Chapter XI: Blackpool (2)

The summer of 1827 is remarkable as having been an exceptionally prosperous season for Blackpool; vast numbers of carts and other vehicles laden with their living freights arrived from Blackburn, Burnley, Colne, Padiham, and the borders of Yorkshire, and during the month of August so crowded was the place that many were lodged in stables and barns, whilst others sought refuge at Poulton. The following year a fine gravel promenade was tastefully laid out on the sea bank to a considerable distance, occupying a large portion of the site of the old road. A beautiful green turf walk was constructed from the beach to the church, leading through pleasant fields, and furnished at intervals with covered seats. The Albion Hotel was also erected at the north-west corner of Lane Ends Street.

Mr. Whittle, in his publication descriptive, amongst other resorts, of Blackpool in 1830, and entitled “Marina,” says:—“Blackpool is furnished with excellent accommodation, although it is a pity but what there had been some kind of uniformity observed, as all sea-bathing stations ought to have their houses built upon a plan entirely unique. Four assemblies have been known to take place in one week during the bathing season, extending from July to October. In fact the rooms at the hotels are very extensive. Bank’s is the most commodious. The inhabitants seem to have no taste for ornamenting their doorways or windows with trellis work or verandahs, or with jessamines, woodbines, or hollyhocks, similar to those at Southport, and many of the sea-bathing situations in the south. It is not to be wondered at that there are here frequently at the flux of the season, from eight hundred to a thousand visitors. Blackpool has most certainly been honoured since its commencement as a watering-place by persons of distinction and fashion. The hotels and other houses of reception are scattered along the beach with an aspect towards the Irish Sea; and in the rear are the dwellings of the villagers. The cottages on the beach have of late years considerably increased, and they serve, with the hotels in the centre, to give the place, when viewed from the sea, a large and imposing appearance.”

The ball and dining-room at Nickson’s Hotel, (the Clifton Arms,) was of large dimensions, and contained a neat orchestra at one end, whilst the following notice was suspended in a prominent position against the inner wall:—

“The friends of Cuthbert Nickson will please to observe that the
senior person at the hotel is entitled to the president’s chair;
and the junior to the vice-president’s. Also the ladies to have
the preference of the bathing machines.”

Placards, similar in their import to this one, were to be seen in both Dickson’s and Bank’s Hotels.

The new promenade was improved in 1830 by the addition of a wooden hand-rail along its entire length, whilst comfortable seats were placed opposite the hotels of Banks and Nickson. The fairs, to which we have already alluded, continued to be held every second Sunday during the season, but a few years later they were abolished by the action of the more respectable portion of the residents. Letters arrived at half-past eleven in the morning, and were despatched at noon, daily in the summer months, but only three times a week during winter. Mr. Cook, an American, was the originator of the post, which he commenced some time before by having the letters carried to Kirkham three times a week during the season. At that day the arrival of the letter-bag was made known to the anxious public by exposing a board on which was written or painted, “The post is arrived.” This ingenious device proclaimed, on reversing the board, “The post is not yet arrived;” so that by a proper use of the signal the postmaster was enabled to save himself much trouble in answering the frequent inquiries of expectant visitors. Mr. Cook, who is described as having been the “Beau Nash” of Blackpool, died in 1820, and was buried at Bispham. The charges at the best hotels were 6s. per day in private and 5s. in public, with an addition of 1s. each night for a front, or 6d. for a back, bedroom. At Bonny’s the price was 4s. 6d. per day; and at Nickson’s and the Yorkshire House 3s. 6d. per day at the first table, and 2s. 6d. at the second, subject to an additional charge for extra attendance if required.

The census returns of 1831 showed that the population of the township had increased to 943 persons since 1821, when, the reader may be reminded, the total amounted to 749.

In 1835, a Wesleyan chapel, calculated to hold between 250 and 300 persons, was erected and opened in Bank Hey Street. This building, having in the course of time become inadequate for the accommodation of its increasing congregation, was pulled down, and the corner stone of the present edifice laid by W. Heap, esq., of Halifax, on Friday, November 1st., 1861. The chapel, which occupies a site near the old one, was opened for service on the 4th of July, 1862, and is capable of seating 760 persons. The total expenditure for the erection and other incidental expenses connected with it, amounted to £3,500. An organ, built by Mr. E. Wadsworth, of Manchester, at a cost of £320, was obtained in 1872.

During 1836 great improvements were made in the appearance of the town; shops were beautified and increased in number; many of the cottages were rendered more ornamental, whilst others were constructed on modern principles, and on a moderate calculation it may be estimated that two hundred beds were added to the existing accommodation. Sir Benjamin Heywood, bart., of Claremont, purchased an extensive plot of land, now occupied by the Prince of Wales’s Market and Aquarium Buildings, on which he shortly afterwards raised a handsome marine family residence, called West Hey. Numerous and copious springs of fine fresh water were found at a depth of fifteen yards from the surface; until which fortunate discovery, water for drinking purposes had been collected in cisterns dug out of the marl. Public Baths were also erected on the beach adjoining the Lane Ends Hotel.

