The opening of the Blackpool Tower Eye and Blackpool
Tower Dungeon marks the end of phase one of the restoration project. The Tower is enjoying a facelift that will also include a fully restored retractable Ballroom roof, including glass ceiling which will allow visitors to dance under the stars, two new entrances and refurbished common areas with much improved signage and access. The project team is also part way through a seven year clean and paint project that will see every piece of the steel structure repaired to its former original red glory. Additionally, 3,500 LED lights capable of producing 16
million different colours and spectacular displays have been added to Blackpool Tower’s traditional appearance to add a fine modern twist. The attractions launched on September 1 form part of
the £20m regeneration plan for the Tower and Promenade developed by Blackpool Council in partnership with Merlin Entertainments and with funding from the North West Development Agency, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the council.
Pictured at the relaunch of Blackpool Tower are (left to right) Rob Martell, ERDF; Deborah McLaughlin, HCA; Nick Varney, Merlin Entertainments CEO; Councillor Graham Cain; and Ian Hawkins, Merlin Entertainments, head of Blackpool Cluster
Blackpool Tower –
a history and more Blackpool Tower is a Grade 1 listed
building and first opened to the public
on May 14, 1894. It rises to 518ft. 9 inches (158m) and the cost of designing and building the Tower and buildings was approximately £290,000. The idea for
the Tower came when Blackpool Mayor John Bickerstaffe returned from the Great Paris Exhibition of 1889, where
he was so impressed by the Eiffel Tower that he commissioned the design of a new landmark for Blackpool. He set up
a committee of businessmen to raise the funds to build the structure.
Unlike the Eiffel Tower, Blackpool Tower is not free-standing. Its base is hidden by
the building which houses the Tower Circus, the ballroom, Jungle Jim’s children’s indoor play centre and the new Merlin attractions. The foundation stone of the Tower was laid on September 29, 1891, and the cast steel
and iron are distributed in such a way that if it ever collapsed it would fall into the sea. The Tower was not painted properly
during its first 30 years and became corroded (there was even talk of
demolishing it). However, the decision
was taken to rebuild it and between 1921 and 1924 all the steelwork in the structure was replaced.
The first “walk of faith” glass floor panel
was opened in 1998 at the top of the Tower, featuring two sheets of laminated glass,
two inches think and weighing half a ton. The Tower was owned by the Bickerstaffe family until 1964 when the Blackpool Tower Company was sold to EMI. Since then, it has been owned by Trust House
Forte, First Leisure and Leisure Parcs Ltd., owned by Trevor Hemmings, and in 2010 was transferred into public ownership
for the first time, having been bought by Blackpool Council.
The sections of the tower structure within the tower buildings which were previously covered up have now been revealed to great effect
22 InterPark September–October 2011
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