132-467: The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in Blackpool , Lancashire , England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building , operated by Blackpool Entertainment Company Limited on behalf of Blackpool Council, which purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010. The Winter Gardens has hosted
264-464: A 3/14 Wurlitzer organ, much of the pipework coming from the original Blackpool Tower organ. It was played for many years by Horace Finch but was removed in 1969, eventually being broken up. A new Wurlitzer organ has more recently been installed in the Empress Ballroom by Cannock Chase Organ Club. The original console has survived and will hopefully be used in the future. The Pavilion dates back to
396-690: A British tribe, the Setantii (the "dwellers in the water") a sub-tribe of the Brigantes . Some of the earliest villages on the Fylde, which were later to become part of Blackpool town, were named in the Domesday Book in 1086. In medieval times Blackpool emerged as a few farmsteads on the coast within Layton-with-Warbreck, the name coming from "le pull", a stream that drained Marton Mere and Marton Moss into
528-500: A capacity of between 220 and 600. Construction of the Olympia exhibition hall began in 1929 and it took eight months to build. It opened in June 1930, and the interior comprised stalls and attractions designed by film set designer Andrew Mazzei in the form of a Moorish village. The Olympia's exterior was finished in white faience and included a dome which was removed after World War II. During
660-474: A capacity of up to 1,000. The Baronial Hall, added in 1931, is designed in the guise of a medieval castle. It is used for weddings and banquets with a capacity of up to 300. The Renaissance Hall was added in 1931 and is a period-style room. It has been used as a high-class restaurant and cocktail bar. It has a capacity of up to 275. Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire , England. It
792-576: A drastic reduction in the Empire's budget to allow extra finances for the new headquarters at the Coliseum. Matcham rushed together a secondary, cheaper design of the Empire's façade and presented it to Stoll on a piece of scrap tracing paper. The exterior of the Empire was a design that Matcham always loathed but was one, according to the historian Michael Sell, that demonstrated the architect's "seemingly endless powers of invention" and one that will "forever remain
924-418: A dress circle of three rows, an upper circle, which had the unusual feature of its own retiring rooms, and a very large gallery which allowed for unobstructed views. The entrance façade was built in the classical style with three wide bays of giant pilasters . On the theatre's opening night the following year, Elliston called the building "one of the most beautiful theatres [he] had ever seen". In addition to
1056-717: A few public houses in London, Matcham's other non-theatrical commissions include a new wing for the Royal Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund at Brinsworth House and a printing works in Southwark . In 1910 the London Palladium was completed and opened on 26 December. Designs for the Victoria Palace Theatre , for the variety magnate Alfred Butt , were already under way; it opened the following November. During
1188-511: A landmark". The auditorium is noted by Historic England as being "one of the most exuberant Matcham interiors in Britain", while the historian Brian Walker called the Empire's interior "the most perfect Matcham interior in Greater London". Pevsner considered the Empire to be "splendidly confident" and "among the best-surviving Edwardian variety theatres". For the Coliseum, Matcham encountered
1320-567: A local authority area, Blackpool's gross domestic product (GDP) was approximately £3.2 billion in 2020 – 0.2 per cent of the English economy. GDP fell by 2.2 per cent between 2019 and 2020. Seventy-five per cent of people of working age in Blackpool were economically active in 2021, with 51,600 in full-time employment and 7,900 self-employed. The average for the North West is 72.9 per cent and for England
1452-425: A problem; Stoll wanted the theatre to be the largest and most lavish in London. Matcham was concerned that the vast size would cause a reduction in sound quality and view to the stage; accordingly, he gave particular attention to the theatre's acoustics and designed the balconies so that they sloped towards the auditorium sides, rather than the more traditional method of being supported by pilotis ; Matcham pioneered
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#17328701894471584-437: A rare appearance, on stage, that night, and assured the audience that during a fortnight's closure he would complete the designs. To compensate for the lateness, he took the unusual step of sub-contracting the auditorium's artwork out to a London-based sculptor. The following year Matcham was contracted by Frederick Purcell, a member of the extended Revill family, to undertake the renovations of his theatre that had caught fire
1716-423: A regular team of assistants and craftsmen, among them, Felix De Jong, an expert in work with fibrous plaster; Jonas Binns, a specialist decorator; and Albert Dean, a master furnisher. During their time in operation, Matcham & Co., completed around 170 theatre designs. Matcham was assisted in his designs and the running of the business by the engineer R.A. Briggs and F. G. M. Chancellor , an architect. Little
1848-482: A result of his use of cantilevered steel. This new design allowed for the balconies to protrude into the auditorium without the use of the supporting pillars which increased seating capacity and gave the audience better views of the stage. It was a design that Matcham patented and incorporated into all his future theatrical designs. The Paragon in Mile End , East London, in 1882, was Matcham's next major project. The design
1980-584: A room. The palette is rich cream, gold and brown. The proscenium is framed by glorious turret-like boxes topped with onion domes, while the top is crowned by enormous figures representing the Three Graces. The Wurlitzer organ faces a backdrop of a romantic seaside scene (wholly unlike Blackpool). Nikolaus Pevsner describing the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, in Lancashire: North , 2009. Walker called it
2112-402: A tenth of people aged 16 and over worked 15 hours or less a week. Blackpool's population is forecast to rise slightly to 141,500 by 2044, with the 45-64-year-old group showing the greatest decrease. The number of residents over 65 years old is projected to rise to almost 36,000, making up 26 per cent of the total population. There is just one tier of local government covering Blackpool, being
2244-429: A theatrical and music hall architect." According to the historians, Roger Dixon and Stefan Muthesius, Matcham was "the most consistent and prolific architect of the later music halls ... his buildings, mostly in the provinces and the suburbs of London, [were] equal or exceed in splendour [compared to] the metropolitan theatres and opera houses." On 22 November 2007 Matcham was commemorated by English Heritage when
