Winter Gardens, Blackpool
| Winter Gardens | |
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Winter Gardens
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 Location in Blackpool
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| General information | |
| Type | Entertainment complex |
| Address | 97 Church Street, Blackpool, FY1 1HL |
| Coordinates | 53°49′02″N 3°03′03″W / 53.8171°N 3.0509°W |
| Construction started | 1875 |
| Inaugurated | 11 July 1878 |
| Cost | £100,000 |
| Owner | Blackpool Council |
| Management | Crown Leisure (as of November 2010) |
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in the town centre of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It has twelve different venues, including a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, incorporating various elements built between 1875 and 1939. It is operated by Crown Leisure Ltd, on behalf of Blackpool Council, which purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010.
The Winter Gardens has hosted the main annual conferences for all three major British political parties as well as a number of trade unions. The Winter Gardens owners claim that every British Prime Minister since World War II has addressed an audience at the venue.
It has also been the venue of the Blackpool Dance Festival since its inception in 1920, has hosted the World Matchplay darts tournament every July since 1994 and it is the venue for the annual Rebellion punk festival.
The Winter Gardens Company bought the site in 1875 for £28,000. The Winter Gardens was built on the six-acre Bank Hey Estate and officially opened on 11 July 1878. The original intention was "to place on the land a concert room, promenades, conservatories and other accessories calculated to convert the estate into a pleasant lounge, especially desirous during inclement days."
The Vestibule, Floral Hall, Ambulatory and Pavilion Theatre were all built in the 1870s and the Opera House Theatre originally opened in 1889. The Empress Ballroom was built in 1896 together with the Indian Lounge (now the Arena).
In 1910 the Opera House Theatre was rebuilt. Ownership of the complex changed in 1928 when the Winter Gardens Company was taken over by the Tower Company.
In 1930 the Olympia was built and the following year saw the addition of the Galleon Bar, Spanish Hall and Baronial Hall. The Opera House Theatre was rebuilt in 1939.
EMI took over the complex in 1967, and ownership changed hands again in 1983 when it was bought by First Leisure. In 1998, Leisure Parcs acquired the Winter Gardens from First Leisure's Resorts Division as part of an estimated £74m deal which also included Blackpool Tower, and the resort's three piers. On 3 December 2009 it was revealed that Leisure Parcs had accepted an offer of £40m from Blackpool Council to buy the Winter Gardens as well as the Tower, and other sites in the resort. The deal, financed through a combination of government regeneration cash, European funding and a loan, was finalised in March 2010.
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