Raikes Hall, Blackpool

Raikes Hall, located on Liverpool Road in Blackpool, is more than just a welcoming pub with a sunny beer garden-it’s a fascinating slice of the town’s history. Originally built around 1760 as the elegant brick-and-slate country home of the Hornby family, the building features charming Georgian elements such as a semi-circular porch with fluted columns. Over the centuries, its role in Blackpool has constantly evolved, mirroring the town’s transformation from quiet countryside to seaside spectacle.

In the 1860s, the hall took a more spiritual turn, briefly serving as a convent run by the Sisters of the Holy Child. Tales from that period include eerie rumors of a drowned nun whose ghost is said to still wander the grounds-a feature that lends a ghostly edge to the building’s already atmospheric setting.

In 1871, the property was purchased by the Raikes Hall Park, Gardens and Aquarium Company, which developed the house and its 51-acre grounds into Blackpool’s premier entertainment complex-well before landmarks like the Winter Gardens or the Blackpool Tower came to define the resort. Visitors flocked to the Raikes Hall Palace Gardens, which boasted a theatre, lake, skating rink, and aviary. From 1888 to 1899, the grounds even served as the home pitch for Blackpool FC, making it one of the earliest football league venues in the country.

Today, Raikes Hall is a Grade II listed pub and the only surviving structure from that once-grand estate. With a bowling green, upstairs function room, family-friendly hours, and a reputation for hearty food and hospitality-not to mention ghost hunts for the brave-it continues to charm both locals and visitors.