Blackpool is famed as being one of the UK’s best loved seaside holiday destinations and it’s easy to see why. For hundreds of years Blackpool was a quiet seaside village but in 1781, when the first new road was built, visitors were able to arrive by stagecoach from the surrounding towns and cities in Lancashire and, eventually, further afield. Back then there was a small grass promenade, a theatre, a bowling alley and archery centre. They also enjoyed a stroll along the sand and swimming in the sea.
When the railway arrived in Blackpool in the 1840’s it really opened up the tourism industry, and over the coming years the Blackpool Tower was built, the Winter Gardens and Opera House were built, as were the three piers, and the Blackpool Illuminations began. Work on the Golden Mile began and plans to build a huge amusement park were formed, which later became Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Since then Blackpool went from strength to strength seeing 19 million visitors a year in its heyday. These days it attracts around 10 million visitors a year, proving that it still holds its own among the sunnier holiday destinations of Europe and beyond.
The perfect base from which to explore the sights of Blackpool both old and new is Blackpool Shore Travelodge. Perfectly situated in a central location, close to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Tower, you’re right in the heart of town and surrounded by its main attractions, plus lots shops, cafés and restaurants. Why not holiday here and experience the Blackpool of the 1800’s? Of course it’s much changed since then, but taking a trip down memory lane so to speak and enjoying the history of the place is rather a different way to explore Blackpool.
Blackpool Tramway
Dating back to 1885 and one of the oldest electrical tramways in the world, Blackpool Tramway has since been hugely modernised, but it’s still worth a trip along the eleven mile stretch it covers. It’s a great way to see the area and pick out the historical spots you want to visit along the way.
Blackpool Tower
It first opened to the public in 1894 and was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was almost demolished only thirty years after it was first built thanks to it not being properly protected and the metal corroding, but luckily all the metal in the structure was replaced and Blackpool retained its famous tower. Having had its crows nest removed during the second world war to be used as a Royal Air Force radar station, the top of the tower being painted silver in honour of the Queen’s silver jubilee celebrations in 1977 and, in 1984, a giant model of King Kong placed on the side of the tower, it’s certainly had an interesting and varied history since then.
Blackpool is a thrilling place to visit and has many more sites of historical interest to see than mentioned here. Why not head there for your holiday this year to take a tour of some of these interesting sites for yourself.
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