Tag: Attractions

WWII Pillbox in Salisbury Woodlands at Stanley Park

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Hidden among the trees in Salisbury Woodland Gardens near Stanley Park, just next to Blackpool Zoo, stands a hexagonal concrete pillbox bunker — a relic from one of the most tumultuous periods in modern history. Built in 1940, this reinforced structure was part of Britain’s inland defence network during the Second World War. Though modest in size, it played a crucial role as a lookout post for Stanley Park Municipal Airport, which itself became a key military asset during the war. Originally opened in 1931 as Blackpool’s primary civil airport, Stanley Park Municipal Airport was requisitioned by the Royal Air… Read more »

Opening of £5 Million Club 3000 Bingo

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On Saturday, 1 July 2023, Club 3000 Bingo officially opened its latest venue at Festival Leisure Park in Blackpool, marking a significant milestone as the company’s 24th club across the UK. This new venue represents a £5 million investment, transforming the former Swift Hound Pub site into a modern, state-of-the-art bingo hall designed to offer an exceptional experience for both regular players and newcomers alike. The grand opening was a spectacular affair, drawing over 800 guests who enjoyed an evening filled with entertainment and celebration. Highlights included a captivating magic show by Craig Harper, as well as special appearances from… Read more »

Illuminasia Opens its Doors to Visitors

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Parents queue with their children on the first day of half term for the opening of Iluminasia, the Worlds Largest Indoor Illuminations, opened on 18 April 2014. Combining ancient Chinese tradition with modern production; this awe-inspiring display offers something for everyone. With the play of light and colour, artists of every medium gain inspiration from this beautiful Far Eastern art form. Children delight in the adventure of exploring through a garden filled with towering exotic flowers and giant butterflies, almost as much as mums and dads enjoy basking in the serenity of time spent in the Jade Palace!

Two Blackpool Metro Trams Find a New Home

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For a true taste of Blackpool Metro heritage, you can visit the two historic trams now located at Brickhouse Farm Cottages, a family-operated holiday retreat dedicated to accessibility and inclusivity. The Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust had been seeking to find new homes for their trams for some time. While many were dismantled for parts, set 3 was fortunate to be preserved at Brickhouse Farm Cottages in Hambleton. On 6 December 2023, the final two 1930s Fylde Coast trams were saved from what has locally become known as ‘the tram graveyard’. According to a Facebook post, the trams, which were the… Read more »

First swing on Fleetwood Golf Course

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The history of Fleetwood Golf Club has been positively traced back to the year 1861 when as a garrison town, officers at the Euston Barracks were instrumental in the laying out of the links course, organising a golf competition, and presenting prizes to the winners. The first recorded Golf Club was disbanded when the School of Musketry was relocated to Hythe in Kent some five years later. In 1893, townsfolk with an obvious passion for the game, instituted a Golf Club which had the boundary of the course running alongside the very edge of the sea. This is the accepted… Read more »

Mark Yates Carries on the Brooks Collectibles Tradition

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Brooks gifts was started In 1949 by Mr Brooks when he returned to Blackpool after having his home and all his positions destroyed during the second world war. The shop he chose was situated at the Talbot court building on the corner of Waterloo Road and the Blackpool promenade. It was built years earlier but was requisitioned as a munitions store during the second world war. Where Mr brooks is stood in the shop door way of this photo (taken in the 1950s) once stood an armed soldier guarding the munitions store entrances, and to the right on the forecourt… Read more »

Greyhound Racing Finishes at Clifton Park Racecourse, Squires Gate

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Clifton Park Racecourse at Squires Gate was a short-lived greyhound track in Blackpool, operating for just four years before closing in 1937. Often mistaken for the nearby Blackpool Greyhound Stadium, Clifton Park had an unusual layout that ultimately contributed to its decline. Originally, the site was relocated in 1911 to a large area of land south of Blackpool and north of St Annes-on-Sea, intended to become a long-term venue for horse racing. A grandstand was constructed on the south side of Squires Gate Lane, while 144 stable boxes were built near Blackpool Golf Links. To the east of the racecourse,… Read more »

Blackpool Greyhound Stadium Closes

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Blackpool Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound track that closed down on 30 October 1964 with the site being sold for housing. It was called Stadium Avenue after being sold to builders for £80,000 and should not be confused with the Clifton Park Racecourse at Squires Gate, a short-lived track that was nearby to the south. The stadium opened on the Saturday afternoon of 30 July 1927 in front of the 5,000 spectators. The six race card included one hurdle race with all races over the 500 yards distance, the first race was won by Carrow Boy at 3-1 odds in… Read more »

First Leisure’s Reign in Blackpool

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First Leisure Corporation Plc was a leisure operator in the UK between 1981 and 2004. Originally based in Soho Square, London, and with other offices in Blackpool and Leicester, its operations included Blackpool Tower, the town’s Winter Gardens and all three Blackpool piers, as well as five other piers, health and fitness clubs, nightclubs and bars, tenpin bowling centres and other mainstream UK high street entertainment venues. Behind the company was Lord Bernard Delfont. By the 1960s, he and his brothers – Lew and Leslie Grade, as well as his nephew Michael Grade – were all very successful and were said to have a… Read more »

The Palace Theatre

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The Palace Theatre was situated within Blackpool’s huge and lavish seafront Palace Complex, which was next door to the Tower Complex. The Theatre was a redesign of the former Alhambra Theatre by the renowned Theatre Architect Frank Matcham in 1904. The Alhambra had been designed by Wylson & Long and had originally opened in 1899, as part of the former Alhambra Complex which had run into financial difficulties soon after opening and was sold to the Blackpool Tower Company in July 1903. The Tower Company then set about restructuring the building and they reopened the newly redesigned Matcham Theatre as the… Read more »