'Blackpool' is a seaside town in
Lancashire,
England. Lying along the coast of the
Irish Sea, it has a population of 142,900.
Blackpool rose to prominence as a major centre of tourism during the 19th century, particularly for the inhabitants of
northern mill towns.
Geography and administration
The town boundaries of Blackpool are drawn very tightly, and exclude the nearby settlements of
Fleetwood,
Cleveleys,
Thornton,
Poulton-le-Fylde and
Lytham St Anne's. Blackpool Borough, unlike its neighbours, is almost completely urbanised.
Between 1894 and 1974, Blackpool was its own independent
county borough unit within the
administrative county of
Lancashire. With the passage of the
Local Government Act 1972, Blackpool's independent status was abolished and it was made part of the
shire county of Lancashire. On
April 1,
1998, however, Blackpool was made an independent
unitary authority and reformed as an autonomous local government unit. It remains part of Lancashire for
ceremonial purposes however.
History
Etymology
Blackpool is believed to get its name from a long gone drainage channel which ran over a
peat bog.
[1] The water which ran into the sea at Blackpool was black from the
peat and formed a "black pool" in waters of the
Irish Sea. Locally people originating from Blackpool are called "Sand Grown" or "Sandgrown'uns".
Early history
A skeleton found with barbed arrowheads near Blackpool Sixth Form College in 1970 provided the first evidence of humans living on
The Fylde, some 11,000 years ago. The Fylde was also home to a British tribe,
the Brigantes, who from about
80AD were controlled by
Romans from their fort at Dowbridge,
Kirkham.
Some of the earliest villages on The Fylde, which were later to become part of Blackpool, were named in the
Domesday Book in
1086. Many of them were
Anglo-Saxon settlements. Some though were 9th and 10th century
Viking place names. The Vikings and Anglo Saxons seem to have co-existed peacefully with some Anglo Saxon and Viking place names later being joined together - such as Layton-with-Warbreck and Bispham-with-Norbreck. Layton was controlled by the Butlers, Barons of Warrington from the 12th century.
In medieval times ''Black Poole'' emerged as a few farmsteads on the coast within Layton-with-Warbreck. The name coming from "le pull" which was a stream that drained Marton Mere and Marton Moss into the sea close to what is now Manchester Square. The stream ran through peat lands which discoloured the water, and so the name for the area became ''Black Poole''. In the 15th century the area was just called ''Pul''. And a 1532 map calls the area "the pole howsys alias the north howsys”.
In
1602, entries in
Bispham Parish Church baptismal register include both ''Poole'' and for the first time ''blackpoole''. The first house of any substance, Foxhall, was built toward the end of the 17th century by Edward Tyldesley, the Squire of Myerscough, and son of the
Royalist, Sir Thomas Tyldesley. An
Act of Parliament in 1767 enclosed a
common, mostly Sand Hills on the coast, that stretched from Spen Dyke southward. And plots of the land were allocated to landowners in Bispham, Layton, Great Marton and Little Marton. The same Act also provided for the layout of a number of long straight roads that would be built such as Lytham Road, St.Annes Road and Highfield Road.
[1]
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Blackpool at current basic prices by the ''
Office for National Statistics'' with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
[2]
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added[3] | Agriculture[4] | Industry[5] | Services[6] |
|---|
| 1995 | '1,276' | 9 | 276 | 992 |
| 2000 | '1,444' | 1 | 210 | 1,234 |
| 2003 | '1,598' | 1 | 220 | 1,377 |
TVR Sagaris, one of the many
TVR cars manufactured in Blackpool
Major employers include:
★ The government-owned
National Savings and Investments, based at Marton, together with their random number generating computer ''
ERNIE'' which picks the
Premium Bond numbers.
★ Other government agencies are based at Warbreck and Norcross.
★ The sports car manufacturer
TVR. However, TVR has recently announced that it is moving production away from Blackpool to another European location.
[7] (Blackpool was also the original site of
Swallow Sidecar Company forerunner of
Jaguar Cars.)
