Blackpool isn’t a particularly old town and its rapid development has primarily been fuelled by tourism in the last 150 years or so. To cater for the millions of visitors that arrive each year, Blackpool has more licensed premises than anywhere else in the country outside of Central London. Like most other towns though, redevelopment of areas and the changes in social behaviour has led to many pubs being closed or restyled. Allan Wood and Chris Bottomley present an excellent collection of photographs from which the reader will glimpse some of Blackpool’s ‘lost’ pubs as well as the town’s more popular watering holes and established locals.

Allan was born in Blackpool and has a degree in Civil Engineering from Sheffield Poly and worked in the Borough Surveyor’s Department of Blackpool BC from 1978 to 1989. His fascination with old Blackpool scenes started in Sheffield in 1975 at a ‘collectors’ fair and has not stopped since. Allan has had several books published about old postcard views of Blackpool. Allan is married with four great children. Chris became a draughtsman after training at Blackpool Technical College and later started a building company which now specialises in renovating residential properties. Chris’ hobby is photography and for many years has had a keen interest in local history.