SotA Anthology 2015-16 | Page 85

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In Blackpool, the juxtaposition of eras can
be seen most dramatically between that
of the Palatine Hotel and the now-iconic
Woolworth’s Building. The Palatine site
represents the 19th century tradition of
single independent shops, most likely family
run, which would cater for a single trade:
Grundy’s gentleman’s hairdressers and
Quinn chemist. The Woolworth Building, on
the other hand, characterised the modern
department stores of the 20th century that
focused on mass-produced and cheaply
made goods that could be bought all
under one roof. The Palatine shops bear
little aesthetic correlation to one another,
with a variety of advertisements and
signs all vying for attention, whereas the
Woolworth Building’s sleek, contemporary
design conveys a sense of uniformity and
sophistication that made the Palatine Hotel
look rather drab and out of touch with the
general public.

of the company owning the Royal Hotel, Mr.
J. Parkinson stated that: “The intentions
of Messrs. Woolworth is to pull down
the present buildings, the stores, and
hotel, and use the whole site for a superstructure which will be an ornament to the
promenade” (‘Blackpool’s Growth’, 1935).
At the time of construction, the Palatine
Hotel and Buildings Co. Ltd. soon
became concerned with the scale of the
development. In 1936 they launched a
legal claim to a “mandatory Order on the
Defendants to pull down and remove all
walls and buildings on the said site”, and
an injunction to prevent the erection of the
building. The claim in question was related
to the Prescription Act of 1832 that entitled
the company to the access and use of
light. The Palatine Hotel and Buildings Co.
Ltd. argued that the height of the building,
varying between 80 and 119 ft., would have
a detrimental impact on the business and
therefore would “diminish the selling and
letting value thereof”.

The site was first sold to F. W. Woolworth
and Company Ltd. in 1925 for a sum “which
ran well into six figures”, making it “one of
the biggest property sales ever known in
Blackpool” at the time (‘The Royal Hotel
Site’, 1925). The sale was in relation to
the development of the site for a new
Woolworth’s building, to be designed by
Ald. R. B. Mather, “of the most modern
type, with twice the present frontage to the
Promenade” (ibid.). The first stage of the
development was to expand the existing
store and this was hailed as a huge success
before the construction of the proposed
Woolworth building even took place, with
a local newspaper describing the opening
as “an event in Blackpool’s life” and “one
of the wonders of modern Blackpool”. The
newly expanded store was praised for its
modern interior and affiliation in name,
if not in structure, with the Woolworth’s
Building in New York, which at the time was
“the biggest skyscraper in the world…rising
to a height of nearly 800 feet” (‘A big new
Blackpool attraction’, 1926).

“The said new building of the
Defendants has caused a substantial
and material loss to and for the
Plaintiffs’ said buildings of the
light previously enjoyed…if the

Ten years later, the site was developed
once again for a monumental structure
that would later become one of Blackpool’s
most iconic buildings. One of the directors

Figure 1: The Woolworth building, as shown on a
1941 cafe menu. © 3D and 6D Pictures Ltd.
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