Here are some facts about Blackpool Tower:
- Blackpool Tower is located on the promenade in Blackpool, Lancashire, one of the most well known and popular seaside resorts in England.
- The tower, which is 518 feet tall, was built in 1894, and was modeled on the Eiffel Tower which had opened a few years earlier. The Mayor of Blackpool was so impressed with the Eiffel Tower, he decided Blackpool should have its own.
- The tower was built with 5 million bricks and 2,500 tonnes of iron. It was designed and built in such a way that if it collapsed, it would fall into the sea.
- In addition to the spectacular view from the top, Blackpool Tower has several attractions, including its famous ballroom, a circus and a 4D cinema. The cinema features smells as well as sound and vision.
- The ballroom floor is constructed from over 30,000 separate blocks of walnut, oak and mahogany. There are 563 steps in the tower, to the flagpole on the top.
- Cleo Lane and Duke Ellington are among the famous stars who have performed in the tower. It has also appeared in several films, including the 1947 Dick Barton Strikes Back.
- Along with the rest of the promenade, Blackpool Tower is illuminated every September. The town’s illuminations stretch for 6 miles and use over a million light bulbs.
- The top of the tower is closed to visitors if there are winds in excess of 45 mph. A mail box was placed at the top of the tower in 1949.
- The Blackpool Tower circus has performed continually since 1894.
- In 1984, a huge model of King Kong was attached to the side of the tower.
- In 1985 an escapologist married his bride in a ceremony that took place in a steel cage suspended from the tower.