2376-614: A year later. The ballroom hosted the first Blackpool Dance Festival in 1920. It was re-floored in 1934. In the late 1970s, some of the floor space was adapted for other purposes to reduce the venue's over-capacity. It was renamed The Stardust Garden and was intended to function as a nightclub. The ballroom has been used as a conference venue for many years by the Labour Party Conference , Conservative Party Conference and Liberal Democrat Conference , although they have increasingly used modern, purpose-built conference centres in
2508-676: A £73 million coastal protection scheme that brought new promenades and seawalls for the town, funded by Government, the North West Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund. ReBlackpool also prepared the Talbot Gateway scheme, appointing Muse Developments to develop 160,000 sq m of office and business space, as well as retail and hotel units, on a 10ha plot near Blackpool North Station . Blackpool Council agreed to relocate its offices to
2640-492: Is 74.8 per cent. Twenty-five per cent of jobs were in human health and social work – compared with 13.6 per cent nationally. Reflecting Blackpool's strong tourism industry, 10.9 per cent were in accommodation and food services. With aerospace company BAE situated in the wider area and the Civil Service one of its major employers, the proportion of people working in public administration, defence and compulsory social security
2772-456: Is also higher than the national average – 12.5 per cent compared with 4.6 per cent. In a survey of the UK's 63 largest cities and towns – using primary urban areas, a measure of the built-up area rather than local authority boundaries – the think tank Centre for Cities said Blackpool's gross value added (GVA) was £5.2 billion in 2020, with GVA per hour of £32.7. That placed it at 53rd and 40th place in
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#17328701894472904-850: Is also the main centre of the wider Fylde Coast sub-regional economy, containing other coastal towns, including Lytham , market towns, an agricultural hinterland and some industry. Polymers company Victrex , in Thornton and formerly part of ICI , is one of the major private sector companies headquartered in the area. Sports car manufacturer TVR was based in Blackpool until 2006, and national jewellery chain Beaverbrooks , founded in 1919, relocated its head office to St Annes in 1946. Economic development officials highlight Blackpool's role in industry sectors including aerospace and advanced engineering, advanced materials technologies, regional energy, and food manufacturing. As well as BAE, leading aerospace companies in
3036-631: Is charming and richly detailed, making full use of the tight space. Plaster figures and mouldings in Matcham's full-blown Baroque." The establishment date of Matcham & Co., is unclear; it could originate from when Matcham established his office in Belfast in 1884 after the success of the Paragon Theatre in Mile End, or it could be a renaming of Robinson's business which Matcham took over a decade or so prior to
3168-470: Is in place to reduce urban sprawl , prevent the towns in the Blackpool urban area and other nearby conurbations in Lancashire from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, encourage brownfield reuse, and preserve nearby countryside. This is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within the designated areas, and imposing stricter conditions on the permitted building. As
3300-444: Is known of the working relationship between the three men, only that it was a prosperous one. Before variety theatre , music halls were the preferred entertainment of the working-class communities in London and the provinces. Acts including George Robey and Marie Lloyd were deemed "overly racy", according to The Stage , with major theatres banning them in the interests of decency. The restrictions were brief, mainly because of
3432-541: Is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool and 14 miles (23 km) west of Preston . It is the main settlement in the borough of the same name . The population of Blackpool at the 2021 census was 141,000, a decrease of 1,100 in ten years . Blackpool was originally a small hamlet; it began to grow in the mid-eighteenth century, when sea bathing for health purposes became fashionable. Blackpool's beach
3564-513: Is the third most densely populated local authority in the North West, with 4,046 people per square kilometre, compared with 4,773 in Manchester and 4,347 in Liverpool. In 2021, 41.0 per cent of Blackpool residents reported having 'No religion', up from 24.5 per cent in 2011. Across England the percentage increased from 24.8 per cent to 36.7 per cent. However, because the census question about religion
3696-567: The Blackpool Electric Tramway Company . By 1899, the tramway expanded, and the conduit system was replaced by overhead wires. The system still remains in service. The inter-war period saw Blackpool develop and mature as a holiday destination, and by 1920 Blackpool had around eight million visitors per year, still drawn largely from the mill towns of East Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire . Blackpool's population boom
3828-813: The County Arcade , Leeds, in 1900. The author Iain Mackintosh, writing for the Dictionary of National Biography in 1993, describes Matcham's theatre interiors to be superior when compared to the building's external designs. Matcham's use of cantilevers for the galleries allowed him to discontinue the use of columns, which would otherwise obstruct the audience's view of the stage. The auditorium decorations were often mixed with Tudor strap-work, Louis XIV detail, Anglo-Indian motifs, naval and military insignia, rococo panels, classical statuary, and baroque columns. Matcham retired to Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex , shortly before
3960-466: The Hippodrome in 1900, Hackney Empire (1901), Coliseum (1903), Shepherd's Bush Empire (1903) and Palladium (1910). His last major commission before retirement was the Victoria Palace Theatre (1911) for the variety magnate Alfred Butt . During his 40-year career, Matcham was responsible for the design and construction of over 90 theatres and the redesign and refurbishment of a further 80 throughout
4092-450: The M55 motorway in 1975 made Blackpool more feasible as a day trip rather than an overnight stay. The modern economy, however, remains relatively undiversified and firmly rooted in the tourism sector. Blackpool rests in the middle of the western edge of The Fylde , which is a coastal plain atop a peninsula . The seafront consists of a 7-mile sandy beach, with a flat coastline in the south of
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4224-537: The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards investigated a fake lobbying role he was offered by undercover reporters from The Times . The constituencies were reorganised for the 2024 general election, following recommendations from the Boundary Commission for England that aim to make the number of voters in the country's seats more equal. Blackpool South was expanded to take in new wards near
4356-468: The Theatre Museum acquired in excess of 7000 of Matcham's drawings. Of these, around 500 are highly finished and represent over seventy-five theatres or cinemas and about one-sixth of his total life's output. The total number of theatres Matcham designed is unknown and has been the subject of much speculation. The architect Victor Glasstone estimated the architect's work to include 66 new theatres and
