BLACKPOOL COAST DEFENCE WORKS 99 



At Uncle Tom's Cabin an electric lift capable of holding 25 people has been 

 installed, and provision is made for an additional lift when this becomes 

 desirable. 



South Shore Promenade. 



The South Shore new Promenade, opened by the Right Honourable the 

 Earl of Derby, K.G., P.C., G.C.B., G.C.V.O., in October, 1926, is an extension 

 of the Promenade reconstructed in 1905. It commences near the Victoria 

 Pier, and terminates at the southerly boundary of the borough, adjoining the 

 borough of Lytham St. Annes. The works were commenced in 1922 with the 

 construction of an elliptical embayment carried seawards for the purpose of 

 enclosing a sufficient portion of the foreshore for the erection of the Open-air 

 Swimming Bath (completed in June, 1923, at a cost of £85,000). 



The sea-wall then continues for 2,420 yards to the southerly boundary of the 

 borough. There are two slades leading to the shore for vehicular traffic, one 

 opposite Watson Road and the other opposite Harrowside, and a number of 

 steps leading from the Promenade to the shore are interspersed along its whole 

 length. 



Fig. No. 1 1 shows a cross section of this Promenade. 



The sea-wall is constructed entirely of concrete, approximately 9,000 tons 

 of cement and 80,000 tons of gravel having been used : the whole of the latter 

 material was obtained from the site. The thickness of the wall at its foot 

 is 14 feet, and its necking 5 feet. Old tram rails were driven into the sand as 

 king piles, 8 feet apart, to an average depth of 20 feet, the top being at a level 

 of 7.5 O.D., which is the average level of the sand, and to the rail king piles, 

 walings were bolted with 3 inch close timber sheeting to a depth of 12 feet, to 

 form the toe of the wall. 



The wall is about 400 feet westward from the old beach, and, although 

 unsupported, had to withstand exceptionally severe gales during construction, 

 but not a fracture has occurred throughout its length. 



Rising about 1 5 feet above the sand level, a huge area had to be filled up to 

 form the new Promenade : 300,000 cubic yards of sand were taken from the 

 beach immediately north of Victoria Pier, and about 750,000 cubic yards from 

 the sand dunes on the land between the railway and the foreshore. So exposed 

 was the area that, with the heavy seas and high winds, it is estimated that 

 100,000 cubic yards have been lost by being blown in all directions from the 

 site. On several occasions the sea rose to a phenomenal height (about 5 feet 

 over the normal and expected level) and came over the new Promenade, washing 

 away the foundations of the carriage-way and a small portion of the sunken 

 gardens then in course of construction. These gales added to the cost of the 

 work, as in one case a sum of £ 1 ,800 had to be expended to repair the damage. 

 Erosion has also had its effect on the sand at the toe of the wall, and several 

 thousands of tons of old macadam, broken stone, etc., have been placed to a 

 depth of from 2 to 3 feet and 10 to 15 feet from the wall, in order to act as a 

 heavier barrier than the sand. Being more difficult to move, it has had the 

 desired effect. 



The original design of the Promenade, as indicated on the deposited plans 

 submitted to Parliament, showed a series of sunken gardens. It was thought 



