White Tower – the Pleasure Beach's award-winning venue – has closed after 30 years of wining and dining the resort's top celebrities and
visiting stars.

Scores of VIPs, including Robbie Williams, Boyzone, the Spice Girls, together with Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher, have been drawn to the restaurant which today was labelled "a bastion of style".

However, Pleasure Beach bosses have confirmed the restaurant will now only operate for private group bookings such as weddings and corporate meetings.
Basil Newby, owner of In The Pink Leisure which owns Funny Girls, said he thought it was "a nail in the coffin for Blackpool."

And Fylde rugby star Bill Beaumont, said: "It's sad that something as well established as White Tower is closing down. I always enjoyed going there."

Comedy favourite Frank Carson said: "I'm sorry to hear that. It was always a lovely place, the atmosphere was great and the food was marvellous. I've been there many times. I just hope they enjoy good business with their private bookings as Blackpool is in decline now. I don't know what we can do to bring it back."

Earlier this week The Gazette revealed job cuts at the fun park which bosses said were a result of the "economic climate".

An announcement about the future of Pleasure Beach's last remaining show, Forbidden, is expected at a later date with rumours growing it too could be axed.

However, the loss of White Tower has come as a shock to many. Since opening in 1979, diners could indulge in top quality dishes at White Tower, including roasted quail and turbot steak marinated in basil, from the restaurant's a la carte menu, which was launched last year.
In the past it has won the Gold Plate Award from Hi Life Diners Club and the top restaurant category in the Blackpool Tourism Awards.

David Heeley, company president of Blackpool-based Hi-Life, the UK's largest dining club with 130,000 members, said: "The closing of White Tower to all but private parties is the end of an era.

"This Blackpool institution has been a bastion of style and quality since it first opened its doors for the Thompson family in the 1930s. Since then its unique style has always placed it at the forefront of Fylde Coast dining and it has been the venue of choice for many visiting stars and celebrities. In years gone by, one was almost guaranteed to see Geoffrey Thompson, managing director of the Pleasure Beach for nearly 30 years, or his mother, dining at their preferred table and enjoying the fine views over the sea and the promenade."

Mr Newby added: "It was one of my favourite restaurants, I loved it. It's one of the nice ones in Blackpool. It's a shame for Blackpool as it was a special place. We always recommended it to people who appeared at the club. I think the blow to Blackpool is that the good places are closing."

The restaurant, situated within the Pleasure Beach's casino building, will re-open as a private group booking venue at the end of January.

A Pleasure Beach spokesman said: "The White Tower is changing its nature – it's changing its function to private dining for group bookings. We found that it was becoming increasingly popular for private parties. We were hiring it out for events such as weddings or corporate meetings so it's a natural progression."