7th June 2013
Blackpool Tower is an amazing piece of Victoriana which was first opened to the public in 1894. The tower was designed by the Manchester firm of Maxwell & Tuke and is a marvel of Victorian civil engineering. The splendid Tower Ballroom interior was designed by the eminent Frank Matcham. For these reasons and also because the original stained glass and terracotta and ceramic tile work is almost entirely intact the building is a Grade I listed monument.
The Tower is in the final stages of a lengthy multi-million pound restoration and parts of the building which previously have been covered for many years have now been revealed and restored.
The building itself reflects the fact that, during the 1890s, buff and red terracotta had become increasingly popular as a material for construction. The exterior of Blackpool Tower building was erected using red brick with architectural terracotta dressings from the Ruabon Brick and Terra Cotta Co. The building is both a very characteristic, and an outstanding, example of its era. The glazed (faience) interior tiles were sourced from Burmantofts of Leeds.
This photograph shows the renovation in progress.
Posted in News by Laura