North Pier

The oldest of the piers is the North Pier. It remains as popular as it ever was. In fact it is a promenade’s and sunbathers paradise. Leisure Parcs have restored the pier back to its former glory with extensive improvements, and have kept its Victorian theme. One of the improvements is the wonderful glazed conservatories and a fabulous undercover carousel.

Designed by Eugenius Birch and commissioned by the Blackpool Pier Company, work commenced on the first of Blackpool’s piers in 1862. Mr F Preston, Chairman of the Pier Company, amid much pomp and ceremony, opened the Pier on 21st May 1863. In effect it formed a seaward extension of the Talbot Road, which had recently become host to the town’s first railway station.

The railway was to prove significant for Blackpool because not only did it allow some 20,000 visitors to witness the spectacle of the pier opening, but also it provided the means by which Blackpool became the great playground of the north.

A landing jetty was added to the main structure in 1864, and extended three years later, bringing the overall length of the pier to 1,650ft (500m). Two pleasure steamers, the ‘Queen of the Bay’ and the ‘Clifton’, were also purchased by the Pier Company offering excursions to the Lake District, Isle of Man, Llandudno, Southport and Liverpool.

The North Pier head was enlarged in 1874 to facilitate the building of a fine ‘Indian’ pavilion, a bandstand, a restaurant and some shops. The Indian pavilion soon acquired a reputation for its quality of music, the first eminent conductor of the pier orchestra being Edward de Jong, a distinguished flautist.

Later Simon Speelman, who went on to achieve fame with the Manchester Halle Orchestra, performed on the pier. Probably the best remembered conductor though was ‘Toni’, a conductor easily recognisable by his shocking head of hair. Such was his reputation that advertising was quite unnecessary, and everybody knew his orchestra could be found playing in the sun lounge (which had replaced the original bandstand in 1932) of the Blackpool North Pier.

As Blackpool’s popularity grew so did the North Pier. The pier head was further extended in 1875 and 1877 with the addition of north and south wings, electric lighting was installed, and in 1896 the neck was widened, almost doubling it in size. Expansion of the structure continued into the new century: 1903 saw the construction of a new theatre, and the redevelopment of the shoreward end to include additional shops and an arcade.

Like most piers the North Pier did not escape damage from shipping or fire. It was struck by a vessel in 1892, and suffered further damage in 1897 when HMS Foudroyant, once Nelson’s flagship, was wrecked in a storm whilst being moored to the pier. In 1921 the Indian pavilion was destroyed in a blaze, and its successor met the same fate in 1938. The current 1500 seat theatre, built on the site in 1939, survives only through the quick reactions of one of its entertainers.

In 1985 singer Vince Hill noticed smoke when leaving the pier and, having raised the alarm, assisted in fighting the blaze.

During the 1960s the ‘Merrie England Bar’ was opened along with other amusements. The early 1980s saw £350,000 spent on the redevelopment of the entrance buildings, to better compliment the piers surviving Victorian architecture. Severe storm damage in 1987 closed the seaward end jetty for four years, but when it reopened it offered the unique attraction of regular helicopter flights from the pier to take in the local sites.

Leisure excursions from the pier resumed a year later with a visit from the MV Balmoral.
Grade II listed Blackpool North Pier today is considered the most traditional of the three Blackpool Piers. It retains much of its Victorian splendour and is devoted to the gentler pursuits of promenading and sun bathing rather than the brasher entertainment offered by its newer companions.

Central Pier

The Central Pier is also well worth a visit, the biggest feature being the high illuminated Big Wheel, which rises to the height of some 108 ft.

As Blackpool’s popularity grew it soon became clear that additional facilities would be required for the increasing number of visitors. The Blackpool South Jetty Company was formed in 1864, and a design from J. I. Mawson was accepted for the new Central Pier (originally referred to as the South Pier until the construction of a third pier some years later).

Laidlaw’s of Glasgow were the contractors, having been responsible for the construction of the North Pier five years earlier. Opened on 30th May 1868 the new pier was 1,518ft (460m) in length, which included a 400ft (121m) low-tide jetty at the head.

Managed by Robert Bickerstaffe, a member of the pioneering Blackpool family and former coxswain of the first Blackpool lifeboat, the Central Pier soon became known as the ‘people’s pier’ because of its specialty – dancing. In Victorian times the class system was rife, and working class activities like dancing were very much frowned upon by the genteel folk frequenting the North Pier.

