Tantalising Tales of the Tower (Blackpool Tower)

Member Name: flutel

Product:	Blackpool Tower
Date:	23/06/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Grab yourself a slice of history - it's an experience!

Disadvantages: Entrance fee could be off putting - but it is value for money.

Blackpool Tower is not just a tourist attraction, it's a piece of history - a place to go to touch, smell and taste the past.

My review of the Tower will focus on my experience of it in two different decades - because beyond the changes that are made there, the Tower retains a solid sense of tawdry glamour.

The Circus
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As a child in the seventies, I had a unique peep into the world of the Blackpool Tower Circus. At this time, the circus was a huge spectacle which completely mesmerized me as a kid: horses, lions, dogs, trapeze, world-class clowns and a massive finale when the floor of the circus disappeared and in its place a gigantic water feature appeared - lots of fountains and people roller-skating around a tiny platform in the middle of it all. It was breathtaking. There was always an opportunity for the kids to get into the ring with the clowns (including the famous Charlie Caroli) at some point in the show and I always nearly killed myself (and a few other kids) in the scramble to get there and be a part of this amazing spectacle. I knew when the moment would be when they would invite kids in and I was always halfway down the aisle by then.

The circus seems to be unlike other circuses as it is static and has lots of red velvet and a very specific Blackpool Tower Circus smell. It is worth paying the entrance fee for this because I have never felt so much history and so many memories wrapped up in a whiff.

I lived locally - so it was a treat that my family went to fairly frequently (including grandparents and great-grandparents) because it was so wonderful. One year though, my mother, a single parent, met a German Lion Tamer called Gerd from the Tower Circus and began a relationship with him. This gave my brother and myself a backstage pass to the circus and we went to see where the lions, tigers and a black panther in their underground cages at the Tower. This was a huge eye-opener as the quarters of those beautiful wild animals was a dingy and cramped boring place where the animals lay about looking docile and depressed. Gerd seemed like a kind man - he taught me to count in German and tried to warm my hands when they were cold but it was hard to believe he kept these animals in such reduced circumstances.

I was a very little girl at this time and we always had a cat at home so I felt hugely sorry for these massive cats. One lion was looking at me particularly dolefully and I felt the urge to comfort it so I stuck my little hand through the bars to stroke it. Quick as a flash, Gerd grabbed me and pulled me back, telling me it was dangerous. I think I cried from the shame of it.

The experience changed my view of humans using animals in circuses. It seemed so wrong to do this for entertainment. I was very glad when a few years later, the animals were taken out of the circus. I even took part in a couple of anti (animal) circus protests as a teenager to help this happen.

Over time, The Blackpool Tower Circus has been scaled down generally. I took my own daughter to it on a visit to the Tower when she was little. It was a much shorter, less impressive show with no amazing water finale. I learned later that equipment age and health and safety issues had put a stop to that particular event. I believe that these days, there are at least two circus showings a day. Being in the circus ring though, is still incredibly exciting and, for me, evocative of a bygone glamour.


The Ballroom
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As an adult, I visited the Blackpool Tower and spent quite some time in the ballroom - a huge, fantastical, golden, decorated cavern of a place with plush chairs, a giant Wurlitzer organ that appears out of the floor being played as it emerges and dozens of dressed-up people spinning around the floor impressively. As soon as I saw this ballroom as an adult, I knew that I wanted to dance properly on its beautifully-sprung floor. I made some attempt to mock-waltz but the place is deserving of a bit of style - and a good number of people (mostly local v. skilled amateurs) show this from early the morning until late at night. I went away and promptly took some Ballroom and Latin dance lessons.

I returned later with a friend. We both dressed up in suitably flamboyant costumes (I had a 1950's pink and black lace dress and my friend wore a black frilly shirt, some sleek trousers and a red cummerbund. We had an amazing time doing cha cha cha's and rumbaing around the floor. When I sat down on the plush seats to drink tea (there is both a refreshments kiosk and a bar in the Tower Ballroom) a distinguished gentleman asked me to dance. I felt like I'd entered another era.

The ballroom remains unchanged. When I pass the Tower, I imagine scores of dancers elegantly swirling inside, well away from the hallucinatory madness of the Golden Mile of Blackpool Promenade. It is well worth the entrance fee alone to experience this.

The Tower
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The Blackpool Tower today comprises of the actual Tower that you climb by queuing (usually not too bad) and then getting the lift (exciting). There are around three levels on top. The lowest level has a souvenir shop and the upper levels are more viewing platforms. On the lower level there is a glass panel in the floor that you stand on with the view being the huge drop beneath. It is called 'The walk of Faith' and can be a bit stomach-churning for some. The views are (obviously) great - with the huge expanse of beach and sea below. I remember once when a man was threatening suicide off the Tower and it was in the local news - some bright spark wrote - in huge letters - on the beach - 'JUMP'.

Other Attractions
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Today, The Blackpool Tower today comprises more than just the Tower and The Ballroom. There is an aquarium, a Jurassic walk, exhibitions and a 3D cinema, restaurants, shops. These are all great things to spend your time doing on a rainy day.

Modernisation
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The Tower tries hard to make itself interesting to new generations - so is always making some changes but whilst it does this there are places in the Tower that are unchanged. For me, I think you can sometimes even catch glimpses of the 1950's Tower in the décor or the paint or the steps.

Cost
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It costs an adult £13.95 a child £10.95 and a senior citizen£ 9.95. This might seem quite pricey if you are a family - but they do have family deals that are around £25. If you are staying in Blackpool for a few days the Blackpool Tower is a must-see and there is so much to do and see there that it is value for money.

To Conclude
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It is nigh on impossible for me to be objective about The Blackpool Tower as it contains so many memories for me - memories that touch all my senses. What I would say is that if you have not been there yet - there is still time to get some of the action and make memories of your own.

Summary: Go there - it's great!