★ 'Burtons Foods', producing biscuits and other bakery products.
★ 'Arvin Meritor', which manufactures automotive components.
★ The 'Glasdon Group', known for its plastic products including litter bins, park benches and reflective road signs.
Many Blackpool residents work in the retail sector, either in the town centre or the retail parks on the edge of town.
Tourism
Blackpool is heavily dependent on tourism. In what is often regarded as its heyday (1900-1950), Blackpool thrived as the factory workers of northern England took their annual holidays there en masse. Any photograph from that era shows crowds of tourists on the beach and promenade. Blackpool was also a preferred destination of visitors from
Glasgow and remains so to this day
[3]. Reputedly, the town still has more
hotel and
B&B beds than the whole of
Portugal.
[8] The town went into decline when cheap air travel arrived in the 1960s and the same workers decamped to the Mediterranean coast resorts due to competitive prices and the more reliable weather.
[Alan Cowell, Postcard From Ailing British Coasts: Wish You Were Here, ''The New York Times'', April 12, 2007.] Today Blackpool remains the most popular seaside resort in the UK, however the town has suffered a serious drop in numbers of visitors which has fallen from 17 million in 1992 to 10 million today.
[9]
Similarly Blackpool Pleasure Beach remains the country's most popular free attraction with 6 million visitors a year but has lost over a million visitors since 1998.
[10] Today, many visitors stay for the weekend rather than for a week at a time.
The Tower and Illuminations
Conferences
Outside the main holiday season, Blackpool's
Winter Gardens routinely hosts major political and
trade union conferences, ranging from that of the
Conservative Party and the
TGWU with thousands of delegates and visitors, to substantially smaller gatherings such as the
CWU or
NUS conferences.
Entertainment
Blackpool remains a summer entertainment venue, specialising in variety shows featuring entertainers such as
Ken Dodd and
Roy 'Chubby' Brown
Events & festivals
★
Blackpool Dance Festival is a world famous annual
ballroom dance competition of international significance:
[5]
★
Blackpool Illuminations consisting of a series of lighted displays and
collages arranged along the entire length of the sea front, seven miles (11km) in total, attract many visitors from late August to early November; a time when most British seaside resorts' holiday seasons have already ended. This results in some spectacular traffic snarl-ups as most people now view the lights from cars and coaches which crawl nose-to-tail along the whole length of the sea front, particularly so at weekends and during school holidays. Each season a famous person "flicks the switch" to turn the lights on in an opening night Switch on ceremony.
David Tennant is to flick the switch for the 2007 display on 31 August.
[11]
Gay Blackpool
Blackpool has gained renown as a lesbian and gay destination, (see
Gay Blackpool) with clubs such as the
Flamingo,
Mardi Gras, the
Flying Handbag pub, and many gay-run hotels and guest-houses
[6], with some catering exclusively for the gay community. These tend to be inland, nearer to the railway station "Blackpool North" than to the sea. There is also the world famous drag cabaret burlesque show bar,
Funny Girls, (who have performed on television and for royalty), alongside the Flamingo in the building that was formerly the Odeon Cinema; the building retains many of its
Art Deco features.
[12]
Nightlife
A controversial aspect of Blackpool's night-life is its
hen and
stag parties. Brides- or bridegrooms-to-be and their friends, often dressed alike in absurd or risqué attire, roam the town's many bars and clubs getting increasingly drunk. Their rowdy behaviour is claimed to discourage family visitors and has led to complaints from hotel and guest house owners keen to attract a more upmarket clientele.
[13]
Future
Blackpool is continually striving to improve its position within today's tourist industry. One controversial proposal, which had the involvement of the local council, was to transform Blackpool into a casino resort along the lines of
Las Vegas and
Atlantic City, making it the centre point of
gambling in the UK. However,
Manchester was unexpectedly selected for the initial trial by the Government's
Casinos Advisory Panel.
