Blackpool North Pier

The construction of Blackpool Pier (eventually North Pier) started in May 1862, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, part of the parish of Bispham. It was the first of Birch's piers to be built by Glasgow engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son. The cast iron columns, 12 inch in diameter, were filled with concrete for stability at intervals of 20 yd, and supported by struts that were on average were slightly more than 1 inch thick. On opening two of the kiosks were occupied by a bookstall and confectionery stall and the kiosks near the ends of the pier were seated shelters. columns; standing 50 ft above the low water line, it sees a regular 35 ft change in sea level due to the tide.

North Pier's attractions include a Gypsy palm reader and an ice cream parlour, the North Pier Theatre, a Victorian tea room, and the Carousel and Merrie England bars. The arcade, built in the 1960s, has approximately eleven million coins pass through its machines each year. One of the earliest Sooty bear puppets used by Harry Corbett is on display on the pier. Corbett bought the original Sooty puppet on North Pier for his son, Matthew. When Corbett took the puppet on BBC's Talent Night programme, he marked the nose and ears with soot so that they would show up on the black and white television, giving the puppet its name. The Carousel bar on the pier-head has a Victorian wrought iron…

The pier was officially opened in a grand ceremony on 21 May 1863, even though the final 50 yd had not yet been completed. All the shops in the area were closed and decorated with flags and streamers Although the town only had a population of approximately 4,000, more than 200,000 holiday makers regularly stayed there during the summer months; this included 275,000 admissions in 1863, 400,000 in 1864 and 465,000 the following year. the pier provided the opportunity for visitors to walk close to the sea without distractions. This fee was insufficient to deter "trippers'", which led to Major Preston campaigning for a new pier to cater for the 'trippers'.