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Blackpool

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

               Borough of Blackpool
            Image:EnglandBlackpool.png
                     Geography
   Status:            Unitary, Borough
   Region:            North West England
   Ceremonial County: Lancashire
   Area:
   - Total            Ranked 330th
                      34.92 km²
   Admin. HQ:         Blackpool
   Grid reference:    SD305365
   ONS code:          00EY
                   Demographics
   Population:
   - Total (2005 est.)
   - Density          Ranked 119th
                      142,900
                      4,092 / km²
   Ethnicity:         98.4% White
                     Politics
         Arms of Blackpool Borough Council
   Blackpool Council
   www.blackpool.gov.uk
   Leadership:        Leader & Cabinet
   Executive:         Labour
   MPs:               Joan Humble, Gordon Marsden

   Blackpool is a seaside town in north-western England. It is
   traditionally part of Lancashire. On April 1, 1998 the town was made
   into an independent unitary authority.

   It is believed to get its name from a long gone drainage channel which
   ran over a peat bog. The water which ran into the sea at Blackpool was
   black from the peat and formed a "black pool" in waters of the Irish
   Sea. (In Irish, Black Pool is Dubh Linn, which in turn became Dublin.)

   It is generally believed locally that people originating from Blackpool
   are called "Sand Grown" or "Sandgrown'uns," but these terms may be
   applied to natives of any littoral settlement.

   The town boundaries are drawn very tightly, and exclude the nearby
   settlements of Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Thornton, Poulton-le-Fylde and
   Lytham St Anne's. Blackpool Borough, unlike its neighbours, is almost
   completely urbanised.

Economy

   This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Blackpool at
   current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National
   Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
   Year Regional Gross Value Added^ Agriculture^ Industry^ Services^
   1995 1,276                       9            276       992
   2000 1,444                       1            210       1,234
   2003 1,598                       1            220       1,377
    1. ↑  Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
    2. ↑  includes hunting and forestry
    3. ↑  includes energy and construction
    4. ↑  includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

Tourism

   Blackpool is heavily dependent on tourism. Major attractions include:
     * The three piers: the North (built in 1863), Central ( 1868) and
       South ( 1893).
     * Blackpool Tower, built in May 1894, is a 518-foot-tall copy of the
       Eiffel Tower.
     * The Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park, near to the South
       Pier.
     * Sandcastle Waterworld is the premier indoor uk waterpark opposite
       the Pleasure Beach.

   In what is often regarded as its heyday (1900-1950), Blackpool thrived
   as the factory workers of northern England took their annual holidays
   there en masse. Any photograph from that era shows crowds of tourists
   on the beach and promenade. Blackpool was also a preferred destination
   of visitors from Glasgow and remains so to this day . Reputedly, the
   town still has more hotel beds than the whole of Portugal . The town
   went into decline when cheap air travel arrived in the 1960s and the
   same workers decamped to the Mediterranean coast resorts due to
   competitive prices and the more reliable weather. Today, many visitors
   stay for the weekend rather than for a week at a time. Blackpool is
   continually striving to improve its position within today's tourist
   industry. One controversial proposal, which has the involvement of the
   local council, is to transform Blackpool into a casino resort along the
   lines of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, making it the centre point of
   gambling in the UK. This plan is dependent on the selection of
   Blackpool as the location of Britain's first "super-casino", following
   the slight liberalisation of Britain's gambling laws.

   A controversial aspect of Blackpool's night-life is its hen and stag
   parties. Brides or bridegrooms-to-be respectively, along with their
   friends, often dressed alike in absurd or risqué attire, roam the
   town's many bars and clubs getting increasingly drunk. Their rowdy
   behaviour is claimed to discourage family visitors and has led to
   complaints from hotel and guest house owners keen to attract a more
   upmarket clientele.

