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The railway came in 1846 and Blackpool became more famous, with the north pier being started in 1862. The start of many projects came in the 19th Century, which are still very popular today.
The Lord Mayor of London opened the Winter Gardens in 1878, and the first electric trams started running in 1885. The trams still run along the sea front today. By 1900, 3 million people were visiting Blackpool each year and it became more popular still in the 20th Century. The illuminations started at the start of the 20th Century and can be seen along the 7 mile sea front from September to early November.
There were eight million visitors to Blackpool in 1960 and sixteen million visit the resort annually to this day, whether it be for a weekend break, holiday or to see the illuminations. The town's population was 473 in 1801, but only 100 years later the population had soared to 47,348, and once the railways came to the area in 1840s it brought thousands of visitors to the resort.
The first house of entertainment was in 1850 on the north promenade and was called Uncle Toms Cabin. Music, refreshments and dancing were enjoyed, but it was situated on the cliffs, and towards the end of the century it had reached its prime and was threatened by the cliffs crumbling, so in 1908 the remains of the building were demolished.
These days, Blackpool pleasure beach is world famous as is the annual illuminations and the three piers, the oldest of the three is the north pier that was built in 1862. Then came the Winter Gardens in 1876 with its splendid ballrooms, theatre and bars. Blackpool Tower, built in 1894 to a height of 518 feet, has a lift to the top, and was completed on 14th May and cost £pound;45,000 to build.
The Tower Circus, bars, a large aquarium, restaurants and a wonderful ballroom are all situated within the area underneath the Tower.
It was a bad time for theatres in Blackpool between 1877 to 1879 due to the lack of holiday trade, but the Winter Gardens initiated one of the most successful events of Victorian entertainment the Sunday Concert. The first of the concerts was held to raise funds for the relatives of six hundred and sixty six people, who on September 2nd 1878 lost their lives in the Thames on the steamer Princess Alice when it sank in a collision. These concerts were the start of a long period of Sunday concerts to be held in the Gardens and the Indian Pavilion, and the spectators would take part with a silence at the end of each piece.
Flying activity started in Blackpool in 1909, the same year that Louis Bleriot the French aviation pioneer made his famous crossing of the English Channel, and enthusiasts put on Britain's first official air show. This magnificent display attracted a crowd of 200,000 onlookers.
Squires Gate land was then leased to businessmen where it was developed into a horse racecourse. Although this attracted many it collapsed in 1914. In 1879 electric street lighting was introduced and Blackpool was the first place in the world to have this.
Blackpool celebrated Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897 with the first illuminated trams. However, the main illuminations didn't start until 1912 when Princess Louise came to open the Princess Parade where a static light display greeted her. The lights were interrupted by World War I and were not seen again until 1925.
The locals accommodated soldiers during the war, and a convalescent hospital was built which is now part of the airport at Squires Gate.
Photograph taken By Albert Cooper © 2000
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