The following year, 1837, the Victoria Terrace and Promenade, erected at the north-west corner of Victoria Street, were completed. This block of buildings was formed of seven shops, above them being the Promenade, a room thirty-two yards long, which opened through folding windows upon a balcony six feet wide; attached to it were a news-room, library, and billiard table. The Promenade acquired its distinctive title from being first used on the 24th of May, 1837, when the Princess Victoria, the present Queen, attained her legal majority; on that day the principal inhabitants of Blackpool assembled there to celebrate the important event with a sumptuous dinner, and from the subjoined extract, taken from an account of the gathering in a public print, we learn the great estimation in which the saloon was then held:—

“ ... dinner and excellent wine provided by Mr. C. Nickson, to
which fifty-two gentlemen sat down, in the splendid Promenade
Room newly erected by Doctor Cocker, who was highly extolled
for his taste in the architectural design and decorations of
the building, which is of the chaste Doric order, and for his
spirited liberality in providing the visitors of this celebrated
resort with so spacious and magnificent a saloon, where, as in
a common centre, they may meet each other and enjoy the social
pleasures of a _conversatione_ whenever they please; thus
evincing his wish to promote a more friendly intercourse amongst
the strangers collected here from all quarters of the kingdom
during the summer season—this has hitherto been a _desideratum_
at Blackpool.”

For long afterwards balls and all public meetings were held in this assembly room, which still exists in its original condition, although the other parts of the block, especially the shops, have recently been improved and beautified.

From 1837 to 1840 the progress of the place was steady, but not rapid, as compared with more recent times. In the latter year the opening of the Preston and Wyre Railway to Poulton, initiated a mode of travelling until then unknown in the Fylde district, and by its means Blackpool became nearer in point of time to Preston, Manchester, and many other large towns already possessing railway accommodation, a great accession of company being the immediate result. Omnibuses, coaches, and other carriages met every train at Poulton station, and the four miles of road were scampered over by splendid teams in less than half an hour. Then it was that the jolting, homely vehicles, and the through coaches, which had for long been the dashing wonders of the country roads, were driven off, and a greatly multiplied number of visitors brought into the town daily by the more expeditious route, at a less cost and with greater personal convenience than had been possible in earlier days. More accommodation was soon called for and as readily supplied by the spirited inhabitants, who erected numerous houses at several points, which served, at no distant period, as the nucleus for new streets and terraces. The census of the township in 1841 had risen to 2,168. In 1844 the erection and opening of a Market House, evinced the growing importance and prosperity of the watering-place; this building has lately, since 1872, been enlarged by lateral extension to quite double its original capacity, whilst the extensive unprotected area opposite, used for similar trading purposes and occupied by stalls, has been covered over with a transparent roof. Talbot Road was opened out and the lower end formed into a spacious square, (furnished with an elegant drinking fountain in 1870) by the removal of a house from its centre. These improvements were effected at the sole cost of John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham, the owner of the soil. The Adelphi and Victoria Hotels, which had sprung into being, were altered and enlarged; the former by raising it a story, and the latter by the addition of a commodious dining room, two sitting rooms, and sundry bedrooms. Several spacious residences were finished on South Beach, and a handsome terrace of habitations stretching south from Dickson’s Hotel, was also erected about that time.

In 1845, several houses on a larger scale, including the Talbot Hotel, were built, and great improvements and additions made to many former establishments.

The opening of the branch line from Blackpool to join the main railroad at Poulton, on the 29th of April, 1846, gave another marked impetus to the progress of the town; by its formation direct steam communication was completed with the populous centres of Lancashire and Yorkshire, and many, who had previously been deterred from visiting Blackpool by its comparative inaccessibility, now flocked down to its shores in great numbers; building increased, and dwellings arose, chiefly on the front, and in Church and Victoria Streets.

During the ensuing year the first meeting of the Blackpool Agricultural Society was held on the grounds of a recently built inn, the Manchester Hotel, at South Shore; the attendance was both numerous and respectable, including many of the most influential gentlemen, yeomen, and farmers of the neighbourhood, and several from the remoter localities of the Fylde. Cows, horses, and pigs appear to have been the only stocks to which prizes were awarded. The first Lodge of Freemasons held their initiatory meeting in that year at the Beach Hotel, another house of entertainment which had risen shortly before, on the site of some furnished cottage facing the beach.

A new Independent Chapel was commenced in Victoria Street, to supersede the small one erected in Chapel Street in 1825; the edifice was finished and used for divine service in 1849. Serious differences seem to have arisen a few years later between the pastor of that date, the Rev. J. Noall, and a limited section of his congregation, who were anxious to deprive him of his charge, and even went so far, in 1860, as to publicly read in the chapel, after morning service, a notice convening a meeting for that purpose. This act, being repeated on the ensuing Sabbath, led to retaliation on the part of the partizans of the minister, who, unknown to that gentleman, paraded three figures, intended to represent the three principal opponents to the continuance of his pastorate, suspended from a gibbet, which had been erected in a cart, through the streets of the town, and afterwards gave them up to the flames on the sands. The Rev. J. Noall was shortly afterwards presented with a testimonial of esteem by a number of sympathisers. Schools, in connection with the chapel, were built in 1870.

