17 emotive Blackpool pictures of Bonny Street’s long gone tiny terraces and iconic railway station
They were a clump of terraced streets stepped back from the seafront and they seemed a world away from the Golden Mile.
By Claire Lark
Published 23rd Nov 2022, 10:43 BST
Updated 13th Oct 2023, 08:47 BST
But there they were, a stone’s throw from the beach and wedged alongside the resort’s railway station in the golden age of steam. They are long gone but were narrow with dingy backyards, old gas lamps and unexpected views of the railway. It was a quirky layout. However in March 1959, 26 homes in Bonny Street, Pleasant View and Wilkinson’s Yard were flattened by demolition crews under a slum clearance order. In 1964, the station closed and the whole area was eventually replaced by the police station, court buildings, central car park and the famous and much-loved Bonny Street market. Times are changing once again though, as the new central development digs in to transform the area for future generations. These fascinating photos go right back to the beginning, they show the streets, pubs, train station and more recent scenes from the 1990s.
We have included this photo because it gives perspective to the location. This was in March 1954 on one of the platforms at Central Station. The Tower can be seen in the distance and the white buildings to the left are the Palatine buildings at the gateway to Bank Hey Street. The photo shows engine drivers and guards who manned trains running between Manchester and Liverpool as part of a refresher course before the summer season Photo: Harry Todd
Just yards from the Golden Mile and seafront, this was Pleasant View, off Bonny Street, an area that today includes the police station and court buildings. These old streets can be seen in the triangular area between the Promenade and Central Station platforms in the aerial view of Central Station Photo: staff
Aerial view of Blackpool Central Police Station as it was in 1997. It takes up a huge part of the land. Police operations have moved again since then but the courts remain, for now Photo: submit