Blackpool, the South Jetty from the Wellington Hotel

Blackpool, the South Jetty from the Wellington Hotel

The South Jetty – latter to become the Central Pier, opened in May 1868, five years later than the North Pier. Both were designed to extend over the sea to allow people to 'promenade' above the water, and they also served as docking stages for boats. A variety of other attractions drew in the crowds. By 1871 swimming and diving events were added to the dancing and variety shows on offer on the seafront.
In 1895, five years after the date attributed to this photograph, the activities of the beach traders, known as ‘sand rats’, were proving to be problematic to the leisure entrepreneurs of Blackpool. The town’s by-laws limited ‘standings on the foreshore’ to 615 traders: amongst their number were 62 fruit sellers, 21 oyster and prawn stalls, 52 ice cream vendors , 36 photographers, 24 ventriloquists and phrenologists, 57 toy sellers, and 6 quack doctors.

1890

This image is reproduced by kind permission of the Francis Frith Collection. No further reproduction is permitted without prior written authorisation.

Nineteenth century