The name of Blackpool, the Lancashire seaside town, brings to mind the many famous features that have kept the resort busy since the railway arrived in the middle of the nineteenth century.
The town, however, had humble beginnings, for it was a coastal hamlet in Medieval and Early Modern Times. Fleetwood was the main resort but its founder Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood went bankrupt. Thus, its decline led to an upsurge in visitors to Blackpool. This resulted in extensive development, generating even more visitors. Gas lighting arrived in 1852, water on the mains in 1864 and the town became the first municipality in the world to have electric street lighting in 1879. In 1885, the first section of the tramway appeared on the Promenade, being extended in later years. Blackpool became the only coastal town in the British Isles to have three piers.
This tremendous growth was brought about by the Lancashire Cotton Mill owners closing their factories for one week each year to service the machinery. Known as ‘Wakes Weeks’, each town’s mill would close for a different week. This provided nearby Blackpool with a frequent stream of workers and their families keen to enjoy a week away by the sea, The 1890’s saw the Blackpool Tower and the Grand Theatre opened. Along came the Golden Mile and the Pleasure Beach. The first Illuminations appeared in 1912, extending the holiday season into October. Between the wars, Blackpool boomed, being a firm favourite with northeners, but by the 1960’s holidaymakers began to venture to sunnier places. The M55 motorway opened in 1975, making a day trip easier rather than a stayover.
Despite the town being routed in tourism there are some large employers, such as National Savings and Investments and other government agencies. The town has benefitted from numerous regeneration projects, including the coastal tram line and electrification of the rail route from Preston. Property prices are amongst the most affordable in Britain.
Yet behind the bright lights of the Promenade lies a world of social need, poverty and shabby streets.
Blackpool has one of the highest rates of antidepressant prescriptions in England. The most common health problems being depression, stress and anxiety with high rates of obesity, smoking, liver disease and people of working age too sick to work.
What has gone wrong in this popular seaside resorts? The town’s heritage and economy is built upon pleasure. Millions have flocked there to immerse themselves in amusements and entertainment. The population has lived on the doorstep of this world of short-term answers to the pursuit of happiness and escape from the realities of life.
A fantasy world entered briefly that quickly fades away, leaving pockets empty and lives unfulfilled. All this shows that the world of manmade pleasure does not meet man’s greatest need. Such pleasure does not last because it does not change lives for the better. We need something permanently life changing that will satisfy every need for now and for eternity.
The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to do just that for us. All because we have no answer to our greatest need. The Bible says we are all born in sin, there is no exception, and we are all facing the awful prospect of its consequences. The situation in Blackpool today is repeated throughout the whole world. The bright lights are simply a cover behind which hides the darkness and unhappiness of a life without hope.
The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross to put away sin forever, so if we repent of our sin and by faith trust Him as our Lord and Saviour, we will have the gift of eternal life. The false lights of the amusements and entertainment will cease to be of any consequence as we will have a Personal Saviour who will never leave us nor forsake us.
DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (06/10/25)
Written by RODERICK BARTON
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
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