A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Blackpool | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Blackpool Location on the Fylde, Lancashire  Blackpool Town centre within Borough of Blackpool  Blackpool Location within Lancashire | |
| Area | 34.47 km2 (13.31 sq mi) |
| Population | 141,000 (2021 census) |
| • Density | 4,091/km2 (10,600/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Blackpudlian |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BLACKPOOL |
| Postcode district | FY1-FY5 |
| Dialling code | 01253 |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | blackpool |
.jpg)
.jpg)
Blackpool is a seaside resort town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool and 14 miles (23 km) west of Preston. It is the main settlement in the borough of the same name. The population of Blackpool at the 2021 census was 141,000, a decrease of 1,100 in ten years.[1]
Blackpool was originally a small hamlet; it began to grow in the mid-eighteenth century, when sea bathing for health purposes became fashionable. Blackpool's beach was suitable for this activity, and by 1781 several hotels had been built. The opening of a railway station in the 1846 allowed more visitors to reach the resort, which continued to grow for the remainder of the nineteenth century. In 1876, the town became a borough, and by 1951 its population had reached 147,000. Blackpool's development was closely tied to the Lancashire cotton-mill practice of annual factory maintenance shutdowns, known as wakes weeks, when many workers chose to visit the seaside.
In the late 20th century, changing holiday preferences and increased overseas travel impacted Blackpool's standing as a leading resort. Despite economic challenges, the town's urban fabric and economy remain centred around tourism. Today, Blackpool's seafront, featuring landmarks such as Blackpool Tower, Illuminations, Pleasure Beach, and the Winter Gardens, continue to draw millions of visitors annually.[2]
History
Early history
In 1970, a 13,500-year-old elk skeleton was found with man-made barbed bone points. Now displayed in the Harris Museum this provided the first evidence of humans living on the Fylde.[3] The Fylde was also home to a British tribe, the Setantii (the "dwellers in the water") a sub-tribe of the Brigantes, who from about AD80. Some of the earliest villages on the Fylde, which were later to become part of Blackpool town, were named in the Domesday Book in 1086.[citation needed]
In medieval times Blackpool emerged as a few farmsteads on the coast within Layton-with-Warbreck, the name coming from "le pull", a stream that drained Marton Mere and Marton Moss into the sea. The stream ran through peatlands that discoloured the water, so the name for the area became "Black Poole". In the 15th century the area was just called Pul, and a 1532 map calls the area "the pole howsys alias the north howsys".[citation needed]
In 1602, entries in Bispham Parish Church baptismal register include both Poole and for the first time blackpoole. The first house of any substance, Foxhall, was built by the Tyldesley family of Myerscough Lodge and existed in the latter part of the 17th century. By the end of that century it was occupied by squire and diarist Thomas Tyldesley, grandson of the Royalist Sir Thomas Tyldesley. An Act of Parliament in 1767 enclosed a common, mostly sand hills on the coast, that stretched from Spen Dyke southwards (see Main Dyke).[citation needed]
Sea bathing and the growth of seaside resorts
 |
In the 18th century, sea bathing gained popularity for health benefits, drawing visitors to Blackpool. In 1781, The town's amenities, including hotels, archery stall, and bowling greens, slowly expanded. By 1801, the population reached 473. Henry Banks, instrumental in Blackpool's growth, purchased Lane Ends estate in 1819, building the first holiday cottages in 1837.
Arrival of the railways
|
In 1846, a pivotal event marked the early growth of the town: the completion of a railway branch line to Blackpool from Poulton. This spurred development as visitors flocked in by rail, boosting the town's economy. Blackpool prospered with the construction of accommodations and attractions, fostering rapid growth in the 1850s and 1860s. A Board of Health was established in 1851, gas lighting in 1852, and piped water in 1864. The town's population exceeded 2,500 by 1851.
Electricity
|
Blackpool's growth since the 1870s was shaped by its pioneering use of electrical power. In 1879, it became the world's first municipality with electric street lighting along the promenade, setting the stage for the Blackpool Illuminations.
By the 1890s, Blackpool had a population of 35,000 and could host 250,000 holidaymakers. Notable structures, like the Grand Theatre (1894) and Blackpool Tower, emerged. The Grand Theatre was among Britain's first all-electric theatres.
In 1885, it established one of the world's earliest electric tramways, initially operated by the Blackpool Electric Tramway Company. By 1899, the tramway expanded, and the conduit system was replaced by overhead wires. The system still remains in service.
Towards the present
The inter-war period saw Blackpool develop and mature as a holiday destination, and by 1920 Blackpool had around eight million visitors per year, still drawn largely from the mill towns of East Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire.[citation needed] Blackpool's population boom was complete by 1951, by which time some 147,000 people were living in the town – compared to 47,000 in 1901 and a 14,000 in 1881.[4] In the decade after the war, the town continued to attract more visitors, reaching a peak of 17 million per year.[citation needed]
By the 1960s the UK tourism industry was undergoing radical changes, The increasing popularity of package holidays took many of Blackpool's traditional visitors abroad. The construction of the M55 motorway in 1975, made Blackpool more feasible as a day trip rather than an overnight stay. The modern economy, however, remains relatively undiversified, and firmly rooted in the tourism sector.[citation needed]
Geography
Physical
Blackpool rests in the middle of the western edge of The Fylde, which is a coastal plain atop a peninsula. The seafront consists of a 7-mile sandy beach,[5] with a flat coastline in the south of the district, which rises once past the North Pier to become the North Cliffs, with the highest point nearby at the Bispham Rock Gardens at around 34 metres (112 ft).[6][7] The majority of the town district is built up, with very little semi-rural space such as at Marton Mere. Due to the low-lying terrain, Blackpool experiences occasional flooding,[8] with a large-scale project completed in 2017 to rebuild the seawall and promenade to mitigate this.[9]
Climate
Blackpool has a temperate maritime climate according to the Köppen climate classification system. Typically, cool summers, frequent overcast skies and small annual temperature range fluctuations.
Minimum temperature recorded was −15.1 °C (4.8 °F),[10] recorded during December 1981, however −18.3 °C (−0.9 °F) was recorded in January 1881.[11]
The absolute maximum temperature recorded in Blackpool was 37.2 °C (99.0 °F) during a 2022 United Kingdom heat wave. During an average summer, the warmest temperature reached 28.5 °C (83.3 °F) between 1991 and 2020.[12]
Precipitation averages slightly less than 900 mm (35 in), with over 1 mm of precipitation occurring on 147 days of the year.[13]