Page:History of the Fylde of Lancashire (IA historyoffyldeof00portiala).pdf/338

 between the Gynn to the north, and the ruins of the once aristocratic mansion of Fox Hall to the south. The houses with the exception of Bonny's Hotel and a few scattered cottages, had all been erected along the sea bank, the great bulk lying to the south of Forshaw's Hotel, and amounting to about thirty, whilst the space north of that spot as far as Bailey's Hotel was only occupied by one or two dwellings of very humble dimensions. These with the Gynn and a few habitations standing south of it on Fumbler's Hill, made up the number of houses to about forty. A detailed description of the different erections at that epoch is impossible, but we may state generally that those of modern origin, especially the hotels, although unpretending externally, were so arranged and provided that the comforts of the guests were fully insured, and in every way the accommodation they offered was immensely superior to any that could have been obtained thirty years before. The few old buildings that still remained had for the most part undergone considerable alterations, and been rendered more suitable for the purposes to which they were now devoted.

In 1801 the first official census of the inhabitants of the township of Layton-cum-Warbreck, in which Blackpool is situated, was taken, and furnished a total of 473 persons.

At that period many people attracted by the rising reputation of the watering-place were anxious to invest their capital in the purchase of land by its shores, and in the erection of houses adapted for the reception of visitors, but the proprietors of the hotels were the owners of a large portion of the soil, and fearing that the introduction of substantial and commodious apartments would interfere with the patronage of their inns, refused to dispose of any part of their lands, or at least placed such obstacles in the way of the would-be purchasers that bargains were seldom concluded. Had it not been for the energy and foresight displayed by one resident, Mr. H. Banks, who built several cottages and fitted them up with every convenience and requisite for summer dwellings, the prosperity of the village would have received a sudden check and doubtless a serious injury, for the provision made would have fallen far short of the requirements of an ever-increasing throng of visitors, and thus repeated disappointments would in the end have led to disgust and the absence of many when the following seasons rolled round. The probability of such