🗼 A Tower Rooted in Ambition and Iron

#hellohalloween Blackpool Tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and opened to the public on 14 May 1894, making it one of the oldest and most iconic landmarks in the UK. Designed by architects James Maxwell and Charles Tuke, and engineered by Heenan & Froude of Manchester, the tower rises to 518 feet (158 metres) and was once the tallest man-made structure in the British Empire. Its foundation stone was laid in 1891, and the tower was built using 2,500 tonnes of iron and five million bricks, designed to sway gently in Blackpool’s coastal winds—a feat of engineering for its time. The tower complex includes the Tower Ballroom, Tower Circus, and roof gardens, all housed within a Grade I listed red-brick building. Its construction was spearheaded by John Bickerstaffe, a former mayor of Blackpool, who personally invested in the project when early financial support faltered.