There were five kids in our house and mum and dad. Once a year we would all catch a bus to Blackpool. When we got there my dad would make for the nearest pub for a pint and we would all head for the beach with buckets and spades. At 12 oclock it was time to go to a cafe on the front and we all had Chips, beans and egg with a slice of bread and butter and a cup of tea. We all felt very special and posh in our best clothes. Then back to the beach where mum and dad hired deck chairs and sat watching us play, dad usually falling asleep with his hankie on his head and just his white vest on, pants rolled up so that he could go for a paddle. We were really lucky if we got to go to the fun fair, we could each choose one ride and we all got some fairyfloss or a toffee apple. They were the good ol days I reckon, carefree, no such thing as debt, council house in M/C and sometimes the day was sunny and warm. We never wanted to go home when the bus was leaving, and oh, I remember my dads treat was to buy some cockles and whelks on the front to nibble on. These are my memories of the lovely Blackpool, I hope it can come back one day, but I doubt it can, what with all the other places that people can travel to nowadays....I am coming up to 75yrs old in November, so its a long time ago now, but I hold my memories dear still....PS, I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, YOU ARE A BORN NATURAL....THANKS !!
Been watching a few of your videos and I’m repeatedly shocked at the number of abandoned properties you show while on the news we regularly hear about the UK’s housing shortage. It’s perverse.
Funding for renovating old properties is a big no no at the institutional investment level. We can moan but that’s reality Also since the as they say boomers have and are and will all retire just now and soon-that means they’re not paying part of their wages into pensions The next age group surr as hell ain’t That’s means there’s going to be ZERO money worldwide for a world like this of yesteryear
@@wanderingturnip However once a property has been left it's often hugely expensive to restore it. Especially if the ceiling or windows have water ingress. I'm a bit of a romantic about old places, but I also see the reality of the costs involved. When you have an entire area in decline it's very difficult to reset this and avoid being pulled down too. You risk having the best house in the worst street syndrome.
I used to live in Blackpool and still have a great deal of affection for it. So sad to see its current state. My Aunt had to sell her 10 bedroom hotel for less than 10k. If the council would allow a change of designation into private dwellings it would be worth 10x that instantly. Same for all these boarded up hotels. They really need to accept the glory days are not coming back and allow these buildings to become private dwellings.
Theyre still time for Blackpool it just needs to be modernised like alot of other northern cities and towns that have been neglected over the decades. I come from such a city myself thats basicly become a shadow of its former self. There has been some improvements over the years but not alot. Manufacturing is gradulay coming back but its 20+ years to late for me. I left school in the mid 90s when it was all just beginning to disapear and people were being made redundant. Its had a terrible effect on my life and mental health and its still effecting me to this day.
I’ve said this for years, it’s like they’re managing the decline of their own towns. There’s a limited timeframe between the commercial drop off and people wanting to live there, before it goes to rack and ruin and is lost forever. Blackpool isn’t very well served by being at the “end of the line” but if they’d allowed them to go residential then who knows? Motorways make everything viable.
I used to love going to Blackpool as a kid in the 70s & 80s, seeing the illuminations and all the cool little shops. I actually lived and working there for 18 months from 2000. In season it was busy, but out of season it was quiet and pretty creepy. Love your videos man
I used to take coach trips to Blackpool loved it so sad to see the state it's in now I hope they can turn it around somehow alot of other places across the country are also going through this change don't know what the outcome will be
If Blackpool was in Australia, those hotels would've been bulldozed and replaced with apartments years ago. Some people would debate whether or not this building loads of new apartments is a good thing, but it's gotta be better than leaving a whole stack of derelict buildings in the middle of a town centre.
It’s how you market the town, it doesn’t HAVE to be labelled as a seaside town because it’s by the sea. Get some good chefs up there, create a ‘gastronomic’ centre for the uk (or something specific).. it’s all about marketing
After watching quite a few of these videos I'm grateful for my father dragging our family to Australia in 1960. I'd often toyed with going back to visit my original homeland and town where I was born (Harlow, Essex), but I'd rather visit Spain, Portugal, Norway and probably even Ukraine.
Haunting. I keep watching this - imagining the dad of a family writing to the guest house in winter to ask for two rooms for a week in summer - it would have been by letter in the 50s. Then the excitement of the family arriving in Blackpool, wondering what rooms it would be, if there was a view... Taken out of their lives for a week. Mind you, by the 1970s my Mum insisted on going to chalet places, because she hated being ordered out each day by the landlady! The Isle Of Man Holiday Centre. Which I adored. Long gone too, now. My only memory of Blackpool is a day trip when I was a small child. There were so many people on the beach I lost my parents in the crowd. Couldn't happen now.
As a child Blackpool was a magical place . Particularly during the illuminations. However it is a victim of the change in holiday trends . In the 50’s and 60’s entire Northern towns would close their factories during the wakes weeks and the population would fill trains and head for Blackpool and require accommodation for one or two weeks. As you say it has now become a day trip destination with no need for large scale accommodation. Sadly town planners seem to have been slow in adapting to the need to react to these changes.
@@wanderingturnip what do you expect man, when Tony Blair decieved the world and put the UK into all the EU stuff. Do you remember when T MAY was in charge? Just ine one year UK paid £40 billions pounds for greek debt, with that money you could build the entire country so there you go, politicians killed this land to build Europe.
This is an interesting point. The difference between somewhere you stay for two weeks and a place for daytrips. We only stayed in Blackpool once, the first time we went there and still lived in London. But we timed it for winter when everything was closed. Now that we live up North, we go fairly regularly. But only for a daytrip. And good point about the council not adapting fast enough to that change.
The tourism chiefs can access all the information from their own visitor surveys - which now count properly - and the estimates from the data analysts that have confirmed, with hard figures, what the tourism industry always knew. All you know is what you hear on TV or read in the papers or accounts on social media.
Most places in Cornwall, Devon and the South Coast like Bournemouth are obviously still doing really well. Weston Super Mare was thriving when we went. South End on Sea, Broadstairs, Southwold, Hastings all doing well. Plenty of beach towns near London. Up here in the North Scarborough gets packed in summer. And just a little down from Blackpool is Lytham St Anne's and Southport which aren't doing too badly. Also noticed that places like Saltburn are massively picking up in popularity recently. With fuel prices and therefore airfare so expensive, I bet there will be a bit of a revival of British Seaside towns. Blackpool gets pretty busy in summer and for the Illuminations. But it's empty in winter. The first time we went was as a stop over at Christmas and the place was Dead. If you want to see s truly truly Dead Seaside town go to Stranraer. Used to thrive when the ferry port was there to cross over to Northern Ireland. They moved the ferry port outside of town to shave 30 minutes of the journey. Now that town is in ruins. Pretty much the entire high street of shops boarded up. They removed the roof of the grand Hotel. And left the rest of the carcass to rot. So sad
@@crochetomania I've been to Scarborough many times and I've got to say your wrong. There are hardly any boarded up shops or hotels business is still booming there and its certainly doing a lot better than Blackpool. Scarborough has too beautiful architecture to get run down, the most beautiful sea side resort
I live in Bournemouth. The tourist areas are OK, but much of the rest is run down, incredibly expensive yet poor standard housing and everywhere is gridlocked with traffic. There are worse places to live but it's definitely a town in decline.
Born in 86, sister in 84, my parents didn't have a lot of money and so Blackpool was our yearly holiday destination. Stayed around Central Pier in a back street B&B called St Judes and it was great. So many brilliant memories of going on the beach, donkey rides, in all the tourist shops around the centre, Winter Gardens, the Tower, Sealife Centre, the arcades at night where a couple of quid would last around 1.5 hours, Pleasure Beach at the end of the week, the illuminations lighting the street at night and it was affordable. I can't think of anything bad and home videos don't show anything glaringly wrong. My auntie and uncle started to holiday there also but then around 2004 we started having a joint holiday in Devon and my family didn't return to Blackpool until 2013 for a family day out. Grim was an understatement. Dirty, all the backstreet properties were closed and derelict, hassled on the street and piers. We soldiered on but then we headed to the arcades as was tradition and it was nothing but stag do's and hen do's everywhere being rowdy and intimidating. We've not returned since. I knew of the investment made in the town but when my auntie and uncle went back recently they said it was just as bad if not worse. My dad loved Blackpool and used to say he wanted to be scattered there when he died. That wish died with the town. Being a new father, my daughter won't get to experience what was an integral part of my life growing up as the fantasy of Blackpool is now a fond but distant memory.
All of the people who changed their annual holiday destination in the past caused this decline. We are all responsible. We can't say 'I stopped going but everybody else is to blame for not visiting'.
i must say for a young lad from the north in declining Britain you seem to have turned out well and you come across as a decent chap , i am impressed like myself you are sensitive to your surroundings and that you know a bit of social history . I like this channel it's real and grim just like Turd Towns .
I've lived in or close to Blackpool most of my life & it's sad to see it's decline. The Council are investing a lot in the city centre, but nothing is being done about the large number of empty retail units & hotels. This video really does put it into perspective as to how bad it currently is. We can only hope that most of these buildings are developed into residential properties.
Yeah ive heard the council are investing and doing things but it all seems quite vague, and the council also seem to just down play how bad it actually is
Here in Wales it varies; some of the seaside towns (e.g. Tenby, Mumbles) are thriving, while others (e.g. Rhyl, Prestatyn) have fallen into deprivation. There seems to be a North/South divide here too in terms of which ones have flourished; South Wales benefits from its easy access from Oxfordshire along the A40 - when I worked in tourism that was where a lot of our wealthy visitors came from.
