Author: Ed

David Brown Buys Aston Martin

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Sir David Brown was born in Park Cottage in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, to Caroline and Frank Brown in 1904. Park Cottage was demolished in the Second World War to make way for a new factory, on their 17-acre Park Works site. Brown attended King James’s School in Almondbury and Rossall School in Cleveleys. While at Rossall, he was known to have loved the glamour and excitement of cars and motor sports, yet he was also a shrewd business man. He even bought shares out of his pocket money in his school days at Rossall. David Brown’s connection to Blackpool is significant because it… Read more »

Arthur Askey at Royal Variety Performance in the Opera House

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Arthur Askey, CBE OBE, was one of Britain’s most beloved comedians, actors, and musicians, known for his quick wit, infectious energy, and enduring catchphrases. Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Dingle, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Betsy (née Bowden), originally from Knutsford, Cheshire, and Samuel Askey, company secretary of Sugar Products of Liverpool. Six months after his birth, the family moved to 90 Rosslyn Street, Liverpool. His connection to Blackpool ran deep, and in July 1955, he made a special appearance at the annual garden party at St Annes College for Girls. Askey not only performed… Read more »

The Palace Theatre

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The Palace Theatre was situated within Blackpool’s huge and lavish seafront Palace Complex, which was next door to the Tower Complex. The Theatre was a redesign of the former Alhambra Theatre by the renowned Theatre Architect Frank Matcham in 1904. The Alhambra had been designed by Wylson & Long and had originally opened in 1899, as part of the former Alhambra Complex which had run into financial difficulties soon after opening and was sold to the Blackpool Tower Company in July 1903. The Tower Company then set about restructuring the building and they reopened the newly redesigned Matcham Theatre as the… Read more »

Jenny Eclair – First Woman to Win Perrier Award

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Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves; 16 March 1960) is an English comedian, novelist, and actress, best known for her roles in Grumpy Old Women between 2004 and 2007 and in Loose Women in 2011 and 2012. She is said to have adopted the alternative surname Eclair (later her stage name) in her teens, when she was at a disco in Blackpool and pretended to be French. She focuses on growing up in the following video clip from her standup act. Eclair was born to English parents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, where her father, Derek Hargreaves, a major in the…

St Annes Old Links

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Founded in 1901, St Annes Old Links is one of the finest championship golf courses on England’s north-west coast. Nestled in the historic golfing region of Lancashire, this revered links course boasts a rich heritage and a reputation for excellence. The club takes great pride in its meticulously maintained 6,907-yard, par-72 Championship Links course, which offers a true test of golf for players of all levels. Over the years, St Annes Old Links has played an integral role in the world of championship golf, hosting numerous prestigious tournaments. The club has been a Final Qualifying venue for The Open on… Read more »

Josef Locke’s Summer Show at the Opera House

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Josef Locke made an immediate impact when featured in “Starry Way,” a twenty-week summer show at the Blackpool Opera House in 1946 and was rebooked for the following summer, then starring for three seasons at the Blackpool Hippodrome. He appeared in ten Blackpool seasons from 1946 to 1969, not the nineteen seasons he later claimed. Joseph McLaughlin (23 March 1917 – 15 October 1999), known professionally as Josef Locke, was an Irish tenor. He was successful in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Derry, Ireland, he was the son of a butcher and cattle… Read more »

Steve Royle in Snow White at the Grand Theatre

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The Blackpool Grand Theatre first staged Snow White as its Christmas pantomime for the 2020/21 season. Blackpool panto favourite and BBC Radio Lancashire presenter Steve Royle starred as Muddles, marking his 18th consecutive appearance at the Grand Theatre. Royle, from Chorley, is an actor, writer, comedian, and juggler, as well as a “Gillard Award”-winning presenter on BBC Radio Lancashire and a finalist on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent 2020. In recognition of his contributions to the theatre, he was made an honorary member of The Friends of The Grand in 2016. The classic story of Snow White originates from a 19th-century…

Jools Holland’s ‘A Blackpool Big Band Boogie’

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Jools Holland’s ‘A Blackpool Big Band Boogie’ was specially recorded for BBC Four on 24 June 2015 at the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Jools Holland and his band were joined by special guests Rumer, Marc Almond, and Ruby Turner. More than 14,000 people applied for tickets, with only a fortunate 800 securing a spot in the audience. By the end of the concert, Jools and his orchestra had almost every attendee on their feet. The concert celebrates the golden age of big band music from the 1930s to the 1950s, with Jools presenting his interpretations of classics…

Art B&B Opens its Doors on the Promenade

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Art B&B first opened its doors in 2019 after Blackpool Council purchased the former Ocean Hotel on the promenade between Banks Street and Springfield Road for £203,000 in 2016. The traditional Blackpool B&B has been transformed and reimagined by over 30 established and emerging artists, who have curated the 19 rooms and communal spaces to offer a truly unique stay. As a community business, Art B&B reinvests its profits into arts and community projects, making it a distinctive boutique hotel designed to engage and inspire guests. The team behind Art B&B took a tired seafront hotel and entrusted its decor… Read more »

The Rise of TISS and its Rebranding to TankSafe

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In 2001, Brian and Ryan Wholey, former hauliers, founded TISS Security Systems in Blackpool with the vision of providing innovative security solutions for the transport and haulage industry. Specialising in fuel security products, TISS quickly made a name for itself by developing cutting-edge technology to address rising concerns over theft and illegal immigration within the sector. In 2002, TISS was located on Lytham Road in South Shore, Blackpool. In that same year the company was recognised for it’s rapid growth and entrepreneural success and honoured as the Fylde’s Entrepreneur of the Year at the Guardian Angel Entrepreneurs Network awards, held… Read more »