19 remarkable images of Blackpool’s Big Wheels, from construction to the cherished memories they left behind

Blackpool's original Big Wheel dominated the skyline for three decades and was an impressive example of 19th Century engineering.

It stood proudly at the south west corner of the Winter Gardens, affording magnificent views of the Irish Sea and beyond and was a wonder of the Victorian Age.

Also known as the Giant Wheel and the Gigantic Wheel, its construction began in 1895 and eventually opened in 1896, two years after the Tower.

The 220ft high attraction was equipped with huge, 28ft long coaches, capable of carrying 30 passengers.

Sadly the dismantling of the wheel began in 1928 because it was commercially unsustainable – it had grown too old and too slow for 1920s Blackpool

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