Tag: Attractions

Madame Tussauds Blackpool is a celebrated wax museum that opened its doors in 2011. It took over from the former Louis Tussauds Waxworks and now showcases more than 80 lifelike wax figures of celebrities, TV and film stars, athletes, and musicians. The museum’s most recent addition, as of April 2024, is a wax figure of Alison Hammond. In March 2010, Blackpool Council and Leisure Parcs struck a major deal to acquire several of Blackpool’s most iconic landmarks. This £38.9 million agreement, backed by both national and local governments, included Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens, Louis Tussauds Waxworks, and the Sea Life… Read more »

The Sandcastle Waterpark, which first opened its doors on 26 June 1986, was established on the site previously occupied by the South Shore Open Air Baths. This venture marked a successful collaboration between public and private sectors. As an indoor waterpark, it boasts an impressive array of attractions, including 18 water slides. Notably, it features the Master Blaster, renowned as the world’s longest indoor roller-coaster water slide, and the Sidewinder, the pioneering vertical indoor drop slide. The park offers a variety of family-friendly attractions, such as the Ushi Gushi Action River, the Shimmering Shallows, and the Typhoon Lagoon Wavepool. For… Read more »

The first Grosvenor Casino opened its doors in 1970, marking the beginning of a long legacy of entertainment in the UK. Over the decades, Grosvenor Casinos have grown from a single location to a network of venues across the country, reaching millions of people worldwide through both physical sites and digital platforms. By 1972, the company made a significant acquisition with the purchase of Butlins, a well-known British brand synonymous with family fun and excitement. This move further solidified their vision of delivering entertainment in all forms, though the exact construction date of the Blackpool casino remains uncertain at the… Read more »

The South Pier, one of Blackpool’s trio of iconic piers, stands alongside its counterparts, the Central and North Piers. Although today it is known as South Pier, when it first opened in 1893, it was named the Victoria Pier. The pier was designed by architect T.P. Worthington and is the youngest of Blackpool’s three piers, despite its age. It was commissioned by the Blackpool South Shore Pier & Pavilion Co. Ltd., with construction starting in 1892 and costing £50,000, a considerable sum at the time. The pier officially opened to the public on Good Friday in 1893, becoming an instant… Read more »

Lowther Gardens, a cherished public space in Lytham, were established in 1872 as a gift from John Talbot Clifton of Lytham Hall to the local community and visitors. The gardens, built on what was once poor grazing land known as Hungry Moor, were named in honour of Clifton’s wife’s family, the Lowthers, to mark her brother, Henry Lowther, becoming the 3rd Earl of Lonsdale. Initially, the upkeep of the gardens was funded by the Clifton family until 1905 when ownership transferred to Lytham Urban District Council, to be held in trust. The gardens saw their first permanent entertainment venue in… Read more »

Lytham Hall, completed in 1764, was designed by John Carr of York in the Palladian style. The earliest known structure on the site was a Benedictine Priory from the 12th century. This small group of monks was linked to the main Benedictine Order at Durham. Richard Fitzroger, who granted the land for the priory, was reportedly saved from death after being taken to a local church dedicated to St Cuthbert. In gratitude, he later journeyed to Durham Cathedral, where St Cuthbert’s bones were buried, to offer prayers. The monks remained at Lytham until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry… Read more »

Michael Taylor, a former press photographer who began his career at The Gazette’s sister paper, the Lancashire Evening Post, passed away in hospital on January 16 at the age of 78. During his national service, Taylor worked as a photographer for the Ministry of Defence, travelling extensively across Africa and the Middle East. In 1993, Taylor’s company, Carr Royd Leisure, launched Pleasure Island on the site of the former St Annes outdoor baths. The venue included a four-screen cinema, bowling alley, amusement arcade, and restaurant. At its peak, the site also featured a casino and a static steam train. However,… Read more »

St Annes Pier, located in St Annes-on-the-Sea, Lancashire, was designed by Alfred Dowson and opened on 15 June 1885 by Lord Stanley. Originally intended as a peaceful promenade, the Victorian-era pier later included various attractions. However, changes to the estuary channels meant to improve access to Preston Dock eventually left the pier stranded on dry land, which ended steamer services to Blackpool and Liverpool. A Tudor-style entrance was added in 1899, followed by a Moorish Pavilion in 1904 and the Floral Hall in 1910. Unfortunately, both were destroyed by fire—first the Moorish Pavilion in 1974 and then the Floral Hall… Read more »