Blackpool is believed to get its name from a long gone drainage channel which ran over a Peat. The water which ran into the sea at Blackpool was black from the peat and formed a “black pool” in waters of the Irish Sea (In Irish, Black Pool is Dubh Linn, which in turn became Dublin). 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.

Gay Blackpool
Blackpool has gained renown as a lesbian and gay destination, (see Gay Blackpool) with clubs such as the Flamingo, Mardi Gras, the Flying Handbag pub, and many gay-run hotels and guest-houses, with some catering exclusively for the gay community. These tend to be inland, nearer to the railway station “Blackpool North” than to the sea. There is also the world famous drag cabaret burlesque show bar.

Blackpool festivals
Blackpool Dance Festival is a world famous annual ballroom dance competition of international significance: Blackpool Illuminations consisting of a series of lighted displays and collages arranged along the entire length of the sea front (11 km/7 miles), attract many visitors in September and October at a time when some resorts’ holiday seasons have already ended.

  Liverpool is a major city and metropolitan borough in England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. Built across a ridge of hills rising up to a height of around 230 feet (70 metres) above sea-level at Everton Hill, the city’s urban area runs directly into Bootle and Crosby in Sefton to the north, and Huyton and Prescot in Knowsley to the east. It faces Wallasey and Birkenhead across the River Mersey to the west. Liverpool is governed by one of five councils within the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and is one of England’s core cities and its fifth most populous – 441,477 in 2002, with 816,000 in the Liverpool Urban Area, which includes suburbs on the Liverpool side of the Mersey but not those on the Wirral. Inhabitants of

Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians and nicknamed “Scousers”, in reference to the local meal known as ‘scouse’, a form of stew. The word scouse has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect.
Liverpool, now classed as a World Heritage city, is full of culture, excitement and an important maritime history. Famous for its Mersey waterfront, Liverpool has recently redeveloped many areas in central Liverpool with unrivalled architecture, including the trendy Albert Dock, complete with museums, cafés, bars and shops, Stanley Dock, Waterloo, Wapping and the general Liverpool Pier Head area. Now a city of world significance, with an impressive university, Liverpool is also known throughout the world for being the home of the famous rock band, The Beatles, which attractions huge numbers of tourists to Liverpool each year.