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* [[Daniel Whiston]] - [[ice skater]] (''[[Dancing on Ice]]'')
* [[Daniel Whiston]] - [[ice skater]] (''[[Dancing on Ice]]'')
* [[Shelly Woods]] - elite wheelchair athlete
* [[Shelly Woods]] - elite wheelchair athlete



==Twin town==
==Twin town==

Revision as of 13:57, 13 July 2007

This article is about the town in England. For other uses of the name, see Blackpool (disambiguation).
Blackpool

Shown within England
Geography
Status Borough, Unitary Authority (1998)
Ceremonial county Lancashire
Historic county Lancashire
Region North West England
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Area
- Total 		Ranked 330th

34.92 km²
Admin HQ Blackpool
ISO 3166-2 GB-BPL
ONS code 00EY
OS grid reference SD305365
Coordinates 53°81N 3°05W
NUTS 3 UKD42
Demographics
Population:
Total (2022)
Density 		Ranked

/ km²
Ethnicity
(2001 census) 		98.4% White
Politics
Arms of the Blackpool Borough Council
Blackpool Council
http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/
Leadership Leader & Cabinet
Control  

Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. Lying along the coast of the Irish Sea, it has a population of 142,900.

Blackpool rose to prominence as a major centre of tourism during the 19th century, particularly for the inhabitants of northern mill towns.

Geography and administration

The town boundaries of Blackpool are drawn very tightly, and exclude the nearby settlements of Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Thornton, Poulton-le-Fylde and Lytham St Anne's. Blackpool Borough, unlike its neighbours, is almost completely urbanised.

Between 1894 and 1974, Blackpool was its own independent county borough unit within the administrative county of Lancashire. With the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, Blackpool's independent status was abolished and it was made part of the shire county of Lancashire. On April 1, 1998, however, Blackpool was made an independent unitary authority and reformed as an autonomous local government unit. It remains part of Lancashire for ceremonial purposes however.

History

Etymology

Blackpool is believed to get its name from a long gone drainage channel which ran over a peat bog.[5] The water which ran into the sea at Blackpool was black from the peat and formed a "black pool" in waters of the Irish Sea. Locally people originating from Blackpool are called "Sand Grown" or "Sandgrown'uns".

Early history

A skeleton found with barbed arrowheads near Blackpool Sixth Form College in 1970 provided the first evidence of humans living on The Fylde, some 11,000 years ago. The Fylde was also home to a British tribe, the Brigantes, who from about 80AD were controlled by Romans from their fort at Dowbridge, Kirkham.

Some of the earliest villages on The Fylde, which were later to become part of Blackpool, were named in the Domesday Book in 1086. Many of them were Anglo-Saxon settlements. Some though were 9th and 10th century Viking place names. The Vikings and Anglo Saxons seem to have co-existed peacefully with some Anglo Saxon and Viking place names later being joined together - such as Layton-with-Warbreck and Bispham-with-Norbreck. Layton was controlled by the Butlers, Barons of Warrington from the 12th century.

In medieval times Black Poole emerged as a few farmsteads on the coast within Layton-with-Warbreck. The name coming from "le pull" which was a stream that drained Marton Mere and Marton Moss into the sea close to what is now Manchester Square. The stream ran through peat lands which discoloured the water, and so the name for the area became Black Poole. In the 15th century the area was just called Pul. And a 1532 map calls the area "the pole howsys alias the north howsys”.

In 1602, entries in Bispham Parish Church baptismal register include both Poole and for the first time blackpoole. The first house of any substance, Foxhall, was built toward the end of the 17th century by Edward Tyldesley, the Squire of Myerscough, and son of the Royalist, Sir Thomas Tyldesley. An Act of Parliament in 1767 enclosed a common, mostly Sand Hills on the coast, that stretched from Spen Dyke southward. And plots of the land were allocated to landowners in Bispham, Layton, Great Marton and Little Marton. The same Act also provided for the layout of a number of long straight roads that would be built such as Lytham Road, St.Annes Road and Highfield Road.[1]

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Blackpool at current basic prices by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.[2]

Year Regional Gross Value Added[3] Agriculture[4] Industry[5] Services[6]
1995 1,276 9 276 992
2000 1,444 1 210 1,234
2003 1,598 1 220 1,377
TVR Sagaris, one of the many TVR cars manufactured in Blackpool

Major employers include:

  • The government-owned National Savings and Investments, based at Marton, together with their random number generating computer ERNIE which picks the Premium Bond numbers.
  • Other government agencies are based at Warbreck and Norcross.
  • The sports car manufacturer TVR. However, TVR has recently announced that it is moving production away from Blackpool to another European location.[7] (Blackpool was also the original site of Swallow Sidecar Company forerunner of Jaguar Cars.)
  • Burtons Foods, producing biscuits and other bakery products.
  • Arvin Meritor, which manufactures automotive components.
  • The Glasdon Group, known for its plastic products including litter bins, park benches and reflective road signs.

