Introduction Blackpool is a seaside town in England, on the coast of the Irish Sea. It is traditionally part of Lancashire but on April 1, 1998 was made into an independent unitary authority. It is believed to get its name from a long gone drainage channel which ran over a peat bog. The water which ran into the sea at Blackpool was black from the peat and formed a "black pool" in the relatively clean waters of the Irish Sea. History During Roman times, the Fylde, was an area of oak forests and impassable bogs. The Romans built a road through Preston to a settlement outside Kirkham fort and this continued westwards, probably towards a Roman port. In 1602 entries in the Bispham parish baptismal register mention "de Poole" and "de blackpoole", at that time a collection of cobble and clay huts spread along the coast near to the "Pool". In 18TH Century The Fylde coast began to attract visitors from the landed gentry by the 1720's and in 1735 a cottage owned by Ethart a' Whiteside became the first 'guest house' used especially for visitors. The 19th Century saw the rapid development of Blackpool as a major resort for the industrial working classes of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The 1970's and 80's brought competition from continental holidays and from the consequent higher expectations of visitors. Blackpool adjusted as it has throughout its history, by providing mini breaks, en-suite facilities, and major indoor facilities such as the Sandcastle, Sea Life Centre and most recently the World of Coronation Street. Place of interest Blackpool is heavily dependent on tourism. Major attractions include: Blackpool Tower, built in May 1894, is a 518-foot-tall copy of the Eiffel Tower. It was painted gold for its centenary. The Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park, near to the South Pier. Blackpool Zoo - provides a home to over 1500 animals from all over the world. Blackpool Dance Festival - World famous annual ballroom dance competition of international significance: home page Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Theme park with lots of different attractions including the tallest rollercoaster in Europe. Tower World - A huge complex of leisure facilities, entertainment venues and restaurants. Included is the famous Blackpool Tower, Tower Ballroom and Tower Circus. Winter Gardens - Large entertainment and conference venue in the town centre. North Pier - The northernmost of Blackpool's three piers. It includes a small shopping arcade, a small tramway and a theatre at the end. It was damaged by a 1997 Christmas windstorm Central Pier - The middle pier. It includes a large theme park and shopping. South Pier - The southernmost pier. Almost directly opposite the Pleasure Beach, it houses a large theme park. One controversial proposal, which has the involvement of the local council, is to transform Blackpool into a casino resort along the lines of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, making it the centre point of gambling in the UK. Blackpool remains a major summer entertainment venue, specialising in variety shows featuring entertainers such as Ken Dodd. Outside the main holiday season, Blackpool's Winter Gardens routinely hosts major political and trade union conferences, ranging from that of the Conservative Party and the TGWU with thousands of delegates and visitors, to substantially smaller gatherings such as the CWU or NUS conferences. Museums & Art Galleries The world famous Waxworks exhibition is situated on Central Promenade and is open throughout the season from Easter to the end of October. Famous personalities such as film stars, television personalities, pop idols and politicians are all portrayed in wax. Why not visit the Chamber of Horrors and the Anatomy Exhibition for adults where new figures are introduced every season. Toy and Teddy Bear Museum is another attraction for visitors. Shopping Like other popular cities Blackpool has a number of shopping center chain. Among them : Littlewoods Extra with a massive range of 40000 products, ranging from toys and clothes to electrical goods and sports equipment and Marks & Spencer for womenswear, menswear, gifts, flowers and a wide range of delcious food. Except this two, Bhs Plc, Clifton Arcade, Hearnshaw Of Fleetwood, Stringer Jw, Woolworths Plc, Lancastrian Shopping Mart etc., are some famous shoping centers in Blackpool. Food & Drink Blackpool hosts a number of restaurants offering all range of food and all verities of food from different place of the world. Blue Room, Cottage, Giggis Taverna, Grosvenor Casino, Galley Café, House of Spice, Il Corsaro Restaurant are some of the famous restaurants in Blackpool. Blackpool has a number of night clubs. Among them Barney's, Heaven and Hell, Flamingo, Gaitety's and Walcot's Bar are some names to mention. Education Blackpool & Flyde College, Blackpool Sixth Form College, Lytham St Annes High Technical College are some of the famous institutes in their respective fields. Sports From the outset in 1994, the Blackpool Cup has enjoyed an overwhelming interest. The number of participants and nationalities is still growing every year. This year, their eleventh edition of the tournament, they have another huge entry with over 140 teams taking part. Blackpool Rugby Union Football Club (BRUFC) has enjoyed phenomenal success over the last six years. Blackpool also has a cricket club. Hotels & Accommodation There is a large range of hotels in Blackpool to suit all budget. Here is a selection of Blackpool hotels: Norwood Hotel The Danescourt Hotel ( PLEASURE BEACH) The New Guilderoy Hotel Cliffs Hotel The Woodley Hotel The Merecliff Hotel Clifton Hotel Arandora Star Hotel The Carlee The Norbreck Castle Hotel Middleton Hotel The Dudley Hotel Warwick House Hotel Courtneys of Gynn Square Vidella Hotel Hotel Elizabeth North Euston Revills Hotel Viking Hotel Glenshee Hotel & Leisure Chelston Hotel Claremont Hotel Warwick Hotel Tours and Sightseeing Organised tours in Blackpool have variety in their theme and according to the theme the contents also changes. The most widely chosen tours are based on waxworks museum and other sightseeing subjects. These tours contains place of interests, famous buildings, museums etc. Transport The town's tramway was for a long time Britain's only working tramway outside of museums. Other cities have been rebuilding their networks since the late 20th century. Blackpool had two railway terminals with a total of over 30 platforms, mainly used by excursion traffic in the summer. Blackpool Central, close to the Tower, was closed in 1964, whilst Blackpool North was largely demolished and rebuilt as a smaller facility. Blackpool Airport operates regular charter and scheduled flights. The airport is actually in St Annes although a proposal to reorganise Blackpool's borders would see the airport incorporated into Blackpool Borough.