Two years subsequently, the watering-place had grown, without the fostering care of a public governing body, into a large and prosperous town, boasting a resident population of over two thousand persons, but this very increase and popularity had rendered it impossible for private enterprise to provide the requisite comforts and conveniences for such a mixture of classes as visited it during the summer. Acting under this necessity and for the welfare of the resort a Local Board was formed, composed of gentlemen elected from amongst inhabitants, into whose hands was entrusted the government and regulation of all matters connected with the place. An accession of power was sought in 1853, and on Tuesday, the 14th of June, the Blackpool Improvement Act received the royal assent. The Board originally consisted of nine members, but in 1871 the number was increased to eighteen.

One of the earliest acts of the new commissioners of 1853 was to provide for the proper lighting of the town by the erection of Gas Works, which they accomplished in their first year of office; for some time it had been evident that the season was seriously curtailed by the absence of any illumination along the promenade and thoroughfares during the autumn evenings, but private speculation had for some reason held aloof from so important an undertaking, although the question had been much discussed amongst the inhabitants. Here it may be stated, in order to avoid reverting to the subject again, that in 1863 there were 650 consumers of gas; in 1869, 1270; and in 1875, no less than 2,000; the miles of mains in those years being respectively 5, 7, and 12.

In 1856, the promenade, which had suffered much injury from frequent attacks of the sea, and perhaps from some amount of negligence in not bestowing due attention to its proper maintenance, was put in better order and extended from its northern extremity, opposite Talbot Square, along the front of Albert Terrace as far as Rossall’s, formerly Dickson’s Hotel. Four years later a portion of this walk opposite Central Beach was asphalted and sprinkled over with fine white spar. The Infant School-house in Bank Hey Street, was opened in 1856.

The Roman Catholic Church, situated in Talbot Road, was erected in 1857, from the design of Edwin W. Pugin, Esq., and at the sole expense of Miss M. Tempest, sister to Sir Charles Tempest, Bart., of Broughton Hall, Yorkshire. It is in the Gothic style, the exterior being built with Yorkshire flag in narrow courses, hammer dressed and tuck pointed. The church comprises a chancel, north and south transepts, two sacristies, confessionals, nave, aisles, south porch, and central western tower. The chancel, which is separated from the nave and transepts by a richly decorated and moulded arch, contains four side windows in addition to a large one at the east end. The nave is divided into five bays of fifteen feet each, with massive arches ornamented with deeply cut mouldings. The tower is of great solidity, and rises to a height of one hundred and twenty-four feet. Almost the whole of the windows are filled with richly stained glass; and the altar within the chancel is beautified with elaborately carved groups, designed by J. H. Powell, of Birmingham, of the “Agony in the Garden,” and the “Last Supper;” whilst that in the lady chapel is adorned, from the pencil of the same artist, with illustrations of the “Assumption of the Virgin,” and the “Annunciation,” all of which are exquisitely carved by Lane. This church is dedicated to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and was the first one ever erected in Blackpool for members of the Roman Catholic Faith, service having been previously celebrated in a room in Talbot Road. In 1866 an excellent peal of cast steel bells was added to the tower; and ten years afterwards a magnificent organ was opened in the main building. Attached to the church, and within the same enclosure, were placed day and Sunday schools, as well as a residence for the officiating priests. The cost of this magnificent pile, without the internal decorations, amounted to £5,500.

The foundation stone of the Union Baptist Chapel, in Abingdon Street, was laid on the 9th of April, 1860, and on Good Friday in the following year it was opened for divine worship by the Rev. Dr. Raffles. The main building, 80 feet long by 49 feet wide, is of brick, and finished with moulded and polished stone dressings in the Grecian style of architecture. The principal or west front is surmounted by a bold cornice and pediment, and contains the two chief entrances, which are approached by a long range of steps and a spacious landing. The interior is fitted with substantial open pews of red pine in the body, and similar seats are placed in the two end galleries, the whole being capable of providing accommodation for about 650 persons. The communion floor, under a portion of which is the Baptistry, is enclosed with an ornamental balustrade. The edifice is well supplied with light through plain circular-headed windows. A Sunday school was added in 1874, and an organ also purchased during that year. From 1858 to the completion of the chapel the Baptists worshipped in the room formerly used by the Roman Catholics in Talbot Road.

In 1861, the progress and improvement of the town was well shown by three events which occurred at that date—the first sod of the Lytham and Blackpool coast line was cut at Lytham Park, on the 4th of September; a large Market Hall, raised on South Beach, by Mr. W. Read, for the sale of useful and fancy articles was completed; and the original Christ Church was opened on Sunday the 23rd of June, by the Rev. C. H. Wainwright, M.A. This church, which stood until the erection of the present one, was built of iron by Mr. Hemming, of London, at a cost of £1,000, which was advanced by eight gentlemen, who were subsequently reimbursed by contributions from the public and collections from the congregation at various times.

The population of Layton-with-Warbreck in 1861 amounted to 3,907 persons, of which number Blackpool contributed 3,506.