[14] Since this decision, Blackpool's council and MP's have lobbied Parliament extensively, claiming their bid was misunderstood. The local newspaper, ''The Gazette'', sent a petition signed by over 11,500 local residents and visitors demanding the decision be reconsidered. On
29 March 2007, the Advisory Panel's recommendations were approved by the House of Commons, but rejected by the House of Lords, meaning the bill must now be reconsidered by parliament.
[15] This has led many in the town to feel that Blackpool has been given a "second chance" to prove its' case, and as of
April 2007, the town's representatives are still heavily lobbying parliament to award the casino to Blackpool.
Other future projects include a £500m scheme to build ''Storm City'' a proposed multi-themed indoor entertainment complex on a 30 acre site between Rigby Road and Central Drive.
[16][17]
Storm City would house -
★ A 12,000 seated Arena
★ Four World Class hotels
★ Shopping areas
★ Five themed entertainment areas
★ Rooftop gardens
★ Blackpool's own version of the
London Eye.
In March 2007 Blackpool Council signed up to a three month deal to work exclusively with the developers of Storm City.
[18][19]
A second scheme, which is primarily aimed at the local population, but will also benefit those holidaymakers travelling to the town by rail, named ''Talbot Gateway'' would be a £285m Civic Quarter, for which International project management specialist AMEC has been chosen to transform what is at present a rundown area around Blackpool North railway station into a what Blackpool Council hope will be a world class gateway with new office and retail space as well as a public square, dubbed the Talbot Plaza. The development would be 'wrapped' around Blackpool North railway station so that rail passengers arrive at street level into the new plaza with views down to the seafront, making their arrival at Blackpool a much more pleasant experience that at present. The regeneration company behind much of the towns current and future development, ''ReBlackpool'' are working with Blackpool Council and AMEC to sort out the planning application.
[20]
Landmarks & places of interest
Blackpool boasts some important landmarks, most of which appeared originally as part of the flourishing tourist industry.
Central Pier, Blackpool
Major attractions
Twin Climbing Towers, Blackpool Central
★
Blackpool Tower, opened in 1894; it has been a dominant landmark of the Blackpool skyline since that time. Inspired by the
Eiffel Tower of
Paris,
France, it is 158m (518ft 9in) tall. Beneath the tower is a complex of leisure facilities, entertainment venues and restaurants, including the world famous Tower Ballroom and Tower Circus.
★
North Pier - The northernmost of Blackpool's three piers. It includes a small shopping arcade, a small tramway and the
North Pier Theatre toward the end of the pier. The pier end also used to have a
helicopter pad, but this was damaged at Christmas 1997 by a windstorm and collapsed into the
Irish Sea.
★
Central Pier - The middle pier, includes a large
ferris wheel and shops.
★
South Pier - The southernmost pier. Almost directly opposite the Pleasure Beach, it houses a theme park.
★
Pleasure Beach Blackpool - a famous theme park. Rides include the
Pepsi Max Big One, which is the largest roller coaster in the theme park and one of the largest in the
UK.
★
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment and conference venue in the town centre. Includes the Opera House (one of the largest theatres in Europe), Pavilion Theatre, Empress Ballroom, Spanish Hall, Arena and Olympia.
Other attractions
★
Beach - Stretching from the North Pier to the South Pier. The main natural attraction for tourists.
★
Funny Girls - World Famous Drag Cabaret Burlesque Showbar, located on the North Shore.
★
Blackpool Zoo - provides a home to over 1500 animals from all over the world.
★
Grand Theatre - Victorian theatre designed by
Frank Matcham. Also now known as the
National Theatre of Variety.
★
Great Promenade Show - Series of modern artwork installations along Blackpool's South Promenade. Includes the
Blackpool High Tide Organ an unusual musical monument which uses the movements of the sea to make music.
★
Louis Tussard's Waxworks - Waxwork Museum, featuring models of celebrities, musicians, sports personalities and the famous Chamber of Horrors.
★ ''
Doctor Who'' Exhibition - contains props and costumes from the long-running
BBC TV series, including some from recently aired programmes.
