Blackpool's humble terraces stepped back from the seafront seemed a world away from the Golden Mile

It is difficult to imagine the terraces, home to generations of Blackpool families, which stood just a few metres from the resort’s Golden Mile.
By Claire Lark
Published 13th Dec 2021, 15:45 BST
Updated 13th Dec 2021, 16:00 BST

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Sixty or 70 years ago Bonny Street, where the Sea Life Centre and Bonny Street Market stand, were rows of humble properties, businesses and Blackpool Central Station.

The properties, cobbled together, formed another world of narrow streets, dingy backyards and old gas lamps, with unexpected views of the railway. One photo shows just how close some homes were built next to the station. Another photo shows Wilkinson’s Yard, a narrow cobbled street with homes intermingled. A white-washed cottage at the westerly end of the yard butted onto the rear of a terraced house on Bonny Street.

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The quirky layout was popular with some as a throwback to a bygone era, but 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 case you missed it: Fire at Blackpool Tower, 1956 LOVE LANCASHIRE? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join our Facebook page Lancashire Nostalgia

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