The North Pier in 1997

Whilst I'm on the subject of 1997 (see previous entry about Brough Castle) it brought a few highlights and lowlights for the North Pier in Blackpool.

The magnificent two-storey carousel was enclosed in a glass wall to protect it from blown sand and salt spray. The carousel was never as popular as it deserved to be, probably because it was at the far end of the pier.

Tracks had been laid down the pier and a tram ride could be taken from one end to the other. This was popular particularly at showtime as holidaymakers visited the end of the pier theatre.

A year later and storms had destroyed the jetty at the end of the pier, leaving a section of it stranded out to sea. There had been a lot of muttering from fishermen as the jetty had been labelled unsafe for a while and then a helicopter was operated for a while from the end of the pier, giving rides for a few seconds down the Golden Mile and back. This was the end of the jetty however and the remaining section was demolished a little while later.

Return to Blackpool North Pier Index Page