The Casino |
| Hob Uid: 1458535 | |
Location :
Blackpool
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : SD3053833490 |
| Summary : The Casino at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was built between 1937 and 1940 to the designs of Joseph Emberton for Leonard Thompson. Though named 'The Casino' it never served as such and was in fact an entertainment complex. Facilities included Kitchens on the ground and first floor, serving a number of restaurants and bars, a billiard room, sports facilities, basement stores, an office and Managers flat. It was restored and altered in 1972 and again in 1977 to 1979 by Keith Ingham. It is constructed of reinforced concrete in the International Modern Style. It is of three storeys with a basement and is designed to a circular plan with a sweep of glazed windows. The circle is broken by three principal projections marking the main entrance and foyer, the main exit and the main public stairs. The exterior is dominated by a tall spiral tower, which with a lower rectangular tower flank the main entrance. The interior has a number of intriguingly curved rooms which have been altered but retain some of the original 1930's style. Features include 'wheel-like' ceiling beams and columns. Above the mezzanine office range is a well-preserved manager's flat with a fine original interior. The Casino is one of only three major works by Emberton to survive including Simpson's of Piccadilly (Westminster) and the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club (Burnham-on-Crouch). Joseph Emberton was the first British-born architect to design convincingly in the Modern Movement style and the only one included in Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson's ground-breaking New York exhibition of 1932, 'The International Style'. |
More information : The Casino at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was built between 1937 and 1940 to the designs of Joseph Emberton for Leonard Thompson. Though called 'The Casino' it never served as such and was in fact an entertainment complex. Facilities included Kitchens on the ground and first floor, serving a number of restaurants and bars, a billiard room, sports facilities, basement stores, an office and Managers flat. It was restored and altered in 1972 and again in 1977 to 1979 by Keith Ingham. It is constructed of reinforced concrete in the International Modern Style. It is of three storeys with a basement and is designed to a circular plan with a sweep of glazed windows. The circle is broken by three principal projections marking the main entrance and foyer, the main exit and the main public stairs. The exterior is dominated by a tall spiral tower, which with a lower rectangular tower flank the main entrance. The interior has a number of intriguingly curved rooms which have been altered but retain some of the original 1930's style. Features include 'wheel-like' ceiling beams and columns. Above the mezzanine office range is a well-preserved manager's flat with a fine original interior. The Casino is one of only three major works by Emberton to survive including Simpson's of Piccadilly (Westminster) and the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club (Burnham-on-Crouch). Joseph Emberton was the first British-born architect to design convincingly in the Modern Movement style and the only one included in Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson's ground-breaking New York exhibition of 1932, 'The International Style'. [1-3]
Additional Source [4] |