Blackpool

Blackpool, the seaside Lancashire town in North-West England, became the premier holiday destination in England during the second half of the 19th century, partly because of it's close proximity to Manchester and Liverpool and partly because of the foresight of the town council in providing the environment for the nascent tourism industry to flourish.

When Blackpool connected to the railway network in 1846, it became an overnight destination for large numbers of visitors, attracting businesses to cater for them, attracting more visitors, more attractions, more visitors and so on throughout the 1850's and 60's. Visitor growth was fuelled by the practise of mill owners shutting down their factories for a week each year to refurbish machinery, allowing the workers to take 'summer holidays'.

The 1,650 ft North Pier was opened as a tourist attraction in 1863 with the 1,110 ft Central Pier following in 1868 and the 488 ft South Pier in 1893, making Blackpool the only UK town with three piers.

The Winter Gardens were opened in 1878 and one year later in 1879, Blackpool became the first town in the world to use electric street lights, allowing visitors to use the seafront into the night. An electric tramway was laid in 1885, one of the earliest in the world, conveying passengers the entire length of the Promenade and still in continuous use today. 1888 saw the opening of one of Europe's largest theatres, the 2,500 seat Her Majesty's Opera House and in 1896 the 30 acres Pleasure Beach amusement park opened. This is still the most visited amusement park in the UK and the 14th most visited attraction in the entire world, with 5.5 million visitors in 2007.

By the mid-1890's, Blackpool catered for about 3 million weekly-holidaymakers a year, with anything upto 250,000 a week during peak summer months.

This answer depends on how you intend to travel. Driving directions can be obtained from http://maps.google.com. Below the search bar, click on the "get driving directions" tab and type in "London" for the starting location and "Blackpool" as the destination. Google Maps will automatically figure out the specific locations you are looking for and either correct your search entries or give you a list of choices.

The distance, time and directions will depend on how specific your search parameters are. If you only type in the city (i.e. London), it will give you directions starting at the geographical center of the city. With London, for instance, your driving directions start on Abington St. just south of Bridge St. Be as specific as you can, using complete and accurate physical addresses to get the more accurate directions.

If you will be traveling by another method (train, bus, etc.) you may wish to contact the local travel authorities. A site like Transport for London (www.tfl.gov.uk) can help you find the correct route to your destination. More Input The cheapest and sometimes fastest way to Blackpool from London is to take the National Express coach from Victoria Coach Station. Usually one change at the most at either Manchester or Liverpool, very cheap on weekdays. check fares and times at the NATIONAL EXPRESS website and remember to tick on "coaches" If you should actually want to self drive, Blackpool to London is easy. Take M10 from London change to the M1 near Luton airport follow until the M6 interchange at Crick drive some 200 miles up the M6 to just past Preston and turn onto the interchange of the M55 which will take you into Blackpool. By Train it's from Euston, change at Preston for the Branch line to Blackpool North for the main centre of Blackpool

91 miles taking this route:

1. Go to M6 to The SOUTH, via M55 from Blackpool.
2. Take M6 to The SOUTH to M56 NORTH WALES at J20A.
3. Take M56 to A49 at the next junction (J10); EXIT, and follow signs to A49 WHITCHURCH.
4. Take A49 to A459 OWESTRY, via A525 WREXHAM, in Whitchurch.
5. TAKE A459 to ELLESMERE.