Winter Gardens, Blackpool

The Winter Gardens is an enormous entertainment compound that opened in Blackpool in 1878. It is operated by the Blackpool Entertainment Company on behalf of the Blackpool Council, which has owned the complex since 2010. The Gardens was built on the six-acre Bank Hey Estate. The intent was to "convert the estate into a pleasant lounge."

Early features of the Winter Gardens include the Vestibule, Floral Hall, Ambulatory, and Pavilion Theatre, all built in the 1870s. Later additions are the Opera House Theatre, the Empress Ballroom, and the Arena, formerly the Indian Lounge. The Olympia, the Galleon Bar, the Spanish Hall, and the Baronial Hall were built in the 1930s.

The Gardens is located in the center of Blackpool, a little more than 800 feet from the water's edge. The complex covers a squarish area block with sides about 650 feet long. The Opera House and Pavilion Theatre, together with the Empress Ballroom, the Olympia Exhibition Hall, and the Arena share the ground floor.

All rooms are connected within an Art Deco compound. There are two main entrances, joined by a large arcade. The Spanish Hall, Baronial Hall, and Renaissance Hall are on the first floor. The Gardens has been the venue for political and trade union conventions, dance festivals, and addresses of all Prime Ministers since World War II.