4488-511: The Winter Gardens , continue to draw millions of visitors annually. The town is home to football club Blackpool F.C. The team has one major trophy, winning the 1953 FA Cup . In 1970, a 13,500-year-old elk skeleton was found with man-made barbed bone points. Now displayed in the Harris Museum this provided the first evidence of humans living on the Fylde . The Fylde was also home to
4620-504: The unitary authority of Blackpool Council , which is based at Blackpool Town Hall on Talbot Square. Parts of the Blackpool Urban Area extend beyond the borough boundaries of Blackpool into the neighbouring boroughs of Wyre (which includes Fleetwood , Cleveleys , Thornton and Poulton-le-Fylde ) and Fylde (which covers Lytham St Annes ). Blackpool was historically part of the township of Layton with Warbreck , which
4752-443: The "fruit of close collaboration and understanding between client and architect". He further noted: "Matcham's frequently noticed skill in planning is here matched by a different kind of wizardry. Few of his contemporaries could have made so memorable an architectural statement on so short a frontage in such an unpretentious thoroughfare. It is much more impressive than, for example, the neighbouring Garrick Theatre of 1889" According to
4884-698: The 1870s and the Opera House Theatre originally opened in 1889. The Empress Ballroom was built in 1896 together with the Indian Lounge (now the Arena). The long-gone Blackpool Ferris wheel , erected in 1896, was also located at the complex. In 1910, the Opera House Theatre was rebuilt. Ownership of the complex changed in 1928 when the Winter Gardens Company was taken over by the Tower Company. In 1930,
5016-505: The 1880s. What is known is that it operated out of three offices in Holborn at different times. The first was in Bedford Row, between 1880 and 1886, after which it moved to 3 Great James Street . The business stayed there until 1893 when it moved again, this time to 9 Warwick Court, where it remained until after Matcham's death. It is not known how many staff Matcham employed; he worked with
5148-480: The 1990s, when it was gutted leaving just the stage area intact, the back stage area is now a Restaurant and the seating area has been taken into the Horseshoe as an Exhibition space. The Pavilion theatre today has a capacity of 600. It is situated in the centre of the Horseshoe – a semi-circular promenade providing a spacious self-contained exhibition area. The Arena is adjacent to the Empress Ballroom. Built in 1896, it
5280-610: The 21st century. The ballroom hosts the World Matchplay darts tournament , the Blackpool Dance Festival and the Inter Varsity Dance Competition . Acts such as Pet Shop Boys , The Beatles , Queen , Oasis , Radiohead , Slash and The White Stripes have performed in the ballroom. The White Stripes perform at The Empress Ballroom in their DVD and concert Under Blackpool Lights . It also housed
5412-546: The County Arcade development. The construction costs of the County Arcade were in excess of £300,000. According to Walker, Matcham's biographer, the architect took on the designs for the County Arcade either because of a decline in the need for new theatres, or an attempt to try out something different. Either way, Walker considered the project to be completely out of character for Matcham who had previously displayed such energy and enthusiasm for all his designs. Together with
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5544-502: The Empress Ballroom, the Olympia exhibition hall and the Arena function hall are on the ground floor. All are contiguous and contained inside an Art Deco surface with a large arcade connecting two main entrances. There are additional function rooms on the first floor including the Spanish Hall, Baronial Hall and Renaissance Hall. The 3,000-seater Opera House is one of the largest theatres in
5676-517: The First World War, where he died of a heart attack, brought about by a blood infection, in 1920. His biographer Brian Walker notes from the architect's personal archives that he was "a man of remarkable vigour and had an enthusiasm for life ... he possessed a tranquility of mind and a great sense of humour and fun." Francis Matcham was born on 22 November 1854 in Newton Abbot , Devon . He
5808-482: The Gardens buildings themselves, however, but by shops and restaurants. The northwest corner is completely separated by a road serving the stage door of the theatres. The west face also accommodates a few small shops with the same architectural styling as the main building. The complex is bounded by roads on all sides – Church Street, Leopold Grove, Adelaide Street and Coronation Street. The Opera House and Pavilion theatres,
5940-492: The Matcham Travel Bureau, the city's first travel agency. Matcham's theatres were often mocked by architects during the five decades after his death, and little care was taken by local authorities to preserve them during area regeneration programmes, particularly during the 1960s. It was only after 1970 that his buildings were taken seriously and, according to Iain Mackintosh, his genius was widely recognised. In 1995
6072-574: The Olympia was built and the following year saw the addition of the Galleon Bar, Spanish Hall and Baronial Hall. The Opera House Theatre was rebuilt in 1939. EMI took over the complex in 1967, and ownership changed hands again in 1983 when it was bought by First Leisure . In 1998, Leisure Parcs acquired the Winter Gardens from First Leisure's Resorts Division as part of an estimated £74m deal which also included Blackpool Tower . On 3 December 2009, it
6204-626: The Paragon allowed Matcham to open up his own office in Belfast in 1884. Outside of London, and prior to 1886, Matcham only had two designs commissioned, both in Glasgow : Hengler's Grand Cirque and the Royalty Theatre . In 1879 he started work on the redesign of the Royalty, a playhouse originally designed by James Thomson and one that had been built on the first floor of a four-storey building. The layout
6336-576: The Stockport theatre under Revill, Matcham received another commission from Elliston, this time to rebuild the Theatre Royal and Opera House, in Bolton , which had caught fire on 4 January 1888. Elliston's only requirement was for the building to be completed within a 20-week period, which Matcham honoured. The foundation stone was laid by the actor Henry Irving on 17 October, a month before its opening. Owing to
6468-613: The Tower's stained glass windows was carried out by local specialist Aaron Whiteside, who was given a Blackpool Council conservation award for the work. Refurbishment of the Winter Gardens conference centre was completed in time to host the Conservative Party spring conference in 2022, with further work announced in 2023. Blackpool Council was one of four local authorities in the Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Economic Development Company –
6600-459: The UK. The Opera House Theatre hosts many theatrical performances in addition to variety shows and music concerts. Current capacity is 2,813. The Empress Ballroom was built in 1896. With a floor area of 12,500 square feet (1,160 sq. metres), the ballroom was one of the largest in the world. It was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1918 for military use during World War I , before being handed back
