Blackpool

Introduction

The queen of British seaside resorts, Blackpool (pop. 142,000; urban 240,000) is not so much a city as a giant amusement park with airs of Las Vegas. Blackpool is fun, tacky, extravagant and crazy, all at the same time. Although it started as a beach resort, the beach has turned into a side attraction, leaving the centre stage to Ferris wheels, illuminations, theatres, casinos, theme parks and cabaret clubs. Blackpool provides merriment and distraction for everyone's taste and age, whether you prefer to dance a waltz under the chandeliers of the Empress Ballroom, raise your adrenaline on one of world's fastest roller-coasters, relax at the spa, or spend your money in the countless shops in town.

Interesting Facts about Blackpool

• Blackpool was the first town in the world to have electric street lighting, which was installed along the promenade in 1879.
• The famous Blackpool Tower, standing at 520 feet tall, was modelled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris and opened in 1895.
• The seaside resort originally began as a destination for sea bathing in the 1750s, when swimming in seawater was believed to have health benefits.
• Blackpool gets its name from a dark stream that flowed over peat bog into the Irish Sea, creating what locals called a "black pool".
• The town boasts seven miles of golden sandy beaches, which were named the second best shoreline in the world and the best in the UK in 2016.
• Blackpool is home to the UK's first-ever roller coaster, the Big Dipper, which opened in 1923 and remains a beloved wooden coaster today.
• The resort's rapid growth during the 19th century was largely due to Lancashire's "wakes weeks," when entire industrial towns would shut down for annual factory maintenance and workers would holiday at the seaside.
• During the 1860s, Blackpool rivalled Brighton as the resort of choice, particularly after opening two piers and the grand Imperial Hotel.
• The famous Blackpool Illuminations began in 1879 with just eight arc lamps, making it one of the earliest examples of decorative electric lighting in the world.
• Blackpool pioneered one of the world's first electric tram lines in the 1880s, continuing its love affair with electrical innovation.
• A remarkable archaeological discovery was made in 1970 when a 13,500-year-old elk skeleton with man-made bone points was found near Blackpool, proving human habitation in ancient times.
• The arrival of the railway in 1846 transformed Blackpool from a large village into a major resort destination, bringing thousands of visitors from industrial towns across the north.
• Blackpool's Royal Palace Gardens at Raikes Hall was a world-famous entertainment venue in the mid-18th century, featuring a Grand Opera House, skating rink, monkey house, and outdoor dancing platform for several thousand people.

History

Blackpool is a very recent city by European standards. There was nothing more than a few farmsteads in the area in medieval times. The first village of any substance appeared toward the end of the 17th century, but it is only in the 19th century that Blackpool grew into a town with the advent of curative sea bathing among the upper classes. The opening of the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway via Blackpool in 1846 caused a small population boom, passing from under 500 inhabitants in the early 1800's to over 2500 in 1851.

The North Pier was completed in 1863, the Central Pier in 1868 and the South Pier in 1893. Blackpool thus became the only town in the United Kingdom with three piers. In 1878, the Winter Gardens complex opened, incorporating ten years later the Opera House, said to be the largest in Britain outside of London. 1894 saw the construction of two local landmarks, the Grand Theatre on Church Street, and Blackpool Tower on the Promenade. By the 1890s, the town had a population of 35,000, and could accommodate 250,000 holidaymakers. Blackpool was elevated to the rank of municipal borough in 1876, and county borough in 1904.

In the first half of the 20th century, Blackpool thrived as the factory workers of northern England took their annual holidays there en masse. Nowadays the city is still the most popular seaside resort in the UK, with over 10 million annual visitors. Blackpool is said to have more hotel and B&B beds than the whole of Portugal.

Main Attractions

The resort's iconic landmark is the 158m tall Blackpool Tower. It opened in 1894, and was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, built only 5 years earlier. There is an observation platform on the tower top. At the bottom of the tower is a complex of leisure facilities, entertainment venues and restaurants, including the popular Tower Ballroom and Tower Circus.

