I do enjoy your videos you show the good side of Blackpool and you are not afraid to show the grim side as well Stephen. It really is heartbreaking to see what parts of Blackpool have become. I'm hoping that the people who have had the courage to invest money into Blackpool receive a good return on their investment and hopefully a lot of good years ahead with a LOT of holidaymakers bringing money into the town so the whole of Blackpool can benefit and get it back to somewhere near its heyday because as I have said before Blackpool is a British icon 👍👌
My parents used to bring us up once a year from Devon in the 80's/90's, we loved it, particularly the pleasure beach, pier and tower. Shame that all the negligence of respective governments have allowed this to happen. Its not just Blackpool unfortunately, seaside towns around the country are going downhill.
We used to go to Blackpool in the 1960s . Twelve of us used to go regularly for weekends etc. We had some cracking times then , went back a couple of years ago and was sad to see the decline and decay.
When the airlines started offering cheap flights in the 1980s Blackpool started going downhill…the weather also is not the best..I did see a notice in a hotel saying No Needles..I,presume it was not knitting needles. I grew up in Blackpool but left 52 years ago..
Very telling video Stephen. Did you know Blackpool councillors all voted themselves a big fat pay rise this week? About time they started to earn their money isn't it?
Last time I went to Blackpool with my parents "Paint your Wagon" with Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood was showing at the cinema facing Butlins Metropole.The year was 1971
Cheers for your efforts. I love Blackpool and have been visiting several times a year since a kid. Now 51 and visit with my kids. They hate it. What a shame. The people are the weak link. You could spend £Billions, and it would still be worth avoiding. A real shame.
I haven't checked in for a while but your presentation skills and editing have come on even better than before and it was already good. Keep it up Stephen
I only remember the days when Blackpool shone. Very sad to see these areas. I remember how nicely the landlady’s kept their properties and beautiful home cooked meals Even the illuminations were so much brighter back in the 60s and 70,s At least the beach , fresh air and sea haven’t changed Also the beautiful heritage trams
Such a shame that the oldest part of Blackpool cannot be preserved. Some of those buildings were beautiful. Foxhall Market would have been thriving years ago. Thanks Stephen😊
Other RU-vid channels fail to tell the truth about real life in Blackpool, and the surrounding areas. Perhaps it is because they don't wish to be unpopular with their viewers, or because they are actually blinkered to their surroundings, who knows? Thank goodness Stephen is the one person who we can always rely on to tell it as it is. I've noticed not for the first time that some people only want to know about the bright lights, amusements, candyfloss etc. However, those things are there mainly to cater for the people visiting the town for a day trip or on holiday. Behind all of the attractions there is a beating heart, the real Blackpool, the town where people live, work and many struggle to survive on a daily basis. Yes, there are some really beautiful parts of Blackpool and nearby areas, but the honest truth is that there is a lot of poverty too. The council seems to forget that the people who live in the town should be their priority, never mind spending money where it isn't needed, they should concentrate on helping the local people to get decent housing and to help local businesses to survive. There isn't a town or city in the U.K. without troubled areas, there's no shame in calling councils out for failing to deliver decent accommodation and facilities for the people who live there. If people find the truth too bitter a pill to swallow, then what does that say about them. I think it's great that Stephen has the town's best interest at heart, he is passionate about Blackpool and I hope the powers that be sit up and take notice of the areas he has highlighted. Fantastic video Stephen xxx
The trouble is these derelict buildings have zero parking and are surrounded by double yellow lines which makes them unviable as b & B's or convertion to residential flats and although in the olden days they would have been walking distance from central station they are a long way from North station. without car access and parking they are unusable.
I applaud your truth telling about Blackpool. I still see it through rose-tinted glasses: just after WWII my family would frequently go on day trips from the mill town where we lived. To me as a child Blackpool was a magical place. Even the Woolworth's store by the Tower was alluring. I have often thought of retiring to Blackpool but your depiction of the reality has cooled my enthusiasm for that. 😥.