6732-528: The United Kingdom. Matcham was born in Newton Abbot , Devon , where he became apprenticed at the age of 14 to the architect George Soudon Bridgman . Matcham moved to London, aged 21, where he joined the architectural practice of J. T. Robinson , who was to become his father-in-law. Under Robinson, Matcham completed his first solo design, the Elephant and Castle Theatre , which opened in June 1879. He took over
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#17328701894476864-531: The United Kingdom. The present theatre is the third one to have been built on the site. The original building, completed in 1889, at a cost of £9,098 was designed by the theatre architect Frank Matcham , who also designed the nearby Grand Theatre and the Tower Ballroom . It had 2,500 seats, and was named Her Majesty's Opera House . The theatre's seating capacity was soon deemed insufficient and in November 1910
6996-470: The age of 14 to George Soudon Bridgman , a local architect. The apprenticeship lasted 18 months until Matcham was offered a job at a quantity surveyor 's office in London in around 1868. Working in the capital allowed Matcham to study with different architectural professionals. His training under a quantity surveyor taught him how to draw up estimates of cost, interact with building contractors, and introduced him to complex calculations, something which he
7128-620: The annual Trades Union Congress , the Conservative Party Conference , Labour Party Conference , and the twice-annual Liberal Democrat Conference . The venue's owners claim that every Prime Minister , since World War II has addressed an audience at the venue. It has also hosted the Blackpool Dance Festival since its inception in 1920, and the World Matchplay darts tournament since 1994. The annual dance competitions Miss Dance of Great Britain and Dance Master UK are hosted there annually. The Winter Gardens Company bought
7260-470: The architect was "a man of remarkable vigour and enthusiasm for life ... he possessed a tranquility of mind and a great sense of humour and fun." Of Matcham's eight siblings, two were notable: Charles Matcham (1862–1911) moved to America in 1881 and became a millionaire businessman within the civil engineering industry. His early work for the Bell Telephone Company included the building of
7392-563: The area include Magellan Aerospace and Force Technology. In advanced materials, AGC and Victrex are significant companies. In energy, nuclear fuel manufacturer Westinghouse , the National Nuclear Laboratory and offshore energy companies Orsted , NVH and Helispeed all have operations in the area. Blackpool's travel to work area has 2.5 times the Great Britain-average concentration of food manufacturing workers. During
7524-439: The area was represented by just one constituency, named Blackpool . This was replaced by the new Blackpool North and Blackpool South constituencies. Blackpool North became Blackpool North and Cleveleys for the 2010 general election, when Conservative Paul Maynard became MP. Another Conservative, Scott Benton , won Blackpool South from longstanding Labour MP Gordon Marsden in 2019. Benton resigned on 25 March 2024, however, after
7656-550: The author Iain Mackintosh noted a clear Matcham influence in Sprague and Crewe's designs; he describes the former as being suaver compared to Matcham, whilst Crewe, although sharing a lot of Matcham's exuberance, was "more polished" because of his earlier training in Paris. Sir Alfred Butt , writing in The Era , considered: "Frank Matcham lived for his work, and unquestionably was pre-eminent as
7788-652: The bidding process. The Casino Advisory Panel ruled that the "regeneration benefits of the supercasino for Blackpool are unproven and more limited geographically than other proposals". The government later abandoned the supercasino licence altogether following a legislative defeat in the House of Lords . In response to Blackpool losing the supercasio bid and lobbying from the town's disappointed leaders, ministers increased its regeneration spending, coordinated by an Urban Regeneration Company ReBlackpool, set up in 2005. Before being wound up in 2010, ReBlackpool led on Central Seafront,
7920-804: The building of a number of shopping arcades to accompany the existing Thorntons Arcade, completed in 1878. Matcham designed the Cross and County Arcades for the Leeds Estate Company, between 1898 and 1900, at the northernmost part of the street. At the same time as his work on the County Arcade, he designed the Empire Palace, for Moss, which was located further down Briggate. He created two new streets, Queen Victoria Street and King Edward Street, which run between Briggate and Vicar Lane . Matcham's buildings include 49–51 Vicar Lane; 2–24 King Edward Street and 115–120 Briggate, which consists of shops and offices within
8052-410: The business on Robinson's death and continued the designs of various provincial theatres. He formed his own practice, Matcham & Co., in the 1880s and enlisted skilled craftsmen. His first major association came in the 1880s when he was employed to design and refurbish theatres belonging to the Revill family who owned many of the theatres throughout the United Kingdom. Matcham's most successful period
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#17328701894478184-417: The business. Matcham's last design for the family, according to the historian Michael Sell, was the Kings Theatre, Southsea , in 1907. The architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner called the Kings Theatre "splendid" and described the theatre as having a "prominent hexagonal tower with Ionic columns and lion finials around a broad spire-like top crowned by a cupola with a replica statue of Aurora. The interior
8316-415: The capacity to seat 3,200 people. The circus ring eventually fell out of favour with audiences and it was covered over. Purcell took over the family business in 1899 after the death of four of its members but only commissioned a few buildings over the next decade, including the Alexandra Theatre , Stoke Newington . Matcham continued to work with Purcell until around 1908 when the latter decided to wind up
8448-416: The capital during this time, which would seem probable as by 1871 Matcham was back in Torquay and again under the guidance of Bridgeman, this time as his chief assistant. Bridgeman was eager to take advantage of Matcham's experience in London and asked him to help on the redesign of the Lyceum Theatre in Torquay. Isaac Singer , the American businessman, moved from France to Devon in late 1871. His intention
8580-409: The centre "stuttered to a halt in the early 1970s". Large numbers of homes were deemed unfit for human habitation and by 1993, almost 30 per cent of households did not have central heating, compared with the national average of 8.5 per cent. A new masterplan in 2003 was a response to this decline and the growing threat from coastal erosion. It was described by English Heritage as a "bold attempt to ensure
8712-459: The completion of Singer's house, Matcham secured a job with J. T. Robinson 's office in London. The employment allowed Matcham to become more familiar with what Matcham's biographer Brian Mercer Walker calls, "theatre design of a high order". Matcham's time under Robinson was brief; Robinson died unexpectedly at the family home in Bloomsbury Square , London, in 1877, shortly after Matcham's marriage to Robinson's daughter, Maria, on 9 July. Matcham
