Blackpool Tower Lancashire England World Federation Great Towers Grade 1 listed building Promenade esplanade pier seaside resort
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. (grid reference SD 306 360). Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches (158m). The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. The tower is a Grade 1 listed building. When the tower opened, 3,000 customers took the first rides to the top. Tourists paid sixpence for admission, sixpence more for a ride in the lifts to the top, and a further sixpence for the circus. The first members of the public to ascend the tower had been local journalists in September 1893 using constructors' ladders. In 1897 the top of the tower caught fire, and the platform was seen on fire from up to fifty miles away. The tower was not painted properly during the first thirty years and became corroded, leading to discussions about demolishing it. However, it was decided to rebuild it instead, and between 1921 and 1924 all the steelwork in the structure was replaced and renewed. On 22 December 1894 Norwegian ship Abana was sailing from Liverpool to Florida but was caught up in a storm, and mistook the recently-built Blackpool Tower for a lighthouse. Abana was first seen off North Pier, and later drifted to Little Bispham where she was wrecked, and can still be seen at low tide. The ship's bell still hangs in St Andrews Church in Cleveleys. In 1940, during the Second World War, the crow's-nest was removed to allow the structure to be used as a Royal Air Force radar station known as RAF Tower, which proved unsuccessful. In 1949 a post box was opened at the top of the tower. The hydraulic lifts to the top of the tower were replaced in 1956-57 and the winding-gear replaced by electric. The top of the tower was painted silver in 1977 as part of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee celebrations. A giant model of King Kong was placed on the side of the tower in 1984.
Size: 3969px × 2820px
Photo credit: © SOTK2011 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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