Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire. Situated along the coast of the Irish Sea, it has a population of 142,900, making it the fourth-largest settlement in North West England behind Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington. It lies 40 miles north-west of the city of Manchester, and less than 30 miles north of Liverpool City centre. Blackpool is the fourth most densely populated local authority district of England & Wales outside Greater London.
Blackpool rose to prominence as a major centre of tourism during the 19th century, particularly for the inhabitants of northern mill towns. Blackpool is heavily dependent on tourism. In what is often regarded as its heyday (1900-1950), Blackpool thrived as the factory workers of northern England took their annual holidays there en masse.