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WINTER GARDENS WEBSITE - www.blackpoollive.com
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Early attractions included ornamental gardens, a lake, and an outdoor skating rink (the site of which later became a Noah’s Ark for performing animals and then, in 1896, the site of the Empress Ballroom).
Twice daily an orchestra played in the Grand Pavilion, which could seat 3,000; and beneath the Pavilion were a stalactite cave and a grotto.
An announcement by the Blackpool Winter Gardens and Pavilion Co. Ltd. in 1889 enticed prospective visitors with a description of the facilities: “The Pavilion: the handsomest room in the Kingdom devoted to grand concerts, spectacular and special entertainment for up to 12,000 people; a Circus accommodating 3,000; and a Skating Rink with room for 2,000.
The Floral Hall extends the whole length of the building and contains numerous magnificent palms. The Fernery is acknowledged as the finest ever constructed. It contains several superb tree ferns 30-40 ft. high, lovely ferns and waterfalls make this a perfect paradise. The Grounds are vast and elegantly laid out with Italian and landscaped gardens, and a first-class bowling green.”
The Winter Gardens did not prove to be as successful as the company had hoped and in 1887 they hired the well-known and successful London Theatre Manager Bill Holland to run the complex. He aimed to present the finest entertainment in the palatial surrounds of the Grand Pavilion and brought with him the well known choreographer Paul Valentine, who had been responsible for successful West End shows. Holland immediately laid a 100 guinea carpet on the floor and when it was suggested to him that the lower classes might possibly spit on it, ever the showman, he advertised “Come to the Winter Gardens for 6d. (sixpence) and spit on Bill Holland’s 100 guinea carpet”!
In 1889 came a further attraction when the Opera House, designed by the distinguished theatre architect, Frank Matcham, opened on June 10 with a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Yeoman of the Guard.
The Winter Gardens were, in fact, facing strong competition that year with the opening of the rival Tower, roof garden, and Tower Ballroom. Holland’s response was to plan the building of a bigger Ballroom with a floor of 188ft x 109ft, a Big Wheel, and an Italian Garden with a grotto at its Eastern end. These new attractions opened in 1896, but, alas, Holland did not see them; he had died suddenly the previous year.
It is now the venue of all the most important social gatherings in Blackpool and the Fylde district.
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In 1878 the Grand Pavilion opened as a “promenading concert hall for first-class musical entertainment and other purposes of public recreation”.
The official opening of the Winter Gardens in 1879 by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Owden, was a very grand affair.
The opening was followed by a banquet in the Pavilion, a concert, fireworks display, and a torchlight procession. The town council had voted a grant of £500 for the occasion and the distinguished visitors were entertained for several days, the festivities including a State ball and the resultant publicity must have been invaluable.
In the earliest 1d (penny) guide, printed shortly after the official opening, the public were advised that “This noble pile of a building is so easily discerned from any part of town that it acts as a gigantic fingerpost”.
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Mar-Ray Guesthouse
56 Springfield Road
Blackpool
FY1 2BA
Tel: 01253 621230 |
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BLACKPOOL FC
AWAY V NEWCASTLE
4TH SEPTEMBER 2010
SANDS VENUE
High Class Dining
Blackpool Promenade
LEGENDS SHOW
Thur 17th June 2010 -
Sat 30th Oct 2010
Blackpool Central Pier
HOT ICE SHOW 2010
Wed 14th July 2010 -
Sun 5th Sept 2010
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
JOE LONGTHORNE
Saturdays only
17th July - 30th Oct 2010
Blackpool North Pier
Blackpool Illuminations
Switch On By
ROBBIE WILLIAMS
Friday 3rd September 2010
Featuring Alesha Dixon
Olly Murrs & Russell Watson
Honda Goldwing
Light Parade
Sat 4th Sept 2010
Blackpool Prom
BLACKPOOL TRAM
125TH ANNIVERSARY
23rd-29th Sept 2010
Blackpool
KEN DODD HAPPINESS SHOW
Blackpool Grand Theatre
26th Sept - 7th Nov
Sundays only
ARMSTRONG & MILLER SHOW
Blackpool Grand Theatre
Sunday 3rd October 2010
JOSEPH
Blackpool Grand Theatre
25th October - 30th October 2010
BLOOD BROTHERS
Blackpool Grand Theatre
Monday 1st - Saturday 6th Nov 2010
Blackpool
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