The Mount is a pavilion in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. Built between 1902 and 1904, to a design by Decimus Burton, the structure has been Grade II listed by English Heritage since 1989.[1]

The Mount
The building viewed from the west in 2010
The Mount, Fleetwood is located in Fleetwood
The Mount, Fleetwood
Location within Fleetwood
The Mount, Fleetwood is located in Lancashire
The Mount, Fleetwood
The Mount, Fleetwood (Lancashire)
The Mount, Fleetwood is located in England
The Mount, Fleetwood
The Mount, Fleetwood (England)
General information
LocationFleetwood, Lancashire, England
Coordinates53°55′33″N 3°00′58″W / 53.9258°N 3.0161°W / 53.9258; -3.0161
Opening1904 (120 years ago) (1904)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Decimus Burton
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated30 June 1989
Reference no.1072400

The building, which stands atop a large sand dune[2] originally known as Tup's Hill overlooking the Irish Sea, replaced a pagoda designed by Burton, around which he planned the layout of Fleetwood.[3] The pavilion is constructed of roughcast brick with tile roofs. It has an octagonal dome with a copper roof.[1] Part of a 7-acre (2.8 ha) site, it is located between The Esplanade to the north and Mount Road to the south.

The original construction played an important part in allowing 19th-century Fleetwood to operate as a 24-hour port. Its flagstaff was used to send flag signals out to sea, while the building was used as a coastguard lookout. In 1886, the Met Office installed an anemometer on the building to record wind speed and rainfall. Information was dispatched daily to Greenwich via telegraph.[3]

In 1919, a World War I memorial in the form of a clock was installed at the Mount. It contains two bells.[3]

When Fleetwood was hit by a flood in October 1927, putting 90% of the town under water, only the higher areas around the Mount escaped.

The wall on the inland side of the Mount is built from pebbles, in traditional Fylde style.[4] The Mount and the entire length of Fleetwood Promenade has an uninterrupted view across Morecambe Bay, a view described by author Bill Bryson in chapter 23 of his book Notes From a Small Island as "easily one of the most beautiful in the world, with unforgettable views across to the green and blue Lakeland hills: Scafell, Coniston Old Man, the Langdale Pikes." Directly across the Esplanade from the Mount lies the Marine Hall and Marine Gardens, Wyre Borough's largest entertainment venue, opened in 1935.[5]

The upper floors of the building were converted into apartments in 1990.[6]

Panoramic northerly view of The Esplanade and the Irish Sea from the Mount. The Mount Hotel is on the left (2023)

An adjacent building to the west is named the Mount Hotel. It is also a Grade II listed building.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "THE MOUNT PAVILION, Fleetwood - 1072400 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  2. ^ "The Mount, Fleetwood". Purcell. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Hudson, Steffi. "The Mount". Wyre Council. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Visiting Fleetwood". Fleetwoodi. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
  5. ^ "Marine Hall the Waterfront Venue". Retrieved 18 September 2007.
  6. ^ "Mount Hotel Fleetwood". Red Rose Collections from Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Concerns raised about the future of Fleetwood's Mount Hotel pub building six months after blaze"Blackpool Gazette, 6 December 2023
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