Memories of Blackpool

For many families in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, Blackpool was the holiday destination, and Geoff’s family was no exception. His first trip to Blackpool came in 1946, the year the attractions reopened after the Second World War, spurred by a promise from his father that they would see elephants.

Geoff kept cherished memories of that holiday in his parents’ old photo album. “We didn’t have phones back then, so all our photos were treasured in albums,” he recalls. His holiday album, now 81 years old, is held together with some tape from his mum’s stockings, a testament to its well-loved contents.

“Everyone dressed up then, and despite the crowds, there was no trouble.”

A street photographer once captured the Crambie family walking hand-in-hand down the Blackpool promenade, with Geoff’s father carrying a Mickey Mouse bucket and spade back from the beach. “People didn’t always have cameras back then, so street photographers would take your picture and tell you to come back the next day to collect it for threepence.”

Despite being on holiday, the family dressed smartly. Little Geoff wore shorts and a vest, his father donned a full suit, and his mum dressed in black. “Her mother had just passed away, and back then, people wore black to mourn for about a year,” Geoff explains. “Everyone dressed up then, and despite the crowds, there was no trouble.”

While many families relied on street photographers for their holiday snapshots, Geoff’s family owned a camera. “It was a big, square brown thing that only took black-and-white photos, of course. You had to take the film to the chemist, and it would take around two weeks to develop.”

That camera captured a beautiful selection of images from their trip to Blackpool, including Geoff riding a donkey along the beach and his father paddling in the sea with his trousers rolled up.

Every summer, the Crambies visited Blackpool during “wakes week,” joining hundreds of other families from Colne. After the Holidays with Pay Act of 1938, each town had its own wakes week—a time when factories shut down, allowing workers to holiday without fear of losing wages.

“Your parents would be busy packing everything up to take to the train station,” Geoff recalls. “Beforehand, you’d go down Albert Road to Harold Todd’s shop and buy a Beano comic for the train, and a big bag of Jelly Babies. My mum would buy Woman’s Own, and my dad would grab a pack of cigarettes, which he’d smoke all the way there. Ten cigarettes from Colne to Blackpool, all smoked. Everyone smoked back then; I remember the train car being full of smoke.”

Always a collector, young Geoff sneakily tucked the empty cigarette carton into his bag along with his Beano comic and Jelly Babies—and he’s kept it to this day.

For Geoff, a visit to the train station was more than just the start of the holiday. It also meant adding to his prized ‘namers’ book. The Jubilee class of steam locomotives, named after Commonwealth states, British admirals, and naval commanders, were a fascination for him. “We’d often travel on the India or South Africa on the East Lancashire line,” Geoff explains. “They were prestigious trains, with individual compartments shared with other families.”

Each year, the Crambies stayed at the Seaview Hotel, always in the same room—with the luxury of an inside toilet.

“When you arrived at the station, it was packed with people. Colne station had around 60 employees back then, including at least 20 cleaners just for the trains,” Geoff recalls. “We’d get into a compartment, and my dad would lift me up to sit on the luggage rack. Then we’d go through a long tunnel, and since there were no lights in the daytime, everything would go pitch black. My parents would make spooky ‘woo’ noises as we passed through—it felt like it went on forever.”

After an hour or so, the train would arrive at Blackpool station, where local lads and ladies would be waiting to help the visitors. Much like London taxi drivers, they knew exactly where each hotel was located. “They’d offer to carry your luggage for a small fee. I remember one lad had an old pram to carry the heavy suitcases because some families were large and needed to be packed for a whole week.”

Each year, the Crambies stayed at the Seaview Hotel, always in the same room—with the luxury of an inside toilet. “That was a big deal for us, as we still had an outside toilet at home,” Geoff laughs. “Breakfast was another highlight, especially for my mum, who didn’t have to cook. I’d have beans on toast, and my parents would both have a full English every day.”

The holiday would always begin with a trip to the beach, but there was much more to Blackpool than just sand and sea. One of Geoff’s fondest memories was the Punch and Judy show, a seaside classic. “There’d be about 50 children sitting on the sand, and you had to pay before you sat down. It was wonderful, so funny with the crocodile!”

“They looked after you back then—you had everything you needed.”

After a morning at the beach, the family would visit Blackpool Tower and its famous circus, where Geoff finally saw the elephants his father had promised. “How did they get the elephants up ten stories in Blackpool Tower?” he still wonders. “There were also lions and tigers. The animals were so close you could almost touch them. The lions and tigers were behind screens, but the elephants were just behind bars.”

During feeding time, the Crambie family watched a zookeeper open the porcupine’s cage to serve its meal. While Geoff’s parents were busy watching, little Geoff spotted a quill that the porcupine had shed. Seizing the opportunity, he darted forward to grab the quill for a souvenir. “I remember the keeper saying, ‘Come on, sonny, I’ll take you back.’ I got in trouble for that!”

That evening, Geoff’s parents went out for an end-of-pier musical performance, leaving Geoff in the care of the hotelier. “They looked after you back then—you had everything you needed.”

The next day, another surprise came when the family visited Madame Tussauds, and Geoff spotted Winston Churchill’s figure. “I said, ‘He’s not moving, Dad!’ and my dad replied, ‘He’ll never move.’”

Blackpool was also known for its fortune tellers, who lined the streets, offering to read your future. Geoff’s mother couldn’t resist, and whatever was said must have been positive—she emerged smiling.

Another highlight for Geoff was an exhibition by the renowned American-British sculptor Jacob Epstein. “The sculptures were enormous, and you could climb on them,” he remembers with awe.

Of course, no trip to Blackpool was complete without a visit to the Pleasure Beach. “I’d stay on the carousel for about an hour, choosing the zebra to ride. There were ostriches, racehorses, and even turkeys to sit on! I wasn’t allowed on the Big Dipper because I was too young, but I did get to ride the Ferris wheel. The best part, though, was Noah’s Ark.”

The classic Noah’s Ark ride, which sadly closed in 2008, was a fun walk-through experience with animal noises and gusts of air simulating a journey through a menagerie. “It was like stepping into a zoo filled with animal sounds all around you.”

Geoff’s annual Blackpool trips ended in 1950 when his father secured a contract to sell budgies on the Isle of Man. This new opportunity brought the family free holidays to the Isle, marking the end of their Blackpool summers.

A few decades later, many British families began opting for holidays abroad in sunnier destinations, leaving behind Blackpool’s once-thriving holiday scene. However, for a generation like Geoff’s, memories of Blackpool remain treasured—a reminder of fun, family-filled summer holidays by the sea.