Llandudno, near Rhyl. Good to see it thriving. Looked like hotels crammed with Liverpudlians on family full board holidays. The theatre seems to have some draw with well-known performers .
Prestatyn isn’t in deprevation? And compared to the scale of the problem in Blackpool, even Rhyl is thriving. The scale of the decay in Blackpool is unbelievable. Can’t see how it will ever be fixed. 😔
Beaumaris in Anglesey - worth to mention as a welthy example if we talking about North Wales. In the other side South got many seaside towns in decline - take a look on Barry, Porthcawl or Swansea!
It's a massive problem across the UK my friend. Beautiful buildings. You saw the same problem in person in Horden in Durham (my home village). The UK as we knew it, has fallen apart! Great video!
I always used to go to Blackpool with my Grandma & Grandad for the illuminations every year (also occasionally in the summer too). We always used to stay at Norfolk House on St. Chad’s Road (number 51 if I remember correctly). It was ran by Bill and Beryl Manton, they were a lovely older couple and the food was always really nice. Beryl cooked everything herself from scratch. We always had breakfast and evening meal there and the boarding house was always immaculate. I walked down St. Chads Road last year and noticed that it’s called something else now. Bill & Beryl retired in the late 90s, probably not around anymore, sadly. My Grandma hasn’t been around for 14 years and I’m sure they were a similar age group.
I remember going to Blackpool with my Father when I was 5. We did simple things but we had so much fun, like put 10p into the laughing clown and we were both in hysterics. Buildings may vanish but memories will always be inside of me. Thanks
Great video, serious observations and challenging times for Blackpool. Lots of valuable comments too. I’m a Londoner & love getting up to Yorkshire, Lancs for long weekends with the other half. We’re ballroom fans, so Blackpool’s a Mecca. We feel that with investment, the Tower & Winter Gardens are majestic enough to act as a focus to restore the town’s pride & appeal. Hope so!
I lived in Blackpool in the 70s and 80s when it was still a vibrant place but going back last month I could not beleive the town's decline ven though it appeared busy. I guess people just dont stay a week any longer and the b and b places cannot make a profit. But there is a huge homlessissue there that could be solved cheaply by doing up these properties at reasonable rents. Thank you for your video, WT, always so enthusiastic and insightful.
We used to stay in the Churchill Holiday flats in Bispham for two weeks from the early to mid 1980s. Our last holiday there in 1985 was the straw that broke the camels back. It basically poured down for two weeks, and what my parents spent over that duration could have paid for a holiday to Spain. So, it was the Costa Brava for the next eight years. I loved and appreciate all the holidays I had with my parents, but like a lot of places, Bispham/Blackpool is a shadow of it's former self.
I might be wrong here, but the the hotel you said was completely effed was I think the Sherwood Hotel. I stayed there as a kid a least three times. Really nice place, excellent meals and a basement bar. I remember a lot of the residents were of retirement age. This was at least 30 years ago. Like you say, overseas travel is a lot more accessible and attractive nowadays. Shame really, such a great vibe back then. I visited Blackpool two years ago, and couldn't help thinking they really need to move away from the hen night/stag night vibe. Excellent video and respectful to the local population.
Great videos man, I used to explore a lot of abandoned buildings when I lived the UK. I think this video hit me the most because some of these houses and other buildings have amazing architecture and it's sad to just see them rot away like that. It would be great if they could do something with these but sadly a lot of them are beyond repair. It's lie a time capsule of what British tourism once looked like but painful to see it rot away like that :(. Subbed!
Thank you I appreciate it. Yeah you are so right there, it’s hard to watch them fall apart as they are so close to still being an amazing property. It’s not like a unique abandoned building in the middle of nowhere, they literally line the streets. Thanks again 👍
There’s something about these types of videos that’s so captivating and relaxing (albeit a depressing situation). Louis Rossman did a few on his channel on post Covid NYC that I would binge. Eastbourne is a great seaside town that’s seen some sort of resurgence recently. I stay in one of the many hotels there about 3 times a year, very cheap rates and much more calmer than Brighton. And every time I visit I always see something new, a cool new place that’s popped up. Even if I’m attending an event in Brighton I still prefer to stay in Eastbourne and take the train or enjoy the picturesque views from the 12X Coaster bus. Watching this video made me realise that Eastbourne could have easily gone the way of Blackpool but didn’t. There’s an abundance of hotels along the seafront, and a few of these I’ve stayed in are a bit knackered ngl, especially the really grand ones, beautiful spaces, but squeaky floorboards, old lifts, no aircon, dated furniture and dated facilities. I’m not gonna complain or leave bad reviews as the rooms are cheap and I get a decent sleep by the sea but could do with some TLC. It’s a vicious cycle, as they need the cash to renovate but can’t charge higher room rates in the meantime. I suspect a lot of the hotels in Blackpool suffered from this too.
I'm from the US but did a day trip to Eastbourne from London once a few years ago. I thought it was lovely. I especially enjoyed the walk along the cliffs. It blew my mind a little bit to be dropped off at a train station in a little seaside city and just a short walk later walking atop cliffs in what looked like countryside with sheep dotted fields. We also took a day trip from Edinburgh once to Dunbar. We poked around a little church graveyard, walk down to the harbor, at sandwiches at a picnic table, did a little shopping and took the train back. Absolutely lovely little place. My husband was dumbstruck. He said "can you imagine the luck of living here by the seaside in this non-touristy place that isn't overbuilt?"
I first went to Blackpool in the 90's as a child. Back then my parents decided to go to Blackpool instead of going abroad. That was still an option back then for regular folks. Blackpool still had appeal and there was no abandoned buildings, especially not on the front. How much things have changed in less than 30 years. The place is unrecognizable to what i remember as a child. I cant see any child today wanting to go to Blackpool after seeing the state of the place. Its a sad reflection of the state of many towns in the UK.
Thank you so much for highlighting the amount of empty property we have in this country. As an ex landlord who had a small property portfolio I was met with red tape so many times when looking to buy empty properties. To be told there are more empty properties than there are homeless this country!
Most of these properties are not exactly abandoned, they’ve been bought by property developers that want to regenerate whole areas with new builds and tower blocks, also create industrial estates, commercial estates and retail estates. It’s happening all over the country, but the problem is the time it takes to demolish and rebuild. Too much red tape.
Watching this makes me realise that whatever job we are doing and wherever we are living that we need to be aware at all times that it could ll disappear. It would be interesting to know when these places closed down. It looks like they all went at the same time and not really that long ago.
@@wanderingturnip As you said later in the vid a lot of them went down during pandemic. I was a cab driver in Hastings for over 20 years and I can remember thinking to myself as I drove around (in about 2018) that "this was as good as it gets". I had seen the town many years ago and it was not good. I was right, I knew I was right at the time. Businesses were hanging on by their finger tips. The pandemic tipped them over the edge. I knew this all along. Now inflation has finished a lot of shops.
I found you by chance and just viewed the video. You narrate reasonably well considering that you are constantly on the move and highlighted the sad state the town has become. I subscribed to see what yo1u will produce in the future. Good luck.
The houses you walked past at 08:44 used to be a hotel called the Queensgate. I stayed there in 2006 and it was a dive. The council's planning system says it was supposed to be converted into self contained flats but there doesn't seem to be any movement. I stayed opposite the abandoned place at 10:45 in October and someone came and painted the boards outside suggesting it's not going to be restored any time soon. Great video 🙂
an eye-opening video about boarded-up empty properties in Burnley & Blackpool and still we hear on media there's a " housing crisis " what a shame ......thanks bro excellent video.
What a fabulous video, i lived in Blackers 1999-2018, ran numurous pubs / bars, and had several investment properties, but moved away now, still have friends there and we keep in touch, Council and Developers are now investing back into the town, but its declined so much over the years. Thanks for doing this video, i will look out for more of yours, very interesting and your introductions/hosting/explanations are easy on the ear lol .
Brilliant video presented very well. I find it sad yet strangely fascinating that it's declined so much and often think what it would have been like back in the day. I think most seaside towns have felt the hit badly over the last few decades
Seaside tourism has grown at a rate of just over one per cent per year since 1970. It hasn't declined, and it doesn't fluctuate - with the exception of the lockdown.
OMG. You tell your story with such passion… thank you for sharing your story… you bring something to the table which Illuminates your subject matter… 🙏 xxxx😊
If the council gave an incentive to people to set up new businesses and did a marketing campaign they could breathe new life into it. It’s a great family holiday destination and the people are so lovely
What a sad state Blackpool is in now. I can remember visiting by coach many times. The local church ran a trip for children every year in 1960's it was such a magical place back then. There were donkey rides on the beach, deck chairs everywhere. Kiss me quick hats and naughty postcards to send to friends back home. Ride on the tram, Fish& chips with bread and butter and a cup of tea. Just before getting back on the coach home. It's heart breaking to see it now. The bitter cold winds from the north sea plus the salt in the air causes a lot of damage to the brick and stone work in the winter. So the decay on those buildings along the front is accelerated once the building is left abandoned. With the proper care and attention Blackpool could become so wonderful again. Often demolition is the first thought rather than trying to repair and replace the damage on the outside. There are the skills which could be taught to transform this town. Sadly most young people want a job sitting down looking at a computer screen all day, rather than use their hands and energy into construction. A college teaching in one of those old hotels would be perfect, with free accommodation for the students and free training on restoring those buildings would be a start. There is enough money for wars, but nothing for the young people already here.
