North Pier, Blackpool
Blackpool's North Pier,
viewed from the top of Blackpool Tower |
|
| Official name | North Pier |
|---|---|
| Type | Pleasure Pier with Landing Jetty |
| Design | Eugenius Birch |
| Construction | Blackpool Pier Company |
| Total length | 550 yards (500 m) |
| Opening date | 21 May 1863 |
| Coordinates | 53°49′08″N 3°03′33″W / 53.8190°N 3.0593°WCoordinates: 53°49′08″N 3°03′33″W / 53.8190°N 3.0593°W |
North Pier is the most northerly of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. Built in the 1860s, it is also the oldest and longest of the three. Although originally intended only as a promenade, competition forced the pier to widen its attractions to include theatres and bars. Unlike Blackpool's other piers, which attracted the working classes with open air dancing and amusements, North Pier catered for the "better-class" market, with orchestra concerts and respectable comedians. Until 2011, it was the only Blackpool pier that consistently charged admission.
The pier is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, due to its status as the oldest surviving pier created by Eugenius Birch. As of 2015 it is still in regular use, despite having suffered damage from fires, storms and collisions with boats. Its attractions include bars, a theatre, a carousel and an arcade. One of the oldest remaining Sooty glove puppets is on display commemorating Harry Corbett buying the original puppet there.
North Pier was built at the seaward end of Talbot Road, where the town's first railway station, Blackpool North, was built. Its name reflects its location as the most northerly of Blackpool's three piers. It is about 450 yards (410 m) north of Blackpool Tower, which is roughly the midpoint of Blackpool's promenade. The sea front is particularly straight and flat on this stretch of coastline, and the 550 yards (500 m) pier extends at right angles into the Irish Sea, more or less level with the promenade.
The construction of Blackpool Pier (eventually North Pier) started in May 1862, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, part of the parish of Bispham. In October 1862 severe storms suggested that the planned height of the pier was insufficient, and it was increased by 3 feet (0.91 m). North Pier was the second of fourteen piers designed by Eugenius Birch, and since Margate Pier was destroyed by a storm in 1978, it is the oldest of the remaining examples of his work still in use. It was the first of Birch's piers to be built by Glasgow engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son.
...
Wikipedia