The passenger traffic on the Blackpool and Lytham Railway commenced on the 6th of April, 1862, and between that date and the 30th of June over 35,000 persons had taken advantage of the line and been conveyed between the two watering-places. In 1862 a handsome Police Station and Court-House sprang into being in Abingdon street, including residences, lock-ups, offices, magistrates’ room, etc.

The streets of Blackpool no longer presented the meagre and broken lines of earlier days, but were in most instances well filled on each side with compact blocks of houses. In December, 1861, a few of the townpeople assembled at the Clifton Arms Hotel to consider the advisability of erecting a pier, to extend westward from the promenade opposite Talbot square; and on the 22nd of January, 1862, the memorandum of association was signed with a capital of £12,000, being immediately registered. Plans were examined on the 10th of February, and the design of E. Birch, esq., C.E., selected, that gentleman being also appointed engineer. In April, the tender of Messrs. Laidlaw, of Glasgow, to construct the pier for £11,540 was accepted; and a grant of the foreshore required for the undertaking having been obtained from the Duchy of Lancaster for £120, and £7 paid to the Crown for the portion beyond low-water mark, the first pile of the North Pier was screwed into the marl on the 27th of June, 1862, by Captain Francis Preston, the chairman of the company. A violent storm in the ensuing October damaged the works to some extent, and induced the company to raise the deck of the pier three feet above the altitude originally proposed, at an expense of £2,000. On the 21st of May, 1863, the pier was formally opened by Captain Preston, the auspicious event being celebrated by general rejoicings throughout the town and a procession of the different schools and friendly societies. The dimensions of the erection at that date were:—Approach, 80 feet long; abutment, 120 feet long and 45 feet wide; main portion, 1,070 feet long and 28 feet wide; and the head, 135 feet long and 55 feet wide, giving a total length of 1,405 feet available as a promenade. The entire superstructure was placed upon clusters of iron piles, fixed vertically into the ground by means of screws, those at the abutment and main body being wholly of cast, and those at the head partly of cast and partly of wrought iron. The largest of the cast-iron columns measured 12 inches in diameter, and 1⅓ inch in thickness, each column being filled in with concrete. The piles were arranged in clusters at intervals of 60 feet, and firmly secured together longitudinally, transversely, and diagonally, by rods and braces. The main girders, of the sort known as plated, were rivetted on the clusters in lengths of 70 feet, and formed parapets, presenting a pleasing appearance and constituting a most efficient wind guard to the pier. The tops of the girders were turned to useful account by converting them into a continuous line of seats. Next to the chief girders were fixed transverse wrought iron girders, upon the top of which the planking of the deck was laid, being arranged in longitudinal and transverse layers, so that no open spaces were left to admit the passage of wind or spray. The head of the pier, rectangular in form, was raised 50 feet above low-water mark, and leading from it to ample landing stages below, was a flight of steps 10 feet wide. The limits of the pier shore-wards were defined by ornamental iron gates with lamps, immediately inside which were the toll houses. Upon the main portion of the pier were erected several ornamental shelter and refreshment houses of an octagonal shape, and standing on side projections. Another ornamental shelter house of much larger dimensions was placed, within a few months, on the head. Lamps were provided along the entire length of the pier. In 1867 the directors determined to erect an iron extension or jetty, and in less than two years the work was accomplished at a cost of £6,000. During the month of May, 1869, a tender for the formation of the present entrance for £2,700 was accepted, and the agreement promptly carried out by Messrs. Laidlaw, of Glasgow. In October, 1874, the company arranged with the same contractors to enlarge the pierhead by putting out two wings, from the designs of E. Birch, esq., C.E., at an expenditure of £14,000. On the north wing it is intended to build a pavilion, 130 feet long by 90 feet wide, in an eastern style of architecture, and estimated to hold 1,200 persons seated. The edifice, around which there will be a promenade, is to be supplied with an orchestra, refreshment rooms, etc., and used as a concert room and fashionable marine lounge. The south wing, which is about 130 feet long, contains a bandstand, capable of holding 30 performers, at the further end, and on the east and west side two other buildings 62 feet by 27 feet each, the former being designed for the purposes of a restaurant, and the latter for the sale of fancy goods and other commodities. The unoccupied space, nearly 100 feet by 80 feet, will be provided with seats in the centre, the remainder serving as a promenade. The contract for the foregoing erections was let in 1875, to Messrs. Robert Neill and Sons, of Manchester, for nearly £12,000. In 1863, the capital of the company was raised to £15,000; in 1864, to £20,000; in 1865, to £25,000; in 1874, to £40,000; and in 1875, to £50,000.