8844-413: The complex, in 1900. Pevsner considered the circus to be "the largest and most elaborate theatre of its type in England" and provided the UK with a "permanent setting for a circus not available in any other resort". The complex opened in 1894. The same year, he completed the designs for Grand Theatre, Blackpool . The regeneration of Briggate in the 1890s, one of the oldest streets in Leeds , included
8976-411: The construction of accommodations and attractions, fostering rapid growth in the 1850s and 1860s. A Board of Health was established in 1851, gas lighting in 1852, and piped water in 1864. The town's population exceeded 2,500 by 1851. Blackpool's growth since the 1870s was shaped by its pioneering use of electrical power. In 1879, it became the world's first municipality with electric street lighting along
9108-419: The corporation or town council. The borough was enlarged several times, notably in 1879, when it took in parts of the neighbouring parishes of Marton and Bispham with Norbreck , in 1918, when it absorbed the rest of Bispham with Norbreck, and in 1934, when it absorbed the rest of Marton. In 1904 Blackpool was made a county borough , taking over county-level functions from Lancashire County Council . This
9240-475: The countryside, where he died in 1941. Briggs held the business in a dormant state until after the war when it was sold to a property agency in Covent Garden . It continued, on a small scale, until it was eventually wound up in the late 1970s. Matcham was a devoted if frequently absent husband and father. He married Maria Robinson, the daughter of his tutor, J. T. Robinson, on 9 July 1877 at St. James's Church , Pentonville . They had two daughters; Eveline, who
9372-453: The design stage of the Palace, Matcham was working alongside Bertie Crewe for the new Bristol Hippodrome , which was to become Matcham's last major design. The inter-war period was slow for theatrical architects and builders, mainly because of the introduction of cinema, and many of the theatres that had been designed in Matcham's office were now becoming picture houses. Matcham & Co.'s projects had started to slow down by 1913; that year,
9504-482: The development and there were plans for a new public transport interchange. In 2010, Blackpool Council bought landmarks Blackpool Tower , the Winter Gardens and the Golden Mile Centre from leisure entrepreneur Trevor Hemmings , aiming to refurbish them in a "last-ditch effort to arrest Blackpool's economic decline". Public ownership enabled significant further investment in the facilities. The restoration of
9636-580: The district, which rises once past the North Pier to become the North Cliffs, with the highest point nearby at the Bispham Rock Gardens at around 34 metres (112 ft). The majority of the town district is built up, with very little semi-rural space such as at Marton Mere. Due to the low-lying terrain, Blackpool experiences occasional flooding, with a large-scale project completed in 2017 to rebuild
9768-553: The family vault in Highgate Cemetery . He left an estate worth £86,389 (£4,380,000 in 2023 adjusted for inflation). Matcham bequeathed his company, equally, to Briggs and Chancellor. A journalist for The Architect newspaper predicted that the business would continue, which it did, although it never achieved the same success as it did under Matcham. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Chancellor retired and moved to
9900-453: The first telephone exchanges in Europe and the introduction of the telephone to St. Petersburg and Riga where he personally installed Alexander II of Russia 's phone system. Through his later work, he founded several concrete-making companies and invented a cement stone pulveriser for which he owned the patent . Sydney Matcham (1868–1957) moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania , where he founded
10032-423: The future of the town". Blackpool had pinned its regeneration hopes on an Atlantic City– or Las Vegas–style resort casino that Leisure Parcs, then owner of Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens, unveiled £1 billion plans for in 2002. By 2007, Blackpool and Greenwich in London were considered frontrunners among the seven bidders for Britain's first and only supercasino licence; however, nearby Manchester won
10164-738: The impresarios included the Hackney Empire , and the Coliseum and Hippodrome theatres, both in Westminster . In total, Matcham was responsible for designing 21 theatres for Moss and Stoll over a 20-year period which ended with the Wood Green Empire, in 1912. Stoll intended the Hackney Empire to be his London headquarters, but the plan changed midway through construction when he decided to locate his offices further into central London: this caused
10296-457: The large numbers of people who died in a similar theatre fire in Exeter the previous year, Matcham improved the safety features, such as fireproofing the ceilings and walls; widening and straightening the staircases; using outwardly opening doors; installing hydrants on each floor; and hanging an automatic, fireproof curtain in the auditorium. The interior was decorated in terracotta and gold tints and
10428-490: The managing director of Moss Empires , a theatrical entertainment circuit headed by the impresario Edward Moss , which at its height was responsible for 33 theatres around Great Britain. Matcham first worked for Moss Empires in 1892 on the Empire Palace , Edinburgh . Moss was so impressed with Matcham's work that he commissioned him to design other provincial theatres over the next seven years. Matcham's work in London under
10560-472: The most recent major conference in Blackpool being the Conservative conference in 2007. Since 1996, the venue has hosted the yearly Rebellion Punk Festival. The Winter Gardens is in Blackpool's town centre, about 250 metres from the sea front. The complex occupies most of its block, a roughly square footprint with sides about 200 metres in length. The two north-facing corners of the block are not taken up by
10692-443: The negative effect such censorship was having on audience numbers. By the 1880s most music halls were either operated by amateur syndicates, who cared less about revenues and more about entertainment, or wealthy, profit-driven businessmen. Safety, in both cases, was frequently compromised, mainly down to cost, so much-needed renovations were often ignored. Music-halls had, for many years, been a hugely profitable business, but had become
10824-436: The newly rebuilt Winter Gardens Conference and Exhibition Centre. Like most UK coastal resorts, Blackpool declined from the 1960s onwards with the rise of overseas holidays. This coincided with a lack of investment in the town and its facilities for both residents and tourists. Fulfilment of a 1965 masterplan to remodel the town centre was "limited and piecemeal", according to Historic England. Ambitious plans to redevelop
10956-549: The north of the constituency. The Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency incorporated Fleetwood and five wards from the Blackpool Council area, and was renamed Blackpool North and Fleetwood – as a similar seat was known between 1997 and 2010. In 2022 Maynard told the Blackpool Gazette : "I am sure that residents of Fleetwood will be glad to be reunited with the rest of the Fylde coast, as they are geographically." As
