Since 1286 when the town was first granted a Royal Charter to hold a weekly outdoor market, Ormskirk has long been attracting shoppers and traders.
With a history stretching back more than 700 years, heritage is an important part of life in the West Lancashire town. But after years of debates over the growth of its university and the effect that has had - it now faces a new crossroad.
Like so many places across Lancashire, the North West and the UK, the decline in retail means Ormskirk is having to adapt. A boom in micropubs and cocktail bars has followed, with former shop units converted to modern drinking holes as traditional pubs struggle.
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Those changes have been welcomed by many but others are left bemoaning a loss of shops which means they have to travel to find what they need. A lack of clothes shops is a common gripe, with the loss of Dorothy Perkins a particularly sore subject.
The prolonged roadworks put in place and the much delayed work on the bus station have also been a major source of frustration. And while improvements to the town centre have been welcomed, there have undeniably been problems. One major issue has been new paving where multiple people have tripped over low kerbs and become injured.
As LancsLive spent time in the town last week, the cafes and micropubs proved popular throughout and the Court Leet - the local Wetherspoons - always appeared to have a steady stream of customers. But inside the retail outlets, things did appear to be quieter.
“It’s a bit dead, isn’t it?” one shopper remarked to LancsLive. “I thought there’d be a lot more going on. It’s probably better in Southport.”
Another woman, named Susan, said she normally only visits on market day but had come to town to use the Post Office which is now located inside WH Smiths. “I won’t go anywhere else,” she said. “There’s nowhere else I really like.”
For others, the town centre and its pedestrian only streets are a pleasant place to visit. Kevin, a pensioner who regularly visits Ormskirk, enjoyed a rest on a bench underneath the town’s clock tower. He said: “I come on the bus and like to have lunch. It’s a nice place to sit.
A visit on market day - when stalls are set up along the streets - shows there is still plenty of appetite for retail in the town. One business which was cited by several shoppers as a must visit is Scott’s Butchers which has stood proud on Church Street for more than 100 years.
The family owned business is now run by the third generation of butchers and continues to supply walk-in customers as well as pubs, restaurants, cafes and schools across the region. Scott’s in the last independent butchers standing in a town which once had as many as eight.
According to butcher Anthony Rawsthorne, adaptation has been key to its survival, with the family embracing social media and adding ready meals to its offering. He said: "There's a lot of loyalty from our customers - so many butchers have closed down. When I was growing up in Ormskirk there were eight or nine independent butchers in the town centre then supermarkets came in and we are the only ones left.
"Everybody is highly qualified here and we have adapted to social media and also the changing demands of our customers over the years. We really care and we listen to our customers' needs
"We did deliveries during Covid, with two vans on the go at all times. A lot of families are busy so it is easy to come in and grab the ready meals. They are great for elderly too, who want something quick and easy but that also tastes good.”
Another well appreciated spot is Mystic Mews, the narrow and covered alley ways filled with small, independent businesses. Among those operating there, married couple Samantha and Gary Stevens recently opened a bridal shop having been convinced by the location.
Gary said: "That shop, when it was a fairy shop, we used to take our daughters there when they were little and it's a lovely shop. We saw it was for sale and Ormskirk is a lovely town. It's vibrant. I know there's a lot of shops closing but there's also some opening. That section along there is quite vibrant."
No example shows the change from traditional to modern better than Ormskirk Market. The indoor market has been transformed from a dark, struggling place with few stall holders into a stylish and bustling spot with a bar and street food style outlets.
The change has been overseen by husband and wife team Simon and Fiona Beer who believe that town has a bright future. Speaking ahead of its opening last year, Fiona said: “To some, Ormskirk may just be another historic town in the North, but we chose this area for a reason. Not only has it been our home for the past 25 years, but we’re proud to be creating something that really will elevate the area and what it has to offer.
“We’re confident that Ormskirk Food & Drink Market will attract not only people from the local community but also further afield and become a destination in its own right. We’re confident it will create a name for itself as a culinary hub, offering the best entertainment and a space that has never existed in the region before.”
The need to switch to greater emphasis on hospitality was made clear by Susannah Porter who operates Remedy café bars in Southport and Bretherton. When she planned to open in Ormskirk, a town which her family has long links to, she remarked: "This high street will die without leisure facilities. The boutiques, gift shops and the independent jewellers [on Burscough Street] need places like Remedy to bring people out."
Gareth Dowling has lived in the town for around 15 years and served as a borough councillor for much of that time. He has seen a shift as national retailers left the town, occasionally caused by the entire business collapsing, and has listened first hand to fellow residents’ concerns.
He notes that plenty of criticism is aimed at the council over issues it doesn’t actually control - such as setting business rates and rents at privately owned buildings - but understands why people feel frustrated. It’s not possible to force the likes of Primark to come to Ormskirk, he admits, but efforts are being made to make it more attractive to residents, visitors and businesses.
A shift from retail to nightlife and hospitality, at least to some extent, feels inevitable with offerings which can’t be replicated online left as the ones most able to thrive.
But Cllr Dowling says it has to be done in a careful and respectful manner. He said: “We need to bring people in and we need to react to changing markets. We have to recognise the heritage of the town because it has a long history and it’s a market town so we have to marry the two.
“We’re trying to work the parish church, the civic hall, to maintain the key institutions of the town. We don’t want to turn it into a nightlife hotspot but promoting the hospitality element is essential, coffee shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, for residents and visitors.”
Events such as night markets, the Gingerbread Festival and Medieval festival are one part of those efforts to attract people, while the ongoing physical development of the town centre alongside Lancashire County Council are also key. Cllr Dowling observed that West Lancashire's occupancy rates are higher than most in the North West and the council's own figures showed plenty of positivity last year.
At the end of 2022, the council noted that footfall averages were not only above local and national levels, but also pre-covid figures. From July to September 2022, Ormskirk had a 16.4% increase in the number of visitors than the same time period the previous year, it noted, adding that this compared with a regional average 4.2% and a 9.9% national figure.
In a comparison with 2019, the last year before Covid struck, Ormskirk was reported to have a 2.6% rise in visits compared with a national decrease of 14%. Such figures for the 2023 will give a clear indication of how the town's gradual change is being received by residents and visitors.
