Elmslie School, 194 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, Lancashire. Archaeological Building Investigation.

An archaeological building investigation was carried out of the former Elmslie School, 194 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool (SD 32184 35278) by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North), prior to redevelopment for residential use by Carrington Design. The building is Grade II listed and comprises a large and ornate house dated to 1895.
It became a private school in 1922, and remained as such until the 1990s. Because of the listed status of the building a RCHME Level III-type investigation was
recommended by the Lancaster County Archaeological Service (LCAS). This was undertaken by OA North in April 2004, and was accompanied by a low-level deskbased assessment intended to provide background information about the building, which would help elucidate its origins, uses and changes over time. The original house, known as ‘The Elms’, was built at a time of great expansion within Blackpool fuelled by its growth as a holiday resort. The site is on the edge of what was originally a small village called Great Marton, which had become one of the suburbs of Blackpool by the end of the nineteenth century. It was built for William Powell, who is thought to have been a biscuit manufacturer, and his wife Sarah. Little is known about them, but it is clear that they did not live there for long because by 1910 the house was owned by a market gardener. In 1922 it became a private girls’ school and was renamed ‘Elmslie’. At first there were few pupils and the house remained much as it always had, but over time the site expanded, new buildings were constructed and the former house itself was modified to accommodate the needs of the school.