Blackpool Promenade
| The Prom | |
Pictured in 2010, looking north towards Blackpool Tower | |
Interactive map of Blackpool Promenade | |
| Part of | A584 |
|---|---|
| Length | 4 mi (6.4 km) |
| Location | Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| North end | Queen's Promenade |
| South end | Squires Gate Lane & Clifton Drive North |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1820s |
Blackpool Promenade (known colloquially as the Prom) is a road and esplanade in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It runs for around 4 miles (6.4 km), from Queen's Promenade, at Gynn Square, in the north to a junction with Squires Gate Lane and Clifton Drive North in the south. The promenade replaced a small parade which existed in the 1780s. That seafront road was subject to erosion, leading to a realigned replacement being constructed in the 1820s.
Blackpool's three piers―North, Central and South―have entrances from the esplanade, while the 518-foot (158-metre) Blackpool Tower overlooks the promenade and esplanade from the inland side, near Central Pier.
A 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometre) stretch of the promenade, between North Pier and South Pier, is called the "Golden Mile". The Comedy Carpet was installed in the esplanade, opposite Blackpool Tower, in 2011. It was designed by Gordon Young.
The town's annual Illuminations, established in 1879, run the entire length of the esplanade and promenade, plus an additional 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north, beyond Gynn Square to Red Bank Road on Bispham's Queen's Promenade.