Winter Gardens (Blackpool)
The Winter Gardens are an important part of the attractions of the leading seaside town of Blackpool, and have actually been there longer than the iconic Blackpool Tower.
The Winter Gardens were created in 1878 as an elegant theatre with a glass-roofed promenade around the base.
The top theatre designer Frank Matcham added an opera house in 1889.
Wih the opening of Blackpool Tower in 1894, other attractions did not have things all their own way, and as a response the Winter Gardens added the Empress Ballroom, an ornate entity built by Mangnall and Littlewood, in 1896.
A new facade, in sparkling white facade, gave the Winter Gardens an exciting new look in 1929.