Pilling

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Pilling is a village and civil parish in the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It sits on the Fylde in the Over Wyre area, about 6.5 miles north-northeast of Poulton-le-Fylde, 9.4 miles south-southwest of Lancaster, and 14.5 miles northwest of Preston. The parish includes Stake Pool, Scronkey and Eagland Hill, and had a population of 2,020 at the 2011 census (the Pilling electoral ward was 2,293 that year).

The name Pilling likely has Celtic roots, meaning a small harbour or inlet, suggesting the settlement began as a tidal harbour. It is an ancient place, once surrounded by sea and marsh, with evidence of activity from the Neolithic period. Damside Windmill dates from 1808, and the Garstang to Knott End railway extension used stones from a local charity school in Preesall.

Pilling covers about 3,387 hectares of mossland near Morecambe Bay. It has bus links to Lancaster, Knott End and Fleetwood. Since 1974 it has been part of Wyre Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, with its own Parish Council. The area is in the Lancaster and Fleetwood parliamentary constituency (MP as of 2019: Cat Smith, Labour).

Amenities include two pubs—The Elletson Arms in Stake Pool and The Golden Ball in the village—and a community area with access to Pilling Sands. Churches include St John the Baptist (Church of England) in the village, St William’s (Catholic) in Stake Pool, and Pilling Methodist Church in the village. There are two primary schools: Pilling St John’s Church of England Primary School and St William’s Primary School.