My family visited Blackpool recently, on the occasion of a father/grandfather's 80th birthday. Coming from Lancashire myself, it was a place I frequented during my teenage years, usually searching for boys! I have fond memories of the place, the September 'illuminations' or 'lights' as they're known locally, the donkeys and 'kiss me quick hats', and especially the rock. So I was quite looking forward to seeing the place again after 35 years or so.
I was quite sad to find Blackpool Tower falling down, literally, it seems.
The detail above, from the base of the tower, gives some idea of its plight. I hope the current reconstruction will be completed soon, and the tower will be resplendent once again.
Wikipedia states that the tower was opened in 1894, and was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. It is 158 metres high, and has a 'time capsule' buried beneath it. It was built with 5 million bricks, 2,500 tonnes of iron, and 93 tonnes of cast steel. The building is distributed in such a way that if it did ever collapse, it would fall into the sea! Painting the Tower takes 7 years to complete and there are 563 steps from the roof of the tower building to the top of the tower. If the wind exceeds 45mph, the top of the tower is closed. There are 8 kilometeres of cables to feed the 10,000 light bulbs which are used to illuminate the tower.
My children were most thrilled by the famous Pleasure Beach and the plethora of arcades for losing all their money. Some things never change!
The whole place was under reconstruction, not just the tower. Large parts of the beach were inaccessible for the same reason. The whole place had a sad 'down at heel' feel to it. The weather didn't help, wet, dull and very windy.
On the plus side, the Imperial Hotel, near the North Pier, was lovely. A grand Victorian elegance inside, and predictably crumbling on the outside. The staff were wonderful, the food very good, and the company of our extended family made the weekend.