In 1864 was added in 1864 and later extended to increase the piers length to 1650ft (500 meters). Pleasure steamers ran from the jetty, they were called Queen of the Bay and Clifton. These offered day excursions to Liverpool, Llandudno, the Lake's, Isle of Man, and Southport.
In 1874 major building work was undertaken to increase the width of the pier to construct an Indian pavilion, a bandstand a restaurant and a few shops.
With all the added attractions to the pier its visitor number grew and the North Pier was further extended both in 1875 and 1877. During this expansion a North and South 'wing' was added and electric lighting was installed.
The North Pier still has a wonderful Victorian character, with its large deck, its traditional end of pier theatre, a beautiful two storey carousel, and the sun pavilion.
The current North Pier theatre is actually the third theatre on the pier. The first being the Indian Pavilion that sadly suffered a fire in 1921 the replacement also suffered a fire after only 17 years. The current theatre was built in 1939 and can seat 1500 people. This theatre nearly burnt down in 1985 but an entertainer noticed the blaze when he was leaving the theatre!
Today the theatre hosts many summer shows such as the Joe Longthorne, QEII - Queen and Freddie Mercury Tribute Show, and Five Star Swing among many others.
The original bar opened in the 1960's and was redeveloped in the early 1980's. These days the entertainment is hosted by Joey Blower every Saturday and Sunday. The bar also hosts the Search for a Star Sunday competition from May to October. The judges will be local celebrities including Bobby Ball and Casey Lee Jolley (from Coronation Street). This a great venu to enjoy a fun afternoon or evening throught the season there is someting going on in this lively bar.
The Carousel is almost a quarter of a mile out into the Irish Sea. It is an unusual carousel in that it is a double decker! Next to the Carousel is the Carousel Bar and the Sun Lounge. Which is a sort of open air Victorian Sun Lounge with lots of seating and beautiful views.
The North Pier is a wide promenade deck that is built for promenading and relaxing on. It is still in its original Victorian Glory and hasn't been over commercialized. While you will find the odd show and a bar at each end the main deck is beautifully uncluttered. Unfortunate the train that used to travel along the pier is no longer running, one day it may return. During 2008 season Mike Lovell's 6-IN-A-BAR Dixieland Jazz Band with Rosie will be performing for FREE in the Sun Lounge.
Details of Shows at North Pier Blackpool.