★
Sandcastle Waterworld - A indoor swimming pool with slides and waves. Next to the South Pier.
★
Stanley Park - Grade II Historic Park & Gardens with Golf Course, Cricket Club, Sports Arena, Lake, Art Deco Restaurant, Model Village, Gardens, etc.
★
Odeon Cinema - Situated on a multi-complex site, on Rigby Road, with 10 screens.
Transport
Air
Blackpool International Airport operates regular charter and scheduled flights throughout the UK and Europe. The airport is actually just over the borough boundary into
Fylde Borough, although a proposal to reorganise Blackpool's borders would see the airport incorporated into Blackpool Borough. This airport which was formerly known as Blackpool Squires Gate Airport, is one of the oldest in the UK and has been in use as an airfield since 1909. Airlines serving Blackpool include
Jet2 and
Ryanair.
Blackpool Stanley Park Airport was closed down after it was decided that two airports were not required to serve Blackpool. The airport hangars from the old airport are still in use, but now as the elephant enclosure for
Blackpool Zoo.
Bus and coach
Busses and coaches are operated by:
★
Blackpool Transport operates the main bus services in and around Blackpool, under the operational name of
Metro Coastlines.
★
Stagecoach operates the regional bus and coach services in and out of Blackpool, under the operational name of
Stagecoach in Lancashire or
Stagecoach Express.
★
National Express operates the main long distance coach services in and out of Blackpool.
Facilities include -
★
Blackpool Talbot Road Bus Station which was the main town centre bus station, but is now used by Stagecoach and National Express services, and is officially called ''Blackpool National Express Coach Station''. Blackpool Transport stopped using the bus station in the early 2000s after a disagreement with
Blackpool Council regarding the state of the bus station building. Blackpool Transport now use ''Market Street'' and ''Corporation Street'' as their ''bus interchange'' which is located in the heart of the town centre.
★
Blackpool Lonsdale Road Coach Station the main coach station in Blackpool, is located in
South Shore. This is mainly used by independent coach operators and also by some National Express services. The coach station has a cafe, shop and toilet facilities but is in a state of disrepair.
★
Blackpool Colosseum Bus & Coach Station was the main bus and coach station in South Shore. Located next to Blackpool Transport Headquarters, it was demolished to make way for a
Somerfield supermarket.
Railway
Train operators serving Blackpool include:
★
Northern
★
TransPennine Express
Stations in the town are:
★
Blackpool North
★
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
★
Blackpool South
★
Layton
★
Squires Gate
★
Blackpool Central†
★
Burlington Road Halt†
† closed
Blackpool had two railway termini with a total of over 30 platforms, mainly used by excursion traffic in the summer.
Blackpool Central, close to the
Blackpool Tower, was closed in 1964, whilst
Blackpool North was largely demolished and rebuilt as a smaller facility. The route of the former excursion line into Blackpool Central is now used as a link road from the M55 motorway to the town centre. The original 'main line' into Blackpool via
Lytham St Annes now has a station serving
Blackpool Pleasure Beach but terminates at
Blackpool South station. The line into North station is now the more important.
Road
The
M55 motorway links the town to the national
motorway network.
Tram
A double-decker balloon tram on the promenade at Bispham
Tramway route
The town's
tramway was for a long time Britain's only working tramway outside of museums. It was also the UK's first electric system. However other locations, such as,
Manchester,
Croydon and
Sheffield, have been rebuilding their tramways since the late 20th and early 21st century.
Filmography
View from the tower, looking south
:''For a comprehensive list of Blackpool in television and film, see
here.''
The resort is featured in the 1934 film ''
Sing as We Go'', starring
Gracie Fields, as well as other cinema and TV productions, including ''
Funny Bones'' (1995) starring
Lee Evans and
Oliver Platt and directed by St. Annes born Peter Chelsom, as well as ''
The Parole Officer'' (2001) starring
Steve Coogan.