Pleasure Beach Blackpool, an amusement park with rides including the Pepsi Max Big One, which was the world's fastest and tallest complete circuit rollercoaster between 1994 and 1996.

Each of three piers along the beach have their own attractions. The North Pier features a shopping arcade, a small tramway and a theatre, while the Central Pier boasts a large Ferris wheel, and the South Pier a theme park.

If you are looking for more cultural distractions, the Winter Gardens is the place to go. Its 12 venues include the Opera House Theatre, Empress Ballroom, Pavilion Theatre, the Olympia exhibition hall and numerous banqueting halls. It has hosted the main annual conferences for all three major British political parties, and the owners claim that every British Prime Minister since the Second World War has addressed an audience at the venue.

Louis Tussaud, great-grandson of madame Marie Tussaud, created his own waxwork museum in Blackpool, featuring models of celebrities, musicians, sports personalities and the famous Chamber of Horrors. Branch museums have since opened in the USA, Canada, Denmark, India and Thailand.

For a change of mood from all the hustle and bustle of amusement parks and entertainment venues, have a stroll at the Blackpool Zoo. Opened in 1972, it now has over 1,500 animals from all over the world, including elephants, giraffes, lions, red pandas, kangaroos, camels, sea lions, and numerous species of monkeys.

Local Cuisine

Blackpool is renowned for its exceptional fish and chips, with establishments like Yorkshire Fisheries and The Cottage (featured in Rick Stein's Seafood Lovers Guide) serving the freshest local catches from nearby Fleetwood in perfectly crisp batter. Visitors can indulge in quintessential seaside treats such as Blackpool rock, creamy soft-serve ice cream topped with a Flake, and potted shrimp - a Lancashire speciality traditionally enjoyed on buttered toast. The famous Abingdon Street Market offers local delicacies including Blackpool bottom muffins, fresh scones, and artisanal pies, whilst the promenade provides classic seaside fare like cockles, whelks, and winkles served in paper bags with vinegar. Beyond traditional British cuisine, Blackpool boasts award-winning restaurants such as Kwizeen, which cleverly fuses Mediterranean flavours with local Lancashire ingredients like Bury black pudding and Mrs Kirkham's cheese, alongside established favourites like Michael Wan's Mandarin for authentic Chinese cuisine and numerous Italian trattorias serving everything from antipasti to wood-fired pizzas.

Getting There & Around

Blackpool is located 20 km west of the M6 motorway (Birmingham-Glasgow), approximately 60 km north of Liverpool (85 km by the road) and 40 km south-west of Lancaster (60 km using the motorway).

Getting to Blackpool is straightforward with excellent transport links from across Britain. By train, the seaside resort is well-connected to the national railway network with Blackpool North serving as the main station, offering direct services from major cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds, with Avanti West Coast providing fast services from London via Preston where passengers can connect to Northern services for the final leg to the resort.

By coach, National Express operates regular services to Blackpool Central Coach Station from destinations across the country including London, Manchester and Birmingham, providing a comfortable and convenient way to reach the Lancashire coast.

By car, Blackpool enjoys the luxury of having a direct motorway connection to the heart of the resort - simply take Junction 32 off the M6 and follow the M55, which leads almost directly to the beach, making it one of the most accessible seaside destinations in England.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Blackpool largely depends on what you're looking for in a seaside holiday. For the quintessential British summer experience with the warmest weather for enjoying the beach and the Pleasure Beach's rides, the peak months of July and August are ideal, though this is also when the town is at its busiest and prices are highest. A truly unique and spectacular time to visit is during the Blackpool Illuminations, a world-famous festival of light that typically runs from late August or early September through to early November. This period offers a magical atmosphere, although you should expect cooler autumn weather and significant crowds, especially during the October half-term. For a quieter trip with a good chance of pleasant weather and more affordable accommodation, the shoulder months of May, June, and September provide a happy medium, allowing you to enjoy the main attractions with fewer people.