Well said. A Principle of the College in Moray, shut down all these courses like,painter,electrician,brick-builder, so he could get a Bonus for reducing outlays.
I remember taking the coach with my parents to Blackpool as a child. so sad to see how run down it has become but the memories will still remain; Great work. Much appreciated.
I went to Blackpool as a child - enjoyed staying there, with my parents in 1970’s for the illuminations- Went back many years later to reminisce and was gutted 😞 Saw so many boarded up properties - it wasn’t the same I wish my memories of this amazing place remained in tact in my childhood - I shouldn’t have gone back - devastating I just hope that Blackpool comes back I love that strictly does Blackpool and brings revenue and keeps Blackpool in public eye Soooo so sad that our great holiday resorts are now struggling xxxxx Love Blackpool - still Warts and all !
Same. Look through the family photos of the 70s and it looked clean and tidy and fun. We returned in the mid 80s and it was on the turn. I then went again in the early 2000s and wow, what a shock that was. It just seems to have gotten worse since. Agree with others about the houses/hotels. Let old hotels become single occupancy houses and get investment into the town. I'd buy one, but there's no chance of resurrecting it as a hotel. None.
Love Blackpool.. many happy memories 😊 been recently myself & saw how abandoned everywhere looked & this was in summer. So sad when it’s a brilliant place to spend the day or week. I spent a lot of time in St Ann’s as my ex lived there another fantastic place! Great video 👍🏻 enjoyed watching & would love to go back in time like yourself to 100 yr ago would be an interesting experience to say the least. Keep the videos coming!
Careful, far too much truth and facts in that statement for Millennials and Gen Z indoctrinated with woke disease from school level to comprehend. They've literally had a life stolen from many of them by the treasonous parasites in parliament and think it's Putin😂😂😂
Been to Blackpool a few times as a small kid but I haven't been to Blackpool since the early 70s. You will be too young to remember what those hotels and boarding houses were like - bloody awful. You'd get breakfast and then you'd be kicked out for the day and not allowed back until evening irrespective of the weather. No wonder we all started going abroad. But so very sad to see all the devastation and decay.
I live in Llandudno which is a lovely seaside town. Not run down at all. The hotels and B&Bs are doing well. More gentile than Blackpool and more picturesque. Has a wonderful mountain backdrop.
Llandudno's a great resort and level pegging with Tenby as the most popular place in Wales for holidays, ahead of Cardiff, but this video has got it all wrong: Blackpool has record visitor numbers and seaside resorts have more tourism than ever.
I grew up in Liverpool in the 70's. It was a time of street parties and a great community spirit. I remember going on a coach trip with the whole street to Blackpool illuminations. Blackpool then was an amazing place. I remember another time when the street organised to see Tom O'Connor in panto. When we arrived, the show had been cancelled so we just went into the big hall (I can't remember where it was) for a few hours and then got back on the coach. I must have been around 4 or 5 at the time but the memory of running around the empty ballroom or whatever it was is one of my eariest of childhood memories.The coach journey seemed to take ages going there and weirdly quick getting back home.
Never seen a lad scope his surroundings so much as this lad while he’s walking along, Eyes scan right scan left, scan right scan left sharp head turn to the left, And repeat, then repeat, then repeat, he never stops as he’s on the move ha ha, Addictive content though and well narrated, keep up the good work man
I live in Margate and since COVID and the work from home idea the town seems to have been bought up by our of towners.Covid did have a positive for tourism when travel was limited and it's been rammed over the last few years but during its decline in the 80s all the hotels were converted into flats so people have no where to stay,this has lead to an explosion of air bnb's which wrecked the rental market (2 properties to rent for under £800 pcm against over 150 air BnB).It's now a product of its own success ,first time buyers find it even harder in the area.Nice new channel,keep up the good work
Lots in common with Blackpool,if our council cared more but instead our winter gardens closed this year,our listed theatre also closed and they don't consider alot of heritage and let developers run riot.....I'm off to binge watch the rest of your channel and drop you a sub.Happy new year
Mate this vid jolted my brains and brought tears. It reminded me of my dear aunty and pommy uncle who lived in Blackpool during the early 60s to the late 90s when sadly they passed. I went there in 1971 on my 21st BDay for a holiday by them and we did the bars nearly most of the time I was there it was pumping back then and the nightlife was awesome. I went to a Cilla Black show there when she was popular back then. lol Seeing a lot of the bars you passed bye just flooded my mind with rad memories I am sad to have seen them in that condition now 😪 My aunt was a beautiful Maori Maiden from NZ who married an awesome man from Liverpool. So glad you popped up in my notifications. Thanks
It’s a viscous circle with hotels, not just in Blackpool, if you’re not busy they’re hard to keep up to, and if you don’t keep up to them you’ll never be busy. I suspect they don’t put enough of their income aside / do enough upkeep work when times are good. Hence the rise of the chain hotels, which do provide modern accommodation and keep up to it.
There is no green space. No trees no plant. It makes it look worse. Heart breaking to see those amazing victorian buildings.our history being left behind.
For me this is the single most upsetting video, what was and still could be an amazing seaside town has literally been abandoned and it appears the council either don't care or are helpless.
I would say that Llandudno and Aberystwyth are two seaside towns that still do well. Like Brighton, Aberystwyth has more to offer than just holiday things - the universites situated there, the big businesses like American Express in Brighton mean that all year round there is life. It is so sad seeing hotels and BnBs all boarded up, I can imagine the dreams of the people behind them and the sadness when they finally had to give up on them. A great vlog though, you have an excellent eye for a story.
@@wanderingturnip you need to have something more than just a reliance on tourism don't you? As you said in your vlog - once cheap flights came about it became hard for UK resorts to keep going. I remember going to Rhyl for example in the early 1980s and it was brilliant, but then about 15 years later I went back for a look around and it was dreadful - all the old hotels on the front were empty and derelict. I think they've turned it around recently though.
@@wanderingturnip Tenby is a really nice place to visit in Wales. Got everything, beautiful buildings, fantastic beaches and a nice chilled vibe. Highly recommend it !!!
Well i live in Aberystwyth and it's declining again down to council as many towns cities since covid people and business's have suffered we have plenty of shops that have closed and more that are closing as i write this it's heart-breaking when you see seaside places go downhill :(
@@tinaparkz9508 how is it 'down to council' ? Even before BREXIT, COVID etc we have had many years of local councils having their hands tied by the policies of national government. I haven't been there for a while I admit but my parents lived and are buried there and I was always impressed with how busy it was. :)
Thank you for an informative wander around Blackpool :) The last time I visited Blackpool was in the summer of 2011 for a Hen party! We stayed in a pretty reasonable B&B called the Franklyn. Before that, we used to come for Day trips in the early 2000s (and earlier too) especially the Pleasure Beach, and would finish the day with a drive through the illuminations. Such a sad state the town is in, and a real shame to see that some great buildiings with lots of potential have been left to rot
Unfortunately Blackpool suffered from benefits tourism. People on benefits moved to the area. Housing in the area is cheap. A friend of mine paid good money for a terraced house at North Shore. Before long she was surrounded by people on benefits. Some of these people neglected their homes and had drug or alcohol problems. The value of her home plummeted and it wasn't pleasant to live there anymore.
I remember when I was a kid in the 70's, we went to Blackpool a lot. The place was packed in the summer time. It was hard even finding parking. How times change.
I had a few holidays in Blackpool as a kid as it was an affordable holiday for my family and of course as a kid brilliant now I'm older I only go for the rides on pleasure beach. As you said it would be amazing to go back and see what it was like in its hayday.
The giant building right in the middle of town was the old post office. They closed it as they moved the depot as the building was derelict. Most of the nice buildings on the sea front are derelict. Central drive is an absolute dive. You walked down Bond Street which is very abandoned. Locals feel the council's neglects everywhere that isn't the town centre, especially this area. My grandad used to have a shop there and sold furniture he built as an upholsterer. I think it closed when he retired in the 90s.
In my opinion having lived in Blackpool for 24 years and counting, the council have missed out on plenty of opportunities over the past 10 years to expand blackpools attractiveness to family’s and business party’s etc, buildings or land that could have been used to build year round attractions that suit and persuade people to come and stay in the hotels aswell as more importantly spend money have instead just been turned into a car park to put more money into the councils pockets, however if Blackpool continues to die then even those car parks will serve no purpose or value.
I should imagine that in such a competitive sector having rock bottom prices to attract customers will not leave much profit for the upkeep of the hotel. About 10 years ago I was on holiday in Blackpool and had a chat to the owner of the Manhattan hotel and he explained to me how difficult it was to keep his hotel going and said that it was a big mistake buying it, as by the time he had paid all the wages for his staff and then food, laundry services ect he was just about breaking even. And when you consider the price of upkeep such as putting in new en-suites in the rooms when needed and keeping the hotel to a good modern specification I can see how a hotel with 80 + rooms can easily go bankrupt. I find this very sad as I have had many a good holiday in Blackpool.
Yeah, let's ignore things like the new conference centre & the huge new development going on around Bonny Street. What do you think they do with the money that goes into the "council pockets"? Unfortunately, Blackpool seems to attract people who move here to live on benefits & don't pay any council tax, so revenues have to come from somewhere.
