Blackpool Tower, Observation tower in Blackpool, England.
Blackpool Tower is a 158-metre steel lattice tower with four splayed legs, rising from the roof of a red-brick, three-storey entertainment block. The tower tapers to an enclosed square section with rows of small windows, topped by a tiered cupola and a flagpole. Its base is hidden by the building housing the Tower Circus.
Maxwell and Tuke designed the tower in 1891 inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and work finished three years later with the completion of the steel frame. The site opened in 1894 as part of a larger entertainment complex along the seafront.
The tower's name is used for the whole Tower Buildings complex, which holds the Tower Circus, the Tower Ballroom and roof gardens. The circus opened with the tower on 14 May 1894 and has not missed a season since; its ring can be lowered into a pool of water. The ballroom floor is laid from 30,602 blocks of mahogany, oak and walnut.
The tower stands on the promenade between North Pier and Central Pier, with a Blackpool tram stop beside it. Two Otis lifts run to the lower platform at 116 metres, where a glass floor looks straight down; a spiral staircase links the two higher platforms, which together hold up to 600 people. The crow's nest above them is reached by 563 steps.
The circus inside maintains one of the few remaining water-filled rings, which descends below the stage for aquatic performances. This technical feature dates back to the early days and continues in use today.
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