"Stormy Down" Track on Strawbs Website

Some exciting news!

I was contacted by long time fan and friend of The Strawbs, Les Cotton, a fellow Blackpudlian musician and we now have a mention on the Strawbs website along with a fully downloadable track, one of my solo efforts which is a cover of The Strawbs' track "Stormy Down" which appeared on their brilliant album "Bursting At The Seams".

I saw them on stage the year the album came out and the song bowled me over. It's a real privilege to be featured singing it on their website!

On the website click:

Downloads > Fan Downloads > Latest Additions

I'm not sure how long it will stay a "latest addition" though! You'll find tracks from Les Cotton also. His version of the Strawbs classic "Lay Down" is well worth a listen!

Les and I have never met, although we've swapped the occasional email for quite a while now. He even went trogging off down the North Pier that time when we were searching for Margot's telescope box!

Calling Big Band Experts

Margot's wondering if any readers can help with this one?

Another search someone might be able to help with.

I was discussing with my other half the big bands that used to come to the tower and Winter gardens and one of them was "Ted Heath's band" who were wonderful but there was another band I used to like better with a fantastic drummer.

Any of your's members help on that one? The name Ken seems to come to mind.
Regards Margot

This could be a bit before my time - the only big band I can remember at the Tower is Eric Delaney (pictured) who was a drummer and had a small band who re-created the big band sound.

It's possible that "Ken" wasn't the drummer though - I have a few 78rpm records of Ken Mackintosh, the saxophonist, and he had a band from the late 1940s onwards, recording several early TV themes and backing singers such as Anne Shelton, Alma Cogan and Frankie Vaughan. He toured extensively between 1953 and 1963; does anyone remember him coming to Blackpool?

He died in 2005, The Independant newspaper published an obituary which can be read online.

Site of the Big Wheel

Margot was having problems placing the Big Wheel where I suggested, so I hope this helps.

This is the same photo as before except I've drawn round the outline of the Horsehoe Pavilion in the Winter Gardens.

Then I've highlighted a feature in both this and the photo below which I believe to be the same glass arched roof, which is now over the Coronation Street entrance to the Winter Gardens, but which cannot be seen from inside the building.

In fact the two photographs look to have been taken from pretty much the same spot, with Coronation Street running off to the left and Adelaide Street running off at the junction up the side of the site.

Oh and wonderful! She's got another challenge for us, folks - see the entry above (give me a few moments to write it!)

Blackpool Olympia Funfair

After the photo Margot sent in of the two lion cubs in the Olympia building she wrote:

I dont know what more I can tell you about the Olympia building other than it was all entertainments, like I recall a roundabout in there and side stalls and slot machines. I also recall the Ideal Home exhibition being held there every year.

Yes I remember going in there to play slot machines during the 1960s and then in the late 1970s and early 1980s there was a full funfair in there.

My photo from 1981 shows a late version of it but by then it was usually quite deserted and the funfair disappeared not long afterwards.

At one time I remember a big wheel in there that took you right up into the roof! After the funfair disappeared the space was used for big exhibitions like the Ideal Homes and Travel/Holiday exhibitions and for a while it became a children's adventure playground.

Before the Olympia was built, the site was occupied by the Ferris Wheel or "Big Wheel" that was as famous a sight as the Tower in the 1920s.

With the success of the London Eye, the local paper has reported that there are plans to build a similar wheel on the new widened Promenade.

That's the thing with wheels, you see - they go round in circles...!

Return to Blackpool Attractions Index Page

More from Margot

Margot Carey, the lady who started off the Great Telescope Treasure Hunt, has sent me some fascinating photos and I'm going to add a couple more here.

Margot is, I think, the young lady to the left of this photo with two lion cubs and the family are remarkably relaxed and composed about posing with them! Ah, wait, the filename of the photo reveals there was a sheet of glass between the lions and the family! The photograph was apparently taken in the Olympia building. Margot, I think we need to know more about this one!

