Blackpool trip – 17-19th Feb 2012

Blackpool is a borough and seaside town, in the area of Lancashire in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool, and 40 Miles North-west of Manchester. 

Throughout the middle Ages and Early Modern period, Blackpool was a coastal hamlet in Lancashire's and remained such until the mid-18th century when it became fashionable in England to travel to the coast during summer to bathe in sea water to improve wellbeing. 

 

Blackpool rose to prominence as a major centre of tourism in England when a railway was built in the 1840s connecting it to the industrialised regions of northern England. The railway made it much easier and cheaper for visitors to reach Blackpool, triggering an influx of settlers. By 1901 the population of Blackpool was 47,000, by which time its place was cemented as "the archetypal British seaside resort".

Shifts in tastes and sensibilities, combined with opportunities for Britons to travel overseas, supplanted Blackpool's status as a leading resort during the late-20th century. Nevertheless, Blackpool's urban fabric and economy remains relatively undiversified, and firmly rooted in the tourism sector, and the borough's seafront continues to attract millions of visitors every year.

Blackpool tower opened in 1894; it has been a dominant landmark of the Blackpool skyline since that time. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, it is 518 feet & 9 inches (158 m) in height. Beneath the tower is a complex of leisure facilities, entertainment venues and restaurants, including the world famous Tower Ballroom.

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 in a Christmas storm in 1997 and collapsed into the sea.

Grand Theatre Blackpool - - Frank Matcham Theatre built in 1894, Offers an eclectic mix of drama, dance, opera, ballet and comedy including a yearly Pantomime

The Winter Gardens – is a large entertainment and conference venue in the town centre. It includes the Opera House (one of the largest theatres in Europe), Pavilion Theatre, Empress Ballroom, Spanish Hall, Arena and Olympia.

Coral Island on Blackpool's Promenade

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 – an amusement park with rides including the Pepsi Max Big One, which is the worlds fastest, and tallest circuit rollercoaster, and so other scary rides that Dan managed but was not so keen on J

 

Infusion:

The Tower Ballroom – The original ballroom, the Tower Pavilion opened in August 1894. It was smaller than the present ballroom and occupied the front of the tower complex. The Tower Ballroom was built between 1897 and 1898 to the designs of Frank Matcham who also designed Blackpool Grand Theatre and it opened in 1899.

 The ballroom floor is 120 ft (37 m) x 120 ft and is made up of 30,602 blocks of mahogany, oak and walnut.  Above the stage is the inscription, "Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear" from the poem Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare. Each crystal chandelier in the ballroom can be lowered to the floor to be cleaned which takes over a week.