Between Land and Sea – 10,000 years of Sefton’s Coast

 Over 2000 people flocked to The Atkinson last October for the opening weekend of the new Egyptology Gallery.

Friday 13 February sees the launch of the final part of the museum – and its inspiration is drawn from rather closer to home.

The new permanent exhibition, Between Land and Sea – 10,000 years of Sefton’s Coast, explores the rich and varied history of the Sefton area and its amazing coastline.

Amongst those celebrated for their roles in the story of Sefton are:

The daring female motor-racing pioneers dubbed ‘scorchers’, ‘motorinas’ and ‘motoristes’ who tore up Southport beach in the 1920s

The cartoonist behind Dan Dare, Frank Hampson, who was a pupil at King George V Grammar School (now King George V College) in the 1930s

The formidable Mrs Mirabel Topham, the former Gaiety Girl, who ran Aintree race course in the 1950s and 60s. One of the most famous horses to race at Aintree, Red Rum was trained by Ginger McCain on Southport sands

Frank Hornby, the inventor of Meccano, Dinky toys and Hornby model trains

19-year-old polar explorer and Southport resident FJ ‘Percy’ Hooper, one of the search party who discovered Captain Scott and his team’s bodies at the end of their ill-fated expedition to the South Pole

The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, mother and child who made their way across Formby sands to gather food, leaving their footprints as an echo from the region’s distant past.

Emma Anderson, Director of The Atkinson, said: “The heritage of this coastline combines unspoilt beaches with some of the UK’s largest dockland areas and a rich maritime history.

“The Atkinson’s new museum tells the stories of this extraordinary, changing and contested coastline. The new museum displays reflect the histories of communities and individuals along Sefton’s coast, and have a strong emphasis on the influence and experience of the coast – in terms of fishing and shipping industries, including lifeboats, wrecks and tragedies, as well as the development of leisure and tourism.

“Our project has strategic, regional significance because, over the last 10 years, regeneration projects up and down the coast have stressed the importance of creating and enhancing sense of place – building up the uniqueness and integrity of places through culture and heritage.”

For more information on The Atkinson’s Museum and exhibitions please visit us online attheatkinson.co.uk or call Box Office on 01704 533 333.

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