A historic building in northwest England dating from 1860 has been given a new use after standing empty for several years. The Grade II listed property on Poulton Street in Kirkham, Lancashire, is recognised in England for special architectural or historic interest. Following restoration it has reopened as the 1860 Sports Bar, Coffee Lounge & Bistro. Fylde Council announced the official opening on 2 September 2026, after a soft opening that allowed local residents to visit before the full launch.

From girls’ school to bank

The venue’s name reflects the year the building was constructed. It originally served as a Girls’ Charity School. Historic England describes a Gothic Revival brick building with sandstone dressings, listed in 1986 as Trustee Savings Bank. It later became a community hall and then a Lloyds/TSB branch. After the bank closed, the landmark stood vacant for several years. It did not move in a single step from school to restaurant: those intermediate uses sit between 1860 and the 2026 reopening.

Fylde Council bought the building in 2022

The building’s future had become uncertain. Fylde Council acquired 52–64 Poulton Street in March 2022 as part of a wider plan to revitalise Kirkham town centre. The council then oversaw restoration intended to preserve the historic character and original architectural features. Project architects DC&MG Associates led the architectural work.

Why it is called “1860”

The restored property now operates as a sports bar, coffee lounge and bistro. Its history can be summarised as girls’ charity school in 1860, later a community hall, later a Lloyds/TSB bank, and in 2026 a hospitality venue. The project is an example of adaptive reuse, in which a historic building is given a modern purpose while retaining its heritage value.

Local jobs and a short council quote

Fylde Council says the new tenant is already creating local jobs and hopes the venue will increase footfall on Kirkham’s high street. Council leader Councillor Karen Buckley said the authority stepped in to rescue the landmark before decline could become irreversible. She said the building “is part of Kirkham’s story, and now, thanks to the regeneration programme, it has a future as well as a past.”

Kirkham Futures

The restoration forms part of Kirkham Futures, a four-year programme to revitalise the town centre, which the local authority describes as the biggest investment in Kirkham in a generation. According to Fylde Council, funding and contributions come from the Historic England High Street Heritage Action Zone, the UK Government’s Future High Streets Fund, Lancashire County Council, Fylde Council and Kirkham Town Council; the announcement does not present those as equal shares. In March 2022 the council said it had bought two historic properties — the former Girls’ Charity School and Hillside — within a regeneration plan then put at about £10 million. In 2022 it spoke of a commercial and community use for the former school; in June 2023 it opened a tender for a bar/restaurant operator. The 2026 opening is the result of that longer process.

A second listed building in the same programme

The former Girls’ Charity School is not the only historic property restored through Kirkham Futures. Hillside, on Preston Street, is a separate Grade II building. It had been a restaurant, nightclub and wedding venue, then stood empty and deteriorating for more than a decade. Fylde Council announced completion of the major restoration works on 28 August 2026 and said it was seeking a tenant. For listed buildings to survive in the long term they usually need to stay occupied, maintained and part of the local economy. In the case of the former Girls’ Charity School, the hospitality use is meant to combine heritage conservation with a sustainable modern function.

Photo: Alexander P Kapp / Geograph Britain and Ireland, CC BY-SA 2.0. The former Lloyds TSB premises on Poulton Street, Kirkham, 23 February 2009, original photograph. This is not a photograph of the 2 September 2026 opening; the building still carried bank signage. The image was cropped to 16:9 and enlarged from a 640-pixel original.

Sources consulted: Historic Kirkham Landmark’s New 1860 Bistro Opens (Fylde Council, 2 September 2026); Historic Kirkham Buildings Set for New Lease of Life (Fylde Council, 24 March 2022); Tenant Tender Opens For Fabulous New Bar/Restaurant in Kirkham’s Former TSB Building (Fylde Council, 16 June 2023); Historic Kirkham Building Transformed as Major Restoration Reaches Completion (Fylde Council, 28 August 2026); Trustee Savings Bank, Kirkham (Historic England, list entry 1362359).