girls’ charity school before becoming a community hall .
The building sat vacant for several years before the Council secured its future as part of the Kirkham Futures regeneration programme.
The soft opening of the bar gave local residents an early chance to visit the venue ahead of the official launch, with positive feedback from the first customers through the doors.
The new tenant, 1860, is already creating local jobs and bringing fresh footfall to Kirkham’s high street, say the council.
Leader of Fylde Council, Councillor Karen Buckley, said: “Fylde Council stepped in to rescue this much loved Grade II landmark before it slipped into irreversible decline. Seeing it restored, reopened, and full of life again is exactly what we hoped for. This building is part of Kirkham’s story, and now, thanks to the regeneration programme, it has a future as well as a past. The reaction to 1860’s soft opening proves how important this investment has been for the town.”
The refurbishment forms part of Kirkham Futures, a four-year programme representing the biggest investment in Kirkham in a generation, funded by the Historic England High Street Heritage Action Zone, the Government’s Future High Streets Fund and contributions from Lancashire County Council, Fylde Council and Kirkham Town Council.