Blackpool Tower: The Eiffel Tower’s Northern Cousin Gets Its Due

Blackpool Tower was built in 1894, three years after visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris gave its Blackpool promoters the idea to commission their own. The comparison still gets made, usually to dismiss Blackpool. This is unfair. The Eiffel Tower is an engineering landmark; Blackpool Tower is a Victorian entertainment complex built on top of an engineering landmark, and the result is something uniquely peculiar to its place and era.

The tower stands 158 metres on the Lancashire seafront, built from 2,493 tonnes of iron and 93 tonnes of steel, and was the tallest artificial structure in the British Isles when it opened. It was also built to fund what’s inside it: the Tower Ballroom at its base, which has been hosting Blackpool dancing ever since.

The Tower Ballroom

The Tower Ballroom is the part of this complex that actually matters, and it is extraordinary. Designed by Frank Matcham (who also designed the London Coliseum and Opera House), it opens into a 100-metre long golden baroque hall with ornate balconies, gilded cherubs, and a ceiling fresco. The Wurlitzer organ rises from below the stage. Regular dances take place here, and the Strictly Come Dancing live tour has performed here, not because Strictly needed a venue but because the Ballroom is the appropriate setting for televised dancing at its most committed.

Dancing here as a visitor costs around £10-15 per session depending on the event. If you don’t dance, watching is free from the balcony during busy evenings.

The Observatory and Eye

The glass-floored Sky Walk observation deck near the top gives views across the Fylde Coast, and on exceptional clear days toward the Lake District hills and Snowdonia in Wales. A walk across the glass floor is disquieting in a good way. The separate 4D cinema experience higher up is not particularly memorable but is included in the standard entry.

Combined entry to the Tower experience (including Eye, Sky Walk, Ballroom, and the Tower Dungeon dark ride) currently runs around £30-40 per adult. Book online for better rates.

Blackpool Illuminations

Every year from late August through early November, the Blackpool Illuminations transform the 6km promenade seafront into a light display using approximately 1 million LED bulbs. The illuminations began in 1879 as an electric light show to extend the tourist season and are now the longest-running free outdoor light show in the world. Drive or walk the Golden Mile after dark; most people come for the spectacle rather than for any single feature. It costs nothing.

The Promenade

The three Victorian piers (North, Central, South) each have their own character. The Central Pier is the most obviously entertainment-focused with fairground rides and a Ferris wheel. The North Pier is the quietest and has a traditional theatre at its end. Walking all three costs nothing.

The promenade stretches 11km. The stretch around the tower to the Pleasure Beach in the south covers the amusement arcades, chip shops, and tram stops that define what Blackpool actually is as a town: unapologetically working-class seaside entertainment of a kind that has almost disappeared from the British coast.

Where to Stay

The Grand Hotel Blackpool on the promenade has been the town’s most prominent hotel since 1881 and offers a good position and reliable service from around £100-150 per night. Imperial Hotel is a comparable option. Budget chains (Premier Inn, Travelodge) are very well represented in Blackpool and typically run £50-80 per night.

The best time to visit for the combination of weather, Illuminations, and lower crowds than peak summer is September through early October.