Thornton, Lancashire

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Thornton (with its neighbouring town of Cleveleys, together known as Thornton-Cleveleys) is a town on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, about four miles north of Blackpool and two miles south of Fleetwood. It is in the borough of Wyre. The two towns are linked by Victoria Road. (grid reference SD339421) Thornton was also formerly the principal intermediate stop on the Fleetwood branch of the LMS/British Rail London Midland Region railway, running from Poulton-le-Fylde, but it has been years since the station was used, and with the recent fencing-over of the level crossing in Station Road/Victoria Road East in order to prevent youths from congregating on the tracks, the glory days of Thornton are long since gone. However, a recent decision by an action group based in Poulton means they will finance a feasablity study into bringing the railway back to Thornton and Fleetwood.^{[citation needed]}

Thornton is mentioned in the Domesday Book where it was referred to as Torrentum but its much younger neighbour, Cleveleys, a bustling seaside resort, developed in the 19th century around a hotel owned by a Mr Cleveleys.

Marsh Mill, a large well-preserved windmill, built in 1794, is a prominent landmark. It was commissioned by Bold Hesketh, uncle of Peter Hesketh (later Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood) who would go on to play a prominent role in the expansion of Fleetwood. Tragedy struck in May 1930, when a Miss Alice Baldwin and a Mrs Mary Jane Bailey visited the windmill with an interest in purchasing it. However, when both women stepped onto the fantail platform, the platform collapsed and the women fell to their deaths.