@@Pommy1957Blackpool is not a cheap holiday destination believe you me , over the years I have spent Thousands, Hotels are expensive, entertainment expensive, food and drink expensive, no wonder people go abroad
I love Blackpool! I go every year for a few days in late spring/early summer. Yeah it's run down but the people are so friendly. Also love getting the tram up to Fleetwood when Blackpool is too busy. Also I always feel safe walking around Blackpool at night (a woman on my own). I just wish the tram went as far as St Annes! Love the videos, keep up the good work! Oh and Stoodley Pike belongs to my home town Todmorden :P
I remember Blackpool 60years ago. I was a child and it was magical. I can remember the smell of candy floss and toffee apples, fish and chips and ice cream. We stayed in guesthouse’s and had a fantastic time at the pleasure beach. That’s all gone now. How thing change! Happy by gone days.
I grew up down the road from Blackpool and at weekends we would drink in the many bars and clubs during the holiday season & it was heaving! The promenade was a dangerous place at kicking out time but that only adds to the excitement when you're 18 y/o. It was a great place to grow up, easy to pick up girls too and plenty of hotel rooms. Good old days and only 40 years ago - not 100.
I’m not sure if it’d be considered “poverty porn” but I’ve always found something quite endearing about these recent walking tours of Blackpool. Used to love the place as a kid, visiting with my grandparents. I’ve taken my kids there a bunch of times, haven’t been back since covid but hoping to next year, I love the place!
Its definitely not poverty porn. I think it’s important to highlight areas with abandoned properties to challenge the statements that we have a housing shortage, and it is really interesting to see, either by walking round or by watching a video of it 👍
The decline of Blackpool is largely down to the Labour Council of many years, now Conservative. 30 years ago the town had Sir Geoffrey Thompson, Pleasure Beach owner, and established hoteliers on the board and there was lots of emphasis on inspecting hotels and guesthouses to prevent hoteliers running them into the ground. This was axed when Sir Geoffrey died and tourism and accommodation began to die leaving anyone to take over hotels and fail disastrously. I've watched the council spend £millions of taxpayers money on unnecessary developments over the years whilst huge numbers of the resorts residents live in poverty. Drugs are also a massive problem in the town that isn't controlled by the Police at all. Fat drug dealers live off the misery of people in the resort with cocaine, crack and heroin addiction and nothing is ever done about it. Suicide is the highest in the country with the worst rated hospital. 30 years ago it was an amazing town to live and work in, I used to be proud of my town. Not any more. Very sad.
Well this is a blatantly a Tory having a dig at labour with lies about Blackpool being a town with the highest suicide rates and worst hospital in the country.
Used to come to Blackpool every year for a weekend in a B&B during "the lights". Between 1979 and 1989. To haunt the Coral Island and other arcades during the golden age of video game arcades. Mr. B's, and other places, many great memories, it's very sad. But also not much different once off the back streets at more local (to me) places like Whitley Bay, Scarborough, etc. all of which we used to go to.
A fascinating tour of Blackpool- so sad to see how many boarded up hotels there are, definately something big needs doing such as transforming many of the old hotels into private accomodation or, at the very least, doing something to the boardings to make it look less grim. Blackpool is also the place of the world's biggest magic convention with some of the UK's and world's best magicians performing and lecturing and magic dealers selling the latest tricks in February every year in the Winter Gardens.
There's a famous seaside town called Blackpool, that's noted for fresh air and fun . . and Mr & Mrs Ramsbottom went there with young Albert, their son.
I'm still feeling a bit gutted with seeing so many houses in Burnley, Lancashire being boarded up. I have heard good things about the regeneration there though, so hopefully things will change in the future!
I lived in Blackpool , my parents ran a hotel on Palatine Road, in the 70s and 80s, it was buzzing then, a great place to grow up in , I now live near Brighton, but my heart is still in Blackpool x
my parents owned a b&b in Havelock street when i was a child been back to that b&b ? it has just been done up but i don't think it's a b&b anymore it look's more like a place for the council to put off beat's on the dole, drinkers, & smoking, the green stuff cos when i walked passed there was a group looked like they owned the place in the small front yard on seat's with can's & bottle's blue backy pouches, with elastic bad's round holding there lighter's on them most of my relations still live there i still go tons of times to visit but i have watched it slowly slip into the abiss/hole of no return the new development might turn it round but i honestly dont think it'will make much difference ( i only hope it dose ) cos i still love the place of birth so that is where my heart is
The simple reason is that there isn't enough demand to keep that many places in business. Many of those properties were old school B&Bs with shared bathrooms, set meal times etc people are going to choose a nice hotel with en-suite facilities over those. Blackpool is still busy most weekends, with a lot of people from Scotland and the North-East coming down. The town itself has some massive issues, there's big areas of poverty, a drugs issue, and yet areas of wealth too. The EU invested billions to redevelop the seafront from Lytham to Fleetwood, making it very accessible and nice (great for a family cycle). There's a big redevelopment of the town centre starting too, (th-cam.com/video/gQryGJo5tT4/w-d-xo.html) which is looking to add more wet weather things to do, and to modernise that area. In the surrounding coastal towns - St Anne's/ Lytham / Cleveley they've suffered too, but many have diversified into care homes and private flats - I can see more private let apartments being built and added to the Airbnb market.
Its so sad. My wife was conceived in 1960 during the Glasgow week when whole factories in Glasgow would close and workers went to towns like Blackpool. In 70s i used to go clubbing in Blackpool. I lived in Southport and we would go for weekends in Blackpool. In 90s i worked in Lytham and Blackpool, staying in hotels there. It wasnt as bad then as you see now. So sad, i cant see the town recovering from the decades of decline.
The Young Farmers weekends in Blackpool when 6000-7000 young farmers come in for a whole 4 days and nights are really good for the town. it happens once a year when the national federation of young farmers clubs organise there socials and winter gardens is open every night for dances...
We used to go every year for the illuminations and hang out the sunroof of my parents car. I remember vividly going for my birthday one year, trying to get a hotel/b&b for the night and there being no vacancies and being so disappointed to have to go back home..it’s wild to see Blackpool like this now. As you said, there’s so many that could house people who need shelter, but the condition so many are in Probably makes them to far gone to repair and be reused
My Mrs has wanted to take me to Blackpool for decades (she went a lot as a kid) but I'm put off by the seedy reputation and the fact that its gone to the dogs as this video sadly confirms. Such a shame as the potential for regeneration is enormous. I hate seeing lovely buildings left to rot. Thanks for a great video and for reminding my why I'm not keen to visit.
There were five kids in our house and mum and dad. Once a year we would all catch a bus to Blackpool. When we got there my dad would make for the nearest pub for a pint and we would all head for the beach with buckets and spades. At 12 oclock it was time to go to a cafe on the front and we all had Chips, beans and egg with a slice of bread and butter and a cup of tea. We all felt very special and posh in our best clothes. Then back to the beach where mum and dad hired deck chairs and sat watching us play, dad usually falling asleep with his hankie on his head and just his white vest on, pants rolled up so that he could go for a paddle. We were really lucky if we got to go to the fun fair, we could each choose one ride and we all got some fairyfloss or a toffee apple. They were the good ol days I reckon, carefree, no such thing as debt, council house in M/C and sometimes the day was sunny and warm. We never wanted to go home when the bus was leaving, and oh, I remember my dads treat was to buy some cockles and whelks on the front to nibble on. These are my memories of the lovely Blackpool, I hope it can come back one day, but I doubt it can, what with all the other places that people can travel to nowadays....I am coming up to 75yrs old in November, so its a long time ago now, but I hold my memories dear still....PS, I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, YOU ARE A BORN NATURAL....THANKS !!
Been watching a few of your videos and I’m repeatedly shocked at the number of abandoned properties you show while on the news we regularly hear about the UK’s housing shortage. It’s perverse.
Yeah it’s madness. We leave towns completely empty and strip them of any support…whilst moaning about a housing supply and funding new builds 😂
Funding for renovating old properties is a big no no at the institutional investment level.
We can moan but that’s reality
Also since the as they say boomers have and are and will all retire just now and soon-that means they’re not paying part of their wages into pensions
The next age group surr as hell ain’t
That’s means there’s going to be ZERO money worldwide for a world like this of yesteryear
@@wanderingturnip However once a property has been left it's often hugely expensive to restore it. Especially if the ceiling or windows have water ingress. I'm a bit of a romantic about old places, but I also see the reality of the costs involved. When you have an entire area in decline it's very difficult to reset this and avoid being pulled down too. You risk having the best house in the worst street syndrome.
@@wanderingturnip no jobs.
That to sqeez money n justify rents n tax. Scum they could show this ther selfs
I used to live in Blackpool and still have a great deal of affection for it. So sad to see its current state. My Aunt had to sell her 10 bedroom hotel for less than 10k. If the council would allow a change of designation into private dwellings it would be worth 10x that instantly. Same for all these boarded up hotels. They really need to accept the glory days are not coming back and allow these buildings to become private dwellings.
Only 10k
That's what I thought, but would there be enough jobs in the immediate area to allow people to survive in those properties?
Theyre still time for Blackpool it just needs to be modernised like alot of other northern cities and towns that have been neglected over the decades. I come from such a city myself thats basicly become a shadow of its former self. There has been some improvements over the years but not alot. Manufacturing is gradulay coming back but its 20+ years to late for me. I left school in the mid 90s when it was all just beginning to disapear and people were being made redundant. Its had a terrible effect on my life and mental health and its still effecting me to this day.
I’ve said this for years, it’s like they’re managing the decline of their own towns. There’s a limited timeframe between the commercial drop off and people wanting to live there, before it goes to rack and ruin and is lost forever. Blackpool isn’t very well served by being at the “end of the line” but if they’d allowed them to go residential then who knows? Motorways make everything viable.