Many Blackpool residents work in the retail sector, either in the town centre or the retail parks on the edge of town.

Tourism

The world famous Pepsi Max Big One at Pleasure Beach.

Blackpool is heavily dependent on tourism. In what is often regarded as its heyday (1900-1950), Blackpool thrived as the factory workers of northern England took their annual holidays there en masse. Any photograph from that era shows crowds of tourists on the beach and promenade. Blackpool was also a preferred destination of visitors from Glasgow and remains so to this day[6]. Reputedly, the town still has more hotel and B&B beds than the whole of Portugal.[8] The town went into decline when cheap air travel arrived in the 1960s and the same workers decamped to the Mediterranean coast resorts due to competitive prices and the more reliable weather.[9] Today Blackpool remains the most popular seaside resort in the UK, however the town has suffered a serious drop in numbers of visitors which has fallen from 17 million in 1992 to 10 million today.[10] Similarly Blackpool Pleasure Beach remains the country's most popular free attraction with 6 million visitors a year but has lost over a million visitors since 1998.[11] Today, many visitors stay for the weekend rather than for a week at a time.

The Tower and Illuminations

Conferences

Outside the main holiday season, Blackpool's Winter Gardens routinely hosts major political and trade union conferences, ranging from that of the Conservative Party and the TGWU with thousands of delegates and visitors, to substantially smaller gatherings such as the CWU or NUS conferences.

Entertainment

Blackpool remains a summer entertainment venue, specialising in variety shows featuring entertainers such as Ken Dodd and Roy 'Chubby' Brown

Events & festivals

  • Blackpool Illuminations consisting of a series of lighted displays and collages arranged along the entire length of the sea front (11 km/7 miles), attract many visitors in September and October at a time when some resorts' holiday seasons have already ended. This results in some spectacular traffic snarl-ups as most people now view the lights from cars and coaches which crawl nose-to-tail along the whole length of the sea front, particularly so at weekends and during school holidays.

Gay Blackpool

Blackpool has gained renown as a lesbian and gay destination, (see Gay Blackpool) with clubs such as the Flamingo, Mardi Gras, the Flying Handbag pub, and many gay-run hotels and guest-houses [7], with some catering exclusively for the gay community. These tend to be inland, nearer to the railway station "Blackpool North" than to the sea. There is also the world famous drag cabaret burlesque show bar, Funny Girls, (who have performed on television and for royalty), alongside the Flamingo in the building that was formerly the Odeon Cinema; the building retains many of its Art Deco features.[12]

Nightlife

A controversial aspect of Blackpool's night-life is its hen and stag parties. Brides- or bridegrooms-to-be and their friends, often dressed alike in absurd or risqué attire, roam the town's many bars and clubs getting increasingly drunk. Their rowdy behaviour is claimed to discourage family visitors and has led to complaints from hotel and guest house owners keen to attract a more upmarket clientele.[13]

Future

Blackpool is continually striving to improve its position within today's tourist industry. One controversial proposal, which had the involvement of the local council, was to transform Blackpool into a casino resort along the lines of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, making it the centre point of gambling in the UK. However, Manchester was unexpectedly selected for the initial trial by the Government's Casinos Advisory Panel.[14] Since this decision, Blackpool's council and MP's have lobbied Parliament extensively, claiming their bid was misunderstood. The local newspaper, The Gazette, sent a petition signed by over 11,500 local residents and visitors demanding the decision be reconsidered. On 29 March 2007, the Advisory Panel's recommendations were approved by the House of Commons, but rejected by the House of Lords, meaning the bill must now be reconsidered by parliament.[15] This has led many in the town to feel that Blackpool has been given a "second chance" to prove its' case, and as of April 2007, the town's representatives are still heavily lobbying parliament to award the casino to Blackpool.

Other future projects include a £500m scheme to build Storm City a proposed multi-themed indoor entertainment complex on a 30 acre site between Rigby Road and Central Drive.[16][17] Storm City would house -

  • A 12,000 seated Arena
  • Four World Class hotels
  • Shopping areas
  • Five themed entertainment areas
  • Rooftop gardens
  • Blackpool's own version of the London Eye.