11088-641: The only theatrical venture was the Palace Theatre, in Leicester . Matcham retired to Westcliff-on-Sea , Essex with his wife shortly before the First World War and left the running of the business to Chancellor and Briggs. He died at his house, 28 Westcliff Parade, on 17 May 1920. His death was attributed to blood poisoning, brought about from cutting his finger nails too short. The funeral took place at St. Paul's Church, Finchley , before his interment in
11220-481: The original 1878 build, when it was built as a promenade pavilion. In 1885 a new proscenium and private boxes were added. It was then converted to a theatre in 1889. It was extensively altered in 1897 when the floor was lowered and tilted towards the stage. In the 1930s it was also used as a cinema showing talkies . After the cinema ceased operation, the Pavilion was used for Concerts & Shows until its refurbishment in
11352-594: The others being Lancashire County Council , Fylde Borough Council and Wyre Borough Council . It oversaw the development of the Blackpool Airport Development Zone, which came into existence in 2016. It offers tax breaks and simplified planning to employers. Frank Matcham Francis Matcham (22 November 1854 – 17 May 1920) was an English architect who specialised in the design of theatres and music halls . He worked extensively in London, predominantly under Moss Empires for whom he designed
11484-401: The population reached 473. Henry Banks, instrumental in Blackpool's growth, purchased Lane Ends estate in 1819, building the first holiday cottages in 1837. In 1846, a pivotal event marked the early growth of the town: the completion of a railway branch line to Blackpool from Poulton. This spurred development as visitors flocked in by rail, boosting the town's economy. Blackpool prospered with
11616-521: The promenade, setting the stage for the Blackpool Illuminations . By the 1890s, Blackpool had a population of 35,000 and could host 250,000 holidaymakers. Notable structures, like the Grand Theatre (1894) and Blackpool Tower, emerged. The Grand Theatre was among Britain's first all-electric theatres. In 1885, it established one of the world's earliest electric tramways, initially operated by
11748-539: The quarterly conventions of the George Formby Society for twenty years from 1989 to 2009. It was also designed by Andrew Mazzei. A floor was constructed in the Winter Gardens' Victoria Street entrance to allow the creation of the hall. The Spanish Hall, which has undergone a £1 million refurbishment is used for banquets and wedding receptions. It is self-contained with its own adjacent bar, the Windsor Bar and has
11880-511: The remodelling and restoration of 58 others, between 1879 and 1910; Matcham's biographer Brian Walker lists him ahead of his contemporaries and counts 92 designs, with the closest to him being Charles J. Phipps, with 72. According to the theatre historians John Earl and Michael Sell, Matcham was the original architect for half of the 48 surviving theatres associated with him, and the rest he restored, altered or remodelled from existing buildings. A further 111 of his theatres were either bombed during
12012-558: The rules to be problematic; because of them, the Elephant and Castle Theatre project had to be extended by six months. In 1882 Matcham took on the redesign of the Grand Theatre in Islington . It was an important project for him: it was the first to be designed using unobstructed sightlines to the stage and was notable for its holding capacity, and prompt construction, something for which he latterly became known in architectural circles. The Grand
12144-471: The sea. The stream ran through peatlands that discoloured the water, so the name for the area became "Black Poole". In the 15th century the area was just called Pul , and a 1532 map calls the area "the pole howsys alias the north howsys". In 1602, entries in Bispham Parish Church baptismal register include both Poole and for the first time blackpoole . The first house of any substance, Foxhall,
12276-415: The seaside. The local climate is mild and rainy also in summer. In the late 20th century, changing holiday preferences and increased overseas travel impacted Blackpool's standing as a leading resort. Despite economic challenges, the town's urban fabric and economy remain centred around tourism. Today, Blackpool's seafront, featuring landmarks such as Blackpool Tower , Illuminations , Pleasure Beach , and
12408-588: The seats covered in crimson upholstery. Other theatres followed for the Revill family who had by now employed Matcham full-time to work on their projects. Bury and Rochdale , then both in Lancashire, were to get their own Theatre Royal and Opera House with the Rochdale building being a renovation of an existing building. The Bury theatre opened on 26 December 1889 with a pantomime production. The theatre lacked interior decoration as Matcham had been behind schedule. He made
12540-569: The seawall and promenade to mitigate this. Blackpool has a temperate maritime climate according to the Köppen climate classification system. Typically, cool summers, frequent overcast skies and small annual temperature range fluctuations. The minimum temperature recorded was −15.1 °C (4.8 °F), recorded during December 1981, however −18.3 °C (−0.9 °F) was recorded in January 1881. The absolute maximum temperature recorded in Blackpool
12672-527: The second half of the 20th century and up to 2007, Blackpool was one of the country's leading locations for political conferences, with the three main parties as well as bodies such as the TUC holding events at the Winter Gardens . With the Winter Gardens in need of refurbishment and parties preferring inland city locations to coastal resorts, Blackpool held no major political conferences between 2008 and 2021. The Conservatives returned for their spring event in 2022 in
12804-402: The settlements of Lytham St Annes, Poulton-le-Fylde, Warton/Freckleton and Kirkham separated. Blackpool's population was approximately 141,000 in 2021 according to census figures – a fall of 0.7 per cent from the 2011 census . It is one of five North West local authority areas to have recorded a fall in this period, during which the figure for England as a whole rose by 6.6 per cent. Blackpool
12936-424: The site in 1875 for £28,000. The Winter Gardens was built on the six-acre Bank Hey Estate and officially opened on 11 July 1878. The original intention was "to place on the land a concert room, promenades, conservatories and other accessories calculated to convert the estate into a pleasant lounge, especially desirous during inclement days." The Vestibule, Floral Hall, Ambulatory and Pavilion Theatre were all built in
13068-540: The subject of stringent regulations and safety controls. By 1880 covert inspections were taking place by local authorities to ensure proprietors were adhering to the safety requirements; the rules were so strict that a lot of the ageing halls, particularly those whose proprietors had little money, were forced to close. Those that remained open were instructed to improve and refurbish their premises to meet expectations. The boom required competent architects who knew how theatres worked. From 1898 to 1910 Oswald Stoll had been
13200-560: The survey respectively. It was also in the lower half of the rankings for business start-ups, closures and overall stock, as well as the proportion of new economy firms. Blackpool is the third lowest local authority area in the UK for gross median weekly pay. Its growth rates were forecast to be among the lowest localities in the UK Competitiveness Index 2023 - along with Blaenau Gwent (Wales), Burnley (North West), Torbay (South West), and Merthyr Tydfil (Wales). Blackpool