Blackpool has record visitor numbers. You're commenting on something you just have no knowledge of.
I used to love going to Blackpool as a kid in the 70s & 80s, seeing the illuminations and all the cool little shops. I actually lived and working there for 18 months from 2000. In season it was busy, but out of season it was quiet and pretty creepy. Love your videos man
I used to take coach trips to Blackpool loved it so sad to see the state it's in now I hope they can turn it around somehow alot of other places across the country are also going through this change don't know what the outcome will be
If Blackpool was in Australia, those hotels would've been bulldozed and replaced with apartments years ago. Some people would debate whether or not this building loads of new apartments is a good thing, but it's gotta be better than leaving a whole stack of derelict buildings in the middle of a town centre.
You can guarantee the sun's coming up every day in Australia
It’s how you market the town, it doesn’t HAVE to be labelled as a seaside town because it’s by the sea. Get some good chefs up there, create a ‘gastronomic’ centre for the uk (or something specific).. it’s all about marketing
After watching quite a few of these videos I'm grateful for my father dragging our family to Australia in 1960.
I'd often toyed with going back to visit my original homeland and town where I was born (Harlow, Essex), but I'd rather visit Spain, Portugal, Norway and probably even Ukraine.
In Australia they also demolish perfectly good houses and gardens to cram apartments in the plot. Money!
Some of these in the video have now been demolished but how can the council knock down a property that the land is privately owned?
Haunting. I keep watching this - imagining the dad of a family writing to the guest house in winter to ask for two rooms for a week in summer - it would have been by letter in the 50s. Then the excitement of the family arriving in Blackpool, wondering what rooms it would be, if there was a view... Taken out of their lives for a week.
Mind you, by the 1970s my Mum insisted on going to chalet places, because she hated being ordered out each day by the landlady! The Isle Of Man Holiday Centre. Which I adored. Long gone too, now.
My only memory of Blackpool is a day trip when I was a small child. There were so many people on the beach I lost my parents in the crowd. Couldn't happen now.
watched the new hackets when caught fire so sad what is going on
As a child Blackpool was a magical place . Particularly during the illuminations. However it is a victim of the change in holiday trends . In the 50’s and 60’s entire Northern towns would close their factories during the wakes weeks and the population would fill trains and head for Blackpool and require accommodation for one or two weeks. As you say it has now become a day trip destination with no need for large scale accommodation. Sadly town planners seem to have been slow in adapting to the need to react to these changes.
Yeah I can only imagine. Thanks for this
@@wanderingturnip what do you expect man, when Tony Blair decieved the world and put the UK into all the EU stuff. Do you remember when T MAY was in charge? Just ine one year UK paid £40 billions pounds for greek debt, with that money you could build the entire country so there you go, politicians killed this land to build Europe.
This is an interesting point. The difference between somewhere you stay for two weeks and a place for daytrips. We only stayed in Blackpool once, the first time we went there and still lived in London. But we timed it for winter when everything was closed. Now that we live up North, we go fairly regularly. But only for a daytrip.
And good point about the council not adapting fast enough to that change.
The tourism chiefs can access all the information from their own visitor surveys - which now count properly - and the estimates from the data analysts that have confirmed, with hard figures, what the tourism industry always knew. All you know is what you hear on TV or read in the papers or accounts on social media.
Yes, Oldham Wakes.
Most places in Cornwall, Devon and the South Coast like Bournemouth are obviously still doing really well. Weston Super Mare was thriving when we went. South End on Sea, Broadstairs, Southwold, Hastings all doing well. Plenty of beach towns near London. Up here in the North Scarborough gets packed in summer. And just a little down from Blackpool is Lytham St Anne's and Southport which aren't doing too badly. Also noticed that places like Saltburn are massively picking up in popularity recently. With fuel prices and therefore airfare so expensive, I bet there will be a bit of a revival of British Seaside towns. Blackpool gets pretty busy in summer and for the Illuminations. But it's empty in winter. The first time we went was as a stop over at Christmas and the place was Dead.
If you want to see s truly truly Dead Seaside town go to Stranraer. Used to thrive when the ferry port was there to cross over to Northern Ireland. They moved the ferry port outside of town to shave 30 minutes of the journey. Now that town is in ruins. Pretty much the entire high street of shops boarded up. They removed the roof of the grand Hotel. And left the rest of the carcass to rot. So sad
Yes, similar situation in Greenock too
Scarborough is packed in summer, yet a lot of empty buildings including hotels and shops. :(
@@crochetomania I've been to Scarborough many times and I've got to say your wrong. There are hardly any boarded up shops or hotels business is still booming there and its certainly doing a lot better than Blackpool.
Scarborough has too beautiful architecture to get run down, the most beautiful sea side resort
I live in Bournemouth. The tourist areas are OK, but much of the rest is run down, incredibly expensive yet poor standard housing and everywhere is gridlocked with traffic. There are worse places to live but it's definitely a town in decline.
@@danh9905 Never been there but what I've heard its full of old people and has nothing to do with the worst shops
Born in 86, sister in 84, my parents didn't have a lot of money and so Blackpool was our yearly holiday destination. Stayed around Central Pier in a back street B&B called St Judes and it was great. So many brilliant memories of going on the beach, donkey rides, in all the tourist shops around the centre, Winter Gardens, the Tower, Sealife Centre, the arcades at night where a couple of quid would last around 1.5 hours, Pleasure Beach at the end of the week, the illuminations lighting the street at night and it was affordable. I can't think of anything bad and home videos don't show anything glaringly wrong. My auntie and uncle started to holiday there also but then around 2004 we started having a joint holiday in Devon and my family didn't return to Blackpool until 2013 for a family day out.
Grim was an understatement. Dirty, all the backstreet properties were closed and derelict, hassled on the street and piers. We soldiered on but then we headed to the arcades as was tradition and it was nothing but stag do's and hen do's everywhere being rowdy and intimidating. We've not returned since. I knew of the investment made in the town but when my auntie and uncle went back recently they said it was just as bad if not worse. My dad loved Blackpool and used to say he wanted to be scattered there when he died. That wish died with the town. Being a new father, my daughter won't get to experience what was an integral part of my life growing up as the fantasy of Blackpool is now a fond but distant memory.
I’m 64 remember it well.
All of the people who changed their annual holiday destination in the past caused this decline. We are all responsible. We can't say 'I stopped going but everybody else is to blame for not visiting'.
i must say for a young lad from the north in declining Britain you seem to have turned out well and you come across as a decent chap , i am impressed like myself you are sensitive to your surroundings and that you know a bit of social history . I like this channel it's real and grim just like Turd Towns .
I've lived in or close to Blackpool most of my life & it's sad to see it's decline. The Council are investing a lot in the city centre, but nothing is being done about the large number of empty retail units & hotels. This video really does put it into perspective as to how bad it currently is. We can only hope that most of these buildings are developed into residential properties.
Yeah ive heard the council are investing and doing things but it all seems quite vague, and the council also seem to just down play how bad it actually is
Here in Wales it varies; some of the seaside towns (e.g. Tenby, Mumbles) are thriving, while others (e.g. Rhyl, Prestatyn) have fallen into deprivation. There seems to be a North/South divide here too in terms of which ones have flourished; South Wales benefits from its easy access from Oxfordshire along the A40 - when I worked in tourism that was where a lot of our wealthy visitors came from.
Llandudno, near Rhyl. Good to see it thriving. Looked like hotels crammed with Liverpudlians on family full board holidays. The theatre seems to have some draw with well-known performers .
Prestatyn isn’t in deprevation?
And compared to the scale of the problem in Blackpool, even Rhyl is thriving. The scale of the decay in Blackpool is unbelievable. Can’t see how it will ever be fixed. 😔
Beaumaris in Anglesey - worth to mention as a welthy example if we talking about North Wales.
In the other side South got many seaside towns in decline - take a look on Barry, Porthcawl or Swansea!
It's a massive problem across the UK my friend. Beautiful buildings. You saw the same problem in person in Horden in Durham (my home village). The UK as we knew it, has fallen apart! Great video!
I always used to go to Blackpool with my Grandma & Grandad for the illuminations every year (also occasionally in the summer too). We always used to stay at Norfolk House on St. Chad’s Road (number 51 if I remember correctly). It was ran by Bill and Beryl Manton, they were a lovely older couple and the food was always really nice. Beryl cooked everything herself from scratch. We always had breakfast and evening meal there and the boarding house was always immaculate.
I walked down St. Chads Road last year and noticed that it’s called something else now.
Bill & Beryl retired in the late 90s, probably not around anymore, sadly. My Grandma hasn’t been around for 14 years and I’m sure they were a similar age group.
Just googled out of curiosity. Bill died unfortunately in 2011. Think it's the same one - says his wife was called Beryl ❤
I remember going to Blackpool with my Father when I was 5. We did simple things but we had so much fun, like put 10p into the laughing clown and we were both in hysterics. Buildings may vanish but memories will always be inside of me. Thanks
Lovely memory cheers 👍
What a fantastic memory 😁
Great video, serious observations and challenging times for Blackpool. Lots of valuable comments too. I’m a Londoner & love getting up to Yorkshire, Lancs for long weekends with the other half. We’re ballroom fans, so Blackpool’s a Mecca. We feel that with investment, the Tower & Winter Gardens are majestic enough to act as a focus to restore the town’s pride & appeal. Hope so!