About the period when the North Pier was constructed, and for years previously, the visitors to Blackpool could certainly complain of no lack of ordinary amusements during their brief residence by the sea. Horses, donkeys, and vehicles were ever in readiness to administer to their entertainment, either by conveying them for short drives to explore such objects of interest as the country afforded, or translating them for the day to the seaport of Fleetwood, or the neighbouring resort of Lytham. Bathing machines abounded on the sands, and during suitable states of the tide were busily engaged in affording ready access to the briny element to numbers, who were anxious to experience the invigorating effects of a bath in Neptune’s domain. In the evenings theatrical representations were frequently held, since 1861, in the spacious room of Read’s Market. The Crystal Palace, formerly the Victoria Promenade, was also devoted to similar purposes, having long been diverted from the use for which it was first intended. The Number 3 Hotel, under its old name, but in a more modern building than that described by Mr. Hutton at the close of last century, still flourished, and proved equally attractive, not so much, however, on account of its “fine ale” as the wealth of strawberries and floral beauties adorning its gardens. Carleton Terrace was built in 1863; and on the 10th of March in that year the marriage of the Prince of Wales and the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, was celebrated with many manifestations of loyalty and joy. Flags, banners, and ensigns were suspended from the windows of almost every house, whilst sports of various kinds were held on the sands during the morning, after which the school children, belonging to the different denominations, and a body of Oddfellows, amounting in all to 900 persons, assembled in Talbot Square, and sang the national anthem, previous to forming a procession and parading the streets of the town. Subsequently the children were regaled with tea, buns, etc. The Preston Banking Company established a branch at Blackpool during 1863; and in the month of January a party of gentlemen purchased the whole of the land lying between the site of Carleton terrace and the Gynn, for the purpose of laying it out in building plots and promenades, the main feature to be a large central hotel standing in its own grounds. The contracts were let by the company in October, 1863, for embanking, sewering, and forming the necessary roads and promenades on their estate, and shortly afterwards an agreement was entered into for preparing the foundation of the hotel, the work in both instances being promptly commenced. The magnitude of the scheme far exceeded that of any undertaking which had ever yet been attempted in Blackpool, but undisturbed by the speculative character of their venture the proprietors carried the enterprise through its various phases with a liberal and vigorous hand, succeeding in the course of time in creating an acquisition of incalculable beauty and benefit to the town. The Imperial Hotel has its station on the highest point of the land, now called Claremont Park, and is a palatial edifice, surrounded by elegant lawns and walks, walled off from the park outside. In 1876 an extensive enlargement, consisting of a south wing, containing 39 bedrooms and 6 sitting-rooms, was made to the establishment. The cliffs fronting the estate, formerly rugged and uneven, were sloped and pitched to form a protection from the inroads of the tide, whilst a broad marine promenade was made along the whole length of the park, about a mile, and fenced with an iron railing on its open aspect. The main promenade of the town was continued round the west side of the park as far as the Gynn, but on a lower level than the walk just indicated. Shrubs were planted and toll houses, with gates, fixed at the entrances to the estate, all of which was enclosed with railings. The splendid residences denominated Stanley Villas, Wilton Parade, Imperial Terrace, and Lansdowne Crescent were not dilatory in rearing their several heads in a locality so congenial to their aristocratic proclivities, the foundations of the last being prepared in 1864.

In 1864 the Lane Ends Hotel was levelled to the ground, and the present handsome structure, in the Italian style of architecture, raised on the site, being re-opened again two years later. The foundation stone of the United Methodist Free Church was laid in Adelaide Street on the 30th of March, in the year specified, by James Sidebottom, esq., of Manchester, service being held in the building in the course of a few months; whilst the newly-arrived lifeboat was launched, and the first supply of the Fylde Waterworks Company passed through their pipes to Blackpool on the 20th of July. The station of the lifeboat, named the “Robert William,” is situated near the beach at South Shore, close to the Manchester Hotel; and here we may mention that this boat, under the skilful and intrepid management of its crew and coxswain, has been instrumental on several occasions in affording aid in time of shipwreck. Amongst these instances may be noted the rescue of a crew of fourteen persons belonging to the barque “Susan L. Campbell,” wrecked on Salthouse Bank on the 11th April, 1867, assistance being rendered also to the barque “A. L. Routh”; and the rescue of the crew of the schooner “Glyde,” stranded on the South Beach on the same eventful morning. The annual expense incurred in the support of this valuable institution is defrayed by voluntary contributions.

The unflagging efforts of the inhabitants to promote the comfort of their visitors in matters of household convenience and accommodation, and to render their sojourns by the shore productive of pleasurable, as well as healthful, sensations, were manifestly well appreciated by those for whose benefit they were intended. The daily crowds parading the recently-erected pier were satisfactory evidence of the high estimation in which that elegant addition to the attractions of the place was held, whilst the thronged thoroughfares during the heat of summer bore witness to the growing affection which Blackpool was gaining for itself in the hearts of the million. Active exertions were necessary on the part of the builders to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for more extended residential provision, houses being scarcely completed before the eager tenants had established themselves in their new domiciles. The greater portion of the Clifton Arms Hotel was pulled down in the autumn of 1865, and rebuilt on an enlarged and improved scale, being finished and ready for occupation in the ensuing spring. On the 20th of June, 1865, the first members of the Blackpool Volunteer Artillery Corps, amounting to about 60 men, took the oath customary on enrolment, and at the same meeting appointed their officers. Ten years later a commodious drill-shed was erected for their use.

