Qualla: Blackpool https://qualla.com/blackpool en-us © 2026 Bendyline Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:40:16 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Blackpool https://qualla.com/blackpool Blackpool: Introduction https://qualla.com/blackpool/ There was once a literal Black Pool - a large peat-stained lake and wetland on the Fylde coast, surrounded by sand dunes and a few tiny villages. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the wetland was drained for agriculture. Only Marton Mere is left. The drainage made road access easier just as sea-bathing came into fashion, but for years the only way to reach Blackpool was a slow expensive stagecoach. Then in 1848 the railway arrived, and everything changed. By the end of the nineteenth century this was the place where working-class England came on holiday.

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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/t/f/blackpool-wk/gctf-blackpool-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Blackpool: Wakes Weeks https://qualla.com/blackpool/ Each northern factory town used to close for a week in summer for maintenance, releasing all its workers at once. The custom was called the wakes - from the vigils on the eve of a Saint's Day, a tradition Pope Gregory I described in detail in 601 AD. He somehow failed to predict ...

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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/t/f/blackpool-wk/gctf-blackpool-wakes-weeks.mp3 0:06 2 full Blackpool: The Trams That Never Quite Left https://qualla.com/blackpool/ Blackpool Tramway has been running since 1885, the world's second-oldest electric street tramway. The trams power from overhead cables - they tried under-street electrical conduits at first, but discovered what happened when sea spray washed over the prom. Modern Bombardier Flexi...

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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/t/f/blackpool-wk/gctf-blackpool-the-trams-that-never-quite-left.mp3 0:06 3 full Blackpool: Illuminations and Off-Season https://qualla.com/blackpool/ Blackpool's defining trick was always extending the season. The Winter Gardens opened in 1878 to pull conferences in winter; the Illuminations followed in 1879 to keep autumn busy. The town hosted political party conferences, trade union annuals, and any event that could fill big...

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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/t/f/blackpool-wk/gctf-blackpool-illuminations-and-off-season.mp3 0:06 4 full Blackpool: Rock, Donkeys and Drag https://qualla.com/blackpool/ Blackpool rock is a cylinder of hard candy with the town's name running through it - and yes, you can pay extra to have a person's name in the middle instead. Sucking is mandatory; biting will cost you a tooth. Donkey rides on the beach have a 50-kilo rider weight limit and do no...

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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/t/f/blackpool-wk/gctf-blackpool-rock-donkeys-and-drag.mp3 0:06 5 full Blackpool: Getting Around https://qualla.com/blackpool/ Most visitors arrive via the M55 from the M6, or by train via Preston, where you change for any service from the Midlands or Scotland. Manchester Airport has direct hourly trains to Blackpool North, journey time about an hour and forty minutes. Blackpool's own airport no longer c...

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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/t/f/blackpool-wk/gctf-blackpool-getting-around.mp3 0:06 6 full