Yeah who knows. It may only take a few more attractions pulling more in to change things around
I lived in Blackpool in the 70s and 80s when it was still a vibrant place but going back last month I could not beleive the town's decline ven though it appeared busy. I guess people just dont stay a week any longer and the b and b places cannot make a profit. But there is a huge homlessissue there that could be solved cheaply by doing up these properties at reasonable rents. Thank you for your video, WT, always so enthusiastic and insightful.
Problem Is Would these homeless people pay their bills and rent, Or would they buy drugs.
We used to stay in the Churchill Holiday flats in Bispham for two weeks from the early to mid 1980s. Our last holiday there in 1985 was the straw that broke the camels back. It basically poured down for two weeks, and what my parents spent over that duration could have paid for a holiday to Spain. So, it was the Costa Brava for the next eight years. I loved and appreciate all the holidays I had with my parents, but like a lot of places, Bispham/Blackpool is a shadow of it's former self.
I might be wrong here, but the the hotel you said was completely effed was I think the Sherwood Hotel. I stayed there as a kid a least three times. Really nice place, excellent meals and a basement bar. I remember a lot of the residents were of retirement age. This was at least 30 years ago.
Like you say, overseas travel is a lot more accessible and attractive nowadays. Shame really, such a great vibe back then. I visited Blackpool two years ago, and couldn't help thinking they really need to move away from the hen night/stag night vibe.
Excellent video and respectful to the local population.
Great videos man, I used to explore a lot of abandoned buildings when I lived the UK. I think this video hit me the most because some of these houses and other buildings have amazing architecture and it's sad to just see them rot away like that. It would be great if they could do something with these but sadly a lot of them are beyond repair. It's lie a time capsule of what British tourism once looked like but painful to see it rot away like that :(. Subbed!
Thank you I appreciate it. Yeah you are so right there, it’s hard to watch them fall apart as they are so close to still being an amazing property. It’s not like a unique abandoned building in the middle of nowhere, they literally line the streets.
Thanks again 👍
There’s something about these types of videos that’s so captivating and relaxing (albeit a depressing situation). Louis Rossman did a few on his channel on post Covid NYC that I would binge.
Eastbourne is a great seaside town that’s seen some sort of resurgence recently. I stay in one of the many hotels there about 3 times a year, very cheap rates and much more calmer than Brighton. And every time I visit I always see something new, a cool new place that’s popped up. Even if I’m attending an event in Brighton I still prefer to stay in Eastbourne and take the train or enjoy the picturesque views from the 12X Coaster bus.
Watching this video made me realise that Eastbourne could have easily gone the way of Blackpool but didn’t. There’s an abundance of hotels along the seafront, and a few of these I’ve stayed in are a bit knackered ngl, especially the really grand ones, beautiful spaces, but squeaky floorboards, old lifts, no aircon, dated furniture and dated facilities. I’m not gonna complain or leave bad reviews as the rooms are cheap and I get a decent sleep by the sea but could do with some TLC. It’s a vicious cycle, as they need the cash to renovate but can’t charge higher room rates in the meantime. I suspect a lot of the hotels in Blackpool suffered from this too.
I'm from the US but did a day trip to Eastbourne from London once a few years ago. I thought it was lovely. I especially enjoyed the walk along the cliffs.
It blew my mind a little bit to be dropped off at a train station in a little seaside city and just a short walk later walking atop cliffs in what looked like countryside with sheep dotted fields.
We also took a day trip from Edinburgh once to Dunbar. We poked around a little church graveyard, walk down to the harbor, at sandwiches at a picnic table, did a little shopping and took the train back. Absolutely lovely little place.
My husband was dumbstruck. He said "can you imagine the luck of living here by the seaside in this non-touristy place that isn't overbuilt?"
Another quality video
I first went to Blackpool in the 90's as a child. Back then my parents decided to go to Blackpool instead of going abroad. That was still an option back then for regular folks. Blackpool still had appeal and there was no abandoned buildings, especially not on the front. How much things have changed in less than 30 years.
The place is unrecognizable to what i remember as a child.
I cant see any child today wanting to go to Blackpool after seeing the state of the place.
Its a sad reflection of the state of many towns in the UK.
My kids have grown up and don't want to go to Blackpool anymore they would rather go to Orlando, sad 😢
Thank you so much for highlighting the amount of empty property we have in this country. As an ex landlord who had a small property portfolio I was met with red tape so many times when looking to buy empty properties. To be told there are more empty properties than there are homeless this country!
Hey cheers for this!
Most of these properties are not exactly abandoned, they’ve been bought by property developers that want to regenerate whole areas with new builds and tower blocks, also create industrial estates, commercial estates and retail estates. It’s happening all over the country, but the problem is the time it takes to demolish and rebuild. Too much red tape.
Watching this makes me realise that whatever job we are doing and wherever we are living that we need to be aware at all times that it could ll disappear. It would be interesting to know when these places closed down. It looks like they all went at the same time and not really that long ago.
Yeah that’s a good way of thinking about it. Which town could be next to go…
@@wanderingturnip As you said later in the vid a lot of them went down during pandemic. I was a cab driver in Hastings for over 20 years and I can remember thinking to myself as I drove around (in about 2018) that "this was as good as it gets". I had seen the town many years ago and it was not good. I was right, I knew I was right at the time. Businesses were hanging on by their finger tips. The pandemic tipped them over the edge. I knew this all along. Now inflation has finished a lot of shops.
I found you by chance and just viewed the video. You narrate reasonably well considering that you are constantly on the move and highlighted the sad state the town has become. I subscribed to see what yo1u will produce in the future. Good luck.
I was just thinking the same thing.
The houses you walked past at 08:44 used to be a hotel called the Queensgate. I stayed there in 2006 and it was a dive. The council's planning system says it was supposed to be converted into self contained flats but there doesn't seem to be any movement. I stayed opposite the abandoned place at 10:45 in October and someone came and painted the boards outside suggesting it's not going to be restored any time soon. Great video 🙂
Oh nice one for this cheers 👍
Absolutely brilliant video. First time I have watched one of yours, very much enjoyed it.
Hey thanks glad you enjoyed it 😀
an eye-opening video about boarded-up empty properties in Burnley & Blackpool and still we hear on media there's a " housing crisis " what a shame ......thanks bro excellent video.
I know right! Plenty of properties
I never ever thought I would see this in the uk in my lifetime
What a fabulous video, i lived in Blackers 1999-2018, ran numurous pubs / bars, and had several investment properties, but moved away now, still have friends there and we keep in touch, Council and Developers are now investing back into the town, but its declined so much over the years. Thanks for doing this video, i will look out for more of yours, very interesting and your introductions/hosting/explanations are easy on the ear lol .
Hey thanks for this, interesting stuff. And cheers for nice comments 👍😀
Over those years what did you observe as an investor? What made you move?
he ran out of bullshit@@truth.speaker
Really like your historic background information on the places you present. Thanks and keep up the good work! Cheers from Sweden.
I’ve always wanted to go back in time and see Blackpool at peak time! Great video xxx
Thanks it means a lot 😀
I remember Blackpool in the early 80's and 90's so lively. I hope it comes back. 😢
Brilliant video presented very well. I find it sad yet strangely fascinating that it's declined so much and often think what it would have been like back in the day. I think most seaside towns have felt the hit badly over the last few decades
Thank you 🙏
This is a cool watch
th-cam.com/video/H_JnABFnTRQ/w-d-xo.html
Seaside tourism has grown at a rate of just over one per cent per year since 1970. It hasn't declined, and it doesn't fluctuate - with the exception of the lockdown.
OMG. You tell your story with such passion… thank you for sharing your story… you bring something to the table which Illuminates your subject matter… 🙏 xxxx😊
If the council gave an incentive to people to set up new businesses and did a marketing campaign they could breathe new life into it. It’s a great family holiday destination and the people are so lovely
Thanks
You’re a legend mate thank you 👍👍
"even the council building's shut down and they're F***d off"
😂😂 Killed me
Great Video 👍
Haha glad you enjoyed 😃
Great video you have done .😍😍
What a sad state Blackpool is in now. I can remember visiting by coach many times. The local church ran a trip for children every year in 1960's it was such a magical place back then. There were donkey rides on the beach, deck chairs everywhere. Kiss me quick hats and naughty postcards to send to friends back home. Ride on the tram, Fish& chips with bread and butter and a cup of tea. Just before getting back on the coach home.
It's heart breaking to see it now. The bitter cold winds from the north sea plus the salt in the air causes a lot of damage to the brick and stone work in the winter. So the decay on those buildings along the front is accelerated once the building is left abandoned. With the proper care and attention Blackpool could become so wonderful again.
Often demolition is the first thought rather than trying to repair and replace the damage on the outside. There are the skills which could be taught to transform this town. Sadly most young people want a job sitting down looking at a computer screen all day, rather than use their hands and energy into construction.
A college teaching in one of those old hotels would be perfect, with free accommodation for the students and free training on restoring those buildings would be a start. There is enough money for wars, but nothing for the young people already here.
No young people don't want to sit down all day; they want job opportunities locally. They don't exist in Blackpool.
Well said. A Principle of the College in Moray, shut down all these courses like,painter,electrician,brick-builder, so he could get a Bonus for reducing outlays.
I remember taking the coach with my parents to Blackpool as a child. so sad to see how run down it has become but the memories will still remain; Great work. Much appreciated.
