A new history project called The Landladies of Morecambe aims to explore the lives and stories of the women who ran bed and breakfast accommodations in Morecambe, a popular postwar holiday destination for working-class families. Led by historian David Evans and funded by a £10,000 grant from Historic England, the initiative includes 12 filmed interviews with 20 people, including former landladies, their family members, and guests.
The project challenges the popular cultural depiction of northern seaside landladies as harsh "battleaxes" by revealing their kindness and fairness despite strict house rules. Participants recounted how landladies enforced meal times and often restricted access to plug sockets to manage costs.
Evans noted that operating a B&B was hard work, often leading to short business spans for many landladies who also held winter jobs. The interviews highlighted the simplicity of post-WWII holidays, where guests relished the break from city life and the opportunity for someone else to cook for them.
The filmed interviews, mostly conducted by local young people, are available on the Morecambe Heritage website. This project is part of Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant initiative launched in 2022 to explore working-class histories.
Catherine Dewar, Historic England’s north-west regional director, praised the project for capturing personal memories deeply connected to Morecambe, enriching the community’s shared seaside history. This is Evans’ third oral history project in Morecambe, following previous ones on local entertainment and holidaying traditions.