The Japanese film ''
Shall We Dance'' (1996) closes with a scene at the World Ballroom Dancing Championships in Blackpool. All the hair styling for the film was completed by Blackpool born and bred hairstylist Eileen Clough, who has been in the trade since the 1960s. In the
Hollywood remake of the film (2004) Blackpool is mentioned but not shown. The remake was also directed by Peter Chelsom.
Blackpool is the setting for ''
Bhaji on the Beach'' (1993) directed by
Gurinder Chadha.
The film ''
Like It Is''
(''IMDB'') (1998) directed by
Paul Oremland was also partly filmed in Blackpool. The opening scenes were filmed in the
Flamingo.
The 2005 television comedy/thriller series ''
Funland'' revolved around the fictionalized, seedier aspects of Blackpool.
The town of Blackpool also features heavily in the BBC television serial ''
Blackpool'' starring
David Morrissey,
Sarah Parish and
David Tennant, first broadcast in 2005 along with the one-off follow-up ''
Viva Blackpool'', broadcast in June 2006.
The ''Jimi Hendrix - Experience'' video and DVD features concert footage of
Hendrix's performance at Blackpool's Opera House in 1967.
[21]
Media
Newspapers that cover the Blackpool area include
★ The ''
Blackpool Gazette'' is the daily evening newspaper covering the Fylde Coast area. They also publish a free weekly newspaper, ''
The Blackpool Reporter'', which is delivered to householders.
★ The ''
Blackpool Citizen'' is a free weekly newspaper covering the Fylde Coast area, which is delivered to householders.
★ The ''
Lancashire Evening Post'' is a daily evening newspaper covering the county of
Lancashire.
Local radio is provided by
Radio Wave, a commercial radio station based on Mowbray Drive, Blackpool covering the Fylde Coast area. The radio station broadcasts on 96.5FM and is owned by media company
UTV.
Blackpool also falls in the coverage area of:
★
BBC Radio Lancashire
★
Rock FM
★
Magic 999
★
Smooth FM 100.4
★
105.4 Century FM
Television is provided by:
★
Granada the ITV franchise holder for the North West region, which covers Blackpool.
★
BBC North West the regional BBC station for the North West region, which covers Blackpool.
Sport
Cricket
★
Blackpool Cricket Club, currently competing in the
Northern Premier Cricket League. They last won the League Cup in 2005, and were National Champions in 1990. Also between 1973-1996, they won the Lancashire Cup on eight occasions and were League Champions fourteen times. Their home is in the grounds of Stanley Park.
Football
Blackpool Football Club is the town's professional
football club. Their most notable achievement was winning the
1953 FA Cup Final.
Also sometimes known affectionately as the ''Seasiders'' or the ''Tangerines'', the club's stadium is
Bloomfield Road, which is currently being redeveloped and modernised in stages.
Several professional footballers were either born in the town or have lived there. These include:
★
Jimmy Armfield - former captain of Blackpool and
England; still lives in the town.
★
Dave Durie - born in the town; played over 300 league games for Blackpool in the 1950s and '60s.
★
George Eastham - born in the town.
★
Herbert Jones - born in the town; later won six caps for England.
★
Matty Kay - born in the town; youngest player to make Blackpool F.C.'s first team.
★
Gavin McCann - born in the town.
★
Joe Smith - Blackpool F.C.'s longest-serving manager; lived and died in the town.
:''For other people associated with Blackpool, see
here.''
Other football clubs in the area:
★
Blackpool Mechanics Football Club, currently competing in the
North West Counties Football League Division Two. Also sometimes known affectionately as the ''"Mechs"''. Their home ground is Jepson Way.
★
Blackpool Wren Rovers Football Club, currently competing in the
West Lancashire Football League Premier Division. Their home ground is Bruce Park.
★
Blackpool Wren Rovers Ladies Football Club, currently competing in the
Northern Combination Women's Football League.
★
Squires Gate Football Club, currently competing in the
North West Counties Football League Division One. Their home ground is School Road.
