Silverdale, Lancashire

Infobox UK place
official_name= Silverdale
population= 1,545 (2001 Census)
country= England
os_grid_reference= SD465755
london_distance=
latitude= 54.16737
longitude= -2.821853
shire_district= City of Lancaster
shire_county= Lancashire
region= North West England
post_town= CARNFORTH
postcode_area= LA
postcode_district= LA5
dial_code= 01524
map_type= Lancashire
constituency_westminster= Morecambe & Lunesdale Silverdale is a village and civil parish within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. The village stands on Morecambe Bay, near the border with Cumbria, convert|4.5|mi|km|0 northwest of Carnforth and convert|8.5|mi|km|0 north of Lancaster. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,545.

Silverdale forms part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve is close to the village. The Lancashire Coastal Way footpath goes from Silverdale to Freckleton, and the Cumbria Coastal Way goes from Silverdale to Gretna.

It is served by nearby Silverdale railway station on the line from Lancaster to Barrow in Furness.

The Victorian novelist Mrs Gaskell (1810-1865) regularly holidayed in Silverdale and is said to have written some of her works in Lindeth Tower in the village. The English poet Gordon Bottomley (1874-1948) lived in Silverdale in later life.

Geography and administration

Nearby towns and cities: Lancaster, Carnforth, Grange-over-Sands

Nearby villages: Arnside, Warton, Yealand Conyers, Yealand Redmayne, Yealand Storrs

Silverdale is in the non-metropolitan district of the City of Lancaster. On Lancaster City Council the Silverdale ward is represented as of 2008 by one Conservative councillor. It is in the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire. On Lancashire County Council it forms part of Lancaster Rural North electoral division, and is represented as of 2008 by the one Conservative councillor, the same person who serves on the City Council.

Silverdale is in the UK Parliamentary Constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale, represented since 1997 by Geraldine Smith (Labour). It is in the European Parliamentary Constituency of North West England, represented as of 2008 by four Conservative, three Labour, one Liberal Democrat and one UKIP MEPs.

Leeds Children's Holiday Camp Association

The Leeds Children's Holiday Camp Association (LCHCA, formerly the Leeds Poor Children's Holiday Camp Association) has since 1904 provided holidays for needy children from Leeds at its Silverdale Holiday Centre, which is to the north of the village centre overlooking Morecambe Bay. About 275 children each year are brought for a free five day holiday, sometimes having never left Leeds before and seeing cows in fields for the first time. During their stay they participate in a range of outdoor and indoor activities. The Association is a registered charity, and each year's Lady Mayoress of Leeds serves as its President. In 2008 Matthew Lewis, the Leeds-born actor best known as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, became its patron. [cite web | url=http://www.leedstosilverdale.com/index.html | title=Leeds Children's Holiday Camp Association] It is supported by donations from individuals and organisations in Leeds and Silverdale and elsewhere.

The history of the Holiday Camp has been described in the book "Now I am a swimmer". [ cite book|title=Now I am a swimmer: Silverdale Holiday Camp, the first 100 years | last=McNeil | first=Frances | publisher=Pavan Press | year=2004 | isbn=0952554720]

ilverdale in popular culture

* ::This novel is set partly in Silverdale in the 1920s, with particular reference to the Leeds Children's Holiday Camp.

References

External links

* [http://www.silverdale-lancs.gov.uk Silverdale Parish Council]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/Silverdale/ Silverdale] , GENUKI article with historical and genealogical resources.
* [http://www.leedstosilverdale.com/ Leeds Children's Holiday Camp Association]
* [http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/showcharity.asp?chyno=224649 Charity Commission record for LCHCA]

Gallery