Blackpool Seaside Holiday History Lancashire Seaside Resorts History UK

Blackpool Seaside Resort History

It was the railways that made such a huge impact initially on the seaside resorts of Lancashire. Rail cut both costs and time taken to get to seaside resorts, thus bringing seaside holidays within the reach of more people. Out with the 'Bathing Sunday' artisans, and in with huge numbers of working class visitors every weekend to Blackpool, Morecambe and other Lancashire's seaside spots.

It was really after 1870 that it became the working class custom to take your holidays particularly in Blackpool, but also in Morecambe to a lesser extent. From the 1870s working class people from the cotton towns began to pour into Blackpool during holiday periods, but also for day trips and weekends. By the First World War, the number of visitors to Blackpool in high season mushroomed to approximately 4 million. It continued to grow, as did Morecambe.

The 'Bathing Sunday' tradition rapidly developed into annual migrations of cotton town communities to the seaside, particularly Blackpool, during Wakes Weeks - factory shutdowns. People saved in neighbourhood holiday fund schemes for their wakes weeks at the seaside. High season by the 1890s was the summer months between Burnley fair at the beginning of July and Oldham wakes in early September.

The 1890s really marked the beginnings of Blackpool's growth as popular amusement/entertainment on a massive scale. In this period Blackpool Tower was built, a Gigantic Wheel was opened in 1896, the pleasure palace Alhambra opened adjacent to the Tower, and Blackpool's Pleasure Beach at the South Prom end began to evolve from what had been a bunch of sand dunes and fortune tellers to incorporating cutting edge rides like the 'Sir Hiram Maxim Captive Flying Machine'.

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History of Lancashire Seaside Resorts

Theatres, music halls, waxworks, a sandy beach which came right up to the prom at high tide, piers, familiar and friendly terraced architecture, an atmosphere of 'letting loose' and playing hard, where attractions were big but somehow friendly in a resort primarily run by landladies. This was the appeal of Blackpool to so many holiday visitors.

For further reading and a fascinating insight into the growth and history of Lancashire Seaside Resorts, check out 'Wonderlands by the Waves. A History of the Seaside Resorts of Lancashire', by John Walton (1992), published by Lancashire County Books. Many Tourist Information Points in the area stock it.

Entrepreneurs or entertainment monopolies are nothing new to Blackpool. The likes of W.H Cocker ran the Aquarium and Winter Gardens, whilst the Bickerstaffe brothers ran the Tower, Steamboat Company and the Central Pier.

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Blackpool Historic Architecture Listings

Blackpool Tower first opened in 1894 and Blackpool Tower Ballroom designed by Frank Matcham which opened in 1899. Blackpool Illuminations annually in Autumn were first introduced in 1879.

Blackpool Winter Gardens dates from 1878 with stunning Empress Ballroom and the later 1930s art deco Spanish Hall and the huge Opera House Theatre dating from 1939.

Blackpool Trams - a historic tradition in Blackpool running the full length of the Promenade since 1885. See the weblink right for the Fleetwood Transport Festival/Tram Sunday.

North Pier designed by Eugenius Birch dates from 1862 and was Blackpool's first pier built, followed by Central then South Pier. Blackpool Pleasure Beach founded by William George Bean in 1896. Historic rides include the Sir Hiram Maxim Flying Machine which is Blackpool Pleasure beach's oldest ride and the Grand National duel rollercoaster. See also the 1950s classic rides built by General Manager Frank Wright still as popular today as then. These include the Wild Mouse Ride and the Derby Racer. Inland Victorian Stanley Park was designed by Thomas Mawson and has recently been renovated (see Stanley Park webguide right for details).

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