In March 2007 Blackpool Council signed up to a three month deal to work exclusively with the developers of Storm City.[18][19]

A second scheme, which is primarily aimed at the local population, but will also benefit those holidaymakers travelling to the town by rail, named Talbot Gateway would be a £285m Civic Quarter, for which International project management specialist AMEC has been chosen to transform what is at present a rundown area around Blackpool North railway station into a what Blackpool Council hope will be a world class gateway with new office and retail space as well as a public square, dubbed the Talbot Plaza. The development would be 'wrapped' around Blackpool North railway station so that rail passengers arrive at street level into the new plaza with views down to the seafront, making their arrival at Blackpool a much more pleasant experience that at present. The regeneration company behind much of the towns current and future development, ReBlackpool are working with Blackpool Council and AMEC to sort out the planning application.[20]

Landmarks & places of interest

Blackpool boasts some important landmarks, most of which appeared originally as part of the flourishing tourist industry.

Blackpool Tower, arguably the most iconic of Blackpool's landmarks.
Central Pier, Blackpool

Major attractions

Twin Climbing Towers, Blackpool Central
  • Blackpool Tower, opened in 1894; it has been a dominant landmark of the Blackpool skyline since that time. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower of Paris, France, it is 158m (518ft 9in) tall. Beneath the tower is a complex of leisure facilities, entertainment venues and restaurants, including the world famous Tower Ballroom and Tower Circus.
  • North Pier - The northernmost of Blackpool's three piers. It includes a small shopping arcade, a small tramway and the North Pier Theatre toward the end of the pier. The pier end also used to have a helicopter pad, but this was damaged atChristmas 1997 by a windstorm and collapsed into the Irish Sea.
  • South Pier - The southernmost pier. Almost directly opposite the Pleasure Beach, it houses a theme park.
  • The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment and conference venue in the town centre. Includes the Opera House (one of the largest theatres in Europe), Pavilion Theatre, Empress Ballroom, Spanish Hall, Arena and Olympia.

Other attractions

  • Beach - Stretching from the North Pier to the South Pier. The main natural attraction for tourists.
  • Funny Girls - World Famous Drag Cabaret Burlesque Showbar, located on the North Shore.
  • Blackpool Zoo - provides a home to over 1500 animals from all over the world.
  • Louis Tussard's Waxworks - Waxwork Museum, featuring models of celebrities, musicians, sports personalities and the famous Chamber of Horrors.
  • Stanley Park - Grade II Historic Park & Gardens with Golf Course, Cricket Club, Sports Arena, Lake, Art Deco Restaurant, Model Village, Gardens, etc.
  • Cinema - Situated on a multi-complex site, on Rigby Road, with 10 screens.

Transport

Air

Blackpool International Airport operates regular charter and scheduled flights throughout the UK and Europe. The airport is actually just over the borough boundary into Fylde Borough, although a proposal to reorganise Blackpool's borders would see the airport incorporated into Blackpool Borough. This airport which was formerly known as Blackpool Squires Gate Airport, is one of the oldest in the UK and has been in use as an airfield since 1909. Airlines serving Blackpool include Jet2 and Ryanair.

Blackpool Stanley Park Airport was closed down after it was decided that two airports were not required to serve Blackpool. The airport hangars from the old airport are still in use, but now as the elephant enclosure for Blackpool Zoo.

Bus and coach

Busses and coaches are operated by:

Facilities include -

  • Blackpool Talbot Road Bus Station which was the main town centre bus station, but is now used by Stagecoach and National Express services, and is officially called Blackpool National Express Coach Station. Blackpool Transport stopped using the bus station in the early 2000s after a disagreement with Blackpool Council regarding the state of the bus station building. Blackpool Transport now use Market Street and Corporation Street as their bus interchange which is located in the heart of the town centre.
  • Blackpool Lonsdale Road Coach Station the main coach station in Blackpool, is located in South Shore. This is mainly used by independent coach operators and also by some National Express services. The coach station has a cafe, shop and toilet facilities but is in a state of disrepair.

Railway

Train operators serving Blackpool include:

Stations in the town are:

† closed

Blackpool had two railway termini with a total of over 30 platforms, mainly used by excursion traffic in the summer. Blackpool Central, close to the Blackpool Tower, was closed in 1964, whilst Blackpool North was largely demolished and rebuilt as a smaller facility. The route of the former excursion line into Blackpool Central is now used as a link road from the M55 motorway to the town centre. The original 'main line' into Blackpool via Lytham St Annes now has a station serving Blackpool Pleasure Beach but terminates at Blackpool South station. The line into North station is now the more important.