In 1866 the temporary iron church, to which allusion has been made in a late page, was superseded by the existing substantial one in Queen Street, bearing the name of its predecessor. The edifice was opened for divine service on Thursday, the 3rd of May, by the Rev. E. B. Chalmers, M.A., of Salford, but was not consecrated until 1870. The architecture is an early and simple style of decorated Gothic, with thick walls and prominently projecting buttresses. The east and west ends are lighted respectively by four and five-light traceried windows and lancets. The steeple, which is well buttressed, has in its upper stage a belfry for six bells, and is surmounted by a vane. Until recent additions were made, the church contained sittings for 1,000 persons. The building originally comprised a broad nave, with a central aisle and two side passages giving access to the seats, all of which were open benches with sloping backs; north and south transepts with galleries, lighted by bay windows; a spacious chancel, with north and south aisles, the former being fitted up as a vestry, and the latter used as the organ-chamber; a spacious porch at the west end, with a wide double door; a west gallery extending over the porch, and approached by a staircase along the basement of the tower; and a baptistry covered with a separate hipped roof. The alterations just alluded to were carried out in 1874, and consisted of the erection of north and south aisles to the nave, providing accommodation for about 300 more worshippers. The district assigned to Christ Church in 1872 was converted into a parish in 1874, and the title of vicar given to the incumbent. The Rev. C. H. Wainwright, M.A., to whose exertions the new structure mainly owes its existence, was the first incumbent, and is the present vicar. The schools connected with the church are situated in Queen Street, and were built in 1872.

During the year 1866 the Lancaster Banking Company and the Manchester and County Banking Company each opened a branch in Blackpool, and like the Preston Bank, previously referred to, now transact business daily.

In July, 1867, the Prince of Wales Arcade on Central Beach was finished and opened, comprising a block of building, with extensive market accommodation, assembly rooms, etc., erected on the site between the Beach and Royal Hotels in an imposing and ornamental style of architecture; and on the 19th of December, the corner stone of the Temperance Hall in Coronation Street was laid by the Rev. R. Crook, and in the following July the erection was completed and opened. The temperance movement had been commenced in Blackpool four years anterior to that date, when a Band of Hope in connection with the United Methodist Free Church was formed, and the number of its members increased so rapidly in the intervening time that it was considered advisable to build the present Hall for their meetings, and for those of others who were interested in the same cause.

The marked success which had attended the construction of the North Pier induced a company of gentlemen to erect a similar one, running seaward from the margin of the promenade at the south of Blackpool. The first pile was screwed in July, 1867, and on the 30th of May, 1868, the South Pier and Jetty were thrown open to the public without any inaugural ceremony. It is built of wrought iron and timber, and has the following dimensions:—Total length 1,518 feet, the main promenade being 1,118 feet, and the lower promenade or jetty 400 feet; the entrance is on an abutment 60 feet wide, where there are gates, toll-houses, waiting and retiring-rooms; the pier head is rectangular in form, and composed of strong timber, containing an area of 8,120 superficial feet. The chief promenade is furnished with seats on each side throughout its whole length, together with twelve recesses, on which are shops for the sale of fancy articles and refreshments. On the head of the pier are placed two large waiting and refreshment rooms, as well as a commodious shelter and wind guard. At the extremity of the jetty is a beacon and light as required by the authorities at Trinity House.

In 1868 a magnificent pile of buildings, erected in Talbot Square, and called the Arcade and Assembly Rooms, was completed. This structure contains a basement and arcade of very elegant shops, a restaurant, refreshment and billiard rooms, together with a handsome and spacious saloon, surrounded within by a gallery, and furnished with a neat stage for theatrical representations and other entertainments. Several sleeping apartments were added in 1874, and a certain section of the edifice arranged as a private hotel.

