Blackpool Tower is an iconic symbol of the North West of England. Built between 1891-1894, the tower is 518 foot high and is a grade one listed building. Blackpool Tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Its architects were Maxwell and Tuke of Manchester, both of whom died before the Tower was completed. There are in excess of five million bricks in the Tower, and the structure contains 2,493 tons of steel and 93 tons of cast iron. The tower was built at a time when industrial cities were bursting at the seams with workers in factories and mills. As a result a new demand was created for leisure and tourism. Over three thousand people visited the Tower on its opening day on 14 May, 1894. The original admission to the Tower was 6d although it cost an additional 6d to take the lifts to the top. The circus sits at the base surrounded by the four mighty legs of the tower itself. There are daily performances, harking back to the days when Charlie Carrolli was its biggest star.
Take the stairs to the next level and you can watch in wonder as the mighty Wurlitzer rises into the magnificent ballroom. A trip to the top is not for the faint hearted and not even possible if the wind is gusting above 35 miles per hour. From the top you can see the Lake District, the Isle of Man and North Wales on a clear day. Today 650,000 visitors visit the Tower every year, making it one of the most popular attractions in the UK.
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