I went to Blackpool as a child - enjoyed staying there, with my parents in 1970’s for the illuminations-
Went back many years later to reminisce and was gutted 😞
Saw so many boarded up properties - it wasn’t the same
I wish my memories of this amazing place remained in tact in my childhood - I shouldn’t have gone back - devastating
I just hope that Blackpool comes back
I love that strictly does Blackpool and brings revenue and keeps Blackpool in public eye
Soooo so sad that our great holiday resorts are now struggling xxxxx
Love Blackpool - still
Warts and all !
I would have loved to see it in the 70s. My memories from the 90s are good but I was just a kid
Same. Look through the family photos of the 70s and it looked clean and tidy and fun. We returned in the mid 80s and it was on the turn. I then went again in the early 2000s and wow, what a shock that was. It just seems to have gotten worse since. Agree with others about the houses/hotels. Let old hotels become single occupancy houses and get investment into the town. I'd buy one, but there's no chance of resurrecting it as a hotel. None.
Thanks
Love Blackpool.. many happy memories 😊 been recently myself & saw how abandoned everywhere looked & this was in summer. So sad when it’s a brilliant place to spend the day or week. I spent a lot of time in St Ann’s as my ex lived there another fantastic place! Great video 👍🏻 enjoyed watching & would love to go back in time like yourself to 100 yr ago would be an interesting experience to say the least. Keep the videos coming!
Hey thanks for this! Really interesting read
Careful, far too much truth and facts in that statement for Millennials and Gen Z indoctrinated with woke disease from school level to comprehend. They've literally had a life stolen from many of them by the treasonous parasites in parliament and think it's Putin😂😂😂
Been to Blackpool a few times as a small kid but I haven't been to Blackpool since the early 70s. You will be too young to remember what those hotels and boarding houses were like - bloody awful. You'd get breakfast and then you'd be kicked out for the day and not allowed back until evening irrespective of the weather. No wonder we all started going abroad. But so very sad to see all the devastation and decay.
I live in Llandudno which is a lovely seaside town. Not run down at all. The hotels and B&Bs are doing well. More gentile than Blackpool and more picturesque. Has a wonderful mountain backdrop.
Llandudno's a great resort and level pegging with Tenby as the most popular place in Wales for holidays, ahead of Cardiff, but this video has got it all wrong: Blackpool has record visitor numbers and seaside resorts have more tourism than ever.
I grew up in Liverpool in the 70's. It was a time of street parties and a great community spirit. I remember going on a coach trip with the whole street to Blackpool illuminations. Blackpool then was an amazing place. I remember another time when the street organised to see Tom O'Connor in panto. When we arrived, the show had been cancelled so we just went into the big hall (I can't remember where it was) for a few hours and then got back on the coach. I must have been around 4 or 5 at the time but the memory of running around the empty ballroom or whatever it was is one of my eariest of childhood memories.The coach journey seemed to take ages going there and weirdly quick getting back home.
Dude you're great at this. Really informative. Keep up the good work :)
Thanks my friend! I shall 😀
Never seen a lad scope his surroundings so much as this lad while he’s walking along,
Eyes scan right scan left, scan right scan left sharp head turn to the left,
And repeat, then repeat, then repeat, he never stops as he’s on the move ha ha,
Addictive content though and well narrated, keep up the good work man
I live in Margate and since COVID and the work from home idea the town seems to have been bought up by our of towners.Covid did have a positive for tourism when travel was limited and it's been rammed over the last few years but during its decline in the 80s all the hotels were converted into flats so people have no where to stay,this has lead to an explosion of air bnb's which wrecked the rental market (2 properties to rent for under £800 pcm against over 150 air BnB).It's now a product of its own success ,first time buyers find it even harder in the area.Nice new channel,keep up the good work
Yeah that’s actually the same where I live with so many air BnBs and no decent rentals anymore.
Cheers for this 👍
Lots in common with Blackpool,if our council cared more but instead our winter gardens closed this year,our listed theatre also closed and they don't consider alot of heritage and let developers run riot.....I'm off to binge watch the rest of your channel and drop you a sub.Happy new year
So many abandoned hotels. Would be amazing to go inside. Thank you for showing us.
I know it would be so good to see inside some of the places, hopefully I’ll find one in another video that’s easy to explore fully
Mate this vid jolted my brains and brought tears. It reminded me of my dear aunty and pommy uncle who lived in Blackpool during the early 60s to the late 90s when sadly they passed. I went there in 1971 on my 21st BDay for a holiday by them and we did the bars nearly most of the time I was there it was pumping back then and the nightlife was awesome. I went to a Cilla Black show there when she was popular back then. lol Seeing a lot of the bars you passed bye just flooded my mind with rad memories I am sad to have seen them in that condition now 😪 My aunt was a beautiful Maori Maiden from NZ who married an awesome man from Liverpool. So glad you popped up in my notifications. Thanks
It’s a viscous circle with hotels, not just in Blackpool, if you’re not busy they’re hard to keep up to, and if you don’t keep up to them you’ll never be busy. I suspect they don’t put enough of their income aside / do enough upkeep work when times are good. Hence the rise of the chain hotels, which do provide modern accommodation and keep up to it.
Well done young man your enthusiasm shines through.
Hey thanks Brian 😀
Whitby is always busy, and it's an enjoyable seaside town to be in. Love Whitby, you should check it out one day. Lovely seaside town.
Yeah i definitely will, I went as a kid but can’t remember it much
Love your work, thank you :) Really informative and interesting but so sad
There is no green space. No trees no plant. It makes it look worse.
Heart breaking to see those amazing victorian buildings.our history being left behind.
Great videos and commentary. Top notch. Keep up the good work . Really appreciated.
For me this is the single most upsetting video, what was and still could be an amazing seaside town has literally been abandoned and it appears the council either don't care or are helpless.
Most councils are broke and helpless sadly
@@bonjouritsreadywhat you mean they are rich and hopeless
You are doing amazing 👏🏼 job. This is very informative for property investors.
I would say that Llandudno and Aberystwyth are two seaside towns that still do well. Like Brighton, Aberystwyth has more to offer than just holiday things - the universites situated there, the big businesses like American Express in Brighton mean that all year round there is life. It is so sad seeing hotels and BnBs all boarded up, I can imagine the dreams of the people behind them and the sadness when they finally had to give up on them. A great vlog though, you have an excellent eye for a story.
Oh yeah I’ve actually been to Llandudno good shout. In fact there’s a couple of others in wales that I can think of
@@wanderingturnip you need to have something more than just a reliance on tourism don't you? As you said in your vlog - once cheap flights came about it became hard for UK resorts to keep going. I remember going to Rhyl for example in the early 1980s and it was brilliant, but then about 15 years later I went back for a look around and it was dreadful - all the old hotels on the front were empty and derelict. I think they've turned it around recently though.
@@wanderingturnip Tenby is a really nice place to visit in Wales. Got everything, beautiful buildings, fantastic beaches and a nice chilled vibe. Highly recommend it !!!
Well i live in Aberystwyth and it's declining again down to council as many towns cities since covid people and business's have suffered we have plenty of shops that have closed and more that are closing as i write this it's heart-breaking when you see seaside places go downhill :(
@@tinaparkz9508 how is it 'down to council' ? Even before BREXIT, COVID etc we have had many years of local councils having their hands tied by the policies of national government. I haven't been there for a while I admit but my parents lived and are buried there and I was always impressed with how busy it was. :)
I love how you tell the history of a location.
Bro I love this channel. Keep it up. 💯 it's a good time passer for my evening or morning tea and TV chill time 😂
Thank you for an informative wander around Blackpool :)
The last time I visited Blackpool was in the summer of 2011 for a Hen party! We stayed in a pretty reasonable B&B called the Franklyn. Before that, we used to come for Day trips in the early 2000s (and earlier too) especially the Pleasure Beach, and would finish the day with a drive through the illuminations. Such a sad state the town is in, and a real shame to see that some great buildiings with lots of potential have been left to rot
Unfortunately Blackpool suffered from benefits tourism. People on benefits moved to the area. Housing in the area is cheap. A friend of mine paid good money for a terraced house at North Shore. Before long she was surrounded by people on benefits. Some of these people neglected their homes and had drug or alcohol problems. The value of her home plummeted and it wasn't pleasant to live there anymore.
I remember when I was a kid in the 70's, we went to Blackpool a lot. The place was packed in the summer time. It was hard even finding parking. How times change.
I had a few holidays in Blackpool as a kid as it was an affordable holiday for my family and of course as a kid brilliant now I'm older I only go for the rides on pleasure beach. As you said it would be amazing to go back and see what it was like in its hayday.
It really would. I keep googling old picture of Blackpool and that really shows some cool stuff
Thanks!
You’re a legend thanks so much 👏😀👍
The giant building right in the middle of town was the old post office. They closed it as they moved the depot as the building was derelict. Most of the nice buildings on the sea front are derelict. Central drive is an absolute dive. You walked down Bond Street which is very abandoned. Locals feel the council's neglects everywhere that isn't the town centre, especially this area. My grandad used to have a shop there and sold furniture he built as an upholsterer. I think it closed when he retired in the 90s.
Just discovered this channel. Excellent viewing. Very, very sad.
In my opinion having lived in Blackpool for 24 years and counting, the council have missed out on plenty of opportunities over the past 10 years to expand blackpools attractiveness to family’s and business party’s etc, buildings or land that could have been used to build year round attractions that suit and persuade people to come and stay in the hotels aswell as more importantly spend money have instead just been turned into a car park to put more money into the councils pockets, however if Blackpool continues to die then even those car parks will serve no purpose or value.