   Blackpool has gained renown as a lesbian and gay destination, with
   clubs such as the Flamingo, Mardi Gras, the Flying Handbag pub, and
   many gay-only hotels and guest-houses. These tend to be inland, nearer
   to the North station than the sea front.
   The Tower and Illuminations
   Enlarge
   The Tower and Illuminations

   There is a transvestite show bar, Funny Girls, alongside the Flamingo
   in the building that was formerly the Odeon Cinema; the building
   retains many of its Art Deco features.

   Blackpool remains a summer entertainment venue, specialising in variety
   shows featuring entertainers such as Ken Dodd. Outside the main holiday
   season, Blackpool's Winter Gardens routinely hosts major political and
   trade union conferences, ranging from that of the Conservative Party
   and the TGWU with thousands of delegates and visitors, to substantially
   smaller gatherings such as the CWU or NUS conferences.

   Blackpool Illuminations in September and October, consisting of a
   series of lighted displays and collages arranged along the entire
   length of the sea front (11 km/7 miles), attract many visitors at a
   time when some resorts' holiday seasons have begun to end.

Non-tourist industry

   Major employers include:
     * The government-owned National Savings and Investments, based at
       Marton, together with their random number generating computer ERNIE
       which picks the Premium Bond numbers.
     * Other Government Agencies based at Warbreck and Norcross.
     * The sports car manufacturer TVR. However, TVR has recently
       announced that it is moving production away from Blackpool to
       another European location. (Blackpool was also the original site of
       Swallow Sidecar Company forerunner of Jaguar Cars.)
     * Burtons Foods, producing biscuits and other bakery products.
     * Arvin Meritor, which manufactures automotive components.
     * The Glasdon Group, known for its plastic products including litter
       bins, park benches and reflective road signs.

   Many Blackpool residents work in the retail sector, either in the town
   centre or the retail parks on the edge of town.

Transport infrastructure

   A double-decker balloon tram on the promenade at Bispham
   Enlarge
   A double-decker balloon tram on the promenade at Bispham
   Tramway route
   Enlarge
   Tramway route

   The town's tramway was for a long time Britain's only working tramway
   outside of museums. However, other cities, including Manchester and
   Sheffield have been rebuilding their networks since the late 20th
   century.

   Blackpool had two railway termini with a total of over 30 platforms,
   mainly used by excursion traffic in the summer. Blackpool Central,
   close to the Blackpool Tower, was closed in 1964, whilst Blackpool
   North was largely demolished and rebuilt as a smaller facility. The
   route of the former excursion line into Blackpool Central is now used
   as a link road from the M55 motorway to the town centre. The original
   'main line' into Blackpool via Lytham St Annes now has a station
   serving Blackpool Pleasure Beach but terminates at Blackpool South
   station. The line into North station is now the more important.

   Blackpool International Airport operates regular charter and scheduled
   flights throughout the UK and Europe. The airport is actually in St
   Annes although a proposal to reorganise Blackpool's borders would see
   the airport incorporated into Blackpool Borough.

   The M55 motorway links the town to the national motorway network.

Blackpool in film

   View from the tower, looking south
   Enlarge
   View from the tower, looking south

   The resort is featured in the 1934 film Sing as We Go, starring Gracie
   Fields, as well as other cinema and TV productions, including Funny
   Bones (1995) starring Lee Evans and Oliver Platt and directed by St.
   Annes born Peter Chelsom, as well as The Parole Officer (2001) starring
   Steve Coogan.

   The Japanese film Shall We Dance (1996) closes with a scene at the
   World Ballroom Dancing Championships in Blackpool. All the hair styling
   for the film was completed by Blackpool born and bred hairstylist
   Eileen Clough, who has been in the trade since the 1960's. In the
   Hollywood remake of the film (2004) Blackpool is mentioned but not
   shown. The remake was also directed by Peter Chelsom.

   Blackpool is the setting for Bhaji on the Beach (1993) directed by
   Gurinder Chadha.

   The film Like It Is (IMDB) (1998) directed by Paul Oremland was also
   partly filmed in Blackpool. The opening scenes were filmed in the
   Flamingo.

