St Annes-on-the-Sea serves the town of St Annes – part of the conurbation of Lytham St Annes. The station opened in 1876, one year after the resort of St Annes had started to be built. It lost its Up Side platform in 1986 (although this is still visible), when the line was reduced to single track and most of the station was razed to the ground. A tiny building was erected to house a ticket office and is staffed on a part-time basis.

 

St. Annes is not an old town, it was a 19th century planned town and was officially founded on 31st march 1875 when the cornerstone of the St. Anne’s Hotel was laid. The town as developed to a plan by a local businessman Elijah Hargreaves who saw the benefit of attracting visitors from the mill towns to the east. St. Annes still retains its Victorian and Edwardian charm and is popular wit htose who prefer a quieter seaside resort rather than big brash Blackpool just up the coast! The town also hosts a number of kite flying events and these take place near the pier on the large expanse of beach that is revealed at low tide.