Poulton-le-Fylde, commonly abbreviated to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,264.
There is evidence of human habitation in the area from 12,000 years ago and several archaeological finds from Roman settlement in England have been found in the area.
At the time of the Norman conquest Poulton was a small agricultural settlement in the hundred of Amounderness.
The church of St Chad was recorded in 1094 when it was endowed to Lancaster Priory.
By the post-Medieval period the town had become an important commercial centre for the region with weekly and triannual markets. Goods were imported and exported through two harbours on the River Wyre.
In 1837, the town was described as the "metropolis of the Fylde", but its commercial importance waned from the mid-19th century with the development of the nearby coastal towns of Fleetwood and Blackpool.
Poulton has the administrative centre of the borough of Wyre and is in the parliamentary constituency of Wyre and Preston North. It is part of the Blackpool Urban Area and approximately 5 miles (8 km) from Blackpool town centre; there are rail links to Blackpool and Preston, and bus routes to the larger towns and villages of the Fylde.
Poulton has a library and two secondary schools; Baines School and Hodgson Academy. There is a farmers' market once a month and since October 2011 there has been a weekly market on Mondays in the centre of the town.
Poulton town centre has been a Conservation Area since 1979 and 15 buildings and structures in the town have been designated as listed buildings by English Heritage for their special architectural, historical or cultural significance. These include two religious buildings, the structures in the market place and several houses.
The market place at the centre of Poulton is the width of two streets and is now closed to motor traffic. Lying south of St Chad's Church and surrounded by shops, the square contains the town's war memorial as well as a market cross, stocks, whipping post and fish slabs, from which fish were sold on market days. Although many of the buildings surrounding the market place were rebuilt following a fire in the 18th century, a few of the earlier buildings remain. To the south of the market place are town houses that were built for local merchants and professionals.
Public houses and inns flourished early on in Poulton due to its status as a market town. One of the most important inns was the Golden Ball, which probably dates from the 18th century. It was also the meeting place of the local court, and at the end of the 19th century the town's cattle market was moved behind the pub from the market place. The Thatched House pub existed in 1793 and may have been built in the Middle Ages. It was rebuilt in 1910 in the Mock Tudor style and has been identified as one of the town's "key landmarks" by the Poulton Market Town Initiative. In the 19th century the Ship Inn was a rowdy pub popular with Fleetwood seamen, travelling labourers and locals. In the 1920s it became a working men's club and from 1928-2001, a Conservative club. It is an Edwardian building constructed in red brick with red sandstone dressings. It has a corner tower and the walls have carvings of ships. Since 2000 it has operated as a café, wine bar and night club called the Cube.
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