Even though many residents argued that the Central Pier’s dancing facilities ‘lowered the tone of the area’, the pier became a great success with bands frequently playing polkas, barn dances, lancers and quadrilles. Steamer excursions were also popular from the pier-head, running regularly to Liverpool, Barrow, Llandudno, Morecambe and Lytham. The pier entrance was modified in 1877 but was replaced with the new ‘white pavilion’ in 1903.

The Central pier has always been considered the ‘fun’ pier and a roller-skating rink was opened in 1909 for an admission fee of a halfpenny. Further novelties to attract visitors followed. Included among the entertainments were a joy wheel in 1911, speedboats and a racing car ride in 1920, and a ‘guess your weight’ machine, photograph booth and an automatic chip dispenser in 1932.

Open air dancing reached the height of popularity during the 1930s but declined gradually after the Second World War, and came to an end in the 1960s. In 1949 the central platform was converted into an open-air auditorium, and the pier-head dance area made way for a new theatre in 1967. Dancing moved into the white pavilion until 1966 when the Dixieland Palace replaced it in 1968. A serious fire in 1973 gutted the Dixieland Palace but it was subsequently rebuilt and now plays host to an arcade and nightclub. The overall length of the pier was reduced to 1118ft (339m) in the 1970s when the obsolete low-tide jetty was demolished.

1986 saw the modernisation of the theatre at the seaward end into ‘Maggie May’s’ (later to become ‘Peggy Sue’s Showboat’), but the most noticeable feature of recent times was the construction of a 108ft (32.7m) high Ferris Wheel in 1990. This huge structure necessitated £750,000 of strengthening work to the substructure of the pier. Today Blackpool Central Pier still remains brash and bright – a true tourist delight.

South Pier

The youngest of the piers is South Pier where a Big Top welcome awaits, This pier is known as the family pier, and has some of Blackpool’s top entertainment. All three piers have theatres, restaurants, shops, arcades and bars. Visit all three piers. You won’t be disappointed.

As the 19th century drew to a close the popularity of Blackpool as a holiday resort knew no bounds, and by 1890 the sparse south shore was next in line for development. Work began on Blackpool’s third pier in 1892 to the design of T P Worthington, using the Worthington Screwpile System. This system utilised the jetting technique developed by men like Brunlees, whereby a pile would be driven into the seabed by the action of water passed down its centre and agitating the sand below. As the sand is disturbed the pile sinks lower until it is at the required depth when the water is switched off. The natural contraction of the disturbed sands then hold the pile firmly in place. Worthington’s method improved on this with the use of a steam-fired pump increasing the water pressure, thus sinking the piles faster.

Having cost £50,000 the iron and steel South Pier (originally known as the Victoria Pier but renamed in 1930) opened a year later. On Good Friday 1893 the new pier was given a musical welcome by a choir, two brass bands, and a full 50-piece orchestra. The Grand Pavilion, with seating capacity for 3000 people, opened several weeks later on 20th May. This pier, though much shorter at only 492ft (149m), contained a wide variety of facilities, including 36 shops, a bandstand, an ice-cream vendor and a photograph stall. Considered very ‘up market’, the pier did not provide much entertainment in the early days, although a 40-piece orchestra and a select choir apparently gave superb renditions of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ during the summer season.

Holidaymakers were first introduced to the south shore in 1896 when John Outhwaite erected a famous American carousel amongst the sand dunes. He later formed a partnership with George Bean, who leased an adjacent 32-acre site for an amusement park, and the first seeds of the modern pleasure beach were sown. The south entrance of the promenade was widened in 1902 requiring the pier entrance to be moved back. In 1938 this entrance was widened, and the Regal Pavilion was constructed.

After the Second World War the face of the pier changed dramatically when two fires, in 1958 and 1964, severely damaged and then completely destroyed the Grand Pavilion. It was replaced with a more modern looking theatre that, over the years, has played host to many of the country’s most famous entertainers. In 1963 the Regal Theatre, at the entrance, was transformed into the Beachcomber Amusement Arcade.

Today the Blackpool South Pier offers every kind of modern amusement from bars and electronic arcades, to dodgem cars and thrilling rides, the latest being a ‘white knuckle’ ride that replaced the now demolished pier head theatre in 1998. The pier also provides an excellent vantage point from which to view Blackpool’s famous pleasure beach.