24/12/2022
Lancashire has plenty of little villages, hamlets and even remote communities that can get cut off by the tide. But however small they are, all of them can be pin-pointed on Google Maps. And, remarkably, the same could be said for 'phantom settlement' in West Lancashire - that has never even existed.
Anyone searching 'Argleton' in Google Maps and Google Earth, a location pin in the middle of a field would appear just off the A59 from Bold Lane in Aughton with Merseyside postcode. But they would swiftly be told that the mystery place was 'CLOSED' and travelling there would be a fruitless mission. Unless visiting several parched empty fields is your thing but Aughton, the adjacent village that does indeed exist has plenty to offer, including a Michelin-Starred restaurant in Moor Hall.
It is unclear how or when Argleton first appeared on internet searches, but it was first thought to have been highlighted in September 2008 by Mike Nolan, a web designer at nearby Edge Hill University. It went on to receive global attention after local media picked up the story and Argleton the anomaly ended up getting its own coveted 'hashtag' on Twitter.