Building a Tower

                 A compilation of local news stories which appeared between 1892-95, during the construction of the Blackpool Tower. The progress of the Tower is the main theme throughout the ebook, other stories reveal different aspects of Blackpool’s colourful life: ambitious, humorous, patriotic, bursting with pride and at times quite bizarre.

Building a Tower – iBookstore

http://goo.gl/drH1mw  – iBooks

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Introduction

The Blackpool Tower was built in the hope of making a huge amount of money and cost £235,235. Although at the time there was no guarantee that a good profit would be made in Blackpool, the men responsible for driving forward the idea knew that the Eiffel Tower in Paris had made a considerable amount of money in a very short time. Within three years of opening the Eiffel Tower, which had cost £200,400, a prof- it of over £80,000 had been made.

The Blackpool Tower was referred to as the’Eiffel Tower’ during construction, and it was not until 1894, at a banquet held in the Imperial Hotel, that the name was changed to the Blackpool Tower.

The stories are not restricted to the construction of the Tower and overall give a picture of what it was like to live in Blackpool at the end of the last century.

Blackpool was indeed an exciting place: brave construction workers, almost the birthplace for the invention of the aeroplane, arguments over Sunday Opening, ‘the orange-peel brigade’, and at times, fraudulent businessmen. ‘Company Robbery at Douglas’, shows why the proposed Tower for the Isle of Man was never built. To appreciate just how much of a financial scandal this was at the time; a house in Blackpool would have cost between £300-£400.

The articles in this book are taken from editions of the Blackpool Gazette and News, covering the years between 1892-95, and appear in chrono- logical order.

I am grateful to all the staff at the Reference Library in Queen Street, Blackpool, for their help in the research of this book and to Richard Cat- low, Editor of the Blackpool Evening Gazette, for his assistance in the publication.

Good luck to everyone who will attend the next celebrations in the year 2044.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE POOR EIFFEL TOWER

The poor Eiffel Tower has fallen into deep disgrace in Paris. Only a year ago, and the Parisians still regarded it with pride, and took their pleasure and their meals on its summit. To-day M. Eiffel is en penitence, and his Tower also. Suicides have hurled themselves from the top, and the fickle Parisian clamours for its removal as a hideous blot on the landscape and a temptation to the miserable. We hope the same may never be said of the Blackpool Tower.

28th April 1893

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Other stories include…

What was the Council doing with ferrets on the Promenade?

Would the Tower bring more rain to the resort?

Why was the Blackpool Tower Company taken to court?

Flirting in the Lift,

Kisses and Kissing

Whatever Happened to Lucy Dewhirst?

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Building a Tower – iBookstore

http://goo.gl/drH1mw  – iBooks

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Mini Monster Art – Paula Shapland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Media has a bad name in some quarters; yet occasionally on Twitter something drops into your timeline that makes you think, ‘that’s an exceptional piece of work’. This is what dropped into my timeline via a retweet:

Paula Shapland is a freelance illustrator based in London. Her work is created under her company name of Mini Monster Art, an apt name when you see her work. She creates strange Monster characters but they have a demeanour that make them appear friendly not dangerous, Monsters which you would be happy to spend time with and perhaps share a pot of tea. Threatening and friendly is how I would describe them. Though I also suspect that friendly appearance maybe a cover which could lead one into a false sense of security. Her drawings are vibrant, refreshing, confident, intriguing, enticing, funny; they show an artist at the top of their game.

Welcome to Paula Shapland’s world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Twitter – @MiniMonsterArt

Facebook – http://tiny.cc/64hqpx/FB

Paula can be contacted on:

Paula.shapland at yahoo dot com

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