Tuesday, April 03, 2007

The Blackpool Tower itself


The Tower dominates the skyline of the town and has done for more than 110 years.

Modelled on the design of Paris (but much smaller) it is possible to take Otis glazed lifts to the tower top, if it isn't too windy.

The lowest level is enclosed and features a gift shop, as well as the bit with the glazed floor that does some people's heads in. The underside wasn't too clean when we visited!

It is in the south-west corner, you can just make it out in the tower photo above this one.


This is the north view, showing the north pier, the most old-fashioned of the three (it has a vintage carousel next to the end of pier theatre and is the least commercial of the three).

The upper levels are open to the elements. (There are three more accesible, but only the lowest one was open that day.) I took this shot to show the shadow of the tower across the town.

This is the outside equivalent view of the walk of faith.

Note the visual joke!

A rather hazy view to the south- the Pleasure Beach coasters can be just about seen.

We can also make out Blackpool's other theatrical landmarks. This is the Grand Theatre

The Winter Gardens complex (& Opera House)

The Odeon (now Funny Girls)

Of course, the engineer in me couldn't resist a photo through a viewing window- of the tower lift hoist room!

2 comments:

Colin Campbell said...

Blackpool reminds me of Ocean City in New Jersey. Grimy and not too attractive, but interesting. Thanks for sharing these photographs. I always enjoy your geeky engineer side, when you pick up the things that make things work inside buildings.

Shades said...

Colin, why, thank you.

I went to Niagara Falls more than twenty years ago (Canadian side) and the town outside of the park bit reminded me of a non-grubby version of Blackpool.