13332-556: The theatrical magazine The Stage , Matcham's design provided "a handsome marble staircase, the landmark tower topped by a revolving globe and an impressive range of amenities, including spacious tea-rooms on each floor, lifts to the theatre's upper levels, lavishly decorated retiring rooms, a roof-garden with a glass-domed roof and an information bureau from which messages and telegrams could be sent and where doctors might register their whereabouts in case of emergencies". Matcham rarely ventured away from theatres but did so on occasion. He
13464-452: The town's urban area is highly built up, only 70 hectares (0.70 km ; 0.27 sq mi) (2017) of green belt exists within the borough, covering the cemetery, its grounds and nearby academy/college playing fields by Carleton, as well as the football grounds near the airport by St Annes. Further afield, portions are dispersed around the wider Blackpool urban area into the surrounding Lancashire districts of Fylde and Wyre, helping to keep
13596-530: The use of cantilevered steel in his designs, and took out patents to protect his work. The theatre featured a revolving stage, the first of its kind in London, which allowed for imaginative ideas, including the theatre's extravagant celebrations of Derby Day , featuring guesting jockeys riding real horses, galloping against the moving revolve. Backstage there were, according to Pevsner, "box-to-box telephones" and "changing rooms so that evening dress could be donned on site". The Coliseum cost £250,000 to build. What
13728-519: The war, the Olympia was used to teach morse code . The Olympia later found use as a funfair until the 1980s when it was adapted to a more modern indoor adventure playground called Professor Peabody's Playplace . The venue covers 2,600 square metres and is now used as a venue for exhibitions and trade shows, with a capacity of up to 3,500. The Spanish Hall is a large Andalucian style vaulted hall with battlemented balconies containing three-dimensional representations of clustered Spanish villages. It held
13860-426: The wars, destroyed by fire, or demolished as part of area regeneration, mostly during the 1960s. From the start of the 1900s Crewe and W. G. R. Sprague had started to make names for themselves in architectural circles. It has been suggested by various architectural journals that Crewe and Sprague were pupils of Matcham, and although Glasstone was sceptical of this in his 1975 book Victorian and Edwardian Theatres ,
13992-521: The year before. Matcham was afforded the benefit of being able to use the existing building, which increased the possibility of his being able to finish the project on time. The same year, The Grand Cirque and Amphitheatre opened in Bolton. Matcham's design allowed for it to be used as a circus and a theatre and for the venue to be changed between the two in a few hours. It was decorated in the Italian style and had
14124-508: The young architect to become a nationally recognisable name in theatrical architecture and brought him to the forefront of his profession. Matcham was commissioned in 1888 by Revill's son, the theatre manager Wallace Revill, to design a new theatre on land he had purchased in St Helens , Lancashire . The new theatre was named the Theatre Royal and Opera House. It was constructed of brick with stone dressings and comprised an orchestra pit, stalls,
14256-423: Was 37.2 °C (99.0 °F) during a 2022 United Kingdom heat wave . During an average summer, the warmest temperature reached 28.5 °C (83.3 °F) between 1991 and 2020. Precipitation averages slightly less than 900 mm (35 in), with over 1 mm of precipitation occurring on 147 days of the year. Blackpool is within a green belt region that extends into the wider surrounding counties and
14388-430: Was between 1892 and 1912 when he worked extensively for Moss Empires, a theatre building business headed by Edward Moss and run by Oswald Stoll . Under them, Matcham completed 21 theatres, including three in London, with the rest being in the provinces. Also during this period, although not with Moss Empires, he completed the designs for the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool Tower , Grand Theatre, Blackpool , both in 1894, and
14520-561: Was born in 1878, and Constance, in 1884. In an interview with Vanity Fair , Matcham listed an interest in music but admitted that although he owned a Stradivarius violin, he "wasn't particularly good with it". Another hobby was amateur dramatics and the Matchams would perform minor pieces at their address in Dollis Avenue, Finchley, for the entertainment of their neighbours. From a review of Matcham's personal archives, Walker concludes that
14652-773: Was built by the Tyldesley family of Myerscough Lodge and existed in the latter part of the 17th century. By the end of that century it was occupied by squire and diarist Thomas Tyldesley , grandson of the Royalist Sir Thomas Tyldesley . An Act of Parliament in 1767 enclosed a common , mostly sand hills on the coast, that stretched from Spen Dyke southwards (see Main Dyke ). In the 18th century, sea bathing gained popularity for health benefits, drawing visitors to Blackpool. In 1781, The town's amenities, including hotels, archery stall, and bowling greens, slowly expanded. By 1801,
14784-558: Was closed for reconstruction. The new and larger building opened just nine months later. However, in 1938 the second Opera House was demolished and the present 3,000-seat theatre opened in 1939. The first Royal Variety Performance to be held outside London was staged at the Opera House in 1955. In 2009, the Royal Variety Performance was again staged at the theatre. It is home to the last new Wurlitzer organ to be installed in
14916-480: Was commissioned by the Blackpool Tower Company, a Standard Contract & Debenture Corporation, to design the decoration for the ballroom, which formed part of their entertainment complex in Blackpool , Lancashire . The ballroom's interior was Matcham's only design for the complex, although Historic England consider it probable that he was also responsible for the remodelling of the circus, also within
15048-438: Was complete by 1951, by which time some 147,000 people were living in the town – compared with 47,000 in 1901 and 14,000 in 1881. The town continued to attract more visitors in the decade after the war, reaching a peak of 17 million per year. By the 1960s the UK tourism industry was undergoing radical changes. The increasing popularity of package holidays took many of Blackpool's traditional visitors abroad. The construction of
15180-647: Was entrusted by the family to continue with Robinson's designs which included the refurbishment of the Elephant and Castle Theatre , as well as the modifications to the Cambridge Music Hall in Shoreditch . By the mid-1870s around 137 theatre fires had been reported in the United Kingdom which prompted parliament to create the Metropolis Management and Building Acts Amendment Act 1878 which established safety rules for developers to adhere to. Matcham found
