Category: 1895

Elephants Marched up and Down Blackpool’s Promenade

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Before 1990, the Blackpool Tower Circus featured elephants as a prominent part of its shows and was famous for exercising the animals with morning walks along the beach and promenade. For decades, it was a regular sight for visitors and locals to see the elephants going down to the water to bathe. The first elephants were used in the Tower Circus in 1895, a year after the circus had opened. The animals were trained by a man named Julius Wagner and were a popular attraction. The circus continued to feature wild animal acts, including elephants, until 1990, when the use…

Empire, Hippodrome, ABC Theatre & Syndicate

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Empire and Hippodrome The site originally housed the Empire variety theatre and ballroom, designed by John Dent Harker, which opened its doors on 4 July 1895. The Empire Theatre, Blackpool, Lancashire, 1895-1910. © Alamy It was renamed the Hippodrome in 1900 and initially operated as a circus before being converted into a cinema a decade later. ABC Theatre Associated British Cinemas (ABC) acquired the former Hippodrome Theatre during April 1929. Although plans to rebuild it were underway in 1939, these were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. The theatre eventually closed in 1960, with most of the structure…