The promenade had always been esteemed so much the property of the house and land owners on the front of the beach that to them was delegated the onerous duty of maintaining in repair such portions of the hulking as ran before each of their possessions, the walk itself being kept in order and supported by subscriptions amongst the visitors and residents generally. Under this arrangement although the embankment was ensured from being carried away by the waves, there was no certainty that its upper surface would invariably present that neat and finished appearance so necessary to the success of a marine promenade. Voluntary contributions are in most instances but a precarious support on which to rely exclusively, and at Blackpool their unfortunate characteristic was prominently exemplified, more particularly during the earlier years of the watering-place, when visitors, whom the summer had drawn to the coast, too frequently discovered their favourite lounge in a state far from attractive to the pedestrian. Recently there had been comparatively little cause for complaint as to the condition in which each opening season found the promenade, but it was felt on all sides that the day had arrived when a new and much more extensive walk should be laid out, and that the responsibility of maintaining both it and the fence in proper order should devolve upon the town, from the funds, or rather borrowing powers, of which it was proposed to carry out the undertaking. In 1865 a special act of parliament had been obtained with this object by the Local Board of Health, at a cost of £2,159, by which permission to borrow up to £30,000 was granted, but no active steps were then taken, and three years later a supplemental act was procured to borrow up to an amount which, when added to the amount already in hand under the former act, would not exceed altogether two years’ assessable value, the whole to be repaid within a period of fifty years from the date of receiving the loan. There were other difficulties to encounter, notwithstanding that the Board had the power of compulsory purchased granted, in the buying of land to prosecute the purpose of the act. These were ultimately overcome by arbitration in cases where disputes had arisen. A supplemental act in 1867 allowed the board to amend and curtail several clauses in the original act, the first of which was to abridge the dimensions of the proposed work, the second to empower the levying of rates according to the act of 1865 on the completion of each section of the undertaking, and the third to extend the time for the compulsory purchase of land from three to five years. According to the act the commissioners gained a right to collect tolls for the usage of the promenade from all persons not assessed or liable to be assessed by any rate leviable by the Local Board of Health, with the exception of those crossing to the piers. This power, it may be stated, was not intended to be, and never has been, put in force. The promenade proposed to be made would reach from Carleton Terrace to the further end of South Shore, a distance of about two miles; and the work was divided into three sections, the first of which, begun in 1868, was let to Mr. Robert Carlisle, contractor, for £16,043, and extended from South Shore to the Fox Hall Hotel. The storm which occurred on January 31st, 1869, washed away 350 yards of the newly-constructed sea fence and carriage-drive, with about 16,000 cubic yards of embankment, and about 6,000 square yards of pitching. Another storm which took place on the 28th of February, added considerably to the damage just stated, by tearing down a length of 250 yards, which was entirely completed, so that the total injury inflicted by the waves during the gale represented 600 lineal yards of sea fence, carriage-drive, and promenade, comprising 21,000 cubic yards of embankment, all of which had to be replaced from the shore at a considerable expense, in addition to 9,500 square yards of pitching, etc., connected therewith. No. 2 section, running from the Fox Hall Hotel to the New Inn, was contracted for by a Manchester gentleman at £3,964, but in consequence of his not being able to carry out the work, it was re-let, and Mr. Chatburn succeeded him on the increased terms of £4,942. No. 3 section, stretching from the New Inn to the southern extremity of Carleton Terrace, was also constructed by Mr. Robert Carlisle, at a cost of £10,356. The whole of the ironwork was supplied by Mr. Clayton, of Preston, and necessitated an expenditure of £3,275. The sea fence consists of a sloping breastwork, pitched with stones on a thick bed of clay puddle, the interstices between the stones having been filled in with asphalt or cement concrete. The slope is curvilinear, and one in four on an average. Next to the breast is the promenade and carriage-drive. The promenade is seven yards wide, and has an even surface of asphalting, being separated from the carriage-drive by a line of side stones. In order to obtain space between the houses and the sea for the promenade and carriage-drive, a part of the shore was regained by an embankment along South Shore, and along the northern district by an iron viaduct, which projects considerably over the sea fence, and encircles the marine aspect of Bailey’s Hotel. The floor of the viaduct is formed with patent buckled plates, filled in with concrete, and finished with asphalt. The plates are fixed to rolled joists, and supported on neat cast-iron columns, screwed down into the solid. The west front of the promenade is guarded by an iron railing, and furnished at intervals with seats of the same material, situated on the embankment to the south, and on projecting ledges of the viaduct along the northern length. The carriage-drive, twelve yards wide, runs parallel with the promenade throughout the entire extent, and is formed of shingle, clay, and macadam. It has a footway along the frontages of the adjoining property, the whole being well drained and lighted with gas. The complete structure was finished and formally opened to the public on Easter Monday, 18th of April, 1870, by Colonel Wilson-Patten, M.P., the present Lord Winmarleigh. The town was profusely decorated with bunting of every hue; triumphal arches of evergreens and ensigns spanned many of the thoroughfares, notably Talbot Road and along the front; whilst an immense procession, consisting of the Artillery Volunteers, Yeomanry in uniform, trades with their emblems, friendly societies, schools, etc., headed by a band, and comprising in its ranks no less than twelve mayors from important towns of Lancashire, conducted Colonel Wilson-Patten to that portion of the promenade opposite Talbot Square, where the ceremony of declaring the walk accessible for public traffic was gone through. During the evening the watering-place was illuminated, and the eventful day closed with a large ball, held in honour of the occasion.

The wisdom of the authorities in having Blackpool provided with a marine promenade and a frontage unrivalled by any on the coasts of England was soon evinced by the increase in the stream of visitors poured into the place during the summer months. Fresh houses for their accommodation were being rapidly erected in many parts of the town, and everywhere there were ample evidences that prosperity was dealing liberally with the town. The wooden railings, which heretofore had been deemed sufficiently ornamental fences for the residences facing the sea, were removed, and elegant iron ones substituted, apportioning to each habitation its own plot of sward or garden. The proprietor of Bailey’s Hotel hastened to follow the example which had been set by those who were interested in the Clifton Arms and Lane Ends Hotels, and commenced a series of levellings and rebuildings, under the superintendence and according to the designs of Messrs. Speakman and Charlesworth, architects, of Manchester, which extended over several years, and have now rendered the hotel one of the most imposing and handsome edifices in the watering-place. Further alterations, consisting in the erection of shops on a vacant piece of land lying on the north side of the hotel, in the same style of architecture, and continuous with it, were carried out in 1876.

