The Original Land

The land Blackpool airport is built on has had its fair share of uncertainty since early man arrived some 5000BC.  The fylde area was originally bog and swamp lands where only towns like Poulton, Kirkham and Lytham existed.  The map on the left shows where the runways would have been sited.  In the 12th century division lane was created to separate the Saxon fishing village of Lytham and the Manor of Layton.  In 1530's battles were fought at mad nook, on division lane, over boundary rights which was used by fishermen.  The land was then divided up by the Duchy of lancaster.  A new boundary cross was erected in 1532 and called cross slack which is still shown on maps today.  The land was still prone to flooding and the only dwelling was a house on the Moss at Myggeland (Midgeland farm).  In 1609 the boundry between lytham and layton moved to a ditch down Little Marton Lane, this was renamed Squires Gate Lane.  It was aptly named by the land owner, Squire Clifton, after a gate which was erected to separate lytham from the fast expanding 'blackpool' 

In 1655 Layton hawes began to drain but it wasn't until the 1700's the blowing sands cottage was built with the sea occasionally rising to its front door.

Eventually farms and cottages began to spring up and the land became a moss.