Come to Blackpool
Fun in the sun. And on a donkey.
Alex Q. Arbuckle
July 1954
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Blackpool, a seaside town in the county of Lancashire, has all the staples of a typical British working class holiday resort: ice cream, donkey rides, saucy postcards, "Kiss Me Quick" hats, Punch and Judy shows on the beach. Only the weather is unreliable.In 1954, Picture Post, a British photojournalism magazine similar to LIFE, sent photographer John Chillingworth to Blackpool on assignment. He captured, in color, contestants in a bathing beauty competition and other general views. Blackpool's heyday came to an end shortly thereafter, spurred by industrial decline, the rise of cheap holidays to Spain and other warm Mediterranean countries, plus improved road infrastructure, which made quick day trips more popular than longer stays. These pictures capture the end of a travel era.
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Showgirls have some fun with comedian Jimmy Edwards while he relaxes on the beach.
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The beach at Blackpool, with the Eiffel Tower-inspired Blackpool Tower looming above.
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Credit: John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