Thanks for this pal, good to hear from someone who has lived there 👍👍
I should imagine that in such a competitive sector having rock bottom prices to attract customers will not leave much profit for the upkeep of the hotel. About 10 years ago I was on holiday in Blackpool and had a chat to the owner of the Manhattan hotel and he explained to me how difficult it was to keep his hotel going and said that it was a big mistake buying it, as by the time he had paid all the wages for his staff and then food, laundry services ect he was just about breaking even. And when you consider the price of upkeep such as putting in new en-suites in the rooms when needed and keeping the hotel to a good modern specification I can see how a hotel with 80 + rooms can easily go bankrupt. I find this very sad as I have had many a good holiday in Blackpool.
Yeah, let's ignore things like the new conference centre & the huge new development going on around Bonny Street. What do you think they do with the money that goes into the "council pockets"? Unfortunately, Blackpool seems to attract people who move here to live on benefits & don't pay any council tax, so revenues have to come from somewhere.
@@Pommy1957Blackpool is not a cheap holiday destination believe you me , over the years I have spent Thousands, Hotels are expensive, entertainment expensive, food and drink expensive, no wonder people go abroad
Really interesting well presented film. Been to Blackpool a few times over the years to see it now make me so sad
I love Blackpool! I go every year for a few days in late spring/early summer. Yeah it's run down but the people are so friendly. Also love getting the tram up to Fleetwood when Blackpool is too busy. Also I always feel safe walking around Blackpool at night (a woman on my own). I just wish the tram went as far as St Annes! Love the videos, keep up the good work! Oh and Stoodley Pike belongs to my home town Todmorden :P
Great info with the video.
I love and share his take on things
I remember Blackpool 60years ago. I was a child and it was magical. I can remember the smell of candy floss and toffee apples, fish and chips and ice cream. We stayed in guesthouse’s and had a fantastic time at the pleasure beach. That’s all gone now. How thing change! Happy by gone days.
It’s great to hear people’s good memories of the place so thanks 😀
I was born in Blackpool in 2010 from what i remember it always sucked
To be honest I found Blackpool alot better than Brighton from my own perspective. Definitely better Fish and chips!😊👍
Really fascinating, but very sad. As a child in the 60s my family visited often, so many happy memories! Thanks and I have subscribed.
Yeah same from the 90s for me
I grew up down the road from Blackpool and at weekends we would drink in the many bars and clubs during the holiday season & it was heaving! The promenade was a dangerous place at kicking out time but that only adds to the excitement when you're 18 y/o. It was a great place to grow up, easy to pick up girls too and plenty of hotel rooms. Good old days and only 40 years ago - not 100.
Yeah to be fair I have great memories from the 90s as a kid. Bit different to yours though 😂
Those are still beautiful
Crazy they been abandoned
!
I’m not sure if it’d be considered “poverty porn” but I’ve always found something quite endearing about these recent walking tours of Blackpool.
Used to love the place as a kid, visiting with my grandparents.
I’ve taken my kids there a bunch of times, haven’t been back since covid but hoping to next year, I love the place!
Its definitely not poverty porn. I think it’s important to highlight areas with abandoned properties to challenge the statements that we have a housing shortage, and it is really interesting to see, either by walking round or by watching a video of it 👍
The decline of Blackpool is largely down to the Labour Council of many years, now Conservative. 30 years ago the town had Sir Geoffrey Thompson, Pleasure Beach owner, and established hoteliers on the board and there was lots of emphasis on inspecting hotels and guesthouses to prevent hoteliers running them into the ground. This was axed when Sir Geoffrey died and tourism and accommodation began to die leaving anyone to take over hotels and fail disastrously. I've watched the council spend £millions of taxpayers money on unnecessary developments over the years whilst huge numbers of the resorts residents live in poverty. Drugs are also a massive problem in the town that isn't controlled by the Police at all. Fat drug dealers live off the misery of people in the resort with cocaine, crack and heroin addiction and nothing is ever done about it. Suicide is the highest in the country with the worst rated hospital. 30 years ago it was an amazing town to live and work in, I used to be proud of my town. Not any more. Very sad.
Hey thank you for this. Very interesting
Well this is a blatantly a Tory having a dig at labour with lies about Blackpool being a town with the highest suicide rates and worst hospital in the country.
Must be very sad for you.😢
@@wanderingturnipThe Belgravia are home you was next to is also a discusting place
The Pleasure beach has also gone downhill since Geoffrey Thompson died .
Used to come to Blackpool every year for a weekend in a B&B during "the lights". Between 1979 and 1989. To haunt the Coral Island and other arcades during the golden age of video game arcades. Mr. B's, and other places, many great memories, it's very sad. But also not much different once off the back streets at more local (to me) places like Whitley Bay, Scarborough, etc. all of which we used to go to.
A fascinating tour of Blackpool- so sad to see how many boarded up hotels there are, definately something big needs doing such as transforming many of the old hotels into private accomodation or, at the very least, doing something to the boardings to make it look less grim. Blackpool is also the place of the world's biggest magic convention with some of the UK's and world's best magicians performing and lecturing and magic dealers selling the latest tricks in February every year in the Winter Gardens.
There's a famous seaside town called Blackpool, that's noted for fresh air and fun . . and Mr & Mrs Ramsbottom went there with young Albert, their son.
It would be interesting to know who owns these properties. It is very sad indeed the properties are abandoned.
Yeah it really would
So sad to see. I went to Blackpool every year for a week, used to love it.
I'm still feeling a bit gutted with seeing so many houses in Burnley, Lancashire being boarded up.
I have heard good things about the regeneration there though, so hopefully things will change in the future!
Yeah hopefully
It's going downhill unfortunately and it squarely lies with corrupt councils and immigration.
Look amazing to explore great video 👍
I lived in Blackpool , my parents ran a hotel on Palatine Road, in the 70s and 80s, it was buzzing then, a great place to grow up in , I now live near Brighton, but my heart is still in Blackpool x
Yeah I remember it being great in the 90s, but as a kid I probably wasn’t as a aware of the state of buildings really 😂
my parents owned a b&b in Havelock street when i was a child been back to that b&b ? it has just been done up but i don't think it's a b&b anymore it look's more like a place for the council to put off beat's on the dole, drinkers, & smoking, the green stuff cos when i walked passed there was a group looked like they owned the place in the small front yard on seat's with can's & bottle's blue backy pouches, with elastic bad's round holding there lighter's on them most of my relations still live there i still go tons of times to visit but i have watched it slowly slip into the abiss/hole of no return the new development might turn it round but i honestly dont think it'will make much difference ( i only hope it dose ) cos i still love the place of birth so that is where my heart is
Thank you for the Blackpool story. Fantastic. Great presentation. ❤
The simple reason is that there isn't enough demand to keep that many places in business. Many of those properties were old school B&Bs with shared bathrooms, set meal times etc people are going to choose a nice hotel with en-suite facilities over those. Blackpool is still busy most weekends, with a lot of people from Scotland and the North-East coming down. The town itself has some massive issues, there's big areas of poverty, a drugs issue, and yet areas of wealth too. The EU invested billions to redevelop the seafront from Lytham to Fleetwood, making it very accessible and nice (great for a family cycle).
There's a big redevelopment of the town centre starting too, (th-cam.com/video/gQryGJo5tT4/w-d-xo.html) which is looking to add more wet weather things to do, and to modernise that area.
In the surrounding coastal towns - St Anne's/ Lytham / Cleveley they've suffered too, but many have diversified into care homes and private flats - I can see more private let apartments being built and added to the Airbnb market.
Oh thank you for this, really interesting. I’m learning a lot from the comments
You’ve got a great presenting style. Thank you.
Cheers for this 👍
Its so sad. My wife was conceived in 1960 during the Glasgow week when whole factories in Glasgow would close and workers went to towns like Blackpool. In 70s i used to go clubbing in Blackpool. I lived in Southport and we would go for weekends in Blackpool. In 90s i worked in Lytham and Blackpool, staying in hotels there. It wasnt as bad then as you see now. So sad, i cant see the town recovering from the decades of decline.
I’d love to see what it was like in the 70s. Sounds ace 👍
The Young Farmers weekends in Blackpool when 6000-7000 young farmers come in for a whole 4 days and nights are really good for the town. it happens once a year when the national federation of young farmers clubs organise there socials and winter gardens is open every night for dances...
We used to go every year for the illuminations and hang out the sunroof of my parents car. I remember vividly going for my birthday one year, trying to get a hotel/b&b for the night and there being no vacancies and being so disappointed to have to go back home..it’s wild to see Blackpool like this now. As you said, there’s so many that could house people who need shelter, but the condition so many are in Probably makes them to far gone to repair and be reused
Yeah I think you are right with the state of them now, maybe beyond repair
Great tour thank you young man, much appreciated! 🙏
I WORK IN BLACKPOOL 👍👍ENJOYED YOUR VIDEO 👍👍GOOD CONTENT 👍👍
Thanks Robin
29:25 That used to be the Post office with all those phones boxes outside. Last time I needed a post office there it was inside WH Smith’s.
My Mrs has wanted to take me to Blackpool for decades (she went a lot as a kid) but I'm put off by the seedy reputation and the fact that its gone to the dogs as this video sadly confirms. Such a shame as the potential for regeneration is enormous. I hate seeing lovely buildings left to rot. Thanks for a great video and for reminding my why I'm not keen to visit.
You're put off by Blackpool's seedy reputation?; if it's seedy then it's great, it means plenty of sex-workers and brothels