Tag: Landmarks

Three Tower Blocks are Demolished at Queens Park

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Controlled explosion brings down final three tower blocks at the town’s Queens Park on Sunday, 31 July 2016 between 10am and 11am. Blackpool’s skyline changed in seconds as a controlled explosion brought down the final three tower blocks at the town’s Queens Park estate. Twenty-three storey Walter Robinson Court and 16-storey Elizabeth and Churchill Courts – dating from the 1960s and early 1970s – were reduced to rubble to make way for a 190-home Lovell regeneration scheme. As part of the regeneration the rubble will be recycled as a base course for new roads and to raise the western part… Read more »

Iconic Warbreck Water Tower is Built

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Warbreck Water Tower was built in 1932 for the Fylde Water Board to be able to supply water to the households in Blackpool. It was built on the highest point to be able to keep up a good water feed and good pressure to the households When the water tank is full it is estimated that the weight of water in it is 43.8 times the weight of the steelwork in Blackpool Tower. Two reservoirs at the side of the water tower feed water via pumps into the tank at the top of the tower and these reservoirs are fed… Read more »

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 »

Lilias Munro is Spotted in Blackpool by Dancer Miss Bluebell

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LILIAS MUNRO former Bluebell girl, head of make-up at BBC Television in the north of England and step mother of deceased Disney movie actress JANET MUNRO, died at 2am on 19 July 2004 at Victoria Hospital in Blackpool of cancer. Lilias (Lily) Smith was born in Wigan on 24 January 1917. She was spotted by Miss Bluebell (Margaret Kelly) on a visit to Blackpool in 1935 and brought to Paris to dance as one of the famous Bluebell Girls. Lilias returned to England on the outbreak of World War 11 and married Scots Comedian Alex Horsburgh (Munro) in Preston, Lancashire… 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 »

Blackpool Sixth Form College

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Blackpool Sixth Form College was established in 1971 as a sixth-form centre for Collegiate Grammar School before becoming an independent college in 1989. Today, Blackpool Sixth is recognised as an outstanding sixth-form college specialising in education for 16 to 19-year-olds. With a student body of just over 2,000, the college fosters a close-knit and supportive community. It prides itself on academic excellence, delivering high-quality teaching, learning, and pastoral support. Serving a broad area that includes Blackpool and the wider Fylde and Wyre districts, the college is known for its vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming environment. In December 2021, an Ofsted inspection… Read more »

Dr. David Cooper Founds Brian House

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Brian House Children’s Hospice in Blackpool opened in December 1996, founded by Dr. David Cooper to provide respite care for children with life-limiting illnesses. It operates as part of Trinity Hospice, which had been established in 1985 to offer palliative care for adults. The hospice provides care for children with complex medical needs and life-limiting conditions, supporting them and their families through the challenges they face. Many of the children require round-the-clock care and experience frequent periods of illness, but Brian House is dedicated to making every day as fulfilling and joyful as possible. The focus is on creating meaningful… Read more »

Alfred Gilbert Statue of Eros Returns to Fleetwood

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The landmark statue has been returned to its seaside home in Fleetwood after suffering damage from the harsh coastal environment. Originally made of aluminium as an exact replica of the London version, the statue was removed in 2005 after developing a broken ankle. Experts determined that prolonged exposure to sea air and salty water had caused irreparable deterioration. A new version, cast in bronze, was later gifted to the town by the Lofthouse family, makers of the famous Fisherman’s Friend lozenges. The original statue had stood for five years at Broadwater roundabout on the town’s outskirts before the weather took… Read more »

Retailing Giant Richard Lefton Dies at Age 54

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Richard Lefton, one of the most well-known figures in Blackpool’s retail sector, passed away in January 2020 at the age of 54. He died at Blackpool Victoria Hospital after being admitted with sepsis, a sudden loss that came as a devastating shock to his family. Richard was born in St Annes in December 1965 and went to Devonshire Road School and Warbreck High School. He went to both schools with Ian Rainford, now a very successful property developer, and remained friends with him until Richard passed. Ian developed the Lefton’s warehouse building on Walker Street in Blackpool as well as the… Read more »

Granthams: 135 Years of Signage and Printing

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Originally established as a sign-making business in 1890 by William Grantham in Blackpool, the company emerged in response to the increasing demand for sign-writing services in the rapidly expanding town. By the early 20th century, Blackpool was experiencing exceptional growth. Recognising the need for professional signage, William Grantham’s business had, by the turn of the century, become the leading sign-writing company in the area. The firm retained its position as the premier sign company in the region until the mid-1930s. However, between then and the outbreak of the Second World War, the business gradually reduced in size, eventually being run… Read more »