Blackpool Tower

The Blackpool Tower Company set out to give the resort a year‑round, weather‑proof landmark after civic leaders saw the Eiffel Tower at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Maxwell & Tuke designed a riveted steel lattice rising from a large brick‑and‑terracotta base that would house indoor attractions, ensuring the site worked even in poor weather and outside the summer season.

• Lattice tower with four raked legs and deep cross‑bracing
• Large “Tower Building” podium containing Circus, halls, hospitality
• Multiple observation levels to spread crowds and manage wind exposure

Lattice and legs

The tower comprises four raked legs rising from the podium’s corners, meeting a series of platforms and narrowing stages toward the “crown” and flagstaff. Members are riveted mild‑steel sections with diagonal bracing to resist wind loads from the Irish Sea. The open lattice reduces wind pressure while maintaining stiffness.

Observation levels and access

Multiple observation decks were provided to spread visitor loads and manage exposure in high winds. Passenger lifts and stairways serve the decks; modern systems have replaced/modernised the originals, and today’s experience includes an enclosed viewing level and the glass‑floor SkyWalk.

Base building (Tower Building)

The podium is a substantial brick and terracotta structure anchoring the legs while housing indoor attractions. The Tower Circus opened with the tower in 1894; the celebrated Tower Ballroom in its current grand form dates to 1898–1899, following a redesign/expansion of the earlier hall.

New steel was generally cleaned and primed immediately after erection, with additional coats applied as the tower advanced. The initial coating therefore occupied several months across 1893–1894, interleaved with erection.

In service, a coastal lattice like Blackpool Tower requires rolling corrosion protection. Historically the tower has been on a multi‑year repaint cycle with annual spot work; modern high‑performance coatings and condition‑based inspections mean some zones now stretch intervals while others get more frequent attention. Unlike the old saying about bridges, the tower isn’t literally painted non‑stop—but it is an ongoing program.

Contemporary reports and later summaries record fatalities during the 1891–1894 build. The number most commonly cited in local histories is at least two workers who died in construction. Period reporting can be incomplete, so historians often add a caveat when quoting an exact figure.

During World War II, the tower was not illuminated and the top was used for observation/spotting purposes. Post‑war safety upgrades have included modern lifts, decking, barriers and inspection regimes.

From the start, the tower culminated in an ornamental “crown” below a flagstaff, with both enclosed and open‑air viewing galleries (often dubbed the “crow’s nest”). Over time, the top has hosted different features and uses:

• 1894: Crown/finial and flagstaff above the highest observation platform.
• Early 20th century: Decorative beacons and searchlights during Illuminations seasons.
• World War II: Public access curtailed; the top used as an observation/spotting post.
• Late 20th–21st century: Modernised “Tower Eye” experience with enclosed viewing, and a glass‑floor SkyWalk added in the 2010s.

The exact configuration of masts, beacons and fixtures has changed with maintenance and technology, but the defining elements—crown, flagstaff, and the highest galleries—have remained the visual signature.