In 1871 a project was launched for purchasing Raikes Hall with the estate belonging thereto, situated on the east aspect of Blackpool, and converting the latter into a park and pleasure gardens. In that year a company was formed, entitled the Raikes Hall Park, Gardens, and Aquarium Company, and the land obtained without delay. Vigorous operations were at once commenced to render the grounds of the old mansion suitable for the purposes held in view, whilst the building itself speedily underwent sundry alterations and additions in its transformation into a refreshment house on a large scale. A spacious terrace, walks, promenades, and flower beds were laid out, and an extensive conservatory constructed with all haste, and in the summer after gaining possession of the estate, the works had so far progressed that the public were admitted at a small charge per head. Since that date a dancing platform has been put down, an immense pavillion erected, and many other changes effected in the wide enclosure. Pyrotechnic displays, acrobatic performances, etc., are held in the gardens, which comprise about 40 statute acres, during the season, whilst agricultural shows and other meetings occasionally take place within its boundaries. An extensive lake was formed in 1875, and an excellent race-course marked out. Raikes Hall has a brief history of its own, and was erected about the middle of the eighteenth century by a Mr. Butcher, who resided there. Tradition affirms that this gentleman sprang suddenly into an ample fortune from a station of obscurity and poverty, giving rise to a supposition that he had appropriated to his own uses a large mass of wealth asserted to have been lost at that time in a vessel wrecked on the coast. It is probable, however, that the foregoing is merely an idle tale, utterly unworthy of credence. Mr. Butcher, who was succeeded by his son, died in 1769, at the ripe age of 80, and was interred in Bispham churchyard, the following words being inscribed on his tombstone:—

“His pleasure was to give or lend,
He always stood a poor man’s friend.”

The mansion and estate were purchased by William Hornby, esq., of Kirkham, shortly before his death in 1824, and by him bequeathed to his brother John Hornby, esq., of Blackburn, who married Alice Kendall, a widow, and the daughter of Daniel Backhouse, esq., of Liverpool. Daniel Hornby, esq., the eldest son of that union, inherited the property on the decease of his father in 1841, and took up his abode at the Hall until the early part of 1860, when he left the neighbourhood. Raikes Hall then became the seat of a Roman Catholic Convent School, which continued in possession for several years, until the new and handsome edifice standing on a rising ground in Little Layton was erected and ready for its reception. Shortly after the removal of the school the land and residence were purchased by the company above named, and their aspects began to undergo the changes already indicated. The census returns of the township collected in 1871, furnished a total of 7,902 persons, all of whom, with the exception of an insignificant proportion, were resident in Blackpool.

In consequence of a letter from the Secretary of State, giving notice that the burial ground in connection with St. John’s Church must be closed after the 31st of December, 1871, the responsibility of providing a suitable place for interments was thrown upon the authorities, and the members of the Local Board of Health formed themselves into a Burial Board, their first meeting being held on the 20th of June in the year just specified. A committee was appointed, and in the ensuing August purchased for £1,759 an eligible site of 8½ acres, lying by the side of the New Road, into which the entrance gates of the cemetery now open. The plans for the requisite erections were prepared by Messrs. Garlick, Park, and Sykes, architects, of Preston, and the work of preparing the ground commenced in October, the contract for the chapels and lodge being let in December. As such a brief interval had to elapse before the order for closing the churchyard would be put in force, the Board applied, successfully, for permission to keep it open six months longer. The cemetery, however, progressed so tardily that it was necessary to renew the application on two future occasions, and the churchyard continued in use until the 31st of May, 1873. Five acres of the land were laid out from plans supplied by Mr. Gorst, surveyor to the board, and were divided into nine sections, four of which were apportioned to the Church of England, three to the Nonconformists, and two to the Roman Catholics. The cemetery was enclosed from the highway by stone palisadings and boundary walls, having massive iron railings. The approach to the grounds is through a spacious entrance, with a double iron gate in the centre, and a single gate on either side, hung to stone pillars. Inside the gate is the lodge, built of stone and comprising a residence for the keeper, offices, etc. The mortuary chapels, which are all of stone, have an elegant appearance, that of the Church of England being stationed in the middle, with the Nonconformists’ and Roman Catholics’ edifices lying respectively west and east of it. The style of the buildings is Gothic of the first pointed period. The roofs are open-timbered, high-pitched, and covered with Welsh slates in bands of different colours, being also crested with tiles. Entrance to the chapels is gained by a porch, and there is a vestry attached to each. The floors are laid with plain tiles of various tints. Evergreens, shrubs, and forest trees have been planted on the borders of the grounds, whilst the walks are wide and well cared for. The Nonconformists were the first to take possession of their portion, which was dedicated to its solemn uses by a service held on the 7th of February, 1873, exactly one week after which an interment took place, being the earliest not only in their land but in the whole ground. On the 2nd of August in the same year the Right Rev. Dr. Fraser, bishop of Manchester, consecrated the division set apart for the Church of England, which had been licensed for burials in the previous May. The Roman Catholics deferred their ceremonial until the month of June, 1874, acting under license during the interval.

On the 26th of August, 1872, the Blackpool Sea Water Company was registered under the limited liability act, with a capital of £10,000, in shares of £10 each, for the purpose of supplying water from the deep, together with the requisite appliances for conducting it to the houses and elsewhere, to the inhabitants of Blackpool; and rather more than two years later a main of pipes had been laid along the front from the Merchants’ College in South Shore as far as their steam pumping works in Upper Braithwaite Street.