Rugby League
★
Blackpool Panthers Rugby League Football Club, currently competing in the
National League Two. Their home ground is ''Woodlands Memorial Ground'' in the neighbouring town of
Lytham St Annes, which is also the home to
Fylde Rugby Union Football Club
Rugby Union
★
Blackpool Rugby Union Football Club, currently competing in the
North Lancashire & Cumbria League. Their home ground is known as ''Norbreck Rugby Ground''.
Areas, districts and estates
Notable people
Blackpool has been the birthplace and home to many famous people, including:
★
Ian Anderson - musician
Jethro Tull
★
Jo Appleby - soprano singer with
Amici Forever
★
Pat Astley - actress and porn star
★
David Atherton - conductor
★
David Ball - musician (
Soft Cell)
★
Zoë Ball - English TV and radio presenter
★
Ronnie Baxter -
Darts player
★
Lennie Bennett - comedian
★
Charlie Cairoli - famous clown, born in
Milan but became famous in Blackpool where lived from 1939 to his death in 1980
★
George Carman - barrister
★
Frank Carson - comedian
★
Violet Carson - ''
Coronation Street'' actress who played the part of
Ena Sharples.
★
Ronnie Clayton - British
Featherweight Boxing Champion 1947-54, twice Lonsdale Belt winner
★
Jimmy Clitheroe - British comedy actor, lived most of his life in North Shore, Blackpool, where he died in 1973
★
Jenna-Louise Coleman - ''
Emmerdale'' actress (Jasmine Thomas)
★
Alistair Cooke - journalist and commentator
★
Raine Davison - actress
★
Ian Stuart Donaldson - musician (
Skrewdriver)
★
John Evan - musician
Jethro Tull
★
Jeffrey Hammond - musician
Jethro Tull
★
Roy Harper - musician
★
Barney Harwood - TV presenter
★
Cynthia Lennon - wife of
John Lennon
★
Jacqueline Leonard - actress
★
Ian Levine - songwriter
★
Syd Little - comedian,
Little and Large
★
Brian London -
boxer
★
Joe Longthorne - singer
★
Chris Lowe - musician - (
Pet Shop Boys)
★
Nick McCarthy - musician (
Franz Ferdinand)
★
Stacey McClean - singer
S Club 8
★
Vic McGlynn - radio presenter
★
John Mahoney - actor (''
Frasier'')
★
Pauline Moran - actress
★
Janet Munro - actress
★
Graham Nash - (
The Hollies,
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young))
★
Janet Munro - actress
★
Bernadette Nolan - singer and actress
★
Coleen Nolan - singer and TV presenter
★
Chris Patten - politician and former
Hong Kong governor
★
Maddy Prior - singer (
Steeleye Span)
★
Peter Purves - TV presenter
★
William Regal - (
WWE wrestler)
★
John Robb - musician, presenter
★
Nikki Sanderson - actress ''
Coronation Street''
★
Michael Smith -
Nobel Prize-winning chemist
★
Robert Smith - musician (
The Cure)
★
Andy Summers - musician (
The Police)
★
Frank Swift - footballer (
Manchester City and
England)
★
David Thewlis - actor (
Remus Lupin in the
Harry Potter film series)
★
Ricky Tomlinson - actor (Jim Royle in ''
The Royle Family'')
★
Roger Uttley -
rugby player
★
Daniel Whiston -
ice skater (''
Dancing on Ice'')
★
Shelly Woods - elite wheelchair athlete
Twin town
Blackpool is
twinned with:
★
Bottrop,
Germany
References
1. Blackpool History
2. , pp.240-253.
3. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
4. includes hunting and forestry
5. includes energy and construction
6. includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
7. [2]
8. [4]
9. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/6313439.stm
10. http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/elt/d_t2.htm
11. Dr Who to switch on Blackpool lights
12. [7]
13.
14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6312707.stm
15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6500859.stm
16. http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2044263
17. http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2050436
18. http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2146737&SectionID=62
19. http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2136029
20. http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2217800
21. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400421/locations
External links
★
Blackpool Council
★
Virtual tour of Blackpool
★
Blackpool Events, month by month list of what's on in Blackpool
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