Blackpool, United Kingdom

In the 18th century, sea bathing gained popularity for health benefits, drawing visitors to Blackpool as a tourist resort. By 1788, there were about 50 houses on the sea bank. Of these around six accommodated wealthy visitors while a number of other private dwellings lodged the "inferior class whose sole motive for visiting this airy region was health." In 1781, The town's amenities, including hotels, archery stall, and bowling greens, slowly expanded. By 1801, the population reached 473. Henry Banks, instrumental in Blackpool's growth, purchased Lane Ends estate in 1819, building the first holiday cottages in 1837.

By the early 19th century, small purpose-built facilities began catering to a middle-class market, although substantial numbers of working people from manufacturing towns were "being drawn to Blackpool's charms." In 1846, a pivotal event marked the early growth of the town: the completion of a railway branch line to Blackpool from Poulton. This spurred development as visitors flocked in by rail, boosting the town's economy. Blackpool prospered with the construction of accommodations and attractions, fostering rapid growth in the 1850s and 1860s. A Board of Health was established in 1851, gas lighting in 1852, and piped water in 1864. The town's population exceeded 2,500 by 1851.

North Pier opened in 1863, designed by Eugenius Birch for Blackpool's "better classes", and always retained its unique qualities of being a quieter, more reflective place compared with Blackpool's other two piers. The following half century included the construction of two further piers – South Pier (now Central Pier) in 1868 and Victoria (now South Pier) in 1893 – the Winter Gardens (1878), Blackpool Tower (1894) and the earliest surviving rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (founded in 1896).

Blackpool's Royal Palace Gardens at Raikes Hall was a world-famous destination for variety and music hall stars from the mid-18th century. It boasted a Grand Opera House, Indian Room for theatrical and variety performances, a Niagara café with cyclorama, a skating rink and fern house, an elaborate conservatory, monkey house, aviary and outside dancing platform for several thousand people. The gardens also had carriage drives and walkways with Grecian and Roman statues for promenaders to enjoy. There was also a boating lake and a racing track with grandstand for several thousand. More than 40,000 visitors passed through its gates during the opening week in 1872.

Working-class tourists dominated the heart of the resort, which was the go-to destination for workers from the industrial north and their families. Entire towns would close down their industries during Wakes Weeks between June and September, with a different town on holiday each week. Communities would travel to Blackpool together, first by charabanc and later by train. Blackpool still catered to a "significant middle-class market during the spring and autumn", favouring the residential area of North Shore.

Blackpool's growth since the 1870s was shaped by its pioneering use of electrical power. Electric lighting came to the town in 1879, as it became the world's first municipality with electric street lighting along Blackpool Promenade, setting the stage for the Blackpool Illuminations. 100,000 people congregated to see the promenade illuminated on the evening of 19 September 1879.

Work started in Blackpool on the UK's first electric public tramway on 24 February 1884 and the Blackpool Tramway opened officially on 29 September 1885. It established one of the world's earliest electric tramways, initially operated by the Blackpool Electric Tramway Company. By 1899, the tramway had expanded and the conduit system was replaced by overhead wires. As of 2025, the system still remains in service. In 1897, Blackpool became one of the first towns to mark important civic events with illuminated tram-cars when five Corporation trams were decorated with coloured lights to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

By the 1890s, Blackpool had a population of 35,000 and could host 250,000 holidaymakers. Notable structures, like the Grand Theatre (1894) and Blackpool Tower, emerged. The Grand Theatre was among Britain's first all-electric theatres. The Victorian and Edwardian period saw a significant construction of hotels and other accommodation, including the Grand Metropole Hotel (1873 but incorporating an earlier hotel that had opened in 1785), the Imperial Hotel (1867) and the Norbreck Castle Hotel (1912). These hotels remain extant.