Road

The M55 motorway links the town to the national motorway network.

Tram

A double-decker balloon tram on the promenade at Bispham
Tramway route

The town's tramway was for a long time Britain's only working tramway outside of museums. It was also the UK's first electric system. However other cities, including Manchester and Sheffield, have been rebuilding their tramways since the late 20th century.

Filmography

View from the tower, looking south
For a comprehensive list of Blackpool in television and film, see here.

The resort is featured in the 1934 film Sing as We Go, starring Gracie Fields, as well as other cinema and TV productions, including Funny Bones (1995) starring Lee Evans and Oliver Platt and directed by St. Annes born Peter Chelsom, as well as The Parole Officer (2001) starring Steve Coogan.

The Japanese film Shall We Dance (1996) closes with a scene at the World Ballroom Dancing Championships in Blackpool. All the hair styling for the film was completed by Blackpool born and bred hairstylist Eileen Clough, who has been in the trade since the 1960s. In the Hollywood remake of the film (2004) Blackpool is mentioned but not shown. The remake was also directed by Peter Chelsom.

Blackpool is the setting for Bhaji on the Beach (1993) directed by Gurinder Chadha.

The film Like It Is (IMDB) (1998) directed by Paul Oremland was also partly filmed in Blackpool. The opening scenes were filmed in the Flamingo.

The 2005 television comedy/thriller series Funland revolved around the fictionalized, seedier aspects of Blackpool.

The town of Blackpool also features heavily in the BBC television serial Blackpool starring David Morrissey and first broadcast in 2005 along with the one-off follow-up Viva Blackpool, broadcast in June 2006.

The Jimi Hendrix - Experience video and DVD features concert footage of Hendrix's performance at Blackpool's Opera House in 1967.[21]

Media

Newspapers that cover the Blackpool area include

Local radio is provided by Radio Wave, a commercial radio station based on Mowbray Drive, Blackpool covering the Fylde Coast area. The radio station broadcasts on 96.5FM and is owned by media company UTV.

Blackpool also falls in the coverage area of:

Television is provided by:

  • Granada the ITV franchise holder for the North West region, which covers Blackpool.
  • BBC North West the regional BBC station for the North West region, which covers Blackpool.

Sport

Cricket

  • Blackpool Cricket Club, currently competing in the Northern Premier Cricket League. They last won the League Cup in 2005, and were National Champions in 1990. Also between 1973-1996, they won the Lancashire Cup on eight occasions and were League Champions fourteen times. Their home is in the grounds of Stanley Park.

Football

Blackpool Football Club is the town's professional football club. Their most notable achievement was winning the 1953 FA Cup Final.

Also sometimes known affectionately as the Seasiders or the Tangerines, the club's stadium is Bloomfield Road, which is currently being redeveloped and modernised in stages.

Several professional footballers were either born in the town or have lived there. These include:

  • Jimmy Armfield - former captain of Blackpool and England; still lives in the town.
  • Dave Durie - born in the town; played over 300 league games for Blackpool in the 1950s and '60s.
  • George Eastham - born in the town.
  • Herbert Jones - born in the town; later won six caps for England.
  • Matty Kay - born in the town; youngest player to make Blackpool F.C.'s first team.
  • Gavin McCann - born in the town.
  • Joe Smith - Blackpool F.C.'s longest-serving manager; lived and died in the town.
For other people associated with Blackpool, see below.

Other football clubs in the area:

Rugby League

Rugby Union

Areas, districts and estates

Notable people

Blackpool has been the birthplace and home to many famous people, including:

Twin town

Blackpool is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ "Blackpool History" (PDF). Blackpool Tourist Office. Retrieved 2007-03-18. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ Regional Gross Value Added, pp.240-253.
  3. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
  4. ^ includes hunting and forestry
  5. ^ includes energy and construction
  6. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ Alan Cowell, Postcard From Ailing British Coasts: Wish You Were Here, The New York Times, April 12, 2007.
  10. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/6313439.stm
  11. ^ http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/elt/d_t2.htm
  12. ^ [3]
  13. ^ [4]
  14. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6312707.stm
  15. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6500859.stm
  16. ^ http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2044263
  17. ^ http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2050436
  18. ^ http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2146737&SectionID=62
  19. ^ http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2136029
  20. ^ http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=2217800
  21. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400421/locations

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