History of Blackpool Page 2
Winter Gardens
Sir Benjamin Heywood was a Banker who built himself a mansion and named it West
Hey. West Hey was a private house built on the future site of the Tower in
Blackpool, and was a summerhouse for Sir Benjamin. West Hey was reconstructed and
extended to become the Prince of Wales Arcade in 1867 and later it became the
Aquarium.
The Tower Company and the Winter Gardens joined forces in 1928, which
resulted in the demolition of the Big Wheel. The Pleasure beach was transformed
by Joseph Emberton with modern architecture and the Odeon and new Opera House
opened in 1939, this being one of Britain's largest theatres.
Second World War
The war was only a few months away when in May 1939 the Air Ministry asked for
Squires Gate as a military airfield. The RAF staged an Empire Air Day at Stanley
Park showing the latest in the military aircraft, which included the new
Spitfire. Evacuees and civil servants were sent to Blackpool at the start of
World War II, and eventually over seven hundred and sixty nine thousand airmen
were sent to the town to start their initial training at the heart of RAF
Blackpool in the Winter Gardens.
Despite the war, evening entertainment carried
on as usual. The illuminations were switched off during the war between 1939 and
1948, but by 1949 they were back on and have been one of the country's biggest
tourist attractions.
The Olympia Amusement Arcade was used for teaching two and a
half thousand airmen at a time Morse code, with four classes per day being held.
The Opera House was used to show training films and the Empress Ballroom was used
as a large gymnasium. The Horseshoe Promenade, which is the oldest part of the
building, was used for the kit inspections and pay parades, with more than thirty
thousand men were being paid in one day.
Blackpool Today
Blackpool is one of the most popular and biggest seaside resorts in Europe, and
has much to offer with its famous Tower, the golden mile, the illuminations, the
pleasure beach and much more. The pleasure beach is probably the single biggest
tourist attraction in Britain.
Sources: Blackpool Tourist Information,
www.britannica.com,
www.hotpots.com,
www.channel4.com,
www.3piers.com,
www.blackpool.gov.uk,
www.seaclose.co.uk,
www.blackpool-illuminations.co.uk,
AA Touring England,
The Blackpool Story.
Photograph taken By Albert Cooper © 2000
