The Blackpool Tower
Part of the Blackpool Tower Complex
Blackpool Theatres Index - Blackpool Theatres Article by Donald Auty
Above - The Blackpool Tower, and entrance to the Tower Dungeons, formerly the Aquarium, during renovation works to the Tower in August 2012 - Photo M.L.
The
Blackpool Tower was first opened on the 14th of May 1894 and is said to have been inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The
Tower itself is just over 158 metres high and was designed by James
Maxwell and Charles Tuke from an original idea by Blackpool's then
Mayor, John Bickerstaff, after a trip to Paris. Bickerstaff invested
£2,000 of his own money into the project and set up the Blackpool
Tower Company with a consortium of local business men to fund the project.
Right - The Blackpool Tower from inside the lift shaft, and below, the view from the lift - Photo M. L. August 2012.
Construction of the Blackpool Tower began in 1891, after the architects had laid the foundation stone on September the 29th, and in total the whole Tower Complex would cost £290,000 to construct and would see both its architects pass away before it was completed.
When
the Tower opened visitors could ride a lift inside the Tower, which
would whisk them to the top for sixpence, and then admire the views
of Blackpool from its viewing galleries. Today, after a major restoration
which began in 2010, visitors are still able to ride a lift to the top
of the Tower, or nearly the top, and then step out into a quite virtiguous
space with Plexiglas floors, a wonderful experience but not for the
faint hearted.
Right - The View through the floor of the Blackpool Tower - Photo M. L. August 2012.
From there you may climb spiral staircases to the three floors of open viewing galleries above. And from the top you can get a great view of the new Comedy Carpet which was inaugurated by Ken Dodd in October 2011 and contains 1,000 jokes, songs, and comedy catchphrases from many of Britain's best loved comedians from the past to the present (see below).
Above - Blackpool's Comedy Carpet in August 2012 - Photo M.L.
On first entering the Tower however, visitors are first treated to a so called '4D experience' which may sound odd but is actually very good, and a nice start to an adventure up the Tower itself.
You may like to visit the Blackpool Tower's own website here.
Above - The View from the top of the Blackpool Tower in August 2012 - Photo M.L.
Above - The View from the top of the Blackpool Tower, including the Winter Gardens Complex, in August 2012 - Photo M.L.
Above - Trams on the Blackpool Promenade in 1992 with the Blackpool Tower in the distance - Photo M. L.
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