That building that you said hadn’t changed in 3 years used to be a cafe. It’s been closed at least 10 years and boarded up for about the last 3 years. It’s rough around there.
Spent a week here in the 80s during the Scottish fortnight in July. Absolutely the best holiday to take my visiting best buddy from Canada to. Ram Jam Inn forever....
I've lived in Blackpool for 43 years, and I've seen it go from the Jewel in Lancashires crown, to being a first class dump! I spent 11 years in south shore, and over 30 on a housing estate near layton, and south shore has gone down hill.
My parents would take us up every year also in the 80s/90s for a weekend when the illuminations were on. Go up the tower, pleasure beach, etc. My wife and I took our kids last year. The change is incredible!
Been to Blackpool a fair few times over the years. As a kid parents drove us down from Scotland (circa 73/74) but hadnt pre booked. We spent all afternoon trying to find a bnb or hotel but all fully booked. We nearly gave up but eventually got put up by a very kind lady in a beautifull cottage in Little Eccelston village just outside town who helped her bnb neighbour across the road occasionally. We ended up going to hers a few times in following years. I remember seeing the black n white minstrel show , Dick Emery and many more . Now its all tribute acts etc as no big stars go there not thats theres any worth seeing nowadays anyway . 70s n 80s prob the last decades of true star entertainment.
In weather like that, my grandmother would say, "Let's go for a walk along the promenade to blow the cobwebs off. She lived in Dover. Thanks for a great vlog 😊
Thanks again for another informative vlog Stephen you only need to go a couple of streets off the promenade to see how run down parts of Blackpool Blackpool is when i started going to Blackpool nearly 50 years ago all they B&B's were all busy
Great video. My family settled in Blackpool in the 1830s and were quite a well known family for several generations. My parents moved away when they were in their early twenties but I stayed many times as a kid with my grandparents who still lived there and remember going to their shop in Foxhall.
That Foxhall area is beyond grim, needs bulldozing and starting again unfortunately, as you said, it needs millions spent on it and in theses times of austerity that is just not going to happen it could be welcoming but honestly I don't think a dog would want to walk through there.
As kid growing up in the west Midlands in the 1970s and 80s, I always looked forward to the annual day trips to Blackpool by coach in the summer holidays ,...its was this magical place as a kid , the flashing lights of the arcades, and all the smells , hotdogs, burgers and fish and chips wafting through the warm summer air, ...and candy floss and toffee apples at the pleasure Beach,...the rides , the prospect of going on the beach , all filled me with so much joy and excitement ,...I loved it, ...and even the very first sight of the famous tower itself as we approached Blackpool in the coach gave me so much joy,...only a kid could understand,...yes Blackpool was magical and gave me some great memories, that I will always treasure.....Great times
My first ever visit to Blackpool was 1974 - my last was Sep 2018 & not been back since, used to visit 2 or 3 times a year down from Glasgow, worked in the old Funland on the Prom before that building went on fire, at that time I lived up near the old Derby baths. You'd never see a single void B&B or shop in the past, not one even in all the back streets. It really is a great shame watching the place decline, so many good memories in the place, that first ever trip to the Pleasure Beach, taking my daughter on the Big1 for the first time, winning daft things on the Crane machines, wondering in and out all the markets as a family, some of the crazy fashions or what everyone wanted, anyone mind the big Emu faze ? they were everywhere lol - those big heart shaped lolly's, polo mints for eyes lol, or the smarties walking sticks. Very sad seeing how the place is now, very sad. Thanks for the tour about. Cheers!
Hi Stephen really enjoy ur videos. Hopefully more will be done withthis end of blackpool. However appreciate everything you show of blackpool. Looking forward to ride the lights 2023 video. Love all your videos but ride lights 2022 was my favourite.I😊😊😊😊
Hi Julie, I'm not sure if you will see this, just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you yesterday. I hope you got on well at hospital. Sending a big hug 💕 xxx
I love the seaside. I've gone from regular visits to Blackpool whilst working in the North West to living in Brighton. Huge disparity in investment, but Blackpool has some lovely places and people. Stanley Park and the zoo are definitely worth a visit.