The next one shows Margot as a young girl, sitting on Santa's knee in the RHO Hills store. It was taken around 1947. RHO Hills was opposite the back of the Tower, where Waterstones is now and I have a feeling it burned down? I'm sure someone will tell me if I'm wrong! Margot, I've added your name in the labels below - clicking your name there will open all the entries you are mentioned in! I have a feeling we may hear from you again! I certainly hope so!

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Treasure Hunt - My Entry

Seeing as I was down there... oh, alright - this is why I was down there!

If you don't know what the treasure is try reading here, then here, and make sure you read the comments so you don't miss anything!

Armed with the information from Margot about the second hut on the right and the box being to the left of it I found it quite easily. A box with the front missing. Not much to see but a bit of Blackpool's heritage none-the-less.

It would be nice to have something on the side of the hut, perhaps with Margot's photo of her Dad to remind folks that some things were done much better in the past. I can't remember the last time I saw anyone looking through a coin-slot telescope from Blackpool Promenade and that's probably because apart from the Tower and lots of sea, they wouldn't know what to look for.

As can be seen from this new photo sent by Margot of her father, he used to point the telescope at points of interest. She says:

On the board my Dad would chalk which views he was showing depending on the weather. Sometimes it would even be Barrow shipyards also showing the Isle of Man steamers and he had photos of them all to identify them.

The blackboard, tripod and telescope all went in the case under the seat. On this particular picture he is showing the Lune Tower Light ship, whereby someone might be able to date the picture, as I was informed by a historian who wrote a history of the North Pier that the Lune Tower Light Ship burned out.

A Google search has failed to provide any information about the lightship - anyone out there with any knowledge of this? Margot, I suppose I should really ask if this is indeed the box?!?

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Treasure Hunt Update

News on the treasure hunt that started with an email from Margot Carey on Saturday.

Les Cotton left a comment on the original post but it doesn't accept enough html to let you link photos.

Not to be outdone, he's emailed me with the photo (right) and says:

I was nearby to North Pier today, so had a stroll down there (first time in 30 years !! HaHa). Couldn't see the mystery box, but took (a) pic of a kiosk with a box under the seats to the right.

give us a clue...where exactly is it ??
Les

Well the box under the seats turned out to be an electrical junction box, but this other photo of Les's I suspect may be the actual thing?

I've not seen it myself - however, Margot wrote again to say:

I have another picture of my Dad with the telescope on N pier when I locate it I will forward it. I had a look at the link you sent.

The framework for the telescope box is on the right going down the pier and at the left hand side of one of the Indian looking huts. I think it is the second hut down the pier.

Meanwhile, here's another photo from Les which I think is a bit of wishful thinking here, Les my old fruit!

I somehow rather think I'd prefer a shining brass telescope with a uniformed attendant than the modern equivalent!

So - perhaps Margot will confirm whether Les's first photo is of the correct article? And now, here's the next challenge - this one might have you rummaging through those old photos! Let's have a few photos of 1940s-1960s workers in uniform. They can be lift attendants, petrol pump attendants in overalls, shopworkers or factory workers - what have you got?

Email photos no bigger than 800x600 pixels please to bispham2[at]hotmail.com and to help me weed out potential viruses, please give your email a subject "uniform photos". Otherwise you run the risk of me deleting the message without reading!

Sending photos will be taken as giving me permission to publish them (but not make money from them) on this blog

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Treasure Hunt - Open to All!

Aha!!! My regular readers will know I love Curiosities.

Well, thanks to Margot, the young lady in the photo, we can now all go in search of one I'd never heard of before. She writes:

Hello John
Here is a picture taken in about 1953 with my Dad on the North pier where he had the telescope at the time. When I visit Blackpool and the N pier there is still the framework remaining of the lock up box under a seat next to one of the huts and when I look at it I always think not many people would know that.

I like looking at your site as I was born in Blackpool and went to school there in the 40-50's .

Kindest Regards
Margot *******

Many thanks for the email Margot, well there we go folks - I'm on record for getting excited at "hills" that used to be called "defences" so how about a framework that used to be a lock-up box for a telescope? First one to find it and send me a photo gets a mention!

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