Blackpool’s Big Five | The West Australian
For generations of Brits, Blackpool’s charms are abundant and timeless, but changes are afoot in this coastal resort in the north-west of England, which has endured almost as many ups and downs as the rollercoasters that have generated laughs and screams here over the decades.
As part of an ongoing $550 million regeneration project to the town, the Blackpool Tramway has just been extended, and for the first time in more than 60 years, it connects to the main railway station, Blackpool North.
Now you can hop off trains here from destinations including London, Manchester and Liverpool, walk through an underpass, and hop on to the tram network, which stops at various points along Blackpool’s 12km-long, action-packed seafront. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to walk, the promenade is only 10 minutes from the train station.
Camera IconDay and night, Blackpool Tower is a visual spectacle. Credit: Steve McKenna/The West Australian BLACKPOOL TOWER
You won’t see many more impressive pearls of Victorian engineering in England than this iron-and-steel masterpiece, which stands 158m above the town, partially inspired by a certain Gustave Eiffel-designed landmark in Paris.
Providing family-friendly entertainment since 1894, Blackpool Tower remains an all-weather visitor magnet with an array of attractions. If the weather’s decent, buy a ticket for the skywalk and observation deck, which has sweeping views over the Irish Sea and affords glimpses of the Isle of Man and the mountains of the Lake District.
The tower’s ballroom, meanwhile, is a beauty, with a mighty Wurlitzer organ and a sprung floor that has long lured dancers, both fledgling and professional.
You can book a ballroom tour with afternoon tea, by the way.
Facing the tower, have a wander on the Comedy Carpet, Blackpool’s answer to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Spreading over 1880sqm, it celebrates the jokes and catchphrases of hundreds of stars who have graced the town, including Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
Camera IconBlackpool Pleasure Beach’s The Big One. Credit: Supplied PIERS
Blackpool has not one but three piers, all with their own tram stops, and all with a slightly different feel.
North Pier is the oldest and longest, built in the 1860s and stretching 500m out to sea.
It’s mostly uncluttered, so good for a stroll, with ample benches for resting and breathing in the salty breeze.
Towards the end of the pier, you’ll find watering holes and the Joe Longthorne Theatre, named after one of the popular characters who have performed at this Art Deco-style pavilion.
Its live program is as eclectic as ever, all geared to getting a laugh, from bawdy stand-ups (think Roy Chubby Brown) to tongue-in-cheek adaptations of Aladdin and Cinderella. However, if you’re here with children, they would probably rather hang out on the other two piers.
There’s a big wheel on Central Pier, and the South Pier boasts the Crazy Coaster, labelled “the UK’s fastest spinning wild mouse ride”.
Camera IconBlackpool Pleasure Beach – The Big One. Credit: /The West Australian PLEASURE BEACH
For more heart-pumping rushes and fun for all the family, cross the road from South Pier to the Pleasure Beach, a huge amusement park that has regularly added new rides since it opened in 1896.
As well as the Big One, which was once the world’s tallest rollercoaster, the rickety wooden Big Dipper, the ghost train and the Viking-inspired log flume are likely to cause a few flutters.
Two of Blackpool’s smartest hotels — the Boulevard and the Big Blue — adjoin the Pleasure Beach, offering alternatives to the Victorian and Edwardian hotels and guesthouses that dominate the town’s accommodation scene. If you’d like to stay closer to the tower area, a new IHG Holiday Inn — with a Marco Pierre restaurant — has just launched across the road from Blackpool North station.
Camera IconBlackpool Tower dominates the town. Credit: Steve McKenna/The West Australian PROMENADE
One option worth considering is to take the tram down from the North Pier to the South Pier, then walk back up on the wide promenade.
If the tide (and sun) is out, you may see donkey rides and the bucket-and-spade brigade on the long sandy beaches.
The sounds of slot machines and video games are forever floating from the seafront’s amusement arcades, while distinctive aromas drift from the places selling fish and chips, fairy floss and toffee apples.
If you are here from August 10-11, 2024, look up to see acrobatic displays by the RAF’s Red Arrows as part of the Blackpool Air Show.
Near the end of the northern summer, the promenade sparkles for the Blackpool Illuminations (August 30-January 5 2025). Projections are beamed into the sky and vintage trams blur past wrapped in colourful lights.
First held in 1879, the illuminations are one chapter of Blackpool’s entertainment heritage celebrated at Showtown, an interactive new museum that recently opened near the tower.
Camera IconBlackpool’s Abingdon Street Market has had a makeover. Credit: Steve McKenna/The West Australian BACKSTREETS
Like the seafront, the backstreets of Blackpool are a mixed bag.
Amid all the chain stores, traditional cafes, pubs, karaoke clubs, boarded-up windows and sleek new offices, you’ll find the Winter Gardens — a vast Victorian complex comprising exhibition halls, a ballroom and an opera house.
Check the listings for the latest concerts, musicals, comedians and conferences, and admire the decor, including the stunning glass dome and oak-clad Galleon Bar, which has had a swashbuckling restoration. First opened in 1931, it’s a recreation of a galleon ship from the Spanish Armada.
By Blackpool Church — a multi-use space that stages religious services and community events — Abingdon Street Market has had a revamp. At its food hall, you can tuck into everything from Philly cheese steaks to Punjabi soul food and Lancashire craft beer, while retail units sell potential gifts, from rock (candied confectionery) to retro prints of Blackpool.
Camera IconInside Blackpool’s Winter Gardens. Credit: Steve McKenna/The West Australian
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