Rare Photographs of Jayne Mansfield in Blackpool in 1959

A set of rediscovered photographs show a Hollywood sex symbol at one of Blackpool’s most missed attractions. In September 1959, screen star Jayne Mansfield was invited to the seaside resort to switch on its world famous illuminations. The actress traveled to the resort with her husband Mickey Hartigay and her eight year old daughter from her first marriage, Jayne Marie, and eight month old son, Miklos.

During her time in the town, she posed for the cameras at Blackpool’s beautiful and much missed open air swimming pool. Thought at one time to be the largest pool in the world, the stunning swimmers paradise first opened at the edge of Blackpool’s golden sands in 1923. The pool’s oval shaped perimeter enclosed around a 376 foot long and 170 foot wide D shaped pool which was filled with 1.6 million gallons of treated sea water. Despite being a popular and stunning addition to Blackpool’s seafront for most of its 60-years, it closed in 1981 and was demolished two-years later with the Sandcastle Waterpark now standing in its place.

Tragically, Jayne Mansfield died just eight years later in a car crash in New Orleans aged just 34. Although her life and film career was short-lived, she had several box-office successes and won a Golden Globe Award in 1957.

The full set of photos showing Jayne Mansfield at the lost open air pool were recently discovered in the Mirrorpix archives, some of which are included in the gallery below.

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Fascinating Vintage Photos Show How People Celebrated Bank Holidays in Blackpool in the 1960s

A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, and in the Republic of Ireland. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to all public holidays, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation, or held by convention under common law. The term “bank holiday” refers to the fact that banking institutions typically close for business on such holidays, as they once used to do on certain saint’s days. Taken in June 1960 at Blackpool Beach, these fascinating vintage photographs show everything from people paddling in the water to sunbathers and more.

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Amazing Vintage Photographs Capture an Aquatic VW Beetle Floating Off Blackpool Beach in the 1970s

Back in the 1970s, hundreds would compete in the popular Blackpool to Isle of Man Race, an event which attracted much attention and sponsorship from the likes of Whitbread. Traveling from Blackpool Tower to the summit of Snaefell, Isle of Man, competitors would use many different – and often quirky – means of transport to beat the clock and be the first to arrive.

The competition had a comedic resemblance to madcap ’60s cartoon series Wacky Races, seeing participants travel via motorcycle, helicopter, hovercraft and cut through waves in aquatic cars back when health and safety rules were much different. It’s hard to imagine an event like this being on the cards today but many will still have fond memories of the race and those who competed.

Unearthed Mirrorpix archives, these brilliant images capture one entry back in 1973. Malcolm Buchanan and Bill Helmeage spent a month making a VW watertight and adding a propeller to enter their craft in the Unusual Entry section of the Blackpool to Isle of Man race.

A number of images show the men putting their craft through it’s trial run on the Leisure Lake at Mere Brow near Southport in May that year. Images show the Amphibian Volkswagen Beetle car driving into the sea and floats through water. Visitors watch on as the car drives through the area to the beach.

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Fascinating Photos Capture Scenes at Blackpool Beach in the Early 1990s

Rare images unearthed from Mirrorpix archives capture what Blackpool looked like over 30 years ago. These photographs show people soaking up the sun on a hot day at Blackpool beach back in 1992. Some show groups of children enjoying the water, whereas others capture crowds of sunbathers and what the area looked like back then. Below are 16 photos of 1990s Blackpool that will transport you back in time.

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Stunning Vintage Photos Show Holidaymakers Showing Off Their Dance Moves in Blackpool From the 1950s

As the summer approaches, we’ll all be getting ready for long days in the sun, outdoor events and day trips to our favorite destinations. It’s a known fact that Blackpool will see thousands upon thousands of people visit as it does every year, but these stunning photos show how generations before spent their time in the area.

Whilst nightclubs and bars usually attract groups of punters today, back in the 1950s, dancing didn’t need to take place indoors, as seen in these vintage photos.

From ‘Rock n Roll’ sessions on the pier to couples dancing and showing off their moves, these heartwarming photos are sure to stir some memories and offer a fascinating window into Blackpool’s past.

