The small village of Knott End is across the estuary of the River Wyre, opposite Fleetwood. It’s on the southern side of Morecambe Bay – but still in the administrative borough of Wyre.
Click here and on the map to explore –
Knott End – Over Wyre
This the largest village in the area known as Over Wyre.
You won’t find ‘Over Wyre’ on a map. It’s the collection of rural villages which are over the other side of the River Wyre, which includes Hambleton and Pilling. Knott End is in the Civil Parish of Preesall, the nearby village, and is served by Preesall Town Council.
An Aerial View
Many thanks to our friend Quadographer13 for an excellent piece of aerial footage of this lovely spot –
The video starts at Cockersands Abbey which was founded before 1184. All that’s left now is the Chapter House which was added in 1230 and used as a mausoleum by the Dalton family until 1861. Just a few stones from the Abbey remain.
The quadcopter turns to show Plover Scar lighthouse in the distance, sometimes known as Abbey Lighthouse. Built in 1847 it marks the Lune Estuary, you can its in a beautiful landscape.
The clip travels south to Cockerham, Pilling and Preesall sands, and then on to Knott End.
Explore the area
The above video flies over the golf course, the coastguard station and ferry slipway.
The film continues to the golden sands of the beach and the seafront salt marshes, with the village behind.
You might recognise the soundtrack. It’s Ghostriders in the Sky, played by Andy J, the blind guitarist from Fleetwood who is a star at events like Tram Sunday.
Knott End in Photos
This coastal village has a beautiful seafront promenade and golden sandy beaches. The natural salt marsh/seafront grassland habitat. It’s a perfect spot for walking and watching wildlife.
The Coastguard Station overlooks the ferry slipway, and next to it is the seafront cafe.
Fleetwood to Knott End Ferry
The Ferry operates from its berth at the side of Fleetwood RNLI station across the River Wyre to the slipway at Knott End.
Find out more about Fleetwood Ferry here.
With a five minute boat ride across the River Wyre, the ferry connects the villages of Over Wyre to Fleetwood.
To travel to Knott End by car from the Fylde Coast you first leave the ever-busy A585 to cross Shard Bridge. Then follow winding country roads in a journey which takes about an hour from the point of the Ferry at Fleetwood.
Knott End Village
In the Village you’ll find a wide range of local shops. They include food retailers, homewares, chemists, fish and chips (of course!) and more besides.
The Library (below) is an important community building, spared the axe in the funding review of September 2016.
Statue of LS Lowry
The famous Lancashire artist LS Lowry, who painted ‘matchstick men and dogs’, often visited Knott End in the 1940s and 50s. The seaside town features in a number of his paintings.
His favourite spot seems to have been the top of the Ferry Slipway. He painted several depictions of people scurrying along here, in his recognisable style.
It’s fitting then that this is the position chosen in 2015 for the statue of LS Lowry.
The Name ‘Knott End’
There are three good theories as to how the place got its name.
1. The ‘Knot’ is a seabird which can be seen flying in large flocks on local sands of the Fylde Coast. They swoop and dive in a similar way to a murmuration of starlings. They appear to float like a cloud above the edge of the beach.
2. The area has Norse roots, with occupation of this general area known to date back to the early Bronze Age. One theory is that when these early Norse seafarers entered the dangerous Wyre Estuary they used knotted ropes to aid their navigation, with the knots marking the distance. Knott End was at the end of the rope.
3. The third theory believes that there were two large mounds of stones or ‘knotts’ that lay out in the bed of the river, until they were displaced in the building of the entrance to the Wyre Dock.
Links to External Websites
Over Wyre and Knott End, History and Topography
Knott End Coastguard Rescue Team Facebook page
Knott End and Preesall – a little bit of history Facebook page
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I think Juliette is a little wrong about the St Bernard’s-on-sea bit. I believe the attempted change of name was made by one or two of the builders who were building the houses on the prom. They thought the posher name would help with sales. By the way, officially there is no such place as Knott End which is truly the name given to the riverside tip of Preesall with Hackensall.
Knott End – was going to be called St Bernards on sea … they decided not. In the delightful little book ‘The Lancashire Coastal Way And The Wyre Way’, by Ian & Krysia Brodie, we are enlightened about the possible meaning of Knott End: “The large sandbank off Knott End is called Bernard’s Wharf – reputedly after St Bernard. Many small birds, including knot and dunlin, feed here in the nutrient-rich mud. One story says Knott End derives from these birds, another that the Norse marked the channel of the Wyre with a chain of knots or cairns, the final one being the Knott End!” There is a church named for St Bernard on Hackensall Road.
That’s really interesting, thanks Juliette 🙂