The Imperial Hotel Blackpool, Victorian hotel on North Promenade, Blackpool, England.
The Imperial Hotel Blackpool is a four-storey Victorian building sitting directly on the North Promenade, facing the sea. It is a Grade II listed building, which means its exterior and key architectural features are officially protected under English heritage law.
The hotel opened in 1867, making it one of the oldest surviving buildings on Blackpool's seafront. Over the following decades, it received members of the British Royal Family, which helped establish its reputation as the leading address on the English coast.
The Imperial has long been a venue for political party conferences, which gives it a role that goes well beyond seaside tourism. Walking through its entrance hall, visitors can still see the heavy wood panelling and high ceilings typical of a wealthy Victorian guesthouse.
The hotel sits directly on the seafront promenade, which makes it easy to reach on foot and accessible for people with limited mobility since the pavement is flat. The area is open year round, though Blackpool tends to be at its busiest in summer and during the autumn illuminations season.
The hotel was the target of an IRA bomb attack in 1984, the same year as the more publicised bombing at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, though the Blackpool attempt was defused before it caused harm. This history is rarely mentioned on the hotel's signs, making it a detail that most visitors simply walk past without knowing.
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