#Southport – Northwest Nature and History

Mermaid’s Purses

If you walk along almost any beach from the Mersey to the Solway after winter storms you may find the curious leathery pouches known as “mermaid’s purses” washed up on the tideline.

A Condensed History of the Lancashire Village of Tarleton, Spanning from its Viking Origins to the Modern Day At the heart of West Lancashire’s fertile mosslands, roughly 19 miles northeast of Liverpool and 9 miles southwest of Preston, sits Tarleton, a quiet and pretty village that owes its existence to the fertility of the surroundingContinue reading “Tarleton Then and Now”

Compass Jellyfish

The scientific name of the Compass jellyfish is Chrysaora hysoscella, Chrysaor being the son of the Sea God Poseidon and Snake-headed Gorgon Medusa. This is very apt as being a true member of the jellyfish family they follow the typical ‘medusae’ body-plan when in their adult stage, with a round bell-shaped body below which longContinue reading “Compass Jellyfish”

Halton’s Mechanical Elephants, or The Polish-built Petrol-powered Pachyderms

Halton’s heritage Just up the river Lune, a couple of miles from the city of Lancaster, sits the historic village of Halton, once a bustling hub of industrial activity powered by the waters of the Lune. In the area’s hay-days, which lasted from the 17th to 19th centuries, the water-wheel powered mills, the oldest ofContinue reading “Halton’s Mechanical Elephants, or The Polish-built Petrol-powered Pachyderms”