The History of Morecambe and Heysham Past and Present

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He ends this journey at London Bridge, where two stations are becoming one, and a new concourse is being built. Portillo learns how one man's vision helped bring train travel to the Highlands, discovers how farming has changed since Bradshaw's day and hears the remarkable tale of Scotland's Victorian gold rush.

Morecambe station has a regular rail service from Lancaster, with some trains running direct from Preston and Leeds. Portillo discovers how trains spread the word about Oban whisky, hears about the heroic struggle to build a railway across the desolate Rannoch Moor and visits Corrour, one of the favourite shooting estates of the Victorian political elite. Portillo learns how Victorian blacksmithing was not for the faint-hearted, rides one of Britain's most modern trains and traverses the Victoria Bridge. Portillo visits the oldest working factory in the world at Cromford, explores the country's first public park in Derby and finds out why Burton's beer is said to be the best. On 5 February 2004, there was a major loss of life in Morecambe Bay when at least 21 Chinese immigrant shellfish harvesters were drowned after they became trapped by the incoming tide.On 3 August 1928, the name changed again when the Corporation of Morecambe amalgamated with Heysham Urban District Council to form the Municipal Borough of Morecambe and Heysham. From Walton-on-Thames, he goes camping and finds out about the unlikely origins of a leisure pursuit that is still going strong today. Continuing his journey, he goes to Salford Central to see the construction centre for the aforementioned bridge. The house to the right, known in its later days as Bay Cottage , was demolished in the late 1960s and the site is now a children's play park.

Next he travels to Conisbrough, to see the castle, that was an inspiration to Sir Walter Scott when writing Ivanhoe and then journeys to Doncaster to visit Doncaster School for the Deaf. Morecambe was mentioned in an episode of the prison-set television comedy Porridge first broadcast in 1973: ".

It has been enhanced by Printsalive which is a Lancaster group run by Steve Smith and it is reproduced here with his permission. He ends this journey at Victoria tube station, where he finds out about the massive makeover currently under way. Most services (2X/4/6/6A/40/41/42/100/555/755) operate using Low Floor Easy Access Vehicles suitable for wheelchair users and prams/pushchairs. Travelling south to Kidderminster, he visits the Royal Mail sorting office and finds out about the great postal innovator Sir Rowland Hill. The town is in the Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency; the current Member of parliament is David Morris.