Blackpool was originally called "Le Pull" or "Pul", named after a dark, peat-stained stream ("the black pool") that drained into the Irish Sea; it evolved to "Black Poole" and then "Blackpool," with the first written mention of "Blackpoole" appearing in 1602 records.
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".
Apparently the reason Blackpool was spared by the Luftwaffe during the bombings was because Hitler wanted to keep the seaside resort as a place for R&R for Nazi troops. I mean that is some seriously specific forward planning!
'Black Poole' eventually evolved into 'Blackpool'. The stream drained Marton Mere and Marton Moss into the sea and close to what we now know as 'Manchester Square'. In the 15th century, the settlement in the area was known as 'Pul'. A map from 1532 calls the area 'the pole howsys alias the north howsys'.
Until 1998, Blackpool was administered as part of Lancashire County Council which was based in Preston. After the creation of unitary authorities by the government, Blackpool and Blackburn were successful in gaining their own right to govern independent from the county council.
The Eiffel Tower is older than the Blackpool Tower, but only by 5 years! The Eiffel tower opened in 1889, construction on the Blackpool Tower started only two years after the Eiffel was unveiled in 1891, opening to the public in 1894.
Like many other UK coastal resorts Blackpool suffered a decline in tourist numbers. This was due to: foreign travel to the Mediterranean growing in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s due to its more reliable hot weather and sandy beaches. the expansion of package holidays and cheaper flights.
Blackpool: Blackpudlians and Sand Grown'uns
Well that is a widely agreeable name for them. But real locals, whose parents were also born in Blackpool, are referred to as Sand Grown'uns, a rather unique name for the people who live in the home of seaside rock and the illuminations.
A timeline of Dublin's history
Around the sixth century, a monastery named Duiblinn – which is Irish for 'blackpool' – was founded. This is where the Vikings eventually arrived in the year 841. After the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1170, Dublin became the capital of the English Lordship of Ireland.
He believed that Adolf Hitler could not be trusted and that any agreement with the Nazis would only lead to further destruction down the line. Churchill argued that negotiating would mean accepting Nazi domination of Europe, which he saw as morally and strategically unacceptable.
Then, saying "It is finished, goodbye", Hitler took Eva back into their rooms for the last time. During the afternoon Hitler shot himself and Eva took the poison capsule that he had given her.
More than 40% of anti-social behaviour incidents in Blackpool happen in just three areas of the town, a new report has revealed. The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) said Talbot, Bloomfield and Claremont had emerged as the worst-hit wards.
He was filming the last mission impossible film - Making blackpool great again!! Dean Marchington he bought a season card at Preston . Just seen him on the North Pier heading to the Bloom Bar but he was using the pier train said "his knees have gone all these Mission Impossibles" apparently?
Blackpool's oldest pub , established in 1770, and local CAMRA pub of the year in 2007, the Saddle comprises a main bar and two side rooms, plus a large patio for outside drinking in the summer.
95.8% people are white, 1.9% people are asian, 1.4% people are mixed. 55.1% are Christian, 37.4% have no religion, 5.2% provided no answer. 43.3% households have 1 car, 26.8% households have no car, 22.9% households have 2 cars.
The Lancashire dialect (or colloquially, Lanky) refers to the Northern English vernacular speech of the English county of Lancashire.
Is it expensive to live in Blackpool? Blackpool is an incredibly affordable area and it is an area where property prices have remained stable over the past year*. The average price of a house in Blackpool is currently £159,282*, making it one of the cheapest, most affordable areas of the UK.
What Exactly Is a Sandgrown'un? You'll see it written a few different ways — Sandgrown'un, Sandgrown'un, or even Sandgrownun — but the meaning stays the same: someone born and bred in Blackpool or along the Fylde Coast.
The most deprived neighbourhood in England according to the IMD25 is to the east of the Jaywick & St Osyth area of Clacton-on-Sea in Tendring (Tendring 018a).
For males, mortality from circulatory disease (20.6%), external causes (22.6%), and cancer (16.6%) are major contributors to the gap in life expectancy between Blackpool and England as a whole.
Here on the Fylde Coast, the prevailing wind usually blows from roughly the south west. It blows the waves straight against the coastline – usually with some force. The turbulence picks up particles of sand and beach material and holds it in suspension in the sea water. That's why it looks so brown most of the time.
In 2025, it was announced that the Tower would be taken over from Merlin Entertainments and operated by Blackpool Council under a new company, Blackpool Tourism Ltd, from August. The Blackpool Dungeons continue to operate under a franchise agreement with Merlin.