BLACKPOOL TOWER

'Blackpool Tower' is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire (northern England) (). It was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris and rises to 158m (518' 9"). It cost £41,000 and opened to the public on 14 May 1894 and is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.^[1]

Contents

The Tower

History

The Tower and Blackpool

Facts about the Ballroom:

See also

References

The Tower

Unlike the Eiffel Tower, it is not quite free-standing: its base is hidden by the building which houses the Blackpool Tower Circus. The top level has views of much of Lancashire, southern Cumbria, North Wales, and the Isle of Man. Two other platforms and the "crow's nest" are accessible only to staff. In the lower platform (which is fully enclosed), visitors can look down to street level through a glass floor above the south-west leg. At the summit, a flagpole flies the Union flag, except during the illuminations when the pole is lit by nearly one hundred lamps.
During World War II, the tower was used for a time as an RAF radar station and was known at that time as ''RAF Tower''.^[2]
The tower has transmitters for local FM station Radio Wave 96.5 and non-broadcast services. National and regional FM services do not use the tower, since Blackpool is covered adequately by inland transmitters. The tower is usually painted in dark red, but for its centenary year (1994) was painted in gold.
In 1900, the tower was rebuilt with 14 platforms.
It is now owned by Trevor Hemmings who also owned Grand National Winner Hedgehunter.
The many attractions within the base and actual tower include:-
~Tower Top Ride
~Walk Of Faith
~Jungle Jims
~The Dawn of Time Dinosaur Ride
~Aquarium
~Ballroom
~Hornpipe Galley (a foodcourt area built to look like a ship's galley)
~Tower Circus
~Tower Heritage Gallery
'Out of this World ' was a much enjoyed attraction (now retired)exploring the possibility of Space , illusion and Interactivity. This space is now used for a not so popular amusement arcade.
Comedian Peter Kay recorded a performance at Blackpool Tower in 2000.

History

The idea for the tower came when mayor John Bickerstaffe commissioned the design of a new landmark for Blackpool. In 1891, he invested £2000 of his own money ^[3] to form (with other local investors) the 'Blackpool Tower Company' which oversaw building and which remained in control of finances until 1964^[4]
Design was by local architects 'James Maxwell' and 'Charles Tuke', who oversaw building of the concrete foundations and the steel structure, although both men died shortly before the opening in 1894^[3]. The total cost (design and construction) was '£300,000' (the equivalent today of about £21m). Tourists paid '6d' for admission and a further '6d' for a ride to the top.
The oldest part of the tower is the aquarium, which is 20 years older than the outer building^[6]. The aquarium was so popular that it was decided not to demolish it, but simply to build the tower around it. It remains open, although its design is completely changed.
The famous 'Tower Ballroom' was built during 1897-1898 to the designs of Frank Matcham and opened in May 1899. It was commissioned by the Tower company in response to the opening of the Empress Ballroom, in the Winter Gardens. The Ballroom was previously the 'Tower Pavilion', which was much smaller and occupied the rear of the tower complex.

The Tower and Blackpool

Blackpool is a popular seaside resort and the beachfront tower is still a major attraction. The tower is lit during the annual illuminations, when the town and seafront are decorated with colourful displays of electric bulbs for several kilometres along the waterfront.
The tower complex includes the famous 'Mighty' Wurlitzer Organ which Reginald Dixon played for 40 years and which is still played every day in the holiday season.

Facts about the Ballroom:

★ The ballroom was originally a theatre.

★ Around the ceiling are the names of sixteen composers [1]

★ Each individual chandelier takes a week to clean.

★ The Blackpool Junior Dance festival has taken place here for over 50 years.

★ Blackpool Tower Ballroom has been voted the most magnificant ballroom in the world.

See also

★ List of towers

★ Reginald Dixon

★ Horace Finch

★ Theatre organ

References

1. Blackpool Tower at World Federation of Great Towers
2. Blackpool Tower
3. icons.org.uk
4. Items number 53 & 82 theblackpooltower.co.uk.
5. icons.org.uk
6. Items number 1 theblackpooltower.co.uk.


★ Blackpool Tower and Circus - The Official website with Tower information and online booking

★ Blackpool Tourism: Blackpool Tower

★ Computer-generated virtual panorama from the top of the Tower - Detailing places and distances (4224x2706 px)

★ Snapshots of the Blackpool Tower - Viewed from the technical point side (Radio Wave transmitters)

★

★ Satellite view of the Blackpool Tower, on Google Maps

★ The movie Funny Bones (1995) features the tower in several key scenes.

★ Sir John Bickerstaffe, founder of Blackpool Tower at ''Ward's Book of Days''

★ [2]