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Nostalgic Vintage Color Photos of Holidaymakers at Blackpool Beach in 1954

Blackpool, the town on the Lancashire coast in England, is well-known for its cemented place as “the archetypal British seaside resort.” Photographs from its heyday show crowds of tourists on the beach and promenade engaging in enjoyable activities such as riding donkeys, eating ice creams, napping, riding carriages. Today Blackpool remains the most popular seaside resort in the UK.

Take a look back at the good old British seaside holiday through 16 nostalgic vintage color photographs taken by John Chillingworth at the Blackpool beach in the summer of 1954:

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The Story of Pat Stewart, the Blackpool Belle in the Polka Dot Dress, 1951

When Pat Stewart posed with her friend Wendy on the railings of the Blackpool promenade one blustery day in 1951, she had no idea that the subsequent photograph would become famous.

Pat Stewart became known as the girl in the spotty dress.

The photo, taken by Bert Hardy for the magazine ­Picture Post, has since become a hugely popular and cherished image, a carefree snapshot of a postwar world that has long since gone.

For much of her life, though, Pat had all but forgotten about the photograph. Then in 2006, the mystery of the girl in the Polka Dot dress surfaced when a woman called Norma Edmondson came forward after friends had shown her the picture.

Norma Edmondson with the picture taken by Bert Hardy in Blackpool in 1951.

Mrs Edmondson remembered being in Blackpool and recognized the dress and believed she was the girl in the photo. She even appeared on BBC’s The One Show to explain how she came to be at the centre of one of the most memorable images of 20th Century. But the one thing she couldn’t recall was the exact moment the picture was taken.

The story then took a twist when Pat came forward, after Mrs Edmondson’s appearance, to say that she was actually the girl in the picture. She vividly remembered the day Bert took the picture in Blackpool and had the original contact sheet to prove it. Mrs Edmondson admitted she had made an honest mistake and Pat was then invited on The One Show to claim the credit.

Pat Stewart holding a 1951 copy of the Picture Post that helped launch her career in showbusiness.

The story sparked a flurry of media interest that has prompted Pat to write her memoir. “I realized that my grandchildren knew nothing about this story and I wanted them to know about this part of my life.”

Her book, The Girl in the Spotty Dress, co-written with author Veronica Clark, charts her story from humble beginnings in Yorkshire, to showbusiness memories from the 1950s and that famous photograph.

The cover of the Picture Post showing the picture of Pat Stewart, right, at Blackpool Promenade in July 1951.

Pat was born in Featherstone into a hard-working, but poor, family. “My father was a miner and during the General Strike to make some money he did bare-fist fighting at a fairground,” she said.

When she was growing up her parents scrimped and saved to pay for her to have dance lessons. “Money was very tight and my mum pulled pea to help pay for my classes,” she said. “My dad took me to my first dance class when I was little, it was at a studio in the Crescent Cinema on Ropergate in Pontefract.”

At the age of 12 she was taken on by Lilyman’s Dance School in Leeds, which had a reputation for being one of the best dance schools in Yorkshire. “I used to get the bus from Featherstone to Leeds, it took about an hour and I would sit and eat my peas,” said Pat.

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An Amazing Glimpse at Blackpool Victoria Pier in 1904

This is quite an interesting old film, one of the hundreds made by the Northern partnership of Mitchell and Kenyon recently found in the cellar of a shop.

Travel had grown cheaper by the Edwardian era, and advances like the electric tramway, seen here, offered new and easier ways for tourists to reach the pier. Meanwhile, the beginning of the century saw a reduction in working hours, leading to an explosive growth in the leisure industry. This filmic record highlights the swelling visitors but also proves that the young, the old, men, women and children took full advantage of the Victoria Pier's attractions.

Wonderful Color Photographs Show the Heyday of Blackpool Beach in the 1950s

The 1950s were boom years for the Great British beach holiday and, prior to the advent of cheap flights and package deals, resorts such as Blackpool were the last word in time off.

The photographs were taken by Picture Post photographer John Chillingworth over the August Bank Holiday weekend of 1954 in Blackpool, showing a man dozing in a deckchair, beauty queens on the hunt for entrants for that year's Blackpool Bathing Beauty competition and a quartet of young women enjoying a game of beach volleyball.

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