Archive for July, 2008

The last Illuminations open day

Ex-Illuminations worker Frank writes about the last ever Open Day held by the Illuminations at their current site, in summer 2008.  You can also see newspaper reports about the Illuminations’ proposed move  to a new site on Squires Gate Lane, and about the redevelopment of Blackpool and The Fylde College, which will take over the Illuminations Depot’s present site.

Have you ever been to an Open Day at the existing depot?  And what do you think of the proposed move and the changes it will bring?  Add a comment about your thoughts, or even start a new story!

On the buses

Local resident Frank Murray writes about the bus routes around Bloomfield, complete with a snippet of overheard conversation, and some maps and timetables from a 2008 leaflet.

Buses and bus routes can tell us a lot about a place.  What’s your regular bus route, or what did it used to be years ago?  You could draw us a sketch map, or send us a memory of something that happened on a bus.  Or, if you get the bus regularly, you could write an account of the route and the things you see every day on your journey;or tell us about the conversations you have, or overhear, on the bus.

Tram Depot


 

Working on a stripped-down tram.

Driving

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Frank and Don talk about recent traffic control measures around Bloomfield, such as railings, double yellow lines, and one-way systems.  Have you got an opinion?  Add a comment!

The smoking ban

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Frank and Don discuss how the smoking ban has affected local pubs.

The only time I was ever drunk!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Don from Blackpool relates a story about the only time he ever got drunk, as a young man in Trieste, Italy, in 1954.

The Bloomfield pub

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Frank and Don talk about the Bloomfield pub and its landlords over the years (which, at one time, included the entertainer Tessie O’Shea!)  You can also see a piece written by Frank, about stories and memories of The Bloomfield Pub.