I took my children to Blackpool in 1997 ,it was the only place on our trip around the UK , THAT THEY ASKED TO LEAVE ,as it was so dirty and smelly , when we returned to NZ ,they told ALL their friends what a hole it was .
Hi Stephen thank you for another great video as always yes there's some really bad parts of blackpool but some absolutely amazing parts too such a shame that these buildings are left like it what a waste have a great evening xx
Aww how sad that Carlton house belonged to my mum’s friend when I was young & it was kept beautiful & always busy & my auntie & uncle had one further down york st they were always well kept very busy how sad it is now my mum worked at the fox hall working men’s club happy times & memories love your channels thanks for sharing x
Hi I really enjoyed watching those buildings need alot of attention such ashame to let them rot. There are so many homeless people who could do with a roof over there heads. It does look very rough on the sea front, what was you saying in that deep funny voice when that blue car passed, I couldn't stop laughing 😂. Anyway thanks for that take care be safe and I'll see you in the next one STAR of Blackpool ❤
Very sad to see the state of the town, but as you implied and other comments have mentioned, not a lot seems to have moved on. At the very start of my career in the late 90's (I worked in the beer industry), Blackpool was on my sales territory. Even then, you step one block back from the promenade and there was destitution and dereliction. I loved visiting Blackpool, as the people, and the licensed trade community were like a family. Yes, there was competition for business, but they all knew that they needed to work together once the customers arrived en masse, as the window was short in the summer periods. Now living in East Anglia, the same video could have been made in Yarmouth - again, step away from the "loud" promenade and behind the scenes it is a Godforsaken place! Hope all coastal towns enjoy future, long term investment, rather than the search for a quick buck, as these places need to remain. (Don't get me started on Morecambe!)
I used to live in a village called Scole, which is near a town called Diss in East Anglia and as dead as that place was I still wouldn't swap it for Blackpool. Used to get dragged up every summer, and I hated everything about it. Crime was rampant, and the beach was littered with junk, needles, beer bottles etc. Even the pleasure beach looked like it hadn't seen any significant investment in decades.
I’m from Glasgow and I’m down hear the now I love the place i go a lot of different places but I will always come to Blackpool twice a year. There’s no one better than anyone in this life
Good vid. I'm an American from Philly Pa, and I've always found it striking how these places in the north of England are similar to where I grew up. Blackpool is a bit neglected but what you've shown is far from grim. At least all the streets are mostly clean. I heard it was primarily a resort town.
Yes, it was a bustling seaside resort which grew rapidly during Victorian times. We haven't quite hit anything like what has happened to Kensington, although it may seem we are on the way. I do feel that this town has enough about it to rise again.
Well done and people forget ,"Well deserved " because your passion for what you do ,the treating your best days filming/ editing only as good as the one before is itself incredible, I've put only about 30 videos together which is not related to hard graft like this ,and when I got 160k views on one video with 670 subscribers it still is a feel great feeling , so 46k is just momentous , your growth is nearing that 1st shield and it'll be here before you know it I think it'll happen by Xmas , in fact I'll say the end of the years season up to and during the 4,5 days of Xmas festivities , I still say to people "do an hour walking , talking ,being bloody careful too with some bad peep around any Corner now ,that's 5 things before editing starts and the final upload ! It's hard damm work Steve , 🎉🎉🎉 congrats pal on that 46k
Portrush resembles Blackpool in N. Ireland. Amusement park Barry's shut down when I went there. For a "holiday town" all its got was leg breaker casinos (slot machine variety). Both areas very similar as it was a popular holiday town in the 80s.
Hey Stephen that CARLTON HOUSE must've been luxurious in its day So sad to see it now What on earth have Blackpool council been doing to let such an iconic seaside town get in such a state And by the looks of it the place has been declining for at least 30 years SCANDALOUS Great vid as always David Cromer 🎉❤️😁👍
Thanks, Steve. Love how you see light through darkness, order in disorder, beauty in decay. We've just switched over to 'Electric Blackpool' on your calendar - what a bangin' snap! 👍 'It's Grim Up North'? Anyone who says that has clearly never been to Sheerness in Kent!
