TAKE A NOSTALGIC TRIP TO FLEETWOOD MUSEUM

Based at Queens Terrace, overlooking Morecambe Bay, the museum gives a fascinating insight into a town which has been popular since Victorian times.
The museum occupies the old Custom House, built in 1838 and designed by the famous architect Decimus Burton.
Its exhibits trace Fleetwood from past to present — the cargo trade, the fishing industry, passenger services and as a holiday destination.

The story begins with Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood and his great vision which resulted in the creation of the town of Fleetwood — one of Lancashire's early "new towns". In the fishing industry's heyday, Fleetwood trawlers fished the North Atlantic Seas from Newfoundland to Russia.

Visitors to the museum can find out more about the fishermen's life and the harsh conditions endured to bring back prize catches. Highly detailed scale models of how the dock and fishing fleet used to look in the 1930s during the heyday of the industry are also on display. Visitors can compare this with the present view from the window and see how the Fleetwood fishermen's world has changed. They may also examine trawler nets, bobbins and other fishing gear.

Those who are more inquisitive can find out what lies beyond the beaches of Britain by "skippering" the museum's fishing boat and taking its trawler bridge to the limits of their imagination.
They can also "cross the boardwalk" over rippled sands to find out where cockles, mussels, shrimps and prawns were harvested in the shallow waters of Morecambe Bay and along the Fylde coast.
Other displays on offer at Fleetwood Museum include:

• Natural history: Look out for the museum's natural history displays about the coast's wildlife. A roof-top camera allows you to view Morecambe Bay, one of the richest wildlife areas in Britain.

• The ICI gallery: Enter the salt mine and interactive gallery, which uses the latest technology to bring to life the history of the local salt industry. See how this mineral is used today in the chemical industry to produce everyday household objects. Test your knowledge with a touch-screen computer quiz.

• Lifeboats: More displays explain the interesting story of the local lifeboats and the courageous exploits of local trawlers and crews during wartime in the Royal Navy Patrol Service.

• Events and activities: There is always something new "on board" at the museum throughout the season, whether it be the popular Maritime Heritage Weekend, children's activities or the varied adult lecture programme.

Meanwhile, the museum shop offers a wide variety of gifts, cards, books and souvenirs, including a selection of nautical goods.