The tower is over 518 feet high and built as Blackpool's answer to the Eiffel tower in Paris! It can be seen from many miles away by people travelling to the coast. It was opened on Whit Monday, May 14th, 1894.

We now move further south past "The Golden Mile," so called because in the heyday of the Fylde Coast and Blackpool especially, much money was spent by the visitors in the amusement arcades and sideshows. Another pier, Central, opened 1864, now has a ferris wheel built on it. On again past more hotels to South Pier, formerly called Victoria Pier. This was opened in 1893. The holiday industry is king in Blackpool.

Once past South Pier we come to Blackpool Pleasure Beach one of the most visited amusement parks in England This is home to the Pepsi Big Max rollercoaster and the Sony Playstation ride. There are also four original wooden rollercoasters topped with many other rides. Well worth a visit!

The site of the Pleasure Beach originated in the late nineteenth century, about 1891, when a switchback railway was moved from an area where building was progressing to a site on the sandhills! It has progressed over the years, thanks to the Thompson family, with the addition of many white knuckle rides and attractions for all the family to become one of the premier amusement parks in the world.

Leaving the Pleasure Beach we progress to the southern boundary of Blackpool at Starr Gate. On this short journey we pass more hotels leading to private residences near to the boundary and the southern end of the famous Illuminations. This is also the terminus for the trams.

St Annes

South of Blackpool's boundary travelling towards St Annes we have the sand dunes to the sea side of the road and Pontins Holiday Camp to the landward side. Behind the camp lies Blackpool Airport which has recently had an updated terminal building. The airport is now used by holiday companies for direct flights to Spain and in the summer months Majorca, in addition to schedule flights to the Isle of Man, Dublin, Jersey and other destinations. For the more daring amongst you you can take the controls of a small aircraft and have flying lessons which are booked by the half hour - taking another two friends or family with you you can see the Fylde Coast in all is splendour.

Onwards, again, to the town of St Annes. In days gone by the trams ran all the way along the Fylde Coast past St Annes Square to Lytham town centre. St Annes was built on sand dunes and grew very quickly after 1872. The square is well laid out for shoppers with wide pavements and numerous shops.

St.Annes promenade has many residential flats as well as the hotels looking seaward. A pier was also built here so together with Fleetwood's and Blackpool's there are, along the Fylde Coast, five! Golf is also popular here with the Old Links and Royal Lytham courses.

Onwards again past Ansdell & Fairhaven to Lytharn. This is the last stop on the Fylde coast and Lytham Green with its windmill overlooks the River Ribble estuary towards Southport. All the land around this end of the coast was once owned by the Clifton family who were instumental in the building of the town of Lytham as a resort in the nineteenth century. Today it is so different to the larger Blackpool and well worth a visit.

All the towns on the coast quickly developed towards the middle/end of the nineteenth century after the coming of the railways which would bring many workers from the inland towns for their holidays at the seaside.

Nowadays the coast is well served by road connections to the motorway system (M55/M6). There are still railway stations at Blackpool (2), St. Annes and Lytham.

If you have the time, or even if you have not, make time to visit the Fylde Coast, there is something or somewhere for all tastes.