15312-527: Was given responsibility for the design of the theatre because of his educational experiences in London. Singer spared no cost in terms of Oldway Mansion's construction; he sourced the finest materials from around the world and instructed Bridgeman to design the interior in an exuberant French style. Garlick notes that it was highly likely that Singer's exuberance would have influenced someone as architecturally impressionable as Matcham whose later theatres also used extravagant decoration. In around 1875, soon after
15444-511: Was impressed at Phipps's ability to build a normal-sized theatre on a small, awkward plot, and it is probable that Matcham gained inspiration from the Gaiety in some of his later buildings which were also built on restricted plots of land. It is not known how long Matcham spent in London, although it was not uncommon for an architect to take up to six years to become qualified. The theatre historian Görel Garlick estimates that Matcham spent three years in
15576-503: Was introduced to William J. Revill, the proprietor of the People's Temperance Hall in Stockport . The Revill family were influential in theatrical circles with their connection to the stage going back to the 18th century. Revill contracted Matcham to draw up designs for a new building after the hall was destroyed by a fire in 1887. The new building, as with most of the Revill family's theatres,
15708-517: Was one of importance, according to Walker, as it showed a great emphasis on the ventilation system—the first of its kind—which used a sun burner in the roof and warm air ducts, 6 feet (1.8 metres) above ground level, which emitted draughts. The builders of the theatre, Crowder and Payne, advertised the venue as being "the best-ventilated theatre in London". It opened in May the following year to much praise for its achievements in audience comfort. The success of
15840-532: Was originally known as the Indian Lounge because of its British Raj -inspired interior design created by J.M. Boekbinder. The lounge was remodelled as the Planet Room , a cabaret bar in 1964. It was again revamped in the 1980s in a Roman style and renamed the Arena. The Arena is now used as a venue in its own right for meetings, presentations and banquets or as an extension space for the Empress Ballroom. It has
15972-468: Was part of the ancient parish of Bispham . The township was constituted a Local Board of Health District in 1851, governed by a local board. In 1868 the Layton with Warbreck district was renamed the Blackpool district. In 1876 the district was elevated to become a municipal borough , governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Blackpool", but generally known as
16104-430: Was problematic and Matcham had to make a series of adjustments. To compensate, he designed a ventilation system which involved the installation of an exhaust duct over the auditorium gas light which caused the heat from the burners to rise up and create a movement of air through the theatre. It was a design that he also used on the Gaiety, Matcham's second Glaswegian theatre. The Royalty took just four weeks to complete and
16236-477: Was relatively inexpensive, two factors that helped enhance his reputation. Matcham met the actor and theatrical manager James Elliston in 1886. Elliston, a native of Edinburgh , had heard of the architect through his work in Glasgow and commissioned him to reconstruct the side boxes and gallery and to improve the acoustics and ventilation system at his theatre, the Theatre Royal, Blackburn . Through Elliston, Matcham
16368-559: Was revealed that Leisure Parcs had accepted an offer of £40m from Blackpool Council to buy the Winter Gardens as well as the Tower, and other sites in the resort. The deal, financed through a combination of government regeneration cash, European funding and a loan, was finalised in March 2010. Political party conferences have increasingly taken place in major cities with modern, purpose-built conference centres such as ICC Birmingham , ACC Liverpool and Manchester Central Convention Complex , with
16500-434: Was reverted in 1974 when Blackpool became a lower-tier non-metropolitan district with the county council once more providing services in the town. Blackpool regained its independence from the county council in 1998 when it was made a unitary authority. Blackpool remains part of the ceremonial county of Lancashire for the purposes of lieutenancy . Blackpool is covered by two Westminster constituencies : Until 1945,
16632-593: Was revolutionary in its design; it was used as an educational showpiece to amateur architects and it was often visited and commented on by architectural critics and journalists. In one of the three volumes, entitled Modern Opera Houses and Theatres , which were published between 1896 and 1898, the author Edwin Sachs made reference to the Grand's "good sighting and acoustics of the auditorium, economy of space and cost, and rapidity of execution". Matcham's improvement of sightlines were
16764-491: Was suitable for this activity, and by 1781 several hotels had been built. The opening of a railway station in 1846 allowed more visitors to reach the resort, which continued to grow for the remainder of the nineteenth century. In 1876, the town became a borough, and by 1951 its population had reached 147,000. Blackpool's development was closely tied to the Lancashire cotton-mill practice of annual factory maintenance shutdowns, known as wakes weeks , when many workers chose to visit
16896-475: Was the second of nine children and the eldest son of Charles Matcham (1826–1888), a brewer, and his wife, Elizabeth née Lancaster (1830–1905). In 1857 Charles Matcham moved his family to Union Street, Torquay, and secured a job as a manager of a brewery and a malthouse. Frank was educated at Babbacombe School, in Babbacombe , Torquay. Matcham showed an early interest in architecture and became apprenticed at
17028-426: Was to be named the Theatre Royal and Opera House; it was completed to schedule the following year. The finished structure was considered to be state of the art by the town's magistrates who granted an entertainments licence that June. The Era considered the new building to be "undoubtedly one of the finest theatres in the country". According to the biographer Michael Sell, Matcham's relationship with Elliston helped
17160-555: Was to buy a large property in the English countryside for his family. His attempt at buying Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's estate was unsuccessful and instead, he purchased the Fernham Estate, in Torbay , on which Oldway Mansion was eventually built. Singer commissioned Bridgeman's office to undertake the design and instructed that a theatre be built within the house, long since demolished. Garlick considers it entirely possible that Matcham
17292-447: Was unlikely to have been taught at school. He also learnt the importance of working to tight schedules imposed by demanding customers. In his spare time, Matcham visited many of London's buildings but took a particular liking to theatres and music halls . A building of special interest to him was the newly completed Gaiety Theatre in the Strand , designed by Charles J. Phipps . Matcham
17424-456: Was voluntary and has varying response rates, the ONS warns that 'caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses'. According to the 2021 census, 49.5 per cent of residents aged 16 years and over were employed (excluding full-time students, with 3.8 per cent unemployed (a drop from 5.4 per cent in 2011). The proportion of retired residents was 23.8 per cent. Just over
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