St.Annes Beach - Too much sand!  

The new shipping channel to Preston resulted in silting up of the old North Channel which passed St.Annes. By the time this photo was taken in 1918 the channel had almost disappeared.

Between 1910 & 1930 the level of sand on St.Annes beach rose by over 20 feet. Since then, it is only on very high tides that the water covers the foreshore.

When this photo was taken in 1910 there was a considerable drop from the pebble ridge on the foreshore onto the beach.

The jetty, St.Annes Pier, about 1910 - three storeys above the sand.

The rise in the sand level is most evident at the jetty of St.Annes Pier. Only one storey of the jetty can now be seen but there were originally three storeys and a deep channel passed in front, suitable for steamboats which took passengers to Lytham, Southport & Blackpool.

The jetty, St.Annes Pier, about 1926 - two storeys above the sand.

The jetty, St.Annes Pier, in 2009 with just one storey visible above the sand.

More information

Brief history of the Port of Preston

Riversway (development of the old port)

Natural England - The Ribble Estuary

Report on the evolution of the Ribble Estuary, with particular reference to the north Sefton coast.

Defend the Dunes Website

1980 article about sand winning at St.Annes

Sefton Coastal Process Monitoring Report 2000-2004

Marine Geology - Long-term morphological change in the Ribble Estuary.

 Books

All these books are difficult to find and expensive to buy; try Lancashire Library Service.

“The History of the Ribble Navigation” by James Barron
Published in 1938, Corporation of Preston


The Last Tide: History of the Port of Preston by Jack M. Dakres (1986)

“When the Boat Comes In” – Lancashire Polytechnic Publication
(Try the Museum at Preston or the Library Service - there are unrelated books with the same title available on the internet)