SOAG Hall of Fame

"This Council, in accepting the munificent offer of Lord Ashton, desires to place on record its sincere appreciation of his magnificent gift to the town, which will ever remain as a monument of his benevolence and consideration for the present and future inhabitants of St Annes on the Sea".

St Annes Council's resolution
on hearing of Lord Ashton's gift,
1914

Hall of Fame

“You can take it for granted that the ratepayers of the next generation would very seriously blame the present Council, and the ratepayers of the present generation, if they ever allowed the desecrating hand of the builder to fall upon St. George’s Gardens.”

The Chairman of the Council
Councillor J H Taylor
1914

So Who sold it?

The decision to sell part of the Ashton Gardens,
and thus remove this important building and aspect from them
was made by the following Fylde Borough Councillors
acting as the Executive Committee
29 September 2004.

John Coombes
(Chairman)

Roger Small
(Vice-Chairman)

Tim Ashton

Patricia Fieldhouse

Paul Hayhurst

Alfred Jealous N P

John Longstaff

Elizabeth Oades

Paul Rigby

Fylde's Planning Policy on Leisure Use

The Ashton Institute was a public indoor leisure building.
The first words of the Council's Planning Policy on Indoor Leisure Facilities say:

"The Council will seek to retain all existing indoor public and private sport and recreation facilities.
Proposals for the redevelopment of such facilities will not be permitted."