The last article had me up on top of Wilkinson's car park, taking photos of the Blackpool Gateway developments. I didn't just take photos of the new buildings though, so here are a few of the other views that I could see from a few storeys up!
This view looks from my vantage point over Dickson Road down along Queen Street towards the sea. The Grundy Art Gallery and Central Library are the imposing red brick building with the rather out of place blank white wall facing us. Queen Street itself then curves to the right before its junction with the Promenade Road, joining opposite the War Memorial which can be clearly seen breaking above the horizon.
Swivelling ninety degrees and looking from the rear of the car park, we are looking along High Street. Despite its name it is a back street of residential properties with one or two guest houses. On the horizon are the Savoy and Hilton hotels, showing how the seafront has curved from our previous photo.
Once again a ninety degree turn, we now have the sea at our back and are looking over the roof of the railway station (Blackpool North) along the snaking lines as the tracks from the various platforms merge into the lines going to and from Poulton-le-Fylde and onward to Preston where it meets the main West Coast Line. All trains from Blackpool stop at Preston without fail - the question I am most often asked when on a train from Blackpool! Bispham water tower is the prominent structure, sitting on top of Warbreck Hill on the horizon..
From the south west corner of the car park roof, a view down Talbot Road. In the foreground a new mini roundabout has replaced the traffic lights that used to be here. Talbot Road is west bound for cars only - buses and taxis are the only traffic allowed to come up east beyond Abingdon Street, though Dickson Road, which used to be one-way northwards is now a two-way route to this junction. At this point it ceases to be Dickson Road and the road heading left from Lloyds Pharmacy is Topping Street.
Looking towards the Tower, the large building in front just to its left shows the route of Deansgate and the side away from us is on Abingdon Street, which leads further into the main shopping area. Talbot Road can be regarded as the northern edge of the shopping centre, it's a street of modern frontages under more interesting and varied upper storeys. The road heads down to the Promenade and seafront, ending in Cocker Square with the Town Hall tower on the left and then the old Clifton Hotel, now a Travelodge.