   The 2005 television comedy/thriller series Funland revolved around the
   fictionalized, seedier aspects of Blackpool.

   The town of Blackpool also features heavily in the BBC television
   serial Blackpool starring David Morrissey and first broadcast in 2005
   along with the one-off follow-up Viva Blackpool, broadcast in June
   2006.

Local attractions, culture, and facilities

   Central Pier, Blackpool
   Enlarge
   Central Pier, Blackpool
   Blackpool Sands, with Blackpool Tower and North Pier in the distance
   Enlarge
   Blackpool Sands, with Blackpool Tower and North Pier in the distance
   North Pier, Blackpool
   Enlarge
   North Pier, Blackpool
   The Winter Gardens, Blackpool
   Enlarge
   The Winter Gardens, Blackpool
     * Blackpool Football Club, winners of the FA Cup in 1953.
     * Blackpool Panthers (founded in 2004) are a rugby league team
       competing in National league two.
     * Blackpool Zoo - provides a home to over 1500 animals from all over
       the world.
     * Blackpool Dance Festival - World famous annual ballroom dance
       competition of international significance: home page
     * The Great Promenade Show - Series of modern artwork installations
       along Blackpools south promenade. Includes the Blackpool High Tide
       Organ an unusual musical monument which uses the movements of the
       sea to make music.
     * Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Theme park with lots of different
       attractions including the second tallest rollercoaster in Europe.
     * Sandcastle Waterworld - A indoor Swimming Pool with Slides and
       Waves. Next to the South Pier.
     * Blackpool Tower & Circus - A huge complex of leisure facilities,
       entertainment venues and restaurants. Included is the famous
       Blackpool Tower, Tower Ballroom and Tower Circus.
     * Grand Theatre - Victorian theatre designed by Frank Matcham.
     * Winter Gardens - Large entertainment and conference venue in the
       town centre. Includes the Opera House (one of the largest theatres
       in Europe), Pavilion Theatre, Empress Ballroom, Spanish Hall, Arena
       and Olympia.
     * North Pier - The northernmost of Blackpool's three piers. It
       includes a small shopping arcade, a small tramway and a theatre at
       the end. It was damaged by a 1997 Christmas windstorm
     * Central Pier - The middle pier. It includes a large theme park and
       shopping.
     * South Pier - The southernmost pier. Almost directly opposite the
       Pleasure Beach, it houses a large theme park.
     * Louis Tussaud's Waxworks - Similar to the famous Madame Tussauds,
       featuring wax models of celebrities, musicians, sports
       personalities and the famous Chamber of Horrors
     * The beach - Stretching from the North Pier to the South Pier. One
       of the main natural attractions for tourists.

Notable people from Blackpool

     * Ian Anderson - musician (Jethro Tull)
     * David Ball - musician ( Soft Cell)
     * Zoë Ball - British TV and radio presenter
     * Roy Harper - musician
     * Matty Kay - The youngest player to make Blackpool F.C.'s first
       team.
     * Jethro Tull - rock band
     * Chris Lowe - musician - ( Pet Shop Boys) (attended Arnold School)
     * John Mahoney - actor ( Frasier)
     * Graham Nash ( The Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young))
     * Coleen Nolan - singer and TV presenter
     * Chris Patten - politician and former Hong Kong governor
     * Maddy Prior - singer ( Steeleye Span)
     * Peter Purves - TV presenter
     * Alistair Cooke - journalist and commentator (educated at Blackpool
       Grammar School)
     * William Regal - ( World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler)
     * John Robb - TV presenter, musician
     * Michael Smith - Nobel Prize-winning chemist
     * Robert Smith - musician ( The Cure)
     * Andy Summers - musician - ( The Police)
     * David Thewlis - actor (Professor Lupin in Harry Potter and the
       Prisoner of Azkaban)
     * Ricky Tomlinson - actor (Jim Royle in The Royle Family)
     * Shelly Woods - elite wheelchair athlete

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