A lot of seaside towns are the same. Some councils found that they could send their homeless to coastal places cheap b&bs in the winter and then in the summer these people got chucked out but no where to go as by then they were registered at that place and the responsibility of the local council.
All that lovely sunny weather we had last month and now look at it July wet and windy 😟,that area need some money spending on it why don't they put the money to use instead of that complex leisure centre
the shots you took walking around in this video remind me of street photography in the old slums all over the north and nothern ireland. it's like a different world now but the people and their struggles are the same. like when you walk by the Premier near the beginning where those ladies were chatting- that was like a perspective shot with them framed in the centre, reminded me exactly of those old photos. great video, feel like things like this will make an important historical record some day.
Barrow-in-Furness, just slightly north of Blackpool (opposite side of Morecombe), the old 1800s plus buildings that survived the wars are collapsing and decaying to allow for soulless modern buildings, but because of the rent the council put up, businesses died during Covid lockdowns.
Thanks Stephen, another good video. The weather is grim because it is the start of Wigan weeks, the first Saturday in July. My missus mentioned the beard is still there..😂
That area needs to be totally redeveloped. The sad thing is that the buildings are owned by landlords. I blame the council for not taking action to compulsory purchase and redevelop or modernize
How sad some of these buildings look Stephen, years ago I stayed at a hotel in Tyldesley Rd for the illuminations every year it's sad to see how it's deteriorated, North Pier every year now 😊
Location is a huge factor, look at properties directly on the prom, constantly needing maintenance, they take a battering from the elements 24/7 (sand, salt, wind, rain)
Im living in a delapidated house in Blackpool. The landlord has only ever done 1 repair in the last 11 years. Now the interest rates have gone up he is evicting us so he can sell it. But nobody would buy it for his asking price. It needs 10-20k work doing on it. Meanwhile me, my wife and our 5 children are about to be put in a hostel because we cannot rent due to the size of our family.
Stephen could you take a walk on HULL RD in one of your videos years ago I stayed in the NORWOOD HOTEL which was fantastic and the owners GEFF and his wife were so welcoming.I will be grateful if you can show it in one of your video👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
a few streets down from where u where is Bairstow street - still has some really nice guest houses and small hotels so its not all bad! great video though cheers
300 million on an entertainment complex yet it's being built next to an area that probably needs the same amount spending on it? The council in Blackpool should hang their heads in shame. They should level the lot and invest in cheap homes for local people. I'm sure the long term income from the rents would generate more money to the economy than yet another entertainment complex in a town that has many many entertainment venues everywhere. So my question is this. These houses have been like this for YEARS. So what next? Leave them until they collapse in on themselves? I'm sure most are not even owned by landlords anyway. They probably didn't have the money to pay the mortgage in the first place and I suspect alot of the properties will now be owned by the banks that repo'd them. Great video as per Stephen 🖤
Stephen, poor investments from the central government for years and also the local council resulted in this!!! I lived in many parts of the UK and trust me , I have seen some worse places in the south east!!!!! Thanks again for another video 🙏🙏🙏
seems pretty clear to me a small hotel can't survive in blackpool anymore ... such a shame really as a kid we used to holiday every year and mostly stayed in the back streets behind the seafront ...
Hi biker boy first time replying,been watching u for a few weeks now,we are down on Monday for a week from Bridlington hope the weather is ok then take care pal stay safe.
What's your opinion on the safety of Blackpool seafront? Last year I witnessed a serious car accident and this year I witnessed the aftermath of a fatal electric scooter accident. I was also nearly run over by the first of two electric motorbikes pulling wheelies when crossing the promenade.
blackpool has the same problem that many seaside towns suffer from. it's over reliant on tourism and so much